The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-04-13
THE OOPPERING PET.

OF one OF our smallest anu most Yenera-
BILE seaport towns, when l came upon the
graveyard. One of the graves particu-
larly attracted my attention. 1t was
covered by a large and flat stone,
which bore an inscription reading as
follows:
Here lies the body and worldly sub
stance of Captain William Mereen, a
skipper Of this port, and father of Polly
Mereen, who sailed from here in the Cop
pering Pet, in July, 1869. In 1901 he
was born in this town, where he died iii
1871. The body shall remain here until
resurrected by the last trump, and the
worldly substance shall stay with it I'M
til his daughter Polly shall raise this
stone and lake from under it her own"
As wa stunning away from the grave
I saw on the road an elderly man APP
preaching. 1 had met him before. He
was 4 weather-beaten parsonage, with q
sea-faring demeanor, and his name was
Wonderment Sanchez. 1 saw he was in
q hurry, but 1 stopped him and asked if
he could explain the inscription on this
tomb.
ats cur us" he said, 'thatyou should
ask me such a thing at this time. The
Copperin' Pet is a lynn off the bar; I've
been q watchin' fur her fur years, and 1
can't be mistook in her. She'll come
over at high water, and I've been to
hunt u pilots, but all three of EN- nave
gone up the river fishing. I'm no pilot
but I'm goin' out to the Pei in my boat.
The captain ought to know the bar, fur
he was raised here, and perhaps he'll
bring her in himself. If you like I'll
take you out with me, and I'll tell you
all about that tombstone IN the way"
/ replied that nothing would please
ne better, and in fifteen minutes We
"ore rowing over the harbor toward the
bar.
BILLY Mereen,r said Wonderment,
was an old friend of mine. He made
many wages and brought back many
'ur'us things, principally made out OF
whales jaw bones. He had a great lik-
ng fur such matters, and he'd n had
Ills own bones made of whales Jaws If
lie could nave done it. He had one
child, named Polly, and her motherd died
when she vas little. Nine year ago,
when Polly was about eighteen, She
married young Alba, of this town, and
sailed away as is stated OF that stone
Two years after that the old man died.
and he left all he had to Polly. As I've
been told, everythin' wa turned into
money, which was put into All iron box,
and buried under his gravcstone. Ac-
eordin' to directions he left, the money
IS TO wait there fur her fur n hundred
wears, fur some of the women Morecns
live a long time. If she don't come fur
it in the hundred years. the money is TO
be given to the Oldest man in the town,
and when he dies to the oldest one left.
| and so on until it's all gone
I tl,-l. Ill pill H.. IT..
most foolish testator | had yet heard
Of; but | did not say so. / suggested.
however, that the iron box might be
stolen.
Some folks thinks" said I've old
man. that there's nothin' much in thai
box, and n'c folks thinks there's lots.
But howy,,, It's. there is no man in this
town would touch that grave
was greatly interested in the story.
and was almost as anxious rs old Won
dermcnt himself to get out to the Cop
pcriGg Pet and see what would come Of
it all.
We were soon out ri sea, and IS We
approached the vessel | saw that Won
dcrmont had not bccn mistaken. Her
name, the ''C0ppcriHg Pit" was painted
in fresh white letters on hcrbow. Asshe
lay tu, before moderate breeze wu were
soon on board.
When we reached the deck Wonder
ment asked for the captain.
IAN right sir!'' said 4 sailor, she is
coming"
She. The old man and ! opened wide
our eyes. but none too wide for the sight
we saw. Up n short companion-way
| there stepped a young woman, who Will.
II quick and sea-trained step came to-
ward us. She wore a close-titting dress
Of blue and n broad straw hat.
''Why. if this isn't Wonderment"' she
exclaimed, advancing toward the old
| man with outstretched hands.
I'm real glad to see you Polly said
Wonderment, you're looking finely.
And how'sP"-
'.He is not living" said Polly" quiet
ly. II am SO glad you anne on board.
This is your friend, L suppose"
Wonderment introduced me.
Come into the cabin she said, land
/ will tell you everything that has hap
pened."
When two glasses of grog had been
brought, Polly told her story. 1t was
not a very long one. Her husband had
died about three years after they first
sailed away in the Coppering Pet. This
| happened when they were in the Japan
csc seas. She would have sold the YES
| sci and returned TO her home, but she
found it was not easy to make suitable
arrangements of this kind; and then,
before any plan could be carried out,
she heard of her fathers death. When
she recovered from this new shock she
did not want to come home, and if she
sold her vessel, she felt that she would
have no abiding place in this world, so
she determined to keep the Coppering
Pet, the only home she had; and having
a competent mate and a good crew, and
being accompanied by a middle-aged
Scotch woman, who acted as both maid
and companion, she had sailed and trad
cd in those Eastern waters until a few
months go, when she had determined
to see once more her native town.
While Captain Polly was speaking ]
had watched her closely. She was real
ly a very handsome woman and herface
was but little sunburned.
"And now," she said II want to
hear everything that has happened
here"
Thereupon Wonderment told the story
of Captain Mereen's death and the
singular disposition of his worldly sub
stance,
"This Is n strange story" said Capt.
Polly, land l must think 1t over before
l say anything about it. Andnow, Won
derment, did you come out TO a PEI
over the barP" =,
II didn't come fur that" said the old
man, inspired by the grog, 'but though
I'm not a pilot by trade, I've been over
this bar back'ards and for ards as often
as n man Twin. II any of the regular