New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-23

,aoonip tumDle0 out, anu toOh my ON'' -
class carriage. that smelled like the paror OF pub
a. honso otter n nights orgy. Just as we were
ohont TO start the door was flung open, and man
hrudled in | was full of thought. and hardly
,,lapced at him. Presently he said: "Very genteel
roring-stock they have on this line. sir! But l
suppose anythng's good enough for sailors 10 you
object to my lighting pipe to Kill the fragrance III
this atmosphere -,
by his voice, in which 1ancleu coulu '"''ii " W
that was familiar to me.
IIo was a rather short sQuarely-built man OF
hont forty wears of age with reddish whskers, and
heard that half crced his face as though you cut q
coil of rome in half and passed it under your chm
with the ends against your ears; his lace WAS the
reddest | ever saw on man, ana rendered pecuii"
Nv the color lying in lines and blotcheS' so that
when YOU took a close squmt at hlm MS skin seeieo
20 ho covered with red Lace VEIL with the mesbes
thickened in places He had fine, honest Laughing
ewes and hearty, cheerful expression OF couhte-
nance and was in his way the cOmpletest figure OF
a merchant seaman one could imagine. dressed III
dark-blue cloth and cap with shovel-1aced peak
toit Finding me staring at him, he began 10 stare
Mt me- meanwhile cropping in his side pockets lor his
nine and tobacco. At last said: SIX ye:rS ago l
was shipmates with a second mate aboard the Mon
trose named Daniel Thompson. Ii you arc ho' ho'
then you must be the devil"
II
years AGO was second mate aboard the Montrose.
Apd-why. heart alive. oh you're Jack Seymour !
And with sailors warmth he flung down ms pipe
and tobaccO-pcuch, jumped into the seat opposite
me. and grasped both my hands, "lhink of my not
knowipc youw cried he. But then you've grown
n mustache and you're foot taller-and VINO
the blazes would recognize Jack Seymour III those
Tbis is strange meeting, Thompson" said |;
4will YOU believe it, was actually bound IN quest
of youf I'm going to the docks TO nave LOOK az
yoir Strathmore Do you know, Pm thinking oil
81 Sailing with mew he exclaimed, letting go my
hands and returning to his pipe. "Why, heard
that YOU had knocked off the sea some years ago
come into an estate-and was living up W 'no H"i-
mer somewhere T other" =,
sO6" said /. laughing. don't suppose Pm gong
to sea with you sailor. I'm thlnklng o. t S
a cabin in your ship for a voyage 10 New ooua IN
Wales I saw your name in the advertisement as
skipper and just now called at the office OF the com;
pany to make sure OF you, ana lhey 'olu uio o"oi"
NV. IL hope You'll come with me- hCPe you'll
.ome ~ cried he in his hearty fashion Well Ind
N many warn to spin together-many talk over old
III DAYS But what in the name OF Moses takes you To
sea again as passenger Dldnt you get enough
of salt water in your timef Only let somebody
leave me an estatep said he, lighting his pipe, and
there's never house agent in the United Kingdom
pii tell Won presently why am gong TO sea
again. replied But first let's hear of yourself.
Are You marrledf Are yon saving money! How
long have you been skipperp
He answered these questions by story that car
ried to Blackwsll and though Kept on nod@g
am afraid did not give his yarn all the attention
he believed it was receiving. The truth u.s. my mna
was so busy with my affairs that could THINK
of nothing else; though took in enough OF what
he said to gather that he was married and had
compile of Youngsters that his wife had tribe Oi
money and that he had commanded the StrathmOre
W. sailed forth arm in arm he jabbering incess-
sntly and, after walking a bit, came abreast of y
ship whose name did not need to inquire.
stopped to have look. There IN front Ol me lay
the counterpart OF the vessel IN whose healt lal
passed many long month, whose mastheads had
watched swaying under stars which no northern
dweller ever beholds, whose massive shrouds had
shrieked back the refrain of the Cape Horn hurri-
cane whose topmOst canvas had glimmeled like dis
solving wreaths OF yapor aind the GREATNESS groom
of the hushed tropical night.
aWhat are you stopping fOrT shouted Thompson.
sWhat do you see that you're staring alottf Any
See p cried /; "why, the picture of my old life
Daniel-the old business of the lonely watch, the
streaming decks the bunk under which used 20
prope fer my boots when the horrld shout OF eight
bells awoke me from dreams Of teather-beds, and
folly life the sailors is Thompson why, I'd rather
be rat in your laLaretto than go through II again.
And yet hang me If the sight OF that craft OF Yours
don't lnfuse of tenderness into me too, though
for all know her iron RIBS may be only one degree
removed from the ore and her timber plankng as
rotten old Stllton cheese. 80
Don't Won go and make any mistake of that
kind, my young friend" exclaimed Thompson.
NRottenl why, as a matter of strength the Tower of
IondOn's joke to that ship, and as TO her angie
frames being one degree removed from the one,
there's nothing wanting but llJtlt 10 con-
vert them into the lOvelieSt razOrs III the world.
But come aboard man, come aboard ~; and we
stepped along the plank over the side and sprang on
to the deck.
A dock is to a ship what a dressIn groom is 10 a
lady, and you must expect DISAGREEMENT until she
salfles forth into her Ocean-wOrld, when you will
find her dressed in the latest fashion, painted and
sparkling and dropping many handsome courtesy
Us she goes The StTatbmOres topgallant ana royal
yards were down, all the sails unDent ana the run
ming gear unrOve; the yards were bTaced fore aud
aft; there Jumpers at work III her hold, and
gIimy faces grnned you over the coanings OF the
main batch; crane alongside was Singing cases oil
merchandise into her, aud her main deck was sur
face of straw, dirt wet and what sailors call raile
But Just as pretty wench with tousled hair, dirty
face besoled frock, and with toes peepng out of
her yawning boots, preserves her prettness and
fakes the eye in spite of her squad attire, did the
Strathmore offer 20 the experienced gaze every point
of handsome, powerful clipper ship. nOtwitllstand
ing her grimy decks, her dlsordered yards, the
nakedness of her upper spars. her rigged-in jIb
boom. She was, as the advertisement about heI
said, composite ship, that Is, built of iron frame,
covered with wood. .She was slightly longer thar
the Portia, with tribe less of beam, and had the
is termed wet ship. This indeed, might have been
guessed by looking at her bows which were almost
like yachts, with hardly any perceptible swell OF
4fiaringn Her lower masts were painted white
she had channels-though even then those append
ages for spreading wide the lower rigging were go
ing out of date-and checkered Sides a broad whit
band running the length of her, broken witt
painted ports; so that. with her square sterT
decorated with row of cabin windows, short royal
mastheads and exceedingly square yards, she might
at distance have passed for frigate.
Thomson, however, gave me very little time q
look about; for, after taxing sqnmt down th'
main hatchway and bawling out some question ,tC
the people below, he again seized my arm ant
walked me into the cuddy, as the saloon under The
poop was always called This was hno SWEEP
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