The Opelousas courier., 1883-09-08
MIR, AND MRS. sPOOPENDYKE.

purely feminine enjoyment of unpack-
ing. my dear, there's no use trying
to get along in the country without a
sailboat, and I have bought a nice
one. Come along, and I'll show you
how it works."
that nice!' giggled Mrs.
SEoopendyke, who stood in mortal
terror of the water, and was afraid of
anything shaped like a boat. "Are you
going to sail it on the pond?'
"At first Thought I'd sail it down
cellar" growled Mr.. Spoopeldyke,
"but the landlord was afraid it might
upset the. milk; then | thought I'd try
the garnet, but there's too much wind
up there; SO I believe I'll stick to the
river. Hurry up now, and I'll show
you the biggest boat in thirteen coun-
ties"
IF it is as big as that it must have
cost a good DEAL" murmured Mrs.
Spoopendyke, somewhat treasured by
the size of the boat. Tim very glad
you got alarge boat, though, of course,
the expense"
"What dye think I've been buy
ing?' demanded Mr.. Spoopendyke,
with a flushed face; "got some kind
of a notion that I've invested my
wealth in a. salt marsh, with telegraph
poles for masts, haven't ye? Think
I've been laying out money in a town
site, don't yep Well, I haven't, and
| haven't been buying a rural district
with a rudder to it. It's a boat, l tell
YEA sailboat-and it won't come up
here to make a formal call; so if you're
going to see it, you want to go where
it is. Coming?" and Mr.. S~poopendyke
pegged off with his hat pulled down
over his ears and the expression of a
veteran tar on his visage.
Yes, DEAR" replied Mrs. %Spoopen-
dyke, tluttering after him. "Say,
dear, I'll stand on the shore and watch
you sail. the thing"
sYou won't do anything Of the
kind,' retorted Mr.. Spoopendyke. 81
bought that boat for your pleasure as
much as mine, and you're going to sail
in it. When l want you to stand on
the shore and watch anything, I'll hire
q man to drown himself. Now look
at that boat. Isn't she a daisy? See
how she sets on the water"
/. What are all those clothes-lines
hanging down from that stick for?"
asked Mrs. Spoopendyke, surveying the
yacht critically.
"To play Copenhagen WITH roarel
MI. Spoopendyke, who was not at all
anxious to be examined on the tech
nical points Of his new acquisition.
"You take hold of those ropes and /
slap your hands, and then we kiss.
See into tnow? Does the art of nav
igation begin to appeal to your under
standing? Now, you get in and I'll
make SAIL" and MI. Sp~oependyke
handed his wife into the cockpit and
began to tug away at his ha]liards.
Why didn't you have a sail made
when the. beat was buit?' inquired
Mrs. Spoopendyke, ly way of en-
couraging her husbands labors with
pleasant conversation.
Because the man was sick, "snarled
Mr.. S~poopendyke, glancing at the head
of the mast to Q what was wrong.
Z Come up here, will YEP he grunted,
as he grabbed the halliards again.
/" There, confound We! / knew I'd
eth yei' and he walked aft to ex-
anime the trim of his mainsail. How
does that set?'
ut seems to be a little full in the
back breadth, commented Mrs. Spoo-
pendyke, holding on to the coaming
with both hands. If you cut a gore
near that top stick it would be straight
err
suppose so,, muttered Mr.. Spoo-
pendyke, giving another haul at his
peak halliards. IF put a hustle on
1t, I imagine it would take the Wrin-
kles out. Now, Ill get up that jib,
and mind, don't you touch anything"
Mr.. Spoopenkyke set his jib and
pushed off. AS his sail filled the boat
heel6d over, to the manifest cunsterna-
lion of Mrs. Spoopendyke.
What makes the thing tip sop
she asked, scrambling up to wind
ward, and grasping Mr.. spoopendyke
Dy tnP collar.
Let d0Wnthe center-board T. yelled
Mr.. Spoopendyke, suddenly remem-
bering the instructions he had received
when he bought the boat. Let go
thatcenter-board, quick !"
sIhaven't got It'll" squealed Mrs.
spoopendyke. II haven't een it
We must have left it ashore Oh,
my r The last exclamation was adj
dressed to q half-hundred weight of
water stopping over the lee coaming.
"HauI away on that iib sheet y
roared Mr.. ~Spoopendyke, who found
he was going ashore on the other hank
Of the river. GpuIl her in as quick as
We can Let 60 of that" he con-
tinued, ais he saw his wife clutching
convalsiyely at the peak ballard cleat.
"Let 60 the measly thing, will ye, and
haul the jib sheet "
us this it2' gasped Mrs. Spoopen-
dyke, casting the throat ballard loose,
"or this?'' and she let go the peak
ballard, dropping the boom on MI.
Spoopendyke's head and burying him
under the mainsail. perhaps this is
what he means" she soliloquized, as
she hit on the jib ballard, and let it
go by the run. "Now we are sailing
better, dear. lie it hadn't been for me
we would havetipped Overt"
"That'sitH' yelled Nj. Spoopendyke,
struggling out from under the canvas.
THAT'S navigation You struck it
from the shoulder first clip | All you
want now is aquid Of tobacco and a
hitch to your breeches to be a Cunard
steamer Got through? Anything
else YOU want to do to this measly