Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-08-20
The Captains story.

N
years ago" said the Captain of the
trading between Detroit and Port HUI
ron, as he pointed to small house two
+ miles away ON the American shore of
Lake Huron. 1t was trim white c)t
| tage with green lattice work, we'll
kept little lawn, and in front of it a tall
flag-pole set into the roof of pagOda-
/ like Summer-house. Below it, at the
lake, was dock. and on huge sign
! post one could read, Warmers Land
I ing" sit belonged, continued the
Captain, ''to old Capt. Warner, who
sailed the 'Boscobel.' He died and left
the property to his nephew, in the State
I of New York, who brought his wife
and little boy with him TO live there.
He was a gentlemanly young man, well
educated. and on the right side of 80.
His wife was as trim little lady as |
ever saw; pretty as picture, and as
| light-hearted as d schoolgirl. Not one
of your namby-pamby fashionable young
women, but fresh, healthy New Eng
| land girl with woman's heart and a
mans courage
'But the gem of the family was their
boy Willie, who was nearly seven years
old. and / do think the cheeriest and
most sensible little fellow in the State.
Sailors have always soft spot in their
hearts for children, and the way that
youngster carried on during the trip
from Detroit, when we brought the
family up here, was constant pleasure
and surprise. He was the king of the
boat. The stewards cabin, the pilot
house, the porter's pantry, the ladies
parlor-he appropriated to himself a free
pass everywhere, and used it literally.
He found a snug corner for himself in
the hearts of all on board. Why, L re-
member one day, after the family had
been in the house there about three
months, a deck hand, a surly fellow who
never had a civil word for anyone, lug
ging out of his pocket colored picture
book and leaving it at the Landing,
with For Willie, with Joe Prices love
written on 1t.
st was lonesome spot for such peO-
pie to settle in, and | often wondered
how they could reconcile themselves to
it, until learned that Capt. Warner
had made it condition of his will that
they must live at the Landing for two
years,
lone day, when they had been there
about six months, We took up the river
from Detroit to them small pleasure
skiff with The Willie painted in gilt
letters on the stern.
81 never saw a child so pleased. He
took to that boat like duck to water.
lNa rteal 70
trip as we passed sculling himself about
In the slip like born sailor. don't be-
lieve in allowing children to be too ven
tureSome On the water, and so told his
father; but he laughed, and said he
thought Willie was sensible enough to
take care of himself.
lone day we were signalled to stop at
Warmers Landing. William Warner
was going to New York. His wife and
boy were on the dock wishing him as
fearful goodbye as if he were on a
two years voyage to Greenland.
"He too was in low spirits. He came
and sat 10y me in the pilot-house, and
looked az glum as if there'd been a
death In his family. AT last he said,
very solemn and earnest, DO you be-
lieve in presentiments of evil, Capt Ken
yon2"
"No!' I said quite sharply, for don't
like to see man give way to such nom
sense.
''He went down on deck then, half
offended, and left the boat at Detroit
without even bidding me goodbye. We
were late leaving on our return trip
that night, and was surprised TO see,
Just before we started. Warner come
on board. He had small parcel in his
hand.
captain, he said, Il want you to be
sure to leave this at the Landing on
your way up
81 can't" said, for 1 saw it was
only an excuse to get me to call and see
that the folks were all safe. We're late
here. and at Port Huron we've a lot of
slaves to take on, which will make us
later still
But he persisted, and when 1 saw
how down-hearted he looked, told him
to give the parcel to the clerk and /
would see what L would do when we
arrived opposite the Landing. We left
Port Huron in the middle of the follow
ing day. 1t had been very not all the
morning, but as the afternoon advanced
stiff west wind, accompanied by a
driZzling rain, began to blow.
1T was so late when we reached the
Landing that had quite determined
not to call; in fact, we stood out in the
lake a mile further than our usual
course. l was taking a dog-snooze in
my berth, when the mate awoke me.
"There's a woman, sir, on Warmers
Landing signalling us, and l think
something's wrong there
IL was on deck in a minute. Give
me the glass, said L, and soon made
out that it was Mrs. Warner, making
frantic gestures to catch our attention.
She was bare-headed, and stood in the
rain at the end of the landing. Then
she ran into the house and began to
wave a white table cloth from one of
the upper windows.
Every likely she wants to knowif her
dear William got to Detroit safely
grumbled; but suppose we'd better
round to-
''As the boat made the dock the clerk
sprang ashore, and in a few moments
we had the whole story. Willie had
been playing with the skiff in the slip,
as he had done scores of times before.
Mrs. Warner had been busy over some |
household duty and did not notice that |
it rained. When she did, she went at |
once 10 call Willie in. But she could |
not find either the boat or the boy. Both |
had vanished as though the lake had
swallowed them up,
''She had not dared 10 go inland to |
the village to seek help, for fear of mis- |
sing our boat as it passed, but she had |
for hours been running up and down |
the shore calling in vain to her darling. |
Some OF the lady passengers wrapped |
the distracted mother in shawls, for she |
would not delay moment, and we put |
out into the lake.
81 followed the course of the wind as |
well as could, for knew well enough |
that the little fellow had been blown |
out into the lake, where there was but |
small chance that we should find him,
for it was unlikely 30 frail a boat could |
live long in such a heavy sea.
''For an hour we beat about without |
seeing an object on the water. when