Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-02-25
a Weakness for sailors.

ment is near the outer door. Mr.. Quip
has cnly to raise his eyes from work TO
see a visitor the instant the door is
pushed open. A day or two ago he
heard the door open softly, and looked
up Just II time TO see sailors cap, q
pair OF bright eyes and q bronzed fore
head dodge back
Come Il, Jack" Mr. Q1ip called
out cheeIily. He cultivstes weakness
for sailors and sailors conversation,
Jack put mis- head in, and followed II
with his body ia regulation sailor cos
tune, including funnel-bottom trousers
that required constant hitching up. In
his right hand he carried strange OBJ
ject three feet long, the upper half VI
which resemhled human form and the
lower half that of fish.
"Whatchugot there?r demanded Mr..
Qujp. cycling the monster suspiciously.
That ere" said Jack, carefully
deposiung tie object on Mr.. Quip's
desk. while the foreman edged away
from Il as though he was afraid it
might bite him. That ere" rerested
Jack, as he forgelfuily spat consider
able tobacco juice on the clean and
sanded floor, lis wot they calls mer-
mad. That's wOt that is.
Dear me. :" said Mr.. Quip, and you
came here to sell itg"
You're sallin' right before the wind,
now you are" Jack replied.
"Well, l might buy it, said MI.
Quip, rehectiyely, as visions Of selling
a mermaid to the American Museum
Of Natural History danced through his
head. He looked the creature over.
Its head was the size Of cocoanut.
1t was nearly bald. A Few long, black,
coarse hairs flowed back ap0n.ts shOu,-
ders. The eyebrows were arched and
well marked, the eyes large, the nose
aquiliBe and of perfect shape, the
mouth slightly open, and the lower jaw
square. The face resem5!ed that of a
human being more than a monkeys
face does, The body IL the waist might
have been that of monkey. The i'm
gers terminated ID birdlike, long talons,
The chest and back were dotted with
few scales. Lower, there were more,
and the body Gnally turned fish alto
gether, ending IN a tail ike that of a
big cod fish. A IaXideTmist had stuffed
the mermaid. and il was sticky with
two or thrre coats of yarnish.
Most remarkable history that bird
has," continued the sailor, with sur
prising vOlubllity. Me and Cap,
Cap. SAOwden, Imean, of the schooner
Tallahassee, are brothers. We was d
runnin' along af0Te the wind a nOIicin'
nOthin' particular. Where was it2
nauu, In fha Ensr4barv, paa so naar
some % them South sea islands that
grows up in a night. Wei, as was
szyin', We wasn't noJiCin' anthin'. The
weather was warm and the sun a shiDiD'
bright, when all of a sudden We heard
music. First il sounded ike singin',
an then it sounded like playin' ON
some instrument or other Where it
come from We couldn't Iell. Ii sounded
sometimes as though it was way up
around the t0'gallaHt mast and al OF
sudden It would come from under the
water Then il would come from first
tn port, and then agln from tn starb'd
side. / jumped up an Tan TO the rail
an looked down. An there was that
ere woman-lish a swimming and singin'
an dom one Jest as easy as the other.
l don't deny il. It's one o. them
things, | thought. that warns the poor
sailor that he's gOin' 10 Davy JOnes's
locker. 1 called the cap'n., and pretty
quick th' whole crew Was runnin' up
TO see what was the Tow.
Run an get that fish net" he said.
The net wss got and let down over the
side carefully. What should that cree
ter do but climb right into it, an it
was hauled on deck. The cap'n filed
the biggest bar'l with water and put
the woman fish in IL seemed to enjoy
Itself all right, but it Cidn't sing any
more. Il only looked, an looked with
Its big eyes. For sixteen days we KEEP
II, and it wouldn't eat aDythin', so it
died"
Il occurred 70 Nh. Quip momentarily,
while he listened TO this story, that
schOoners with tOpgailantmasts are
rare IN the South Pacific. but he forgot
that again and asked how much the
mermaid would cost. Jack mentioned
a round sum and got il. AS he went
out OF the Gold street door he hesitated
and said:
IF YOU want TO see me again YOU
will ind me on board the schooner Tai
lahassee. bound for Texas in two days.
Yes, III remember"
Tie first thing the purchaser did was
to send two employees TO request Fish
Commissioner BlackfOrd TO come
around aud pass judgment on a won
derful marine curiosity. Commissioner
BlaCkford laughed when ne heard the
proposition.
II can tell you what it is without |
seeing it, - lie sald to the embassy. 1T |
is fraud"
The embassy protested that the CON- |
missioner would change his mind when |
he saw the monster, They went back |
and got it. As soon as Mr.. Blsckford |
saw 1t he laughed louder.
- tell You it's an artificial mermaid. |
Il never sang or swan, - he said.
Then MIR. Quip remembered the |
schooner Tallahassee and Capt. Snow |
den and Capt. Sn0wden's brother, but |
be could hnd no mention of the |
schooner Tallahassee In the American |
LlOydS and no seatariDg men who knew |
a Capt. SnONden who had roamed the |
Pacific.
l. AC LIZ 1AAANNNAN VI AINA SCCAh5
TO be picking up" said Commissioner |
Blackford yesterday. The other day |
3 Brooklyn saloon keeper bought one OF |
a sailor, and put il i'll glass case on
the counter as trump card, but in a |
few days his friends plagued him so
about it that he nd himself of IL. l |
believe he put it in the ash barrel. The |
method OF manufacture is simple |
enough. The manufacturer bargains |
with menagerie keeper or museum
for dead monkey, builds a human
looking face on it with papier mache,
makes the body out of a large hake,
obhterateS with papier mache the line
of junctUe, and a few coats of vaInish
do the rest.
The mermaid bought In Gold street
was bought by Brooklyn Snowman,
who will exhibit il.
One of the latest forms of fireless
locomotives, as Is quite in advance of
other devices for this purpose, as the |
engine will run and work anywhere
without any conductive connection with /
f,ssFwrr Tka-, .l..