Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-05-14
THE OLD MAID CAPTAIN.

81 have been going 10 sea these twenty
five years" sail the stewardess of an
American cOastwise steamer, one after
noon recently, as she sat sewing in the
cosy ladies' cabin of the We sci to which
she belonged, "and yet / was never
wrecked, nor has ship have been on
lost so much as spar while was aboard.
Yes, my life has been very common
pace one. There has been no romance
in any way connected with it-stop,
though, did play very small ! art in u
romance once. That happened fully
twenty years ago, and now it seems like
a dream; sometimes wonder if it wasn't
after all a dream. 1t seems stranger to
me now than it did even then" The
worthy stewardcss paused and a far-av ay
look in her eyes showed that she was in
dulgiug in retrospcction.
"When was young | went on sailing
vessels instead of steamboats,, continued
the steward s.. "About twenty years
ago-that was when | was young-I
visited some friends in the country afe:
voyage and then came to New York
to find ship, The agent went to told
me that l could go as steward :ss on a
ship bound to Australia. "The skipper
said ne, is a good man, but he's egu-
lar Old maid | said that | didn't mind
old maids, and so it was settled that |
was to go with the 'old maid captain. ,
The next day l went aboard and reported
to my new captain, who was called Har-
ris. The captain was short and rather
slightly built, with mild gray eyes, but
with a full, heavy, black beard. He
seemed about thirty-tive years old. HIS
hands were small and delicate, and his
voice was high and Just hihe shrill,
and he walked up and down the deck
with mincing sort Of ga,t. Thinks [:
Captain Harris, if you wasn't skipper,
you'd have made a first rate single woman,
regularly despised him until the first
storm came on. Then he went on deck
and handled the ship in such way that
! / could not but admit that he was the
best navigator l had ever sailed under
Then began to think better of the old
maid Captain. Inever saw a Captain so
consider te of his men. If one of them
was the least bit sick, the Captain would
go into the forccastIe and attend to him
as tenderly as any nurse. And when the
weather was bad he would not allow the
mates to make the men do any work that
wasn't really necessary. The mates used
to make fun of the Captain behind his
back for being so considerate of his men,
but somehow | thought it was good
trait in him. | b; gan to watch the Cap
| tain closely, and | soon made up my
mind that there was some mystery about
that man. Once on pleasant evening
| came on deck and saw the Captain
| looking at the red sun.et with tears in
his eyes. At another time, when
! thought he WAS on deck, | went into the
after cabin for something l found him
there. What do you think he was do
ing2 Why, he was sewing and crying
into the bargain. They are right in
calling you the old maid Captain,
| thinksI.
THE mate, Mr.. Wood, was tall, fine
looking down-e easter about thirty ii ge
years old, The Captain seemed to like
him, but thought how he must envy
his size and strength. The Captain;
though, was much the smaller man of
the two. The mate, somehow, seemed
to take a fancy to me-for as said | was
young in those days. He was always
running into the cabin on some preext
to talk to me. But / never encouraged
him You see was engaged to be tle
mate of another mate, and that mate
poor fellow, was lost at sea a few wears
afteiward. Although the captain didn't
seem to care much about me. he d dn't
fancy the mates taking liking to me
That used to puzzle me. One pleasant
evening when | went on deck
| saw the Captain, who stood
aft, looking admiringly at the
mate, who was sitting at the star.
board gangway. When the Captain saw
me come on deck he gave me sort
of suspicious look. and when the mats
came up to me and began to make him
self agreeable, although, as | said before.
l had not given him any encouragement,
| glance1 again at the Captain and there
was an angry snap in his eyes He did
not like to see the man and me together
That was plain. But why should he OBJ.
ject to it as long as he didn't seem ia
care for me himself | tried to hit on
some reason for this but soon gave the
whole thing up as mystery too deer
for me to attempt to solve.
zone morning when we were in the
South Pacific some one cried out that
there was small boat with several peo.
pie in it in sight on the lee bow. We
bore away for the boat, which in a short
time was alongside the ship. Five mer
and little boy climbed up from the
boat to our deck and we gave them
warm welcome. The little boy couldn't
have been day over eight years old
He was bright-looking little fellow
with long curly hair. Captain Harris
took to him at once. He carried tn,
little fellow into the after cabin and pu
him in his own birth, and took hin
something to eat, while the rescued mel
were telling us how they came to be il
the open boat. They belonged TO bari
which was bound to New York, but har