San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-08

The Charm Of Sailor Dress-Romantio
Notions of Foreign Lands.
Twas but a very little lad when I first went
to sea-my age 10 years and months. Why
/ went to sea can hardly say. / had GER
tainly no clear views. Maybe the reading Of
story books about the ocean life raised a kind
of laundering in me; but think it was the
desire to shine in buttons, to wear q pair Of
blue cloth trousers flowing at the feet, a
little jacket with pretty brass bound sleeves,
a colored shirt with collar lying well open
at the throat and embellished with black
silk handkerchief tied In proper sailors
knot, the ends twinkling to every breeze like
the fly of streamer pulling at mast, a cap
on the back of my head with sparkling de-
vice above the peak of it representing a
golden wreath encircling a flag beautifully
colored with blue and silver silk. l say it
was a yearning to walk attired in clothes of
this kind that ended in my going to sea-
My bottoms of the deep were entirely ro-
mantle. thought of coral Islands, green
savannahs, forests of fruit trees, savages
with bows and arrows, great elephants with
little black men riding cross legged on their
heads, blue rivers winding TOWARD the pur-
pie of distant mountains. with shining white
cities upon their banks, where tie roofs of
the houses Of the nobility were garnished
with gold and silver and precious stones,
where there were ducks that laid emeralds
and hens rubies, and where there were the
funniest monkeys in the world too be had for
the asking. Ipromised one of my little sis
tiers to bring her a box of gold dust and the
ivory tusk of an elephant; for another was
to procure bird of paradise, two humming
birds and a lizard that wasn't poisonous. To
my brother Tommy, who was two years
younger than myself, I promised real
canoe, and I rather think added that If it
was to be managed would present him with
live savage to go fishing with him in it.
knew geography pretty well, though my
ideas Of distant lands were little confused
when came to think of their product; but 1t
seemed to me that fellow only needed to go
to sea to obtain what he wanted The world
was very big, / thought, and when a man
sailed into it he was bound to meet with
everything that was wonderful and worth
having. 1t never struck me that might
make a voyage to a place where there were
no elephants, no gold dust. no canoes, no
savages even, merely civilized black man or
two, such as you may meet any day, bland,
clean and shining, in a London street. In
deed, no more realized the sort of country !
might first visit than l did the life l must
lead in order to get to it. There was great
deal Of fruit mixed up III my seafaring
dream; the brass buttons and the badge stood
first, and then my vision was as plentifully
stocked as big market with cocoanuts, ba-
nanas, oranges, dates, custard apples and
other fist class eating
knew something about ships; had lived
half of my little life in seaport town, and
could talk of bowsprits, quarter boats, dead
eyes and jibS without laundering; but of the
hardships of sailors life, the food he eats,
the work he has to do, I was, Of course, quite
ignorant. 1t has often amused and interested
me since to ask boy, say Of 1915. who
has told his papa and mamma that he is de-
termined to so to sea, what his notions of the
calling are. As rule / find them wonder
fully like what mine were. 1t is partly an
idea of getting away from school, partly the
dream of becoming man all at once, partly
fancy Of pirates, buried treasure, glitter
ing uniforms, and fine curiosities to be got
somehow and brought home, the whole col
ored with the light Of the romance which
shines very gloriously upon the minds of
boys when they are little, but which slowly
fades as one gets old and older, till life turns
as gray round about one as a cold November
day.-Clark Russell.