Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-04-20

fleet Of this iuCnnGruity was startling.
VI is related that an jncbria'ed miner, i'm
pe,ied by mud and drink before its door,
vas found gazing at its remarkable facade
eEith an expression Of the deepest despon-
.le1cy. ~ Ecv lived free life, pardnet,h
ne explained tnicSly 70 The Samaritan who
guccored hiUi, "and every time since I've
o.,cn On this sx weeks jamboree might
nave kaikilated it would come to this.
snakes I'vo seen afore now, and rats I'm
not unfarcibar with, but when IL comes to
3be starr OF q ship risin' up out of the
street, reckon it's time to pass in my
checks" at is n ship, you blasted old
.s0lker' said the Samaritan curtly.
II vas indeed II ship ship run
ashore ard abandoned on the beach years
before 10y her gold seeking crew, with the
debris of her scattered stores and cargo,
suvcrtakcn ly the wild growth of the
strange city and the reclamation Of the
muddy nat wherein she iny hopelessly
.mbeddcd; her retreat cut off 10y wharycs
and Uuays and hrcalwater, jostled at
drst 10y sheds, and then impaoted in IL
block of solid warehouses and dwellings,,
ind nuw Gazing hopclcssly through her
cabin windows upon tho busy street be
'orc her. But Stll u ship despite her
tr'nhfuruGtiou. The faiutest line If con
1oUr yet left visible spoke of the huoy
ancy % another element; the halustrade
~ her root was unmiatASaoly a tatfrail.
The rain slipped from her swelling sides
with a certain lingering touch of the sea:
nc soil around hcr was still treacherOu.
with its suggestions, ana even the wind
whiellcd nnutica!ly over her chimney
IT. il the fury al soElc southweSterly gale,
she had one night clipped her strange
1uooriucs and lcft shining track through
The lower town to the distant sea, no one
would have been surprised,
Least Of all, perhaps, her present owner
and posscssor, Nj, Abner Mott For, by
She irony If circumstances. Mr.. Mott WAS
Ii far western farmer, who had never seen
IA ship before, nor Il larger stream Of water
4han Il tributary Of the Missouri river.
10 shirt, tai. Il fascination, half Of
vpcrnlation he had b0u'yhI her ~ the
time Of her Abandonment, and hid since
mort gagged his ranch at Frtl,lumn. with
ms live stock, To dcfray the expense ot
nllipG in the land where she stood anC
.ue improvements Of the vicinity HIT
had transferred his household goods anC
his only daughter To her cabin and mac
iliyidcd the spGoe "beJWeen decks" ant
her hold into lOG ling rooms and lofts fol
sha storage Of goods II could hardly b
said that the pVcEtWcnt had been prOiila
ole ils tenants vaguely recognized thu
MS occupancy was sentimental rathe
hru "A commercial speculation, and Otter
generously lent themselves 70 the ILLUSION
by not paying their rent Others treate'
rhan own tenancy as Ii joRe--a quain
recreation born of the ChildliEe familiar
.ty of frontier Intercourse 4 few ha'
lelt, carclcssiy abandoning their unSiia
ple goods to their landlord with grca
,cLCerluincss and sense of favor. DC
a,lsionIlly Mr., Abner Mott in a prac
aical relapse, ragged against the derelcts
and talked 81 disPOaSeSS'uy thcm or eve
,1ismuutlipG his tenement but he Wa
aasuy pl0catcd by cumpimeut to tn
"'doar Old ship" or an effort made b
some tenant to idoa'llc n. apartment;
photographer who had u-euDu-ly uti
t2e,l the forccaStlc for gallery acce-~ihI
sroIn tho bows ia the next str"c4 paid u
Suithcr ulbut" than porurlit of Il
oictty face of HGacy Nott The supe
5filaus reverence in which Abucr No
held his moHstrous fancy was natural
enhanced py his purely nuralr cNlgger
zion Of its real functions and ils uatiN
element This yer keel has sailed, N