The Opelousas courier., 1889-05-25
The Old Lanterns Story.

The Old Lanterns Story.
"Come, now, old fellow, you must tell
your story, for | know you've got some
thing nice to tell. My mother told me
you'd been around the world, and | want
to know what you've seen" said Johnnie
Hayden, as he curled up in the old chair
and put the comfortable about him, after
placing the old lantern on a table before
him.
He had learned not to be in a hurry for
the things to begin to talk, and he lay
back in the chair and waited. Not many
minutes passed before the lantern said
80 your mother told you l could tell a
good story, did she"
Eyes, sir she said you had seen lots of
things to tell about"
eyes, / have, and ] suppose l might as
well begin at the beginning and tell you
all | know, for | think it will all be inter
esting."
"All right. 60 ahead then. don't like
so much preliminary conversation"
"Where in the world did you get those
big words, and what do they mean?'
~ heard the minister use them at the
sociable the other night, and l thought
they sounded good, so / used them"
"What do they meanT
81 suppose they mean something that
comes before what you want, for hasaid
there would be some preliminary CONVEX
sation before supper, after which they
would vote on the matter"
80, yes, | see well, | first came into
use in the year 1885,"
"'You amt a hundred years old, are
you"
Eyes, am a hundred years old this
year."
s'Don't it make you feel kind of shaky
when you stop to think how old you are =
ayes, rather but have nothing to do
now, SO Id just as lief grow old as any
way. As was saying, first came into
use in 1889. was hanging in q kind of
store-house, when a man came in and took
me down and carried me on board a shiF
Did You ever see q shipf"
.sPve seen pictures Of them, that's all"
"WeH they are very much like the
pictures. You see / I'M not like most Ian
terms"
"That's because you are so old, I sup
pose"
s.Partly that but was made for a
special purpose. am what sailors call
the pinnacle light"
"What is that?'
eft is the light that shines o. the com
pass to show the sailors how to steer the
ship in the night"
'sDld you have a good place, where you
could see and hear all that was going on =
Eyes. l was close to the wheel"
"What Wheel"
1.-THE wheel that is used to steer the
chip"
''All boats I ever saw steer by a stick in
tie top of the rudder. l don't sea how 9
wheel can steer q ship"
s.It is connected with the rudder in
some way to get more power, SO that one
man can manage iG in fair weather but in
a storm it takes two and sometimes three.
"Were you ever in q storm at scar"
eyes. lots of them but il I'm going to
tell you anything of my history you must
stop asking questions"
"Well, you see | want to find out about
these things, and il | don't stop you tc
ask, you go right on talking just rs if
knew all about it and / have 10 guess al
lots of things, and just as likely as moi
Ill guess wrong"
s.That's so, Sonny / forgot all about
Atbat. You may ask anything you like and
I'll try and answer. ! was put in place by
the mar who brought me out of the store
house, and all that day and for several
more, men were putting things into the
| ship, 1t must have been q full week from
the time I was put in place before tbs
| ship started, and wa put into real use,
Il HYL-- ALa an~%ayn mn rrn ~ ha0rH he
brought his wife and little daughter
whose name was Mary"
"What was her last namef"
s'Is was Williams"
THAT'S what my mothers was before
| she married my father"
Eyes, | know it and that little girl was
your mothers grandmother"
..Is that sol"
eyes, and a nice girl she was, toe Al
the sailors loved her, and if they were
swearing, as sailors are apt to do, sht
would walk toward them. and they
would quit in q minute. There WASH
| one of them but would have done any
| thing In the world she wanted him to. W.
had q nice voyage for about amonth ther
It began to blow hard, and the captain sale
we we're going to have a big storm. Tht
sails were taken in and everything wa.
made ready. Mrs. Williams and MARY
went into the cabin just before dark, fol
it was blowing toe hard for them to sta,
on deck any ipnger.a
.sWere they awfully frightened"
eNo, they didn't seem to be. The!
knew that Captain Williams was a goot
| sailor, and they had both seen big Storm
| before. for this was their first voyage, al
it was mine
AWere you frightened r
ssNo. I guess NOT. / don't think frigh
is one of the things I am composed of. Al
| had to do was to give light when ! wa
| lighted, and I did my duty as well as
.}1neW how, and when anyone does tina
vthey have no need to be afraid"
tive heard my father say that before.
81 think likely. Well, as | was saying
/ the storm came up, and it was IN aWtu
one, / tell You. Il was so hard that tn
ship tipped over and they had to cut ava,
| the masts so she would come up again"
aWas any one drowned
aNo. the two men who were steering
were lashed 10 the wheel, and everyone 81
deck had dashed himself TO something
| Tms water washed ell rel me, but wa
d good lantern In those days, and wa
bound not to be put out o shone O
Just as brightly as ever. We did not la
on our hssanl-ends long, for the sailors Gu
the masts of just IS quick a. they coul
and then the ship Tighted@
.WhaE does beamsends mean
THAT LA sailoz term Tor being tippe'
] over.