Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-10-14
THE OLD MAID CAPTAIN.

Il havs len going - - 49, twsaey-
I've ysArs, aid ~ Stewards a ~ AnHs
ran coazsuiss sssamss, o. afeHnoua -
csnaiy, - - ~ Swing in - coy hAi1
nbin Of 10 veoRl 70 which - uslnagsa,
and yes was nsver vrscksd nor - hip
have bsea On lost % npch - . spar vhils
l vas sboarL "a ny life hAs brsa
very comnoaplacs onA Thew - hssa -
ro.a Ance in aay way connected with it,
stop though, ! did play . very anAn paFs
in Iosnancs ooca That hnppsasd fully
twensy y ars ago, and now is sssas HE
drsa-.; sOmstimes vondsr II il want aftsr
ali a dream Il seems stranger 70 Ne BOW
than it did even them Tn worthy ss=w-
Arsiss, paused and . far-away look in hsr
eyes showed tat shs was iniulginS In retro
spectloa
W ten WAS young vent On Ailing
vessels instead Of sseameFs.r cootinasd ths
st@wardes4 About twenty ysars ago
that was wheG l VAS youAx-I visited soDs
TREAD, in the eou8tr, aites . voyage, snd
then came to New York 70 find . ship
Tbs agent vent To told M that could 20
a. a SEES xrdsss On . ship hound TO Aus
trala Tbs skipps.',' aid b., IL . good
man, but hes q regular old maid aid
That lid. { Lind Old maids, and 30 1t va
sestled that l was 70 60 with
tn. odd maid captain The next day l
went aboard and reported to my nav cap-
tain, 40 was called HarriA Tbs captain
was short ami rather slightly tuilt, With
mid gray eyes, bat it'll . fuil, heavy black
beard lie seemed about 81 years old His
han wers sala Il ami delicate and his voice
was high ami Just . triLs sAriil, and he
waikesi up and down the decN with - mine
ing sort OF gait Thin s l, Capt Harris,
il you wasn't q skipper. you d have made
hrstrats single woman. | regularly do
spis-d him uatil tho first storm cam, on
! hen ne went on deck and handled the ship
in ,uch Say that could not but admit
that be was th.- very best navigator had
ever sailed under Then 4 began to think
better Of the old maid captain | never saw
= captain 70 onsederats OF his men II ono
Of the N WAS the least bit sick, the captain
would go into the forscastls and tend 70 him
81 tenIeriy - any nurss And whom a.
weather was bad be would mot ALLOW ~
mate to make the mea do any work that
wasn't really necessary. The mates used 70
MAKE fun OF the captain behind his bAck for
icing 50 consiierate Of his men, but come
bow tn ugh. it Wa good trait in him 1
began to watch the captain closely and soon
made up my mind that there was some myS
tory about that man Once On pleasant
evening came on deck and saw the captain
looking at the red sunset with tears IN his
eyes At another tune, when thought hc
was on deck, went into the after cabin for
something | found him there What do
you think h was doing Why, be was sew
ing aud crying into tue bargain They are
right in calling you tho old maid captain
thinAs ].
"The nate, Mr. Wovd, was tall fine
looking down-easter atout IS year, old
The captain seemei to like him, but
thought bow he must envy him bis sic and
strength The captain, though, was much
the smarter man OF tho two The mate,
somehow, .esmed To take . fancy to me
tor "a / said 1 WAS young in those dayA
He was always running into the cabin on
some prete to talk to ma But l never
en- outraged him on $50 | was engaged
to be the mate Of another mate; and tnAt
mate, poor fellow, was lost at sea q few
years afterward- Although the captain
didn sesm to cars mu about me- he
didn't fancy the mates taking . liking ~
me- THAI used to pu :zie me One pheasant
evening whsn went on deck saw the
captain wuo stood Aft, looking admiringly
at the mate who was sitting at the star
board gnngway When the captain saw
me come On deck he gave me q sort Of sus-
picious loo&, aud wnen line mate came up to
ne and be an to IN Ike himself agreeable,
aithou IN as said before / nal not glv.n
him any eucouragt ment, l glanced AGAIN at
the "a tain an tnsie WAS angry snap
IN his eyes. He did not Ii g to see IN mate
and HE together. That was PLAIN nut
why shol lie OF. ect 10 it ~ ioIS he
didn seem 10 ,are Or ms himself l Tried
to hi on souie reason fof this, Tut | soon
gave the whole thing up as q mystery too
deep Tor n,- TO attempt to solve.
e, ne morn.ng when W. were in the south
Paciuc : me one cried out that there was .
smh b'a. with severai p ope in 1t i'll sight
Oh iee low. We bore away for the
bot, wADcn IN a sort time was Alongside
the snip ave men and q little 10y liinbei
up IRON tue Ca to our deck and we gave
them a wa III wei, ONE Tbs little boy
couldn h,, 9 been ay over eight years
oi,. t,e was Dright-ioo.ing little fellow,
WIN NJ curly lair. ca Harris OK
10 hi.n at o &c. He carried the little fellow
INTO the after. cabin AMI put him IN his
own J.rth. and took h III something ~ eat,
wu.ie the res ueI men were telling US how
they came to be in tine open Loaf They DO
ora, but had sprung lea and had loun-
dered the day before The crew left the
vessel in two boat, Just boo tho vessel
went down cut hen he did go under she
swampel one OF the boats a d the captain
and seven men were thrown into the ater
and di owne,i. Tie other boat, with tine
mate IA Charge, managed t, Keep a.ioat
until We ca ne u, with it
=, he mae .. tho wrecked vessel, Mr.
Bradley, was gray ha red, rough loo. ing
man bat he eenei +, nave q kind heart
arly in ths en,ns ~hen he Wis ing IN
the forward CABIN with the second mate
and my self. he told that tue litJ.e 10Y
Who was still in the Af .er cabin with CapA
Harris, hal beel sui wrecked tive, before
The little fellow was the on OF a SEA cap
tain, an had been LONG tn ,ei with his
father an mother ever aimee he was born
About lou years before, Eh,n the ship on
which tbs SIR going family were, was near
ing the IN sd hamnei, q heavy log set in
he $, onl iuate WAS N charge Of the deck,
an. tue captain, with his vie and boy and
tue ma, were q. the dinner- ta1ie The
captain wife ha pen d to THU. o some
thing in the -ai.ery that she ~anted and she
wen, forward for il aust then zig steam r
loom. d up suddenly in the fog and without
any mug. struck the ship at and
sInashe i tn. caoin he poor "a lain was
CT usaesi Ia i ath, but tine mate ami the little
boy were only IN .risoned by.the broken tim
ers he ma e led out "A number OF tim .,
but re 'eived no answer He on d hear occa-
sionai whistles from the >teamer for about
half an hour tina y he made . struy ge
AID succe de in tear NJ away enough broxea
M er to liberst. hinself tie toox toe lit
tie 10Y Nj h MN, ami eoins on deck found
tuat The wrecS was sinking Tbs essel had
been e-e-tsd by the oSuers, VINO la prob
ably imued Oil Loard the 1t amer b.
wreck wa, now early ven with the wat r,