The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-22

I,.,,ra,;op. and though he believed IN
God his knowledge of celestial 'hings WuS
yery limited. God lives in Heaven ne salt,
ito made the sea, and the air, ana US, anu
everything. and II we aonf murder n ,,'o,.
! or 10 or steal, or run away win aholh'i
mans wife. or do what is wrong, we go 70
Heaven when we die, otherwise we go 10
! tbe devil, who lives in ";Ormcnts.
Yet Allen had no knowledge OF q say 10, :
| Christ he only knew as a prolahe WIN,
1 which men used when they curse "nu
swear. Nothing did he know OF me cav ,
| ior's love or his mission TO manklnu' anu
mo could hardly understand. lie knew my
what PRAYER was. and though ne hau n.'su
"A preacher preach, he knew not VIA. 90
preached about than to ten peopie "v .ho,,
| Lill or steal or lie, and that 'ne!
ali Iii know before they went 10
church Allen would say, his mo'ne,
and sisters had read him on.
Of the Bible. but that he had forgotten iVns
ago. IL was wrong 10 curse ana swear Dv
fore ladies. he said, and before gentlemen,
h,t on the shin 1--WE has to do II, ana tic
csntain said "Allen could out swear ,le
Devil himself" and evidently the cap''''
knew too. -. o,,,.o ,,o,
Asa teaser he was fearful. lie once so'
me i'm the first yawl, rigged-np as q sa,l-ooa az.
and on, i'm Sacua harbor, where sharks are
| -
Tho wafer for fear Of losingiit Alleh ran
| ON, n connie of miles in the face OF Diach'
cnino armament. aud the wind blowing J
hurricane. As the boat took in buckets o'
wafer. at each lungc, and ] chung 10 'nc
miner side. AS a eat in tWirling basket nc
was delighted. IL was fearful sport. hcNV'
went again. ,,,.,
Allen and the second mate. who IS sor,
Of servant TO the crew. ireIuen ',33ol "' oi
"swearing Matches and Aliens sVoch VI
swear words would be largely IN excess OF
the mates. He would thus entertain the
whole ship's crew and cOnyulse them IN
laughter at times. sometimes ne Wouiu
ask me how ! knew what swearing was,
and if learned il AZ college.
Then too shall not soon forget our hrsl
night out. IL was cold and rainy, the Ninu
| Moving still from the northwest, the llns
and foresai and royal both reeicd were an
that could be set. The sea- ran high ana
rolled towards US in white caps a. phan-
toms in the darkness. We were OH ny,
teras. and the NORTHUMBERLAND
was such rs 10 raise ones heart III one
mouth. | could not sleep, and 1t was 81
ronph the fire had TO be put out and the
captain kept on deck. Allen and ! sat IN
the cabin beside the table, clutching to H.
We ate apples and crackers, and he wrote
| long screeds of rhyme, something never
could understand, for IL was generally
good. while he had heard or read nOthina
since childhood.
When | told him of an incident just before
leaving home he began 10 tease ana thel
would write his verses thus ;
When Rs hair was turned to sea hemp
and ms eyes 20 coal stones.
| NJ - then would cry ana mss MN loi
he'd never more come home.
1, ,,,,.lo NM. ,,o,.,,,ts lint il beliVhfpl him.
Allen was quiet, and never took part III
any broils. He did not drink. nor smoke
nor chew. Sometimes he would play cards
and beat even the captain, while at check
ers he was inYncible, beating Mate Cos
grove by great odds.
Sometimes he would 20 off at night with
friend 10 have a Oh of time, or "a
:. play h." as he would put il, and then
20 10 the plantation 10 dance with the
| Creole girls" He had friends every where
and he was true friend at all times. II,
had twice been wrecked. and was brave ~
| the brayest. so the captain said, IN the yer!
face of death.
When i'm "a Chinese laundry in Phiadel-
phia one morning, ! picked mp piece OF
paper with Chinese hieroglyphs on 1t. !
| showed it TO Allen. who deciphcred II as q
note saying so many shirts were to be pad
for before delivery, and the name OF the
| laundryman he had exact, though know Il,
never saw the the laundryman's sign, non
could he guess his name. Allen said ht
could read some Chinese l believe he
could.
Some months ago Allen wrote me that he
had fallen through hatchway and broken
his leg and was taken to a hospital IN BOs-
ton. There he put a mouse in fellow pa
tents shirt bosom one night for fun and IN,
next day ne was placed in another ward
where there was a colOrcd man neat to MN
"B." he wrote, 'yOu know ! never
was used to sleeping with negroes; mas al,
ways been kept with the captains; so iila'
night | Just took another mans crutches
and stole out of the hospital, and have not
been back there since
Later on he wrote to me he had become "a
daddy" The child was boy, ana ne
wanted to know what he should call him.
wrote him that "lyory, Jr.." would be
good name; or if he thought 1t would be 2
Democrat Of the States rights sort, To cal
| il Tom Griggs, after our captain. We not
heard from Allen since. / don't THINK IL u
called Tom" though.
The foregoing is not written with any de-
sign to make sport of these unfortunates,
for
Taught by that power that pities me,
learn To pity them
but merely to show that some Of these wan
dering deaf people have good traits Of
character back of their peculiarlues.