The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-28
TALE OF An OLD TAR.
Two Young Salts. Both in Love,
Fight by Proxy for the
s Girl.
To Avoid Being Dishgured They
Allow Their Seconds to
Do Battle.
aPolIy Weren't Exactly Handsome, but
She Had = Dreadful Taking WA
With Her"

with Her"
"Polly Lawson weren't what one might
call handsome" remarked tho old sailor
as no sat in the old tavern one Chtlstmas
eve with a number of veteran tars around
him. all drinking hot spiced rum and SPIN
ming Christmas yarns, but she had a
dreadful taking way with her. and l pre-
sumes that even at your age OF lie you mas
Soticed as the talkin'i list wimmin ain't by
no means tho handsomest. But as II to
make mn for the lack of beauty, some win
min are awfully magnetic-so to SPEAK,
and have a way Of sidlin' up to men as
fetches 'em every time. l know IN the case
of this here identical gal there were scarce
a char as boarded at old Mother Hughes,
in Union street, Liverpool, but what con-
sidered it "a honor, as we'll rs a delight, for
to be permitted to peel spuds OF q night
when it were Polly's watch in the kitchen,
writes Capt. Coffin in the New YoSk Times
"Polly were a pot-slewer for old Mother
Hughes. her age bein' 'twixt twenty and
thirty. Rugged up OF a Sunday she looked
the fust. In the mornin', MAXIM the scouse.
or black-bnll soup, for maybe three or four
ships crews, she look thirty if q day, and at
nipht. when the dishes had been washed,
and she snugged herself up a bit ana SAT
down to peelin' spuds, you'd take her Tor
about five and twenty, SO l puts her age at
'twixt twenty and thirty because likes to
be exact md do her no injustice. !.
.sOf course, sir, with three or fonr SHIPS
companies to provide for, it took nigh hand
to q barrel of spuds for the mornin's
scouse and the showers was glad enough for
to have five or six of US chaps lend a hand
at the peelin'. -.
II Was Young them times, and though
Won might not Judge it looking at me now,
was as good looking a chap rs you'd meet
in a DAVIS walk, an Polly havin' the pick OF
the house naturally choosed me and young
fellow as was in the Shenandoah, Phlladel-
mia packet when I fust kncwed him, l be-
in, il the Yorkshire, and him and me goin'
ont of one ship into another he to be al
vays in Liverpool at about the same time,
and a backin' and film round Polly, etar-
nally in each others way.
II presumes, lookln' back at it now in
the light of experience, as durin' the three
months when we wasn't there. this other
chap. which his name were Bob Lyons,
roin' to Philadelphia and me to New York,
A Polly ~suuinted at other chaps. maxim
them believe, as she sartinly made nue. and
Bob believe, as she liked 'em better than
all the rest of the world: but them times, l
D0iu 0S6ICOO uU VI NY oOSAt 10y
list mast 20 years old, we both had an idea
"a there wasn't nobody could shine along
side of Polly as we could, and so cute was
Polly that each of US believed that she
thought more of him than she did of the
other. She used to say to me when twas
NV night off with her, THAT softly Bob
LYONS; / wonder what ever he meas, a
foolin' around me; why h, aiD'S fit to be
named in the same day with you. Tom,' ano
I'm telling you, sir. l hysted it all in al
Gospel. It was wonderful. sir, what al
amount of h~umbuggin' a man will stant
when he's in love, and bein' with Polly of
and on for a year or so. I got dreadful
snoony onto her, and was lookin' for'ard tt
the time when l might make with her lion,
SPLICE, IN tie q knot with my tongue as
couldn't unite with my teeth. bot, wer'
similarly disposed, and We got to be dread
fully ia the way OF each other, and two O
three times come nigh hand havin' it out il
the kitchen. Finally things came to a crisi
and ooin' down aboard the night befor'
Christmas, arter we'd both been very un
comfortable along Of Polly, Bob says tt
meas we turned out of Union street int
Waterloo road:
"'Whatever are the use, "Iom,' of GU
eittin' athwart each others hawsers nigh
arter night? We can't both splice Polly
and I'm game for to do it. if you'll shes
off,
8AyS L a AAO L " v ku4LA uA0 vouAA oAAA
will look at you if she thinks Pm around
".Mv idee are, says 'Bob,' is either of q
can sail in, if the other will sheer off. A
present we're only aggravatin' each othe
and tfoublin' Polly. Both of us is goo'
men, lets go down to the North Shore to
it out man fashion, the best man to have
shy at Polly for the rest of the time Weir
here, and if so be as she won't Civ in to him
then when We come next wage the othe
are to be free to spark her.
.'Says /, Good enough cause l were tina
sartin as I could whip Bob out of his boots
Finally, this bein' Christmas eve. We con
Guided as how next mornln' would be tn
best for the mill. and I named asmy secon'
q chap of the name of Cleve Whitman, a
were a great chum of mine; Bob namin'
shipmate of his'n. called Fred Nichols, an
tavern, kept by a widow of the name Q
O'Kane, as were willin' to hang it up fo
Bob. We had a drink onto it arter whic
we went d,wn aboard. our ships being clos
to one another in the Waterloo dock, feelir
better than for many nights past, and gla
name
"Christmas mornin' at daybreak all fo1
of us went down nigh hand to Bootle Lane
mark. There's docks there now, but the
times it were as nice a place for a little mi
as one would wish, the beach as hard al
6pIluky db d OulCluS AoOis CUOi eACA
Steve Whitman said as how him and Ere
had talked the matter over the night afor
and had come to the conclusion as Meth
of us wouldn't be in no fit condition Fl
sparkin' Polly artsr a hard mill SIGH as
was likely to have, and SIGH bein' the cas-
they-him and Fred-had argued as tn
would do the fRhtin' themselves, Steve +
me and Fred for Bob, and that this won
answer the same purpose, SO far as Pol
were consumed. and that me and b
should stand the drinks arter all was Owe
share and share alike.
NJ and Bob agreed as it was a very XIII
thing for them to do, but jist what wou
have been expected of two good shipmate
and the men stripped and the fight begu
AFTER about an hour of az nice fibbin' as
ever seen, l found it impossible to 'roul
Steve, he was that tuckered out, and | ri
in for him, and then l seen how ! gone
eewardb by such a arrangement, for whe1
as ! were morally sartan l could have VIII
ped Bob, Steve never couldn't whip Ere
and Polly were lost to me forever. Ho
ever, l wasn't n man as would go back on
bargain, and from that time on ] new
went into that kitchin, an Bob had the g
all to hisself.
"As soon as we GOT Steve all rioht-