The Forrest City times., 1891-06-12
THE OLD SAILORS YARN.

sailor as he sat in the old tavern one Christmas eve with number of veteran tars around him. spinning Christmas yarns, but she had a dreadful taking way with her. and I persume that even at your age of life you has noticed as the talkn'ist wimmA ain't by no means the handsomest But as if to make up for the lack of beauty, some wimmin are awfully magnetic-so to speak and have a way of sidlin' up to men as fetches 'em every time. 1 know in the case of this here identical gal there was scarce chap as boarded at old Mother Hughes, in Liverpool, but what considered it honor, as well as delight for to be permitted to peel spuds of night when 1t were Polly's watch in the kitchen.
 Polly were a pot-slewer for old Mother Hughes. her age bein' 'twixt twenty and thirty. Rigged up of Sunday she looked the fust In the morniu' maxim the black ball soup for maybe three or four ships crews, she look thirty if a day, and at night when the dishes had been washed and sIit SlluSSCu ittStii up u pll duQ sdk down to peelin' spuds you'd take her for about five and twenty so puts her age at 'twixt twenty and thirty because
 l likes to be exact and do her no in- justice.
 Of course. sir, with three or four ships companies to provide for, it took nigh hand to a barrel of ''spuds" for the mornin's scouse. and the slewers was glad enough for to have five or six us chaps lend a hand at the peelin'.
 was young them times. and though you might not judge it looking at me now. was as good looking chap as you'd meet in days walk, and Polly havin' the pick of the house naturally choosed mo and a young fel- low as was in the Shenandoah, Philadel-
 phia packet when l fust know'd him, l
 bein' in the Yorkshire, and me and him goin' out of ono ship into another
 he to be always in Liverpool at about
 the same time. and backin' and fillin'
 round Polly. eternally in each others
 way.
 presumes. lookin back at it now
 in the light of experience. us during the three months when we wasn't
 there this other chap which his name
 was Bob Lyons goin' to Philadelphia
 and me to New York, as Polly squinted
 at other chaps maxim them believe,
 as she sartinly made me and Bob be- lieve. as she liked 'em better than all the rest of the world; but them times, l bein' scarce out of my teens, an Bob only jist past twenty years old, we both had an idea as there weren't mo- body as could shine alongside Of Polly as we could, and so cute was Polly that each of us believed as she thought
 more of him than she did of the other She used for to say so me when twas my night eff with her, That softly Bob Lyons: 1 wonder what ever he means.
 foolin around me; why he ain't fit 10 be named in the same day with you Tom. and I'm telling you, sir, l hysted it all in as gospel. It arc wonderful, sir what an amount of humbuggin'
 man will stand when he's in love. and bein' with Polly of and on for year
 or so. got dreadful spoony onto her. and was lookin' for'ard to the time when l might make with her long splice, and tie knot with my tongue as 1 couldn't unite with my teeth. Bob were similarly disposed, and we got to be dreadfully in the way of each other. and two or three times como nigh hand havin' 1t out in the kitchin Finally things come to crisis and goin' down aboard the night before Christmas, arter we'd both been very uncomfortable along of Polly, Bob says to me. as We turned out of Union street into Waterloo road:
 Whatever are the use, Tom. of our gittin' athwart each others hawsers night arter night? We can't both splice Polly. and I'm game for to do it. if you'll sheer of 1t takes two to make a bargain Bob, says l. and I don't think the young woman will look at you If she thinks I'm around.
 My idee are, says Bob Is either of us can sail in if the other will sheer of. At present we're only aggrevat-
 in each other and troublin' Polly
 Both of Us is good men, lets go down
 to the North Shore tomorrow mornin'
 bright and 'arly, and have it out man
 fashion. the best man to have shy at Polly for tho rest of the time we're hero, and if sc be as she won't giv' in
 to him. then when We come next w
 age the other are to be free to spark
 her,
 Says l. good enough. cause were that sartin as could whip Bob out of
 his boots. Finally. this bein' Christ
 mas Eve. we concluded as how next
 mornin' would he the best for the mill and l named as my second chap of the name of Cleve Whitman as were
 great chum of mine; Bob namin' a shipmate of his'n, called Fred Nichols
 and both of us stepped into the Wind
 mill Tavern. kept by a widder of tho
 name of O'kane, as were willin' to hang it up for Bob. We had d drink onto it arter which We went down aboard our ships bein' close to one another in the Waterloo Dock. feelini
 better than for many nights past and glad as we'd arranged it all in sich friendly manner.
 Christmas mornin' near day all four of us went down nigh hand to Bootle Landmark. There's docks there now, but them times it were us nice place for little mill as one would wish. the beach as hard and springy as dancing floor. Gettin' there. Steve Whitman said as how him and | I