Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-04-15
CAPN BOUNCE.
A Love Story Somewhat Out OF
B the Ordinary.

Love is strange thing and its
various phases are ever curious and in
comprehensive; and in no person, per-
haps, was love ever manifested more
curiously and incomprehensibly than
in Cap'n Nathan Bounce, of Paradise,
N. d.
Cap'n Nathan Bounce was retired
old sea-dog; he often declared he was
a reformed pirate, and he had come to
Dakota to live because, to use his own
words:
well, blow me il / could ever stay
within smellin distance OF salt water
without goln' afoat, SO what does do
to resist the temptation? Why,
tuclSs myself away in this corner of No
Mans Land, my boy. l builds me a
shack shaped something like the
for'ard part Of a boat an paints her
name-the Polly O., ye mind-on the
side; 1 has my lockers an what l calls
my fo'castle, an a cannon as fires at
sunrup an shutdown, an union jack
as I~runs up peak every day Of my
life, / do, an AN not word, boyl
Ill have a Mrs. Cap'n Bounce in that
ere old hulk of shack one O. these
days-ha ha, ha-now, you see."
Cap'n Bounce drew half pay from
the government because of long and
honorable career in the war of the re.
bellion; to the putting down of which
rebellion he had Ito use his own words
again) lent willin' hand" In other
terms his hand had been "lent" 80
thoroughly that it now lay in the Mis-
sissippi somewhere below Natchez
and ain iron hook adorned the stump Of
his right arm.
There were two things indispensable
to the well being and jovial content
ment of Cap'n Bounce One of these
things was his pipe; the other was his
thermometer The former Jim Littel
once declared he could smell as far off
as he could hear the cap'n's cannon, and
the latter, a great brass affair notched
with immense figures, was the pride Of
the old sailors heart Whenever he
lacked for occupation he filled his pipe
with the strongest kind of Jolly tar"
and polished his thermometer.
Beside this thermometer, in unmis-
taxable characters, was a printed table
to this effect: At sixty degrees, every.
thing lovely. AT seventy degrees, open
starboard window. At eighty degrees,
open larboard window At ninety de-
grees, tal1o off pea jacket. At one
hundred degrees, sleep on the upper
deck.
There was also graduated scale of
doings to be done at various notches
below sixty degrees. Cap'n Bounce
conducted himself in accordance with
this table. and Buster Bluenose tells
how, one winter afternoon, he found
the cap'n outdoors in his shirt sleeves,
nearly frozen, because of an accident
having happened to his thermometer
which had lodged particle of mercury
at ninety degrees
All, good men have weaknesses,
presume, and the cap'n's special weak.
ness was a fondness for the society OF
the softer sex. He had, as he him.
self boosted, popped the question to
twenty-three leddy's, widders, young
maids an old maids, an, Lord love
'cm, nary one would take him fol-
love or money; but they wanted to
look out, they did, cause a stern chase
is long chase, and he'd foller 'em
like man-o'-war after a slave dhow,
sec il he didn't, my boy" 1t was
rumored in Paradise that Polly @,
whcsa first name and last initial were
blazoned on the cap'n's shack, was the
cap'n's last love, but the story was
never vouched for by the cap'n himself
1t came to pass that Simon Yarrup, q
Michigan farmer, immigrated to Da.
kota and took up q claim in the
vicinity of Paradise. If this immigra
ton had consisted of old Simon, alone,
it is dollars to cents the name of Var
rup would never have figured In this
tale; but old Simon was accompanied
by his wife, lady of comfortable pro.
portions with an uncomfortable habit
of wearing the Yarrup inexplicables
and, oh, heavens! by Belindy Yarrup.
And Belindy Yarrup was tall; and
color of faded oalxum;- and Belindy
Yarrup had eyes that tried to be blut
and red at the same time and compro
missed on q muclsy gray; and Belindy
Yarrup was seen, oh fate by Capri
Nathan Bounce as she drove by the
Polly O., one afternoon in a democra'
wagon that had passed its best days il
Wolverine roads.
The cap'n's thermometer at this mo
ment was standing at ninety degrees
consequently the cap'n was outdoors
minus his pea jacket The capr
watched Belindy and took in at one
comprehensive glance the whole o
her engaging makeup. Belindy also
took in the cap'n and, would you be-
lieve it, she actually smiled. Then the
gay old sea-dog hooked his handker
chief out of his pocket and waved it
and Belindy Yarrup ratified a tin pal
at him coquettishly, and drove slowly
ont of sight watched by the enrapturet
but reformed pirate.
''Wait till she comes back, muttere(
the cap'n, diving below and lighting
his pipe. "lll show her thing o.
two" he added, and pulled mysteri
ously.
For two hours Cap'n Bounce watched
the road leading from Paradise, ant
when he finally glimpsed sorre
horse and democrat wagon jogging
leisurely in his direction, he made read,
for little surprise. Waiting until the
fair Belindy was directly opposite th'
Polly O., the cap'n cleared his decks
dipped the union jack, and fred hi
cannon, full two hours before sunset
as n delicate attention and salute to tn,
passing maiden.
When the smoke had cleared ava,
there was discovered a terrible calam
it's. The sorrel horse had taRel
fright at the cap'n's cannon and wa
fbo fa.,,NDrof xx-orror, N, af1,