Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-01-02
A REMARKABLE STORY
BY wARDoN ALLAN CURTIS.

BY wARDoN ALLAN CURTIS
The way to Barbury was long, and
james Hutchins having offered to tell
another story of the sea, gia lily &C.
cepted his offer, and he began
In the year 1901 my grandfather,
William Truscott, found himself skipper
and owner of the fast-sailin' brig Mary
Ann, Of Marblehead. He warnt more
than twenty-four years old at the time,
and considered himself mighty fortunate
bein' so well fixed so early in life.
But seems as If he congratulated himself
too soon. About the time he got to be
skipper there came streak of hard
times, and nary vessel sailed from
Marblehcad for Turin parts for several
months. Even after times did begin to
get better, none OF the merchants of the
town seemed to want the Mary Ann to
carry their cargoes. NY grandfather
was down on the wharf one day, sittiu'
on pile, lookin' at the brig, and won
derin' what made his luck turn BAD so,
when he see comm towards him old
Ephraim Bagiey, the undertaken. Grand
father thinks to himself that old Bsgiey
see he was in danger of starvin' before
long, and was goin to try to sell him
coffin before his money was all gone, 50
he turned away, for he hated The old
Teller, and wouldn't have patronize him
for good deal.
Brig hain't been dom much these
days, has it2" said Bagey.
Mop, said my grandfather.
II have been thinkin' of sendln'
cargo to Turin parts, but don't
s'pose there's any use of askin' the
captain of the Mary Anu TO carry it.
HIS ship is too busy-he hel He hain't
taken a Marblehead cargo for six months.
He is too busy, he is. Hell he he he p
Grandfather was mad enough to
choke the old Teller, but he couldn't
afford to lose a chance 10 get IA cargo, so
he looked up respectfully enough, and
said he warn't busy, and asked Bagley
what he wanted to carry and where he
wanted it carried.
" Never You mind what nor where till
make terms said Bagley. You're
losin' money, young man. You know
that won't do to keep your vessel idle
like this, and the longer she stays idle,
the less likely it is that people will ever
want TO use her. She's beginnin' to get
bad name already. People try to find
some reason why she amt used, AMI say
she's cranky, leaky, doesn't mind her
helm. and othe things. Now offer to
pay the wages of the crew, pervide all
the food and supplies necessary for 4
wage, you to finnish snip and get moth
in but your board. You can't stay
around here dom nothin, your board is
worth more than that, aud as | said,
your ship will get bad name if she stays
idle much longer.
"Grandfather sec the old Teller was
talkin' sense, even if he was drivin'
hard bargain, so he said ~ will take
you up. Where do you want to goir
" Naples, siad Bagley; Eau want
to take a ergo of collins. They are
havin the plague over there, aud have
lot Of collins on hand | think there
is chance to make money Then folks
is dying faster than they can turn out
collins. have 500 collins on hand-a
batch made up when that yellow fever
ship from Surinam put in at Boston, but
this State was too cold, the fever didn't
take holt, and I've got all them coffins
on hand, expect to make a big thing
out of them Italians.
Grandfather knew that the Italians
didn't use no collins, scarcely ever botl
erin with graves, but he didn't tell old
Bagley so. He merely remarked that it
would be necessary for EN- to load the
cargo nights, for sailors was such super
stitlous cutturs that it would be hard to
get a crew TO sail a ship loaded with
coffins.
"Old Bagley seed TO putin the coffius
aboard-him and grandfather. There
was all kinds. Plain wood-colored ones
red, white, aad blue ones for Revolu-
tionary veterans black walnut and ma
hogany ones; some with leather handles,
some with silver handles; and there was
seventy-fve that was all padded and
upholstered inside, with perfumery bags
put around under the paddin' had
patent snap-lock, and little glass win
dows over the place where the face comes
that could be open and shut.
Grandfather soon got crew togcth-
er, and made everything ready to sail.
When the day for sailin' come, what did
he see but old Marin Bagiey aheavin
down the wharf, closely follered BY her
particular friend the Widder Haskins,
both on ON carryin baskets full o knit
tin'-work, and two big bags He OBJ |
served something squlrmin' round in
the bags, and he thought mebbe it was
eels. He axed Mis- Bagely if 1t was, and |
she said no, it was cats; she was goin' on
the V 'yage, she and Mis- HaskIns, aud they
was goin' to take the cats for company.
Great Scott he was took back. Here
they was, a-goin' TO make v'yage with
cargo of collins, and lot of cats for /
passengers Every one knows that cats
are unlucky crItturs to have on ship
" Mis- Bagley said grandfather, all
we have got left to do to make this Wy
age a success is TO set sail on Friday. |
Collins and cats For lands sake, don't |
let any of the men know them cats are |
on board, for they'll leave the ship. |
Collins and cats! Jerusalem cricketsr
Marin Bagley took the cats down |
into the cabin, and, thinkin that the
vessel was loaded with sideboards, re.
volvin' bookcases, and bedsteads, the
crew made sail on her, aud before long
the Massachusetts coast was out of sight |
Nothin happened on the wage across,
'cept when Marin Bagley let out her cats,
on the fourth day from port, and some
OF the old sailors took to tellln yarns
about the strange misfortunes what had
happened to ships havin' cats on board,
especially where they was black cats with |
white tips on their tails, like eight of
Marin Bugley's twentY-seven.
The ship went across the Atlantic
all right, and passed through the Straits
of Gibraltar. The cvenin' arter the pas
sage, grandfather was leanin' on the rail
ooAiu' at the sea, and thiakin what