Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-10
THE MARSLEHEAO BOATMEN.
A Man Who Was Looking for n New Eng
lander Tells How He Found Him.

A Man Who Was Looking for n New Eng
lander Tells How He Found Him.
A man with skin the color of mahogany
and bare arms and neck in which the mus
cles stood out like twisted hickory was
rowing me in dory across the narrow har-
Dor of Marblehead. He had little gold
rings in his ears and tuft of coarse gray
hair stuck out horizontally on his chin. 1t
was just at sunset, and the waveworn
rock inclosing the harbor, the old man, the
dory and the old town silhoueted in black
against the crimson sky looked extremely
picturesque. The harbor was crowded
with yachts, for the New York Yacht club
feet was there on a visit, and paphtha
launches pulling boats and sailboats were
shooting all about the harbor in the half
light fading from the sea and the stern
land.
''GoIly!'' said the boatman as a launch
shot by nearly running into the dory, I've
been a good many years about this harbor
and don't want an accident at my time of
life"
''How old are you, captain!" asked. |
knew it was safe to call him captain.
WELL" was the reply in the peculiar
dialect of down east am seventy-two
years old. Never had days sickness till
last year. Then / was hauled out for two
weeks with the grip. My father was los
when he died, and my mother lived to be
All bEe tliilt tntTt w Euii-
ming in my head the refrain of Longfel-
lows poem of ''Floyd Ireson:''
'Ere's Flod Ireson for his hord, hord heart,
Tared an feath'r'd an CARED in q cart
By the women of Marbie'ead.
Here at last / had found an old time
New Highlander whose maternal ancestor
might have been one of those same women
Of Marblehead who gave Skipper 1reSon
his unwelcome ride.
Are there any Iresons living here
aboutsP" ! asked.
well, there be some Iresons in town.
but they amt descendants. Same family
they claim, but faint no descendants"
Then the old man got excited and rested
On his oars while his right hand vigorously
thumped the gunwale of the dory.
"That was the goll derndest outrage
that ever was" he blurted out. ''Ireson
wern't no more guilty than you be this
minute. He wanted to go and save them
people, but that pesky crew wouldn't let
him. When they came back here they
told that story on him. It's goll derned
shame" Then he rowed vigorously to the
shore. Some relation of the unfortunate
Skipper Ireson," thought l, land what a
thorough old New Englander he isp As
paid him his fare I said, seeking further
discourse on the rugged history Of the old
town, You evidently belong to the soil
captain9"
YES" said he, 81 do, but my father was
Spaniard, he was. He came from Cadiz
he did. New York Tribune.
Shellac in Chinese Works OF Art.
BY softenilg shellac with heat it may be
drawn out and twisted into almost white
sticks and of IA fine silky luster. Extreme
beauty is given to Chin. sc works of art BY
the use of shellac. So:as of them are very
ancient and of great value. They are
chiefly chowchow boxes, tea basins or
other small objects made of wood or metal.
They are covered with coat of shell
lac. colored with vermilion, and while
the layer of shellac is soft and pill
able it is nodded and shaped into beauti-
full patterns Some of these worka lfhus
ornamented nre 30 rare and beautiful that
even in CHM they cost fabulous sums
:sustop Globe.