The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-11-27
BEFORE THE WIND.

| am o landlubber of the first water, |
if / may be allowed the simile. My ia
miliarity with yachting is equal to my
personal acquaintance with prehistoric
man, and the more / endeavor to master
the subject the more hopelessly in
volyed I become. But that does not
detract in the least from the pleasure
| enjoy while upon a yacht, nor
does my ignorance embarrass me. !
have stood upon the sail yards and won
dered why the sail didn't come down.
| have sought to hoist the ensign to the
peak and left the rope = halyard, /
should say-sos slack that. in q few min
utes the flag was dropped TO halfmast,
and every captain in the harbor has
called to express his regret at the sad.
occurrence. / always throw cigar ashes
and such things over the wrong rail and
receive the words Of the skipper re-
garding the matter with Christianlike
humility that well becomes me. In
fact, | have the true love of yachting at
heart and a lightness Of spirit that rises
superior to the difficulties with whicha
lubber has to contend and the areas
that 10 freely poured out to him. This
explanation is necessary, because the
yachtsmen who read this story will
laugh at the easy way in which / get
things wrong, but | write not for the
yacht race, for yachts and races are
subordinate to the little a in
which | took a hand.
Our fieet-that is, the feet Of the
Deep Bay Yacht club-was on its an
nual cruise up Long Island sound. was
a guest upon the sloop Dawn, and had
the captain and owner not been q great
friend of mine / fear that / might have
been put ashore early in the cruise and
left to get home as best / could. Arace
straight away across the sound was ar
ranged for the second day, and the boats
all lay at anchor in Blacklist harbor
off the little town of Nutmeg, same
state. There were but two 40 footers
in the f1eet-the Dawn was one and the
Foam the other-and between the two
captains a strong friendship and an in
tense rivalry existed. Until late in the
night we were discussing the race be.
tween our, two boats, and heavy odds
were laid on each. There was a gooG
breeze blowing early on the day of thu
race, and we all tumbled upon decl
about 9 o'clock in the morning. l ma.
be allowed to state just here that tn
crews of the boats were all amateurs
and as / was superlative in that degre'
| did land duty whenever it was neces
, sary, SO that about haR past z | wen
! ashore to replenish the water barrel
The skipper rowed me over to the land
: ing place, where he was joined soon aft
: er by the captain of the Foam, while
, took a man in tow to get the water
While working thus, in very ordinar,
: clothes, a horse and buggy came fyin,
down the road, and when the drive
! saw me he mistook me for a boatman-
: have since pafdoned the mistake
was balm after being 30 long assaile
as q lubber.
AL II say" he cried. pulling up i
4 horse, have you q boat? ! want to 81
over to Long Island right away" An
az he spoke he glanced nervously q
the road.
well. no." 1 answered. II .,
aboard a yacht"
: do you see him?" interrupted
! sweet voice from beneath the hood I
the buggy, and for the first time ! u
ticed a girl within.
"No-no, the man replied soothing
ly, and then he turned to me.
Can you not aid me?" he asked. :
am er-er-
| saw it in a moment. The pair hs
eloped, and papa was probably close y
hind. A thought flashed through n
| mind, and l first yentured to ask, ~
| you want a minister"
Yes" the man answered, hut
must get into Long Island. first--tl
I old man is too near for fun"
"Oh, Henry" called the girl, Al
hearing her voice again decided me.
Come, " | said, this way" aid
: a moment the pair had left the bug
81 and were following me to the doc
ot Charley, onr skipper, stared al ! car
mp, but / motioned the two in the DO
,st and In a moment had told him of I
no case. 1t was just Is | knew, and
in tumbled in after me, leaving the ca
tain of the Foam to ask, More passt
,as gers?" 1t was the way he said it tl
No. hurt me, and | frowned at him as
nv stood smiling on the pier. As the va
in reached the Dawn q gun, which "
srs the signal to get ready, sounded FIX
he the flagship, and in a minnie the ell
ID. ing pair were in the cabin, while
.y. were occupied with raising the anch
The sails were hauled up, and just
il they filed / saw the captain of the Fol-
an rowing out with a stranger. gave
cry matter no thought, but busted mys
~ with tho minor duties of coiling 70
Of ETC., which had been assigned to =
leir until suddenly ! wondered whether
&C.; old man, the father Of the girl, I
not been taken aboard the other vac