The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-29
UNCLE JERRY'S STORY.
Why Ee Win Never Take a Pleas
ura Party Sailing.

Tell me about it, Uncle jerry"
said, lying full length in the warn
sand, letting my eyes alternately res
on the smiling water at my feet, or fol
low the motion of the brush in Uncl
Jerry's horny hand as it splashed Wig
orous coat of green over the worn side
OF his old boat.
He was character in his quiet way
the skipper par excellence of the lit
tie seaport of l.; an autocrat whose
word was law in his native town, and
who had been, since the days of oul
childhood, the epitome of all that wa:
worth knowing in sea-lore.
We We're great frie nds, he and l. and
many long summer day had l spen,
beside the bent old frame, watching his
rough fingers mend nets or sails with
the deftness grown from long practice
and listening to his tales with keen en-.
joyment; but there was one incident OF
his life on which he had never touched,
nor could any amount of coaxing in
duce him to approach it 1t had hap.
pened while l was in Europe. The
horror Of it reused the neighborhood,
and they said, those who knew, that
| Uncle Jerry was never the same again.
| Whether that was the cause or not,
| found him greatly changed on my re-
| turn after six years absence. This
! afternoon, for the first time, he be-
! trayed willingness 10 confide in me,
and l settled myself in the shade, by
| the bow of the boat, and waited Pres
emily Uncle Jerry began:
1T We're nigh five years ago. The
year before the hotel was built. The
cove was crowded. 1t seemed like we
all had morn we could make comforta-
bic, and the boarders was crowded inter
old Miss Hollis in wly that did seem
wonderful when we heered how they
lived in their big city homes-reg' lar
palaces, the gals thet come with 'em to
take keer Their clos said.
Il he'd jest bought new sailboat, a
fifty-footer, an reg'lar goer. l calcu-
lated ter make heap out O. pleasure
parties an sech-an' l did. In the
mornin's went lobsterin', cause Miss
Hollis folks he'd to hev sea things, an
every afternoon 1 red up in my blue
coat with brass buttons an sailed skip
per of the sloop-yacht Foam.
Il TUX the same crowd pretty reg'lar'
an in time I got to know 'em well.
They was as nice a lot of young things
as ever come in my path; but they was
careless-like, an they didn't allays
think.
THE girls was healthy an hearty,
an my! but they did go it lively. There
wasn't nothin' they didn't try. Tennis,
an ridin, an rowin', an shootin' at
targets made O. white paper, an sailin'.
The sailin' bothered me. They was all
over the boat at once, an nothin' would
do but | must larn 'em how to sail. /
he'd to tell 'em / wouldn't take 'em if
they warn't quieter, an after that they
kinder settled down.
II grew powerful fond of 'em all, but
there was one little girl TUX special
shine to. She wasn't very strong-I
heerd tell she was jest gittin' over q
fever. She had a sickly look, but you
could see she'd been bonny.
Her eyes was blue an round, an her
teeth was little an white-like Miss
Hollis Sunday china They'd cut off
her hair when she was sick, an it was
all over her head in little short curls,
like my Lie when she was babe.
81 remem Der trick she had of talsin'
off her cap an lettin' the wind blow
her hair, an if the day was damp it
would curl up tight, an she'd run her
fingers thro' it an pull it out straight
to see how it was CROWN.
''As I said, she warn't very strong,
an when they all got to larkin' it
seemed like she couldn't stand it, for
she'd leave the rest, an with her little
polite bow she'd come an say, SO gentle
like: Uncle Jerry, do you mind if /
stay here with your 1 was mighty
glad to have her, an she seemed to
know it, for she'd settle herself in
pile OF cushions an sit there quiet as
mouse.
Gradually the rest Of 'em kinder for
got her, and by-an-by she'd come right
away from the start, an l got SO used to
havin' her there at my right hand that
when she stayed home felt real lone
some.
''She begged me to larn her how to
steer, an when / saw she meant it /
showed her one thing and another; an
she never forgot what / told
her. An one day she says to me: Uncle
Jerry, l believe l could sail boat as
well as anyone if l were only stronger
Bless her heart! I'd have trusted her
soonern any young feller in the party
if she'd had little more muscle in her
arm.
''YNhen August come I begun to see