The record-union., 1893-08-05
4 LAND LUBBER.

AOoi hC A6d4 AtuoeI 4OOklH OdD'
Zach Crane is. You wouldn't guess to
see him that he's the riches man in town,
L don't believe. An he's the very picter
of his father. His father been dead these
twenty year an more. He was always
called "Old Cap'n Zach" or "Old Zach +"
am he was the grumpiest, growliest old
cretur l ever came across. He was ter
rlole stingy, too, an he hated religion,
and everything that was good, as fur as
know, except his wife an son. He had a
wooden leg an only one eye, but he was
smart, | tell you. and he made money,
hand over fist. After he got too old
to go reg'lar voyages, he begun
putin his savin's out at interest,
an you might have thought the
family was paupers, they lived so
close. But it was all to save up for the
boy. They didn't have but Just that one,
am they both Of 'em set their eyes by
him. But for all that Cap'n Zach couldn't
hardly wait for him TO be old enough to
go to sea, an if it hadn't been for his
mother, I'll bet that child would have
shipped when he was ten year old. Mis-
Crane she had sort OF infloOauce over
tho old man, but as quick as she died he
took the boy with him on a whalin' Yoy-
=
terrible afraid he'd want to go TO school
or into a store or somethin', and be a
beggarly LAND lubber"; that's what the
Cap'n called every one that wasn't sea-
farm man. He hadn't no opinion of
folks that got their livin' ashore, an he
wasn't one to keep his idees to himself,
l tell you.
So the boy went with his father as long
rs he sailed, but the year | was married,
and come here to live. was Cap'n Zach's
first season home, an young Zach he
went out third mate of whaler. | re-
member 1t well, because father got the
rheumatic that spring, an had to stay
ashore for long while. IeXpect didn't
feel as bad as I'd ought to, for it KEEP him
with me, an as long as he wasn't in real
pain, l was coGtented, an we was pretty
happy, if we did have to manage close to
goL along.
Well, one morning in September father
come in lookin' dreadful down in the
mouth. He didn't speak, but took out
his pipe and set down right where you be
this minute, an begun to smoke. | knew
somethln' was wrong, but ia lived with
hlln long enough to find out he wasn't
one to be questioned, so 1 KEEP on workin'
round, an pretty soon he says, without
lookln' at me. "Dode Avery's failed up,
Ad'line"
For the lands sakep' says I, settln'
down on the meal chest, struck all of a
heap. Failures wasn't so common them
days, am sounded scareful to me, an
father wasn't much better.
es, he's failed up for good an all,
says father. He called a meetin' of us
all this mornin', an said if we'd let him
go on awhile longer he'd pay us every
cent, but they wouldn't let him." says
father, shakin' his head. | don't remem-
Der exactly how it was, but at all events
II the creditors didn't wait they wouldn't
get but a small part of their money back
and Dode he'd lose everything he had in
The world. de was real we'll -meanin'
man, Dode was. Theodore Avery was
hiS name, but everyone called him
"Dode," am it sort Of fitted him some
way. He was shiPless am easy-goin'
that l will say, an folks were down on
him, specially old Capin Zach. Dode an
lather went one voyage together when
they were youngsters, an they'd always
been real good friends. Father didn't
blame him mite for not goin' to sea
again as long as he liked the shore better
but Cap n Zach could seem to stomach il
no way, an he used to keep a-fiingin' il
an a-hingIn' II at Christy Avery she was
some relation to the Cap'n's wifeJ that
she'd married ''miser' ole land-huggin'
luOOer." But she didn't care a grain
bless you; she set everything by Dode,
an got along with him first-rate
After Chrlsty's mother died, leavin' her
the house, Dode borrowed some money
and set up a ''slop-shop"-all kinds Of
clothes am things for sailors, you know.
Father lent him what he could am per
suaded the rest of 'em. That was one
thing made him feel worse. He knew
Dode was honest an would pay 'em if he
had time, but the way they was actin
they would lose most all they'd put in.
The shop was in the front part of Christy's
house, so they hadn't no rent to pay, an
Hsnww NFfrAaF l.. IL
was DOth OF EN- pleasant to trade with.
But they was queer. Likes not if man
went in to buy hat, he'd find Dode play
IN the hddle TO Christy an the baby. an
the man would set an listen, too, an
have q chat, an a little drop of rum.
maybe, an ten to one he'd forget what he
come for, an go Oft without spendin' a
cent. 'Twasn't so at Quinn's, up the
street. \ body couldn't so much as look
IN their wlnder but what they was out
tryin' to sell somethin', an the conse-
quence was Quinn was maxim money
an Dode he failed up. He wasn't no.
body's enemy but his own, you under
stan an he was honest, but shif'less-
Just shifless.
BY Titles and Titles, father told me
that he an some OF the rest-there was
tlve OF 'em-said they'd wait but Cap'n
Zach he said no-Dode Avery'd had more
chance than he ever did, an he hadn't no
opinion of folks honesty that was too
white-livered to earn their bread by the sea
as their fathers did afore 'em, an he wasn't t
goin' TO throw good money after bad
keepin' that shop ahoat no longer. II was
overpersuaded in the fust place by you,
Jonas Stiles" he says to father, but the
end has come. It's gOin' TO stop" The
rest OF 'em tnrned right round then an
sald they held with Cap'n Zach. Father
tod me that all the time they was talkin',
he see the calico curtain on the door from
the shop into the kitchen wavin' an
blowin' as If the door was held open a
crack, an after Cap'n Zach spoke out so,
the door shut To, an he could hear a
woman sobbin' somewhere.
W ell, l felt awful. To be sure there
was two sides to it. The men had earned
their money hard, an they was poor
enough, an couldn't afford to lose it, but
il seemed as if it might have been fixed
up so as to benefit 'em all, if Cap'n Zach
hadn't been so fierce.
Il suppose they can sell the house"
says |, after father got through, an sat
there drawin' at his pipe that was cold as
a stone, only be didn't sense 1t.
THAT'S the worst OF il all, Ad'line,"
says he, for the house is mortgaged up
to the handle-to old Zach-an' he's goin'
TO foreclose."
Good Lord a. mercy! Whapn become
OF 'em?' says l, an father sort O. groaned.
ou see he would have helped 'em quick
as look at 'em, am been glad to, bat what
with buyin' our own house. an losin'
two voyages already with rheumatic, an
doctors bills comin' in besides we
couldn't have raised fifty dollars, l
don't believe, to save us. We could take
'em in, an do for 'em some, but that was
about all.
So there they was. three of 'em, an not
a thing really belongin' to EN- but
tumble-dOwn shed where boats was KEEP,
an their old white horse, Bess. She was