Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-11-02
THE MAN FROM GRIMSBY.
Andrew Copley Tells the Reason
for His Bachelorhood.

IOT Ills bdCn0lOrnOOQ.
OF the old folk of the BILE ak little sea-
port Andrew Copley dwells most vivid
ly in my memory. AS prosperity is
gagged at Port st. Bede, Andrew-the
owner of half-dozen ull-equipped
fishing-smacks- accounted pros
porous man. | recall him now-his
kindly face, tanned and Melted in
wrinkles; his long hair, grizzled this
many a day; his stubby gray beard;
his light-blue eyes, bespectacled for
reading-yes, there he sits. Many is
the crack" have had with him. yet
there was one story he chose to leave
buried in silence-and that, his own. |
never dared breach the topic, albeit
inwardly burned with impatient curl
osity. One day, however, the history
became mine unsolicited. Some re-
mark | CHANGED to let slip anent his
lifelong bache]orhood caused an infre-
quent far-away look to settle upon his
eyes. We were walking up the steep,
cobble-paved street" at the time, past
the limewashed front of the "Traw-
lers' Inn" to the higher ground, from
which the old Norman church tower
kept ward over the slumbeyous village
why haze l never married, say yep"
the old man exclaimed, after long
spell of silence. Like enow, ven
hear afore long; an don't see what
should stop me fro tellin' We myseu, if
SO be" Hurriedly stepping into the
roadway, Andrew whipped off his
broad-brimmed hat and stood notion
less. Turning into the sanded lane
that zigzagged past the church, he had
wellnigh jostled two slow-paced
women, the younger of them about
fifty years of age; the elder, twenty
years or SO older. 1t was the latter
that attracted my marked regard, for
it was towards her that Andrew held
his down-bent head. A wan, frail-
looking creature she was, dressed in
black, with close-fitting, old-fash-
bow of broad black ribbon. Her hair,
smoothed evenly upon her forehead.
shimmered silvery as the -churned
foam in the bay. She moved hating
ly, even with the aid of an oaken staff
and the helping arm OF her companion.
Withdrawing her arm, she paused
in the pathway and pointed her stick
towards the bare-headed old fisherman.
In thin, quavering tones, as if the
words were said by note, there being
no vehemence in her utterance, she
cried "Ah, l knaw ye-l knaw We.
Ban We, for no speal1in' me fair" With
no more passion than if she were re-
peating some soulless formula, she
added: Curse We, Andrew Copleyl II
was liel Curse We for't!"
''Come AVA" the other woman put
In, coaxingly; come thee ava home,
then"
Unresisting, the old lady allowed
herself to be led away. Through /,
all, Andrew did not stir limb, but
stood there with dotted hat, his head
bowed and his name of gray haii
rutlling in the breeze. We had left the
church behind, the deep-rutted lane
the narrow stone stile that gave upon
the fields; we had traversed half the
length of the meadows themselves be
fore he spoke. ''Ye asked me how
twas never married, said he, slowly
''rhat is the reason"
So he began upon his life story. But
as his narrative would be hard to fol
low If adhered to his exact words
with his numerous digressions and ir
relevancies, uttered with quaint burr
of tongue, and, moreover as his mod
esty seen fit to gloss over certain fact,
which heard of later in other quar-
tiers, venture to set it forth after my
own fashion.
We bark back full half century
Port st, Bede-no vast size at this pres
ent-was then mere nest of sand
stone, shale-roofed cottages, planted
at the foot of the hill, and, stragglinl
disjointedly up it TO form the street.
Later improvements have displaced OF
rebuilt most Of these one-storiet
dwellings, and filled in the gaps; bu
the old "Trawler's Inn looks just as
itlooked fifty years ago. 1t lies bacl
some ten PAGES from the roadway, tn,
shingled space thus obtained being
highly favored of loungers and Cos
sips. The spot served an identica
purpose SO far back as the Oldest mem
DRY goes.
A little knot of fsher-folk, meI
and women, foregathered there on,
Wednesday morning, to await the ar
rival of the Morperland letter-carrier
Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sat
urdays, he trudged the ten miles to de
liver his meager package of letters
He always made his way first to tn,
"Irawlers," where it had become Gus
tomary for the populace--those VIII,
aid not expect letters alike with thos,
who did--to assemble and waylay him
In that manner the canny souls got
news of the outside world without be
ing put to the expense of postal fee
while the official on his part was qui
OF his letters all the sooner. On THU
particular morning, however, the gay
ETY. Of the group was under eclipse
They talked together in hushed tones
tull of concern, every now aud theI
referring question to the bronzed
middle-aged seaman in their midst.
An ye're sure we've got the rights
o. Z Jske7" Qusrsd = big-tacst