The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-10-09
A SEAMAN'S STORY.


The sloop-of-war Mooseilauke stood
off Gonave
The suns gold disk had disappeared,
and the sweet melancholy of a southern
twilight lay upon the island, whose
profile, darkly outlined against the SAT
from hued sky, was set in an amethyst
frame, the deep and luminous violet OF
the sea- Briefly, the tropio twilight is
short It's silhouette hung there between
the two immensities of sky and sea.
Then the jewel oolors of wave and cloud
and wood draped island vanished. A
velvety blaclness covered all, One by
one the stars appeared not in their mid
night glory, but tremulous tiny points,
dim as flashlights swept by the wind.
On the island the trees were alight
with fireflies. These, too fiickered faint
", as though uncertain of their power
to shine. In the half light the great
ships sails, purpled by shadows, took
fantastic shapes, but very soon the moon
leaned out of cloud and cleared up
the mystery The sky overfowed with
light. A silver ship sailed silver sea.
Twilight's dusky veil had been drawn
aside by the fingers of night
On the spar deck of the Mooseilauke
Seamen Bill Williams and Sam Woods,
Apprentice Stubs and the Jack of the
Dust were matching experiences. Moved,
it may be, by the mysterious influence
of moonlight, these men of discipline
! spoke freely of love. A naval ''Decam-
eron'' might have been taken down from
their lips. The boatswain's mate lis
tened without commenting. Old Slater
commented without listening. From
time to time he left his messmates to
lean over the rail. Fixing his eyes on Go
nave with that interest which we give to
something which marks an event in our
lives, he wagged his head so knowing
ly that Stubs and Dusty-men Of one
poem, so to speak-were visibly envious.
At length the old seaman took his place
among them. He began at once to speak:
"Hev 1 ever toll We of'n adventure
me an the excel tive he'd on tibet Their
islan?'
"Give us the first line, Mr.. Slater,
and we'll tell you, replied the Jack of
the Dust jauntily.
"Ketch a-hol O. yerself, Dusty, rec
commended old Slater. EFT amt no
comic piece. Els bout gala little
bit of er gal--yaller's gol.
The Jack of the Dust's expression
changed He had but just begun the
study of the eternal feminine, and
his desire for phenomena was still un-
satisfied
Fire away" he said cordially. Il
guess it's good one this time. y
"Doyo mean the Mooseilauke's first
luff?' questioned Stubs.
''Ther same, old Slater replied.
THAT porpoiseP' exclaimed the Jack
of the Dust
HE wuzn't no porpoise, then, lad, :"
said the story teller. ''They called i'm
Their dandy ensign'-he wuz Ensign
Fitz in them days-an Gentleman
Jack AN Han some Jack, an he wuz
purity near all tibet, fer he wuz clear
pink N white. He hedn't no airs, an he
wuz plucky as the mex one couldn't
never count fer i'm" Old Slater low
cred his voice Il couldn't count fer
i'm in emmy way, kept tibet ther Lord
had han at i'm fore they ketched i'm
at Annapolis. / amt sayin but what he
wuz onreliables they make 'em emmy
where, but me an i'm wuz great frien s
-better'n we be now-fer time he's
took often me an put on ter him. Me an
him he'd been on ther Bender two year.
an one cruise in these ere waters the
skipper-no sailor man't all he wuzn t
took ct inter his blame ole head ter
come up here from Port o. Prince, whar
we wuz havin more fun than huff, fer
gun practice No matter bout what we
done. Though l reclec' our divis'n
cap'n got'n eye blowed out an seed
more'n ever after tibet, ct havin
quick ned his imagination. One mornin
Fitz he come ter me an SEE, I've got ter
get out er this.
I'm goin Shore shootin, seq he.
Git leave an come long, Slater. Mebbe
We'll strike sumthin.
II knowed he wanted me ter pull the
boat, so l got leave an we went shore
an shot will roun thar erwhile; then he
got huff an proposal er bite of the ra-
tiors I'd fetched l set EN- out under
a big COCO palm, an Fifty he got conf
Dental over mess an begun ter talk bout
the creole gal he'd got 'quainted with
in Port O. Prince.
''What was she like, Mr.. Slater?' in
quired the Jack of the Dust eagerly.
Like 'em all, 2" old Slater replied
grimly but tibet amt nuther here
nor thar. As wuz a-sayin, Fitz he sed
he loved 'er 'madly' an lot more tibet
/ lmowed by heart, fer he loved easy an
of ZEN in them days an swore he'd make
'er Mrs. Fitz eff he had ter give up his
family, his mother havin given i'm
warnin tibet she wouldn't hev no Turin
graft ON ter the Fitz tree. While he
wuz a-ravin we hearn sumthin an looked
roun Thar she stoodp'
"The creole?" interrupted the Jack
of the Dust.
''No, the yaller gal, - old Slater an
swered, "loohin like er leetle gol stat
yure in or garden, with all Their green
stuff back ON her, she was jes' so slim
an still l reck'n she wuz bout tweP
year ole. "
"a kidl' exclaimed the Jack of the
Dust.
Don't We go a-junpin, Dusty, " said
old Slater "She wuz out er the nu'
s'ry."
''They ripen early in these ERE lat
tudes, Dusty. They don't hev nuthin
ter keep 'em back, which ever edication
will an too many strings roun then
wais', !" Bill Williams remarked, with
the air Of a reformer
IAN they ripen-all roun. They don t
stay green on one side till they're 80 an
then dry up" growled Sam Woods.
Bill Williams nodded understanding
ly. ''Thet's New Englan, Sammy, +"
said he.
"But the little golden grip" ven
tured Stubbs
Old Slater continued:
''Fitz jumped up when he see her an
motions fer ter come an hev bite, an
long she steps, easy'n lights kitten,
an Sc down side O. him. She couldn' t
never hev seed no seoh rations, but she
wuzn't took back She eats nat'ral's a
bird picks up crumbs Tibet, my lads"
Nth glance at the apprentice and
the Jack of the Dust-"thet wuz cause
she wuz thurerbred-tbey shows their
grain fust off. Don't fergit tibet when
ye're lookin fer somethin ter dorm yer
homes. "
Il amt looking for savages, return
ed the Jack of the Dust Il like q wo-
man with some style; that has seen
something of the world and knows her
way about better than to mess with two
strange men in the jungle. +"
Dusty, he wants some Arybeller,