The Penn's Grove record., 1894-07-06
ASTONISHED LAD

'Ihat'S a queeE-lOOKlng oUJecti
Aleck, floating in the cove. 1t looks
like a huge piece Of hard soap"
lizard soap don't SWIM" replied
Aleck shortly. ats probably a dead
hake, or a little yonker's (baby seal)
peit. But we must hurry, Denny,
aud get these fish upon the flake.
The sun Is coming out finely this
morning.
The speakers, two Newfoundland
lads, brothers, aged IA and &c, lived
at Bear Cove, Bonayista Bay, on the
northeast coast Of that great, fogay
Island, and they had never been out
side the shay district"
Their lot 10 lie vas not an easy
one. Since a recent disaster TO the
sealing feet, when their father had
lost his life, they had been the whole
support OF a family of ten persons,
inc. uding Two aged grandparents,
their mother and five younger BROTH
ers and sisters.
In that remote settlement of fisher
folk there were no schools nor oppor-'
Gunities for learning any craft save
fishing and sealing. To provide even
the barest necessities OF life for Them
sci Ives aud their kinsfolk the boys,
were obliged to work constantly and,
attend sharply to their fishing.
The floating object, however, ex-
cited Denny's curiosity. 1t vas pei
Iculiar Ia appearance. He did not be-
lieve that 1t was a dead fish, and he
glanced att occasionally as he spread
the dressed Goldfish on the fakes to
cure In the June sunshine. AT lengthi
when his task for the time being was
byer, he picked uD an oar, pushed
their crazy old dory into the water,I
and skulled out to make sure what
the Queer-looking mass was.
The strange object was OF a singu-
lar, variegated, grayish, greenish!
yellow color, and at first sight he
thought IT was jelly. But on touchi
ing 1t with the oar he found that III
was hard-as hard, indeed, as hard
soap.
Then he touched it with his fingers,
and found that II gave forth a pecu,
liar odor. At length he reached
down, and getting a firm hold on the
mass, lifted 1t into the toah 1t was
Of irregular shape, nearly as large as
q half-bushel measure and about as
heavy as he could lift
He carried 1t ashore and set it on
one end of the ish-flake, where both
he and Aieck tested it with their
knives
''It is a hard, gummy stuff" said
Aleck. ~ don't believe il is good
for anything. don't like the smell
Uf it"
III do like the smell of it." said
Denny ''but it makes me feel queer. I"
The old grandma OF the family
came out to the faxes, and after
poking 1t and smiling 1t, said that it
was a whale stone"
1t remained on the fake for a
month or more, when the NOVA
Gotta skipper Is a coaster which had
Tput In to buy their fish happened tc
notice it. After turning 1T over and
pois ny it In his hands to note its
weight, and trying his jack knife
upon it, he cast an induirlng look at
Aleck.
That's quite a chunk of %rosin,'
he said. "Where dye get it,"
"Washed ashore" replied Aleck.
"Granny says it's a whale stone, 1"
added Denny.
The skipper turned away with ap'
parent carelessness, my cook plays
the 1ddle," he said, looking back.
"I'll give ye a dollar for that to rosln
his fiddle bow with"
Aleck would have said yes at once;
but Denny. who had quicker percep-
tions, had noted the furtlve glance,
and said:
4 mo; I'd rather keep it"
The skipper talked of various mat
ters for some time, but at length
came back to the subject Of the
srosln," and offered two dollars, then
three and at last five. But Denny
still obstinately said, mo; I'D rather
keep It,"
The skipper staid with them for ar
hour or two, but lat last went off tt
his vessel without further allusion &c
the ''rosin."
Aleck, much vexed; rcalled DennI
a fool for not accepting the offer mad,
by the captain. Five dollari was /;
large sum To these poor boys Blu
Denny stu resisted.
II found it," he asserted, land
shall set my own price. Skipper Nc
Leod cannot buy it for five dollars
Ho wants it more than he cares tx
let us know. / saw that plainl!
enough In his eyes"
Before night. too YpEudsntl.