Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-14
YARNS BY PILOTS.
The Passengers Expect Them to BE
Posted on shore News.

Posted on shore News.
Fror the New York Herald
In all the Sandy Hook feet there were
not four men who liked to tell stories bet
ter than the pilot with the long jacket,
the pilot in the SLOUGH hat, the pilot who
has a white beard and the pilot who has
no whiskers at all. They all belonged to
pilot boat No. 8251. At least, that is what
they used to tell me. Since that l have
found out that pilot boats are not num-
bered so high as that They are all jolly
good fellows When they used to talk
about taking a reef in the keelson' and
| DELAYING the cathead" and "brailing the
mizzen truck to the rudder pintles' L list
ened in a guileless way until a CHEEKY OLD
man next door to the room where those
pilots meet told me better. And by ana
by they made room for me IN the htue
circle about the radiator and talked just
as though the fifth man knew all apout
rat,ge lights and buoys. 49,
"Brought in the Spree did YOU asked
the Long Jacket of the SLOUGH Hat, one
rainy afternoon, as we all sat around the
steam pipes mo, she brought me IN.
10 Won think l am Hercules? That's his
snecialty" answered the SLOUGH Hat. Tell
the young one Hercules story. Get
out; do you take me for newspaper syn
dictate? Tell it yourself" rejoined the Long
well" began the SLOUGH Hat, Hercules
is very fond of joke, ana he tells EN-
good deal better than anybody around mere,
for he's been at it, man and boy ever
since / remember. Several years ago there
was a bit of a scare about sickness on
foreign ships Hercules got the spree.
We'll cali him Hercules because that ISM
his name. It's something very IKE IT,
though Well as / was saying Mr.. Her
cuies boarded the DutehRan about ~; 100
miles out. There was sickness In ire
steerage, and the health officer didn't do
a thing but hold that same steamer for
three days when she reached quarantine.
Hercules was standing on the orlisc tnal
evening when the Spree got abeam the
yellow house over on Staten Island ana
whom does he see balancing and Juggling
around in a canoe below but his young
Eli there, young man. sings out Her
cules, will you tell my wife that I'm de-
tanned at Quarantine and won't De nome
| tonight?' ~ -
fellow, and thinking good deal OF Her
cules, as everybody does, said yep, and
pretty soon went in. And when he got
home that night what does he DO but Tor
get all about that message until next day.
and then he goes over to our friends
house. Mrs Hercules he said, 4 saw
your husband on the spree ana ne does
not know when he'll get back.
"Weii, as you may imagine. young man,
Mrs. Hercules took on dreadfully, and
when, after that steamer got out of Quar-
antine her husband came home, she look
ed him over mighty careful.
"'Have a nice time" she asked.
".Never had better In my life" says
he.
Who were with your
"'Oh, a great many ladies and gentle
men, he answered.
''Then she tod him what young johnson
had said. Well, my DEAR said Hercules,
slow and deliberate like, young johnson
was quite right. was on spree. but
that young person neglected to say that II
was the steamer Spree, and that was in
quarantine
lions for awhile"
"women are curious" remarked the
bearded pilot. But i tell you, man, they
are the light of our lives. They do pes
ter a fellow with questions though, es-
peciaIly IL that fellow is pilot just come
aboard the steamer they're on. Why they
light on you before you get over the rail-
They want to know all about receptions,
and horse shows, and campfire teas, and
art exhibitions and theaters. just as
| though they thought a pilot put In his time
on shore going to swell society rackets.
| IF the woman happened TO he an actress.
| thcre is no getting away from her. She
asks II Mr.. So and So Is playing at this
| and that theatcr and how Miss sorg-and-