The evening times., 1895-08-15
| One Cent Hsa, Hf5a
No advertisement less than 10s
The uoiG6 That CALLED

i =
stories, and, the available stock of narra-
tives having given out, we were casting
about for more.
Yes" said my friend, the director of
! and partner in a noted ocean steamship
line, II have had quite few remarkable
incideutsh shappen to me inD y day, especially
when I was sailing one OF the two ships
belonging to the - line, and my partner
the other" with retrospective smile as
he thought OF the extensive number of ves-
sells he now controlled
bat 1 think the most trying experience
ever knew took place evea before then,
when 1 was youugster OF twenty and
very proud of being trusted with ship
| while still so young" $685..
Hold on till / get my cigar lit,'' said
somebody, and there was little delay at
| tendant upon the filling OF glasses and the
| assuming of more comfortable positions,
before Wilson nodded 10 the captain, and
be began again. -
| /'.You see," he said, II was a clergy
mans son, and my family looked upon
| my desire to follow the sea is utter fool
| ishness, but after l had run away a dozen
| times or go and been followed and brought
| back Just as many, my father thought he
/ might as wen let me have my own way, SO
| he took me down to Liverpool and ap-
! prenticed me properly and In due form to
/ an old friend of his, who was the head of
| a great merchantmen line running 10 the
| West Indies and back. was only IA then
| and | believe the idea was that / should
| tire OF the labor and hardship of sea life
| and bs glad to beg for home again; when
/ this happened, l was, OF course, 20 be let
| go, for friendships sake, and would be
! started off to college in due order; a year
or so behind my proper time, but still not
| irredeemably hate"
| The old captain smiled again, and a
twinkle frightened his eye, as though he
| was very much amused internally, but
his voice was as dry as ever and not
| the shadow of a emile transgressed the
club rule, which prohibited a member
from laughing at his own stories Some
| of the listeners stirred a little lazily as he
paused, and Wilson, who was always the
leader, nodded to him TO continue.
| Well" be complied, II disappointed
my father and enjoyed sea life go much
that my captain gave fine accounts OF
me, and my fathers friends took great
liking to me aud often had me TO spend a
! week at his home when the ship was in
port and /, fearing to be late in Joining
her again, had shortened my home visit
and was waiting for the day Of starting. His
wife was kind to me, too; and be had
little daughter, who-but that's antici-
pating.
The years of my apprenticeship passed
and the proud moment when received my
| papers as master mariner arrived Then
L was given ship, although my youth made
this very unusual thirg, ard sent off to
the West Indies or course, wae supplied
with an old au1 experienced first mate, and
1t was probably due as much TO bis care
| and watchfulmuess as to my own fkin, that
| the voyage passed off without an accident
| or miscbance Of any kind, but was as
| proud rs a hen with her first batch Of
chicks u aid the head of the firm showed
| his confideace in my abilities in manner
I which came very near to losing him
daughter.
".Art.cr, 10y boy be said to me Some
days before l sailed again. I'm going out
| with YOU I'm going to take my wife and
| daughter along, too, We all fancy the trip
and it struck me that we would go with
| you, instead of TN 4 passenger vessel Ny
| wife has made the trip ON merchantman
| many a time when we were younger and
| my daughter is very anxious to Try it, You
| can let the ladies have the .'wifc's cabin,
| can't your
In those days every merchant ship was
| supplied with little cabin for the use of
| the captains wife. although hey stoppedthe
practice soon after and forbade the nen
to carry their families with them. or
course 1 was very willing to have my
| friends as passengers, although / was
| little nervous at the thought of my en-
ployer being in the ship with me and hav-
ing his sharp old eyes taking notice of my
every movement.
But 1 need not have been anxious on
this account, for the day before We sailed
the old gentleman was disabled with an
attack of gout and he decided that he
must stay at home.
".But there is nu need for the old lady and
my little girl to do So he told me when
went to say good-by, they can go along
with you and shall insist upon this An
| other trip will make the season too late and
think the voyage will benefit them. put
them in your cane and trust you with them
$50 the two ladies went out with me, the
only women on board the ship, and We had
hardly got out of the Channel before the
mother was taken sick
Its queer for such an old sailor as i, ;
she mu injured faint as assisted her down
below, but suppose I'm out Of practice
''She got enough practice ill the mseries
of seasickness that trip to last her some
time, poor thing, and in the meantime the
daughter, who, while her mother slept,
invariably came up on deck renewed her
old friendship with me. 1 had not seen
much of her for some years since she had
been at school during my brief visits at her
home, and We found the recalling of old
times delightful
Every night, even after her mother had
recovered partially, we pronenaded the
deck together, and our friendship grew
apace. One night, when the Older lady was
below, suffering with headache, we talked
until very late. and she told me queer tales
of ghosts and sleep-waIkers and the like.
She had been filled with these stories while
at school, and we enjoyed them as only very
young people do enjoy listening TO and tell
ing OF horrors. Among other things she told
me OF an experience she had once had her
self in the sleep-waIking line, in which she