St. Paul daily globe., 1895-02-05

'RY 7HE GLoBE's POPULAR

such an angle that one could hardly
climb out of it, and then for four more
the angle was reversed, and one lay in
continual peril CT being shot to the 9th
er side Of the cabin like clay from
spade.
l think my only joy during those
three weeks was one particularly foul
morning on the skirts of the bay when
l heard that all the ham and eggs for
the cuddy breakfast had been lost
through the lee scupperS. Ham and
eggs in a sea like that!
Most days, it is true, I did manage to
crawl on deck, but l never could stand
it for long.
The captains hearty humor made ne
sad. The patrorizing airs Of a couple
of-consumptives, who We're too i'll to be
sick, filled my heart with impotent ire.
What l minded most, however, was
the insolent demeanor of Jim Clunle.
He was as good a sailor as our worse
| consumptive, and was ever the first
| person 1 beheld as I emerged from be-
low with cropping steps and grasp1ns
| fingers.
Those three weeks wore to an end. A
fair wind came at last, and it came to
! stay.
There was no need to meddle with
the yards, and the crew were armed
with scrapers and paintpots, to give
them something to do. There was an
end to our miseries, and the pendulum
swung to the other extreme. l never
saw so many souls in spirits so high or
| in health so blooming. We told stories.
| We sang songs. We got up a concert.
| We even started weekly magazine.
Clunie took a conspicuous part in al
| most everything.
We had our first concert, and II one
man contributed to it's success more
| than another, that man was undoubt-
edly jim Clunie. He not only played
admirably upon the melodeon, but he
recited The Charge of the Light Bri-
gade" and Poes 'Raven" with unsus-
pected force and cleverness.
He had sent in a contribution for the
''Grasmere Chronicle" which hap
pened to be edited by the doctor and
myself. We were prepared for good
thing, for the general aggressiveness
| of the man had by no means blinded
US to his merits, but we soon discov-
cred that these did not include any
| literary faculty.
His eflusion was too silly even for
ships magazine. 1t was also illiterate,
so it really did fall short of our mod
est, standard. We therefore rejected it,
and that night 1 encountered Clunie
in the waist Of the ship.
You call yourself the editor of the
'Grasmere Chronicle don't you"' he
began, stopping me, and speaking with
the northern burr that gave some lit
lie distinction to his speech.
81 am one of the editors" sid 1.
Ia
verses! cried he, with a great many
RS in the last word
NO" said 1, I'm afraid we did that
between u.s.
That's lie," said he through his
teeth, land you know it's a lie. You're
the man! You're the man! And see
here. Davidson, I'll be even with you
before We get to-the port we're bound
for Do you know what that ISL
"Melbourne." said l.
''Kingdom Come" said he; land I'll
pay you out before we get there
The sun had been very hot. L felt
sure that it had struck through Clu-
MES most unsuitable Tam O Shanter
and affected his brain. Nothing else
could explain the absurd ferocity of
his tone about so trivial and imper-
sonal matter as a rejected Offering to
our magazine.
l went straight to the doctor and re-
ported my suspicious.
IF YOU don't prescribe that man
straw hat" said /, you may order
sheet and a shot for this one; for I'll
swear he means to murder me-"
MY dear fellow, it isn't that" he
said IT'S much more likely to be
whisky. He was as right as rain when
he was with me an hour or two ago.
He came to tell me what he was going
to do for us tomorrow night at the
concert. He means to bring the ship
down this time and l believe he'll do
it. He's our star, my boy, and we
mustn't take him too seriously. It'll
never do to go and have a row with
Jim Clunie."
The doctor thought differently day
or two later
Meantime he took the chair at our
second concert, which was held the
night before we crossed the line, and
In his opening speech he paid Clunie
what [ considered d rather unnecessary
| compliment. which, however, the star
| certainly justified before our enter
tainment was over.
His great success was scored in the
| second part of the programme, when
| he recited the Dream of Eugene
! ATam" with a tragic intensity which
| has not since been surpassed in my
Nearing.
To me there was murder in the low
cred voice, and murder in the protrUd-
| ing chin and murder in the rolling eye
that cleaned into mine more times
| than l liked in the course of the reci-
tation.
Nor can have been alone in think
sigh preceded the applause This was
| deafening, but Clunie was too Sood an
| artist to risk an anti-cIimaX by ac-
| ccptinS an encore.
Then in a second speech our in
| fatuated doctor paid a second compli-
| ment to the star Of the Grasmere.'
And by midnight eshad the star on
| his hands; sunstruck, it was suspect
! ed, but in reality as mad as man could
| be.
At six bells in the first watch he ap-
pe&red half-dressed on the poop and
requested the captain to make it con-
venient to marry him next morning.
Our astonished skipper had lifted his
pipe from his teeth, but had not an
swered when Clunie broke away with
the remark that he had not yet asked
the girl.
He was back again, however, in q
minute or two, laughing bitterly, snap
| ping his fingers, and announcing in the
same breath how his heart was
| broken, and that he did not care.
| 1t appeared that with a most un-
| looked for proposal for marriage, he
had been frightening the wits out OF
| some poor girl in the steerage, whittier
he now returned, as he said, to sleep it
| down.
| The mate was sent after him to bor-
! row his pistols. He lent them on con-
| dition the mate should shoot me
with them, and heave my body over
board, and never let Clunie set eyes on
| me again.
And in the mates wake went our
dear old doctor, who treated the ma
MAE for sunstolle, and he pronounced
| him a perfect cure in the morning.
| Nevertheless he was seen at midday
perched upon the extreme weather-end
of the fore-topgallan' yardarm, hold
ing on to nothing, but playing his
! nelodeon to his hearts content
! One ingenious chief was however