The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-14

Why the Row Boat Stopped and the Punts
Bottom Deserted-'Don't Yer Know
Yer Own wife"-Queer Fate Of Capt.
Jones's Big Yellow Dog.
When all the condit ions are favorable
land they Unjust become SO themelves
they cannot be induced) 1t is worth while
to listen to the stories that an old Peak s
Islander can tell Of the incidents and
vations. Once getlhim started with the
aforesaid conditions, and there is no lin
it to the resources Of his memory in that
regard. We remember few Of his yarns.
In the good old days before the native
fishermen were annually inundated
young men:werewont to play pranks upon
on another, and there was certain
young fellow who always believed in hav-
ing everything Of the best If possible.
He one summer obtained possession of a
rather elegant row boat, compared to
those of the others, and dressed in
rather better clothes and bright necktie,
he was accustomed to take his lady friends
out for row in his new boat on Sun
days. One day an unusual number of
the boys and others were assembled on
the wharf as he came down with his fair
companion, handed her into the boat and
with proud heart and strong, even
stroke, sent the light skiff skimming away
over the water. The boat had proceeded
about 100 yards. when it stopped. 1t
didn't suddenly and quickly slacken its
pace to come to a immediate stop, but it
stopped short, without warning, as if lit
had run into the side of cliff, and
equally without warning the young man
landed in heap in the bow, in less time
than it takes to tell it. and the young
lady lost no time in following his OK
ample and even seemed to be disputing
in an undignified manner, his monopoly
of that suddenly attractive section Of the
boat A halibut line, 100 yards long.
with one end of it attached to the keel of
the boat and the other to pile of the
wharf, under water, could probably, If
consulted, explain the strange condition
of things, and even throw some light
upon the fact that some of the shrieks Of
laughter that arose, from the wharf
seemed not wholly unprecedented, even
to him whose ears were hidden from
mortal ken beneath an avalanche Of
feminimlty. One of the older men had a
habit of invariably jumping into his punt
with nimble leap, landing squarely in
the middle, without losing his balance in
the titlish craft. One day he came down
as usual to get into his punt to go out
to his fishing boat, and as usual he exc
cuted is nimble little jump and landed
fair in the middle of the boat, but right
there the usual course Of events came to
an end and the unusual began. He didn't
remain on the bottom Of the punt because
that hitherto faithful servant suddenly
repudiated the burden of his weight, and
even deserted the ship, SO to speak, by
dissolying partnership with the sides.
He kept right on for the bottom Of the
harbor, some Is feet distant, just as If
there hadn't been any punt there, and
when he returned from his involuntary
journey into the country Of the fishes, he
might have been heard to announce be-
tween his gasps, to the smiling faces on
the wharf, that he was going to &C git
drownded jist ter spite We" However he
Thought better Of it and resolved to "git
even' by some trick that would render
the loosening of the bottom of a punt a
very stupid idea by comparison.
It was over a dozen years ago when
the Canadians formed larger proportion
of the summer visitors than they do at
present, that on certain foggy night a
certain Canadian gentleman desired to
be rowed over to Cushings Island to meet
a friend at the Ottawa House. Two
Canadian boys Offered to set him across
in row boat and in the early evening
thew started. 1t was about ten o'clock
when the guests at the hotel were startled
to see the gentleman enter their presence
in a most dilapidated condition, covered
from head to heels with mud, his clothes
badly torn and his face the picture of
despair, "Where are my sons, you scoun-
drel?" demanded the agonized father,
"what do you m can by coming back here
with out them?" His story was soon told.
It seems they had no sooner disappeared
in the fog than everything else did like