The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-21

affn't I n,arrv her thens Good enough
rcaScn-ths usa who Was her oxsrsser
after me wanted e. own her plantation.
ser niggcrs ana BIG house. ana he asked
her - marry him. ard she did sna- Yes.
sgh. And taey hasinf neea married moro
thar a week then. sub
Maybe. though. she wouldn't have bSd
me Il ia asked her. and I'm glad sidnt-
II would have been awful tT09blesens" 20
have wife All these years. especially
when the civil War came aleng- Why.
sub. I wouldn't have been in the civil
war sub, for all the world and all the
women ln Il. no matter how much Was
ia love. Bat never fen ia love no more
and never married ANYBODY, and guess
I've been mere comfortable after all. Yes
sub certain. sub "
Noah R8hy seems % have been fairy
satisfactory seaman. bat ne was glad %
leave the navy when his Iinae WAS Gr.
for a number Of reasons,
III was az Portsmouth and NarfoIk,
sub. that I Shfppe-" the old nan con-
tinuea. and shipped on the ccnssisu-
tion--the Constellation. sub. She was
a great vessel, sub. bu, then she was old
and used for a receiving ship. Well.
worked Tor q year on the Constitution,
going an and down tho ratlines 20 the
top on the mast. out no further. | never
got - ne anything more than an ordinary
seaman. I dfdn'g want TO be an able sea-
man I didn't want 10 so higher IN the
mast than the top That was a. near
heaven as l ever wanted % SO tiu my
time came It's FAR enough 70 fall from
the cop. let alone the .erosstrees.' Why,
sub. 10 YOU fan from the 'crosStrees' Soa
get the worst Of &C. certain. even II you
fall In the water and II You fall on the
deck you're gone. suh-gone. After IA
/ been on the Constitution n wear went
on the prandywine. on the inspection
cruise. 10 remember the captains
namef You Acs I DO II was Fargasut.
1fe was a fine. portIy gO08-lookins man.
sub. and another man IT the same mama
was big captain afteTwarvi. No, | was
never noggesi. aut rve seen lGfs 81 others
punished once 7 came near bc3ng. but
II was 5uSt because I tried "a get away
when some one else was being punished
| Which Of the ports We visited dsa iks
hest All Of EN-. suh--aIl AZ 'eni. could
have shore leave three times a week
when we We're in port, ard We could all
ways ind WAYS OF having good times
there were always bright eyes 40 shine on
lack Tar in them old days. suh--certain.
IL was while he was at Norfolk and
Port sanonth thai Rahy SAYS ne heard
Gen. Washington make speech. Raby
IS not certain what the general was talk
ing about but there is no doubt IN thu
oldest mau'smind that the father Of his
Country was Indignant and excited.
Yes subj" said Rahy. Il saw the old
gineral and | heard him talk. He was
pretty mad toe~-oh, my gracious. yesi
shall never forget one thing he said--it
has stuck 10 me most a hundred years
now:
a. Go right on. fellow citizens, a. YOU
have been going on. and ] assure yosi
that We shall have the devil 70 pay IN
this republic aud no pitch hotv
That's what the gineral said. sub, Ger
tain and heard him say n, and so did
a great many other people, but suppose
fhey'Tss all dead but me now.
'sonce when I was in the Brooklyn navy
ward sub" continued The old man. II got
a shilling for being patriotic. II was he
fore the second war with England, and
a British officer and an American officer
were talking together, and the English
man said there were plenty or nations
that could whip the United States Well.
sub | thought them two sirereis -tHF
fight. sub, I did. indeed and finally tho
American officer he turned quick and he
said.
wen see what Yankee sailor viii
say to your talk. sir.
Then he asked me IL thought tho
United States could be licked. and said
that I didn't believe there was any nation
I'm the world that could whip the republic.
IL they were all rolled into one they
might. but no single one could do 1t.
least OF all. England.
Wei, ssih you ought TO have seen that
English offiser go away mad, and how
|. good our officer looked when he gave mo
tho shilling.
white was in Brooklyn navy yard
got leave one day and went out 20 see a
monSsrous pretty burytns grpund--Sreeil-
wood, they cali II now, l hear. A man
who came 10 see me two or three years
ago told me that they bury a lot OF folks
every day there now-that The bodies go
To that bnrying ground. Just IKE an ever.
lasting stream Of water. oh. my gracionss
what big cities New York and Brooklyn
must be if that's true.
II left the navy because I was afraid
there'd he a war and I Didn't want 10
fight Well. there was war, hut didn't
see no lighting, only outhe seq. and then
was on land, and good ways of. I've
lost my discharge papers ana I'm sorry.
IL had en- maybe / could get a pension.
and anyway, | could prove my age by
them"
sone forty or ffsy years ago Noah
Raby Joined the Baptist church at Eliza
beth, n. j.. being Immersed.
II believe the Baptist church - all
right" ne said, but ! don't think that
lust because I'm Baptist and have been
Immersed that I'm all hunki-dory fou'vs
got to have a change OF heart 10 go 10
heaven, and that's what got down IN
old virginia a good many years AEo. l
was taken sick and had TO lie on my
lanwufshing he'd. and one night J Was
happv an tho spirit and got up and went
absart the house singing and shouting
hallelutah' Yes. sub. and wish every
body could De as happy az | was then.
rye had nothing TO complain Of all my
life though, sonny. Since | was ia love
with the widow Sarah. I've never had
much 10 trouble me. I'm "A little man.
f,ut rye got Fncnsss rous nerves. sub. any
now / never tried TO get much money.
and I've never worked unless | had 20.
a,ut I'VE had enough to eat ami 20 wear
and 10 drink and ~ smoke I've had a
good time too and every body VINO knows
me will saw so. In politics I've been a
good old Dimoerat. htGs don't vote now
adavg They won't let me because can't
ray z,oll tax But ! don't mind taaf- m
sorry never learned TO write. but |
roulsI4,'i soe 10 urite NOW II I'd learned.
.sc0rna <oah'' said the pnormaater at
s7fS point, its time 20 take your Bit
ters-"
Ard when the Official put a tufnhler OF
,,,nssafv and water 70 the blind old mans
lips no crank OF the draught with great
guSso. 60.
"a good many gallons 90 nquor have
coma where that's gone MT. Hummer,
SAID he as he handed back the glass
when Raby was ~ his best No ~sdEned
Ss,s 80 pounds and was not much over
Ave feet tan fle now weighs ieEs than
= hundred and is not more than four feet
six. ..,....
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