The Forrest City times., 1896-07-31
JACK AND THE BARNARD.
And the Second Mate of the Clip
per Pineapple.


gold rings in his ears and bushy hair
hanging well down over the back of
his neck was sitting astride the string
piece of the Old Slip pier watching
gang of men discharging cargo of
pineapples from neat little three
masted schooner. 1t was a busy and.
on the whole, cheerful scene, for the
men were not only hard at work hoist
ing and sorting the fruit, but they were
at frequent intervals actively engaged
in heading off half-dozen laughing
boys who were bent on getting good
pineapple, in place of the rejected ones
to which they were welcome. But the
old salt frowned and puffed vigorously
at his pipe while he watched the scene,
and SO attracted the attention Of a
sitter of rumors, who happened along.
Il say, Jack, you seem to have some
thing unpleasant on your mind" said
the sitter, land that isn't right. How
would a change of tobacco do as a med
icine, under the circumstance" and
the sitter offered the old salt cigar.
"Thank'ee, sonny" said Jack, as the
crinkles deepened about his eyes and
the droop in the corners of his mouth
became somewhat less marked.
"Thanl<'ee. / was a trifie under the
weather, an it's all along O seein' them
ere pineapples. Never heered of
ship O that name, did ye, sonny?"
what. Pineapple? No."
That's what thought. 1t was afore
your time by nigh hard to 20 year that
the gallusest packets atwixt Liverpool
an New York was in the tropical line,
which they all had names like Pine
apple an Lemon an Orange an
Banana. Huh! In them days l was
lest CROWN the first hair on my face
an thinkin' was some pumpkins fer
looks, but the way got the starch took
outen me when shipped into the Pine
apple out o. Liverpool so as / could be-
in the same ship along with right
pretty barmaid as I'd made the ac-
ouaintance of some Cine afore an what
had determined to emigrate in hopes
of betterin' of herself-huh! Say, SON
nv, when | think O. that ere v'yage it's
more'n | can say rightly whether or
not | died an have been a animated
corpse ever since or not. Leastwise, IL
I didn't die all hands an the crazy skip
per thought / did. an they buried me
in a some'at uncommon fashion, or else
this ere wonderment o mine had ended
then an thar"
The old sailor, who had been rolling
the cigar gently between the tips OF
two fingers and his thumb, here bit off
the end. took match from the pocket
in his shirt, scratched it on the string
piece and lighted the cigar carefully,
as one accustomed to cigars that are
not good and even burners. Then he
continued the story:
1T was all along of Dink Sturgess,
q bloomin' old crimp, gettin' the JOB
to furnish a crew for the SNOWFALL
clipper, what was in the opposition
line. | didn't suspect anything when
he happens along an he says: 1 say,
Jack, do We want a ship? So says TO
him in fashionable language:
IAN if / did, do ye fancy I'd let a
bloody old thle1 IKE yerseii ura" the
advance for me"
with that he laughed somethin bois-
ferrous an give me wink an said there
was no pullin' the wool over the eyes
Of a Yankee, an then he says:
Jack he says, you'll be after COM
in 10 my house yit,' he says. so come
away an have drink.
"An' there was me that young an
green / must needs go an have drinl;
with him. So we had drop of Scotch
an then he says:
"'Jack, what ship have you signed
into?' An says: Into the Pineapple.
An he says: What ever did ye sign
into her for when the SNOWFALL ii make