The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-18


| There was no joy to be got in seeing rows
OF blooming idiots overhanging the sides
OF their boats a-dredging and mucking
about and running the ground so far as
hsh.ng went, without bubble of a chance
OF bringing up the ring.
Luckily George held his tongue. In
truth, as l afterwards got to hear, he
meant to have try for the thing him
self all in quiet way one Saturday after
noon when off duty, as though he was
out aishing
Sir, I'm bachelor; I'm one of those
men who live all alone by themselves.
You know the yard I live in; there's al
ways neighbor sitting in an open door,
| wiling TO fall into a yarn if so be as we
are both so disposed. Being alone meant
! TINS with me that night, after George
| said goodbye; l mean that there was no
| females with the tears trickling down
| their cheeks to poster me into contriv-
ing something to creep for the ring with.
For oh, Steve! L can hear them say,
whilst the babies lay hurrahing in the
Kitchen, only think of fifty guineas lying
| ready to your hand; nothing to do but to
set your clever wits to work, and afore
you goes to bed tonight you'll have in
vented the very continuance that will lift
the ring into your pocket No, Stree, 1
was alone and wasn't pestered.
Unless George could have given me
| the bearings of the place where he had
dropped the ring within two or three
tathoms, l might as we'll have swept the
English Channel for it. Then again, the
steamer was floating slowly through the
water at the time; on the top of that,
who was to tell where the ring lay within
mile of deep water?
Next morning early ! walked down to
the harbor to take a look round. 1t was
a bright morning, the sky curly with
cloud to the horizon. The water came
from all that way off, shivering in rippcs
winch grew into pretty little seas as
they approached the land. The 'arbor tug
was towing out number of fishing
Smacks, and the water looked lively
enough, with the colors of the tanning
sails and the white foam of the red wheels
hylng off the sharp bows of the towed
Whether it was the sight of those boats
or the quality of the morning, or the sight
| OF old Tom Goldsmith fishing in his boat
away past the green buoy, ii came into
my fancy to try a bit of fishing myself
30 went home to get some breakfast,
then prepared myself for a fishing excur-
SION ana started. l sailed away down
INTO the southeast yonder making GER
tam there was no sport to be got on
tnat favorite spot of mine where the
| ring had been lost after all the scraping
the bottom of it had undergone. l passed
Tom and sung out What cheer?' and
he says nothing, but holds up two large
| empty fists.
Il sailed on into about ten fathom.
then bringing the spre of the church of
| SAINT Barnabas on a line with the tower
| OF a house beyond it, 1 let go my anchor
| mad 1shed in this place before and
| had had good sport l had fair luck. sir
Before noon | had loaded as much as
| l reckoned would earn me ten shilings.
| When l got ashore almost the first man
| l saw vas my relation, George Chubb.
lie was working along with other Trinity
men down in the yard that belongs to
| the Trinity House close by the pier gate
| Steve he says to me, that's fine cod
| you've got there, mate; what will you
| take for him?"
Il reckoned the fish worth three shin-
| ings to me, but George had a family, and
Trinity House wages aren't filling money.
| SIR they don't keep a man looking rosy
and greasy with good living; they're that
sort of wages which a rise of a shilling
makes a great difference to.
$50 1 says to George after look at the
cod you shall have him for a shilling
Right, says he, and I thank you
Steve. Just lay him down here and I'll
carry him home when l go to dinner, and
Mary Chat was his wife) shall bring the
money along to you.
7f'1 put down the fish, and taking my
basket went the rounds with what I had
caught, and l made about twelve shill-
| ings that morning. 1 was in good spirits,
|
! der loin; and l also took home a pint of
| beer and good crust of bread and cheese
for l had earned dinner that day, and
| meant to enjoy what had money enough
| to Put before me.
Il stopped In the High street to look at
! one of the old posters concerning the ring
still uncovered. / stood debating whether
it wasn't my duty to communicate what
George had related to the gentleman who
had lost the ring, so that If he chose he
might employ skilled labor in seeking for
it. Twas not as if 1t had been lost three
weeks; in that time the movement of the
sea at the bottom and the action of the
current, along with the heave of the swell,
might well have set the ring widely clear
of the bearings l had given the gentleman
and the superintendent. No sir; the ring
was just off yonder that morning the same
as If 1t had been then dropped; twas there
ola certainty but I shook my head after
rejecting a bit, and passed along on my
way home to cook my grub and get bit
of dinner.
1t was a pleasant afternoon; the sun lay
mild upon the water. Tom Goldsmith came
into the yard and leaned in the doorway
talking to me whilst l fried my bit of
meat.
"'What luck?" says he, with sour face
II told him.
"'Neer a bite for my part says he.
Two blooming crabs and a mountain of
sea-weed-thats my haul Tell yer though
what I've looked in to say. Do yer think
that there ring which your gent dropped
hes anywhere nigh where it sunk?
80 You know these parts as well as me-"
I answered. Anybody been talking about
the ring agaln|
For 1 reckoned that If George had told
his wife, then the secret was already the
towns property.
mo, he answered, I got thinking of
that there ring whilst 1 sat wondering
what had become of the fish. A notion
entered my head: Suppose you should take
a piece OF wood, say six foot long, and
seize stoutly to it at intervals Of half an
inch a number of strong fishing hooks,
fixed to lines each about a foot long. Well,
by dragging this contrivance very care
fully ovcq the spot-what dye think,
Steve?
THAT you'd lose all your hooks. Tom,
afore you'd been sculling five minutes.
Blamed If that don't sound right, too
said he. and with his logged face and
his hands SINK deep in his breeches' pock-
cts, he marched off.