The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-10-02


-let alone Christian
l was half way down TO my boat by
that time
Save him?" says /; lis it saving of
him? Bless your heart, if he warn't no
friend of yourn at alias man to man
I'd save him. Bill-o' -my-soul," says l,
seeing Bill on the shore, "come AMI
help me-" says L. There's "a gentle
man drowning"
"DOwnding?" says Bill, running
down and putting out. Come onr'
says Bill; ''I'm with your His name
being Bill-o'-my soul, along of his hav-
ing been such fayorite when he was
young with all the young women.
Well, we put off and rowed, Bill tax
ing one of the sweeps-as is our name
for them long oars-and me the other.
After a while it struck me we wasn't
heading outward l looked up and
saw. and we was most turned toward
shore again. I'd pulled the boat around
on Bill-which / didn't understand, he
being then a stronger man nor me to
pull-not but what. when 1 was in my
any man in England.
BILL" says 1, sharp, you're not a.
pulling
He looks up at me rather odd. "Mate,' -
he quiet like, I'm no fool. Now, what
are you a-rowing for?-the young fel-
low or the money!
Pull, pull, manr' shouts out. "Pull,
fn11 ha 10, g
drownding-Miss Noes young gentle
manv'
He pulls stroke or two, quite feeble.
His heart wasn't in 1t. Then l loses
my temper.
"Bill-o'-mysoul," says I, "am 1 cap'n
of this here craft, or are you? For
unless you pull harder-I don't want
no strong language here; but as sure
as my name is Cap'n Tom COOLEY, I'll
wiring your ugly neck for your
He holds up his sweep, and says he,
80, is that your gamer says he. can
do you propose to compensate me?"
1t flashed right across me what he
meant. "Bill, you blackguard," says L,
.'do you mean to tell me-and a man
there a-drownding? Have you no COM
mon humanity" says 1, bristling up,
"that you'd think of five pound afore a
fellow creature?'
Five pound is a good bit better nor
thirty bob," says Bill, looking up at
me, sullen-like.
well, sir, I'll say it to your face,
though your own father is County
Councillor, l always thought that one
as bad law as the county could make.
But law 1t is, all the same; and there
amt no helping it. It's E5 reward for
bringing in dead corpse, an it's only
thirty bob for bring a man alive as you
save from drownding.
'sBill-o-my SOUL" says l, raising my
sweep, being that angry with the man
that I'd have knocked him over the
head as soon as 1 would rat, Twill
you row, or shall / brain your"
Just at that minute my eyes went
towards the shore; and if there wasn't
Miss Noe, not wringing her hands now,
but plunging into the sea, clothes and
although a lady with skirts-an'
swimming for dear life out to the boat
to help me.
up with my voice an shouts: "Come
along, Miss Noe! You puts the men to
shame! Blessings ON you for a brave
girlr' She was swimming that splen-
did!
Well, rows towards her, and helps
her aboard into the boat; and in she
jumps, all dripping, but taking no more
notice of it, bless you, than If water
was a feather bed to her. And she
seizes the oar Bill-o'my soul wouldn'.
work; and she cries out to me, agonized
like: ROW on, Cap'n Cooley, for heav-
ems sake, row on; Alex. is a-drownd-
ingr'
Well, 1 wasn't going to carry a super
cargo, as you may say, to weight the
boat, not yet a passenger for nothing.
So, to tighten the burden, / just ups
with Bill-o'-my-soul and / clasps un
round the waist, being older man nor
him, but, heaven be praised, a strong
one. He was took by surprise too much
be knowed where he was, and makes a
Jonah of him. He come up spluttering.
being the worst swimmer for a sea
faring men as ever l met with. There, "
says l, hitting out at him with the
blade O. my sweep; .see how. you like
it yourself" says 1. There's f5 a-goin'
beggin' for whoever pulls out your ugly
corpse, for nobody amt going to trou-
BILE about you living" And off we two
rows, Miss Noe in her dripping clothes,
and leaves Bill there, to sink or swim,
accordin' as he was minded.
A quarter O. mile out we comes up
to a sailing boat. Wind was nor-east,
or might a been pint nearer east.
mayhap; and a sail before the wind
could bear straight down upon where
Mr.. Alex was drownding. Miss Noe,
she stood up and calls out to the men:
"Over yonderT" she cries, showing the
way with her hand. Quick, quick; he's
drownding~
In a second they sees, and without
one word off they goes, lufing that sud
dent wouldn't a believed it if hadn't
seen 1t; and they flies before me half a
gale over in the direction Of the gentle
man.. Well, he was done up for swim
ming through not having another kick
left in him, as you may say, but he was
able to float on his back and might
have fioated an hour more, mayhap, If
so be as the chill Of the water didn't
numb him and send him to the bottom.
They come up to him and pulled un in.
1 could see them a-pulling Of him, but
whether it was thirty bob or five
pounds worth 1 couldn't rightly make