The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1897-08-15
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crestsallen than an exposed Laeksiider
the ioausWain moved bis shoulders uDeasily;
the carpenter got up with spring and
walked away; while the sailmaker began
TO paff Of his pipe with soInber determina-
ton. In the biackness OF The doorway q
pair of eyes glimmend white. and big, and
staring Then James Waits head pro-
trGding. became visible, as IL suspended
iset ween the Two hands that giasped door
post on each side OF the face. The tassel of
bis blue wonlen nighlosp, cooked forward,
danced gaily over his left eyelid. He
stepped out in iotteling stride. He looked
po weTiBl AZ ever. bet showed a strange and
affected unstesdiness in his gait. His face
was perhaps trifle thinner. and bis yes
appeared rather staniDgly prominent.
he circle broke up The JOY of laugh
ter died on stiffened lips. There was not
8 smile lefI among all the ships com
paay. No. a word was spoken Many
turned their hacks, trying To look uneon-
cerned Others, with averted heads.
sent half reluctant glaBces out OF the cor
hers OF their eyes They reseuibled crimi
nalscohselous OF nsisCieeds more than honest
men distracted by doubt. only two or
three stared frankly but stupidity. with
lips slightly open. All expected James
Wait To sa Y something. and, at the SHINE
time, had the air of knowing beforehand
what he would say. He leaned his back
agains, the dooTpost, and with heavy eyes
swept over Us a glance, doinlneering and
panied. like sick tyrant oyerawing q
crowd OF abiee, but Enthusiastically slaves
No one went away. They waited in
Fascinated dread. He said ironically,
wilh easlls between the words:
Than; you-ciaaps You-are nice
and-quiel You arel Yelling so-before
the dOOr-"
he made e longer pause, during which
he worked his ribs in al exaggerated labor
OF breath:ns. 1t was intoleratie Feet
were shgffled Belfast let out a groan;
but DoHkin, above, blinked bis red eyeIids
with invisible eyeiashes. and sildled biz
terry over the nisger's bead.
The 1i@seC went OF again with surpris-
ing ease lie easped no more, and bis
voice rang hollow ana loud, dc though he
had Heen aiscoursing n an empty cavern
He wac eoniemptuousIy angry.
'ItTiedto get d wink Of sleep. YoukTow
I can't sleep o. nights, and you come Jab-
boring near the door here Ike a bloomin'
lot of odd women. You think yourselves
good shipmstes, do you? Much you care
for dying man
Belfast spun away from the pigstye.
'Jimmg," he cred, TREMENDOUSLY, If You
hadn't been sick would
He stopped The niger waited awhile,
thea said, in q gloomy tone:
You sould---. What? GO an fight an
other one such as yourself Leave me
alone. 1t won't be foh long I'll soon
die It's coming right enough
Men stood around very stih, breathing
lightly, and with exaspefated ses. Ii
was just what they expected and hated TO
hear, that idea of a stalking death, thrust
al them many times day like boast and
like menace by this obnoxious niger
He seemed 10 take pride in that death
which. so far. had attended only upon the
ease cf has life. He was oyerbearng about
IL, as il no one else in the world had ever
been intimate with such d companion. He
pa Taded him increasingly before US with an
affectlaaaUe persistence that made his
presence indubitabie and at the same time
incredible No man could be suspected OF
such IaOnSt,oIs friendship. Was he a real
ity or was he a sAam-this evef-expected
visitor Of Jimmy?
We hesitated between pity and niistrusU.
while, on the slightest pIovocation, he
shock before our eyes the bones Of his both
eISome simultaneous skeleton. He was for
ever trotting him out. He would talk of
that coming death as though it had been
alreadv there, as if it had been walking
the deck outside. as il il would presently
come in 70 sleep in the only empty bunk,
g
Ii interfeied daily with cur occupations,
Ne had no songs and no music in the even
ing, because Jimmy 1--WE all lovingly called
HIN Jimmy TO conceal our hate % his ac-
compiled had managed, with that prospect
i've decease Of his, To disturb even Archie's
mental balance. Archie was the owner of
the conccEtina-
Our sin gers became mute because Jimmy
was a dying man. For the same reason
no chap as Knowles remarked, could drive
in nail to hang lis few poor rags upon
without being made aware Of the ea0rmity
lie cor. nlirted in disturbing Jirumy's inter
rninable last moments. At night instead OF
the cheerful yell, '.Tarn out! Do you hear
there? Turn QUIT the watches were called
man by man. in whispers, so as not to IN
terfe1e with Jimmy's possibly last slum-
Der Oh earth True, he was always awake,
and mana eed, AS we sneaked out on deck,
30 plant ii, oar backs some cutting remark
that, for the moment, made US feel as if
we had been bruUes. and afterward made
US suspect ourselves of being fools. We
spoke in low tones within that foc'sle as
though it had been church. We ate our
meals in silence and dread, for Jimmy was
caprlcious with his food and rallied Bit
tellv at the salt meat, at the biscuits, at
the tea, as at articles unfit for human con-
let alone for A dying man.
He would say: Cant You find better
slice OF meat for sick man who's try
ing to get home TO be cured-or buried.
But there. If / had a chance, you fellows
would dc away withit. You would poison
me. Look at what you have given met
We served Linn in his bed with rage and
hunihty, as though we had been the base
OF hated prince; and be rewarded
US by his unconciliating criticism. He had
found the secret OF keeping for ever on the
run the fundamental imbecility of mankind
lie had the secret of life, that COMPOUNDED
dying man. and he became master of every
moment of our existence We grew des-
perste, and remained submissive Emo
ftonal httIe Belfast WIS forever on the
verge Of assault or on the verge of tears.
One evening he confided TO Archie, ''For
a Ba'penny 1 would knock his ugly black
head off the bloody dodger.'' And the
straight forward Archie pretended to be
shocked. Such was the internal spell which
that casual Liverpool Niger had east upon
our guileless manhood
But the same night Belfast stole from
the galley the Officers Sunday fruit pie,
to tempt the fastidious appetite of Jimmy