The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-04-01
THE OLD MAID CAPTAIN.

InG VUU MAxU CAfIAlNs
II have been going to sea these e5
years." said the stewardess Of an Amer
lean coastwise steamer, one afternoon,
a. she sat sewing in the cozy ladies'
cabin of the vessel to which she be-
longed, "and yet was never wrecked.
No ship have been on ever lost SO
much as spar while was aboard. Yes,
my life has been very commonplace.
There has been no romance connected
with it. Stop, though; did play a very
Dmall part in q romance once. That
happened fully 20 years ago. l some
times wonder If II wasn't all a dream.
It seems stranger to me now than it did
even then" The stewardess paused,
with a far-away look in her eyes.
"When was young went on sailing
vessels instead OF steamers" she con- !
tinued. "About 20 years ago visited
some friends in the country after
voyage, and then came to New York to
find a ship. The agent went to told me
that could go as stewartless on ship
bound to Australia. The skipper said
he, is good man, but he's irregular old
maid said l didn't mind old maids,
and 30 it was settled that was to go
with the old maid captain The next
day went aboard and reported to my
new captain. He was called Harris. He
was short and rather slightly built, with
mild gray eyes, but with full, heavy
black beard. He seemed about IS years
old. His hands were small and delicate,
and his voice was high and just trifle
shrill, and he walked up and down the
deck with mincing sort of gait.
Thinks I, Capt Harris, if you wasn't
skipper you'd have made first-rate
single woman regularly despised
him until the first storm came on. Then
he went on deck and handled the ship
in such way that I saw he was the
best navigator had ever sailed under.
After that began to think better of the
old maid captain. Inever saw captain
80 considerate of his men. If one of
them was the least bit sick, the captain
would go into the forecastle and look
when the weather was bad, he would
not let the mates make the men do any
work that wasn't really necessary. The
mates used to make fun of the captain
behind his back for being SO considerate
of his men, but somehow l thought it
was good trait in him.
II began to watch the captain closely,
and l soon made up my mind that there
was some mystery about that man.
Once on pleasant evening came on
deck and saw the captain looking at the
red sunset with tears in his eyes. An
other time, when thought he was on
deck, I went into the after cabin for
something, and 1 found him there.
What do you think he was doing? Why,
he was sewing, and crying into the
bargain. They are right in calling you
the old maid captain thinks I.
'The mate, Mr.. Wood, was tall, fine
looking down-easter. The captain
seemed to like him, but I thought how
much he must envy his size and strength,
The captain, though, was much the
smarter man of the two. The mate
somehow, seemed to take a fancy to me
was young in those days. He was al
ways running into the cabin on some
pretext to see me. But never en-
couraged him. You see, was engaged
W Uc Uuc udlC VI 'AAoICS oA>
that mate. poor fellow, was lost at Sc;
Q few years aftenward. Although thu
captain didn't seem to care much abou
me, he didn't fancy the mates taking {
liking to me. That used to puzzle me
"One morning when we were in th'
South Pacific, some one cried out tina
there was a small boat with severa
people in it in sight on the lee bow. W.
bore away for the boat, and pretty sool
it was alongside the ship. Five men AM
little boy climbed up from the boat T.
our deck, and we gave them a warm wei
come. The boy couldn't have been owe
eight years old. He was bright-look
ing little fellow, with long curly hail
Capt. Harris took to him at once. II
carried the child into the after cabi
and put him in his own berth, and too
him something to eat, while the rescue
men were telling us how they came to
in the the open boat. They belonged t
o bark which was bound to New Yorl
but had sprung a leak and had four
dered the day before. The crew left th
vessel in two boats just before she wen
down, but when she did go under sh
swamped one of the boats, and the cal
tain and seven men were thrown int
the water and drowned. The other boa
with the mate in charge, managed I
keep afoat until we came up with it.
"The mate of the wrecked vessel, M
Bradley. was a gray-haired, rough-lool
ing man, but he seemed to have kin
heart. Early in the evening, when
was sitting in the forward cabin wit
the second mate and myself he told I
that the little boy, who was still in tt
after cabin with Capt. Harris, had bee
shipwrecked twice before. The lit
fellow was the son of a sea captain, ar
had been going to sea with his faith
and mother ever since he was Dor