The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-03


marked attention; but there was no get
ting over the fact that they We're great
people and we were just common sailor
men and engineers.
The TWO mates, the chief engineer and
self, and the boatswain and carpenter,
messed forward together, and had sleep
ing rooms opening off our cabin; and IN
not say we were uncomfortable
below deck. Of course the grub
was good, because for big
fine yacht like the. Starry Head they
always have a cook who knows how to
dress victuals. and not some bungling fool
OF a runaway jail-bird who can only spoil
them like you meet on most small cargo
steamers. Yes, l will say that; our cook
on the Starry Head could boil tea and
hash up a tin equal to the best eating house
in Greenock; and if we did have a hit too
much of those patent anti-scorbuuc mas
tiness il was only what we had TO expect
when the owner was a member of Par
lament. and professed to take an inter
est In sailors wants" Not that they
mattered though; we were none of US the
cantankerous sort that makes trouble I'M
necessarily about such matters; we used
10 just sling the stuff peacefully overheard
before 1t was put on the table, and hll up
with honest salt horse and cheese. Wed
as much cheese as we wanted on the star
ny Head, with good fiavory Danish timed
butter, too, at every meal
OF course il was case of brass-edged
clothes, and clean boiled shirts, and dane
ing-class civiity for all of us when we
were on deck, and chips and the boat
swain, and the mates, had to play that
game right through. whether they liked il
on
constant duty on deck, and l used TO get
to windward of it by staying below In my
bunk when I'd a watch off. / did hear
they gave me the Dynamo of "the sulky
Scott before we were fairly clear of
Southampton water, but a fat lot l car
ed about that.
Devne the chief was different. You
could Sc Devine about on deck dressed
up smart as a navy officer whenever he
was off duty; and he could DO the polite
like young man brought up in Diapers
shop. He was good looking, too; black
hair, black eyes, clean shaved, with one
of those whitish faces women like. that
only carried just enough brown to make It
wholesome. And il was plain that all the
cot aft had taken a fancy to him; one or
the other of them, especially the ladies,
was always walking to deck at his side;
and once he even had chat with Sir Ru-
pert himself about the Board of Trade
examination for engineers. Devine said
t0dt sort OF tnlng suited MN. Ills ldthfI
had been barrster before he died; and
he was used to good society, and, find
ing it again was like a taste of old times.
We'll" / thought, every one to his fancy.
My father was Free Kirk. minister at
Ballindrochater, and that was good
as a barrister any day, but l know my
level, and am uncomfortable above it,
Indeed, il was only twice that l got let
in for any talk with our swells before We
brought up amongst the Gods heads and
no
entrance of the White Sea; and each time
it was Sir Ruperts eldest daughter, Miss
Nasey, who tackled me.
Once it was when l had been set on by
the chief to repack the stuffng boxes Of
the windlass engines and she came and
leaned her back against the pin-rail and
talked about machinery. Shed the poorest
knowledge of it, and I'd great work not to
act her see what fool she was, which was
a thing l didn't want, because, let alone
she was owners daughter, it was plain,
too, she was trying to be civil l tried her
with an account of the shops I'd worked IN
on shore, but that didn't do, It was marine
engines she wanted TO hear about, and The
class of men who worked them, and what
their prospects were; and she listened to
me with a pretty a show of interest as II
HAD been reading her a story out OF The
Family Herald" Sde didn't know the dlf-
ference between The asa lift and an oi.
can, but she took IL every WoQG SAD, ana
uCders tand, she'd just stop me and ask.
It was,Quite pleasure to give her inform
al ton on such a sensible subject; she was
not the sort that thought il necessary 10
laugh just because man was talking
she quite understood that one was serious
The other time when Miss Nasey got
mold of me was when We were dropping
our Lofodcn plot at that little town just
ia at the back of the North Cape. The
chief had sent me on deck 10 ft a new
hinge TO our starboard skylight in place of
that had carried away, and this young
lady came up and sat on the coaming
whilst l worked, and started in TO talk as
familiar as anything. 1t was Y O'Clock az
night and blazing daylight. There was
snow on the bare hills down 90 the water ;
edge, but the air was warm. And there
were some fshermens boaas alongside
trying to sell us fine big cod al four for a
shilling. Sir Rupert and the rest were
leaning over the port rail talking with the
fishermen, 80 we two, by the engine room
skylght were left alone. But when the
rest had gone out of earshot. Miss Vasey
put a question which fairly startled me.
She wanted to know all about our chief.
"Mr. McTodd," says she, what sort of
man is Mr.. Devine when he is ashore?"
Well how was l TO answer a question
like that? l felt a sort of Red sea tenn
perature grow all over my body under
meath the clothes, and my tongue got
sticking in my mouth as though it hadn
had drink over it for a week.
Come" she said, tel me. You've
been with him three voyages in different
ships, so you ought to know"
But l could only cough and say nothing.
] was that humoxed / couldn't get my
screwdriver into The slots on the screw
heads.
"AIr McTodd" says she Il think
you re a very shy man. l dare bet a pair
of gloves you will never have courage
enough TO ask any girl TO marry you"
Indeed, Miss" SAID l. you're wrong
there. l was engaged once to a widow
lady that kept a clearinghouse in New
Brighton, a most respectable person: and
ia be married man this minute If
hadn't come in one night with dror
more whisky than she liked. I'll not deny
Miss Hhat whisky is my failing Ii
makes me talk too much. l have il about
twice Near afler long NoNaaes us The