The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-02-09
A STRATAGEM.

Captain I0V1 OkullCafp Sdl Oh TIC
sunwale of the Miriam, leaning for
ward so that his elbows rested on
his knees. With both hands he
grasped the short stem OF his cherry
pipe, and his one eye gazed seaward
across the smoking bowl. The tillel
creaked idly to and fro and the sail
tapped listlessly in the light breeze
that scarcely ruffled the surface OF
the bay.
ssYouknow that young Mr.. Archer
tha's stayin at the hotel:" The cap
tain shifted his one eye inquiringly
in my direction.
I raised my hand in warning and
whispered, SSH
The captain acceded to my request
in silence, and a moment later an
other fine fish joined its fellows that
were Hopping about a box in the
cockpit. A faint splash and the
treacherous bait was scurrying away
in search of new victims.
Now, captain, what were you re-
marking2" I asked, glancing up
from the water.
81 was about to remark that it
was right off here that me an that
sentymental Mr.. Archer was one
day last week when he says to me,
sCap'n, he says, do you s'pose a
man could commit soocide here9'
He was lookin mighty melancholy
an
ssDo you mean the quiet young
man with black beard who has the
second table from mine at the hotel,
Skullcarp2" I interrupted.
The captain lowed that he had
never eaten at the hotel and conse-
quently could not locate Mr.. Archer
ali his dinner, but he admitted that
the sentimental young man did have
a short black beard, usually carried
a pipe and pouch of tobacco in the
starboard pocket and a few books
and magazines in the one to port.
Having completed the Identification,
Twas not surprised at the suggestion
of suicide, for my attention had
been attracted to Archer by bis
avoidance of all companionship and
his distraught air. In fact, had
lastseen him sitting alone in quiet
nook on the hotel veranda, striking
match after match in an attempt to
light an empty pipe and accompa. y
ing each failure with violent lan
guage softly spoken. I mentioned
this to Levi Skullcarp.
aSoocide was the word he used, .
my skipper said when he had stocked
his pipe, as he called the operation,
for the captain was fond of using
what he deemed nautical express
sions, though he had never ventured
to poke his nose ten miles offshore.
It was falling of Levi to talk a
great deal about the deep sea, and
at ttimes heeven dropped mysterious
hints that he had circled the globe
as commander of trim clipper,
though, in common with the other
Great South bay captains, he derived
his title from the ownership of a
small catboat and the six aluminium
buttons that adorned his patched
coat.
you might commit soocide
here, Mr.. Archer I says" contin-
1ed he. 'providin you dove over
head first an then doubled up, OF
else walked two miles out to the
channel
she looks at me kind O. solemn,
then sighed an went on crabbin.
The day was jist like this here, only
there was a dead cam, an over yam
der toward Fire islam the clouds was
-beginnin to rise. I mention them
clouds because ] was a-hopin they'd
bring a breeze with 'em, fer Twas
tired foppin round in the sun while
he lay there on the gunwale, some
times readin, sometimes crabbin, an
most O. the time jist watchin the
water. That kind o thing all right
fer man that never done nothin an
don't have to, but fer feller like
me ez has been used to sailin throo
life in 90 knot breeze, topsails up
an every inch O. canvas set, studdin
sails included, 70 have tc flop roun
in two feet o. water like a steam
dredge, with the sun blisterin me
paint-why, sir, it's hard to bear. "
Levi was shaking his pipe vigor-
ously, and ! deemed it wise to as
suage his anger by exclaimipg with
an ominous wag of the head, ooh
you old barnacles
This had a soothing effect on the
captain. for in milder tone he con
tinued: "We'd been that way bout
four hour when seen another boat
edgin down our way. Her sail was
hangin like clothes on a line, but
she was leetle fu1der out an caught
the tide. A man was sittin in the
etern an a lady on the gunwale. Mr.
Archer, he seen 'em, too, an watch
ed fer long time. Then he turns