The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-05-20
SQUAN CREEK FOLKS,
JEe JONES' TALE ABOUT NOSE WHITE
AND THE SHARKS.

For the New Meeting House, but He
Changed His Mind Later-Reform That
Proved Fatal.
After the Methodist meetin house
burned down We had TO hold our meetin's
in the schoolhouse, and this went on for
two years before we started to raise money
to rebuild the church. When 1t cum to
givin, l said to Elder Davis who was
passin around the paper
ELDER, crabs is powerful skeerce this
year, and the old woman's sickness has
put me to power of extra expense. I'm
In favor Of meetin houses and religun,
but the best kin do is $1O."
The elder took the money and put my
name down on the paper, and arter leetle
he lays his hand on my shoulder and SEE:
"Jeptha Jones, the Lord will know who
contributed money to the meetin house
and who didn't, and he will parcel out the
crabs and oysters and fish accordingly.
I'm now goin up to SEQ Moses White and
wrassle with him."
Nose White mover gin a cent lords re-
ligun. Ho wouldn t even put in to help
buy oil fur the lamps, though he was wuth
| mo than any four of us put together. He
| WASH t q bad man, but he didn't jest be-
lieye in reljgun. He argued that tho Lord
| made Sunday fur day to mend fish nets,
paint boats and hunt fur new clam beds.
Elder Davis went up to see him and said:
"Moses, We are goin to rebuild the
meet]n house, and I've cum to sec what
you are willin to do fur tho Lord. How
much shall put you down furS'
mot red, replied Moses. "I'm not
ag'in it and I'm not fur it. Pm a-stand-
in all by myself. If folks wants meetin
houses, let en- hev en-. II folks don't
want 'em, then they needn't hev 'em.
You'll scusc me this mornin, elder, but
I'm in powerful hurry to git out to my
lobster pots"
Wont you gin s2o9" SCI the elder.
"Noap."
"Nor temp
"Can't do it. I'm not ag'in 1t, but I
jest can't give anything. Scuse me- elder"
"Moses White" SEE the elder as they
walks along together, "you are able to give
and you orter give, and il you don't give
'sunthin may happen to you"
'Ill take the risks, sez Noses "Nuth-
in has verhappened to mo yit, and guess
kin take keer of myself"
The elder seen 1t was no use to wrassle
with him any furder, and so he went
away, and Nose went down to his boat
house and sailed down the bay. He had
out q lot Of lobster pots, and he counted
on taking up at least two dozen big lob
sters that mornin. He Jest sailed down
the creek with his hat on his ear and feel
in that he'd saved $40 by not givin to
the elder, but when he cum to lift the pots
not q lobster was to be found. SIGH
thing had never happened to him before,
and he couldn't make it out Sunthin
sorter said to- him that it was bekase no
didn't give to the mectin house, and that
made him mad, and he cussed around and
said he'd DO teetotally busted if he ever gin
up cent to it. Bimeby he sailed away to
look fur new clam bed, and, though he
looked and looked and sailed here and
thar and all over, he was disappointed.
An hour before shutdown he got ready
to sail fur hum, and he was SO powerful
upset and mad that he jest stood up in his
boat and yalled.at the top of his voice. He
vowed that he wouldn' gin nuthin to the
meetin house if he never caught another
clam ported another lobster, and he was
still cussin when porpoise or shark riz up
under his boat and stove in two planks |
She filled with water to once and went |
down, and II he hadn't bin clus to buoy |
he'd hev bin drownded. He swum to the |
buoy and held on and thar no was two |
miles from shore and nobody in sight. He |
was lettin hisself loose with swear words |
when he seen the fin Of a shark clus by.
Then he seen another and another, and
purity soon he could count 90. He stopped
cussin to splash the water and skeer 'em
of, but they didn't skeer. They jest got
clusser and clusser, and finally he knowed i
that they had bin sent to eat him. A-hang-
in on to that buoy with both hands and
with the chills creepin up and down his
back he called out:
elder Davis I'm not fur meetin
houses nor yit ag'in 'em, but if the Lord
will scatter these ere sharks I'll put my
name down fur S."
That's the way he hollercd, but Elder
Davis was three miles away and them
sharks kept gittin nearer and nearer. Next
time Nose hollcred it was fur to say:
"I'm poor man aud hain't got no use
fur meetin houses, but rather than be cat
up by sharks III gin up the $50 the elder
asked fur ~
That was all right as fur as it went, but
hewas able to gin $50, and he d bin cussin
viz l<olu W DOoV' IhdU W 10 why uDtHt |
sharks hung on and begun to smell of his
feet. He kicked and kicked, but he got
mighty tired arter awhile and called out:
Pm sorry bout the cussin, and I'll
never do it ag'in, and if the Lord will
send me help before it are too late, I'll
cum down mighty handsome fur the meet
in house."
He hadn't hardly got the words out Of
his mouth befo' Elder Davis cum along in
his boat. He'd bin over to Marsh Hill to
marry a couple and was on his way home.
When he drawed nigh, he seq:
Hello, Moses White! But what you do
in here?'
BOATS gone to the bottom, SEE Moses.
"and I'm nigh eaten up by sharks. Is it
Judgment on meY'
Looks that way"
"Kin l decker with you about that
mcetin house? I'm not fur en- or ag in
'em, but I'm willin to put down sun
thin
"How much?" SEE tho elder.
"Ten dollars
THAT amt 'nuff-not fur you. Good
night, Moses, I'm in hurry to git home,
but I'll send help"
IL make IL $2U!' yellS moses as
shark bit at his foot.
"That's purity fair, but not huff fur
man who's bin cussin all day. I'll stop at |
Henry Green's boathouse and ak him to
cum out and pick you up" :
ELDER Davis" SEE Moses, fcelin that
luck was ag'in him and that the sharks ,,
wouldn't hold off much longer, eff say
$40 fur the meetin house kin l keep on
cussin when feel like it9' a
II wouldn't agree" SEE the elder. {
You'd better make it $50 fur the mectin !
house and promise never to cuss no more"
"How will it DO about Holsters and :,
clams9' i
you'll hev luck, I reckon. Better /.
keep yer legs a-movin or the sharks will O
git yer feet.'' !.
Moses kicked and splashed fur awhile, 4
hating to gin up that money and stop cuss- y
In, which was sunthin he always injoyed, !,
but finally he couldn't kick another kick, !,
and he SCI:
Elder Davis, Twas never throwed down u
nor licked by any mortal man, but can't i
light you and the Lord and 40 sharks at D.