The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-11-17


em. Then, with a cry as 'ud bring
the skipper on ieck, the gal would dive
after me, and wed go through a sorter
life saving performance, and if that
didn't make the old man fall on 'er
neck and ask to be forgiven-well,
then we'd ave to throw. i'm in next,
and let 'er ave a try at saving i'm"
"Well, next day was fine, with just
bit of breeze as kept the bark steady
under all sail, and as we were only
making about four knots an hour 1
reckoned this was the time for the
final scene. So whistled to the gal to
get ready, and then got 'old of all the
buOys / could find and pitched 'em
astern when nobody wasn't looking.
Next 1 slipped off my boots and drop
ped quietly over the side.
"When 1 looked up l seed the gal
a-looking as if she was a-wondering
'ow cold it was. And then all of sud-
den she gave a yell, and dived in and
come swimming toward me like fish.
"Lor', the commotion there was on
board when they heard that yell! First.
up come the skipper from below. He
looked astern and saw the girl in the
water. OF went is coat, and splash e
came after 'er. Then l seed the cook
rush out Of the galley. e took in the
situation, and the next moment e was
taking a header from the stern. Two
seamen as 'ad 'eard the cry next tum-
bled over, and before 'ad time to 'ol-
ler out and tell 'em it was all right the
other two seamen and the boy was a
bobbing about in the water.
"By this time the gal 'ad got to me,
and we was each of us 'anging to a
buoy. Away in the wake of the bark
we could see seven 'eads a-bobbing
about, and one by one they came up to
us and collared 'old of q buoy, to wait
for what was going to 'appen next.
And all the time that blamed bark
if nothing 'ad 'appened.
Suddenly the skipper looked round
and said something as didn't seem to
just fit the occasion.
"'Who's left in charge of that bark ?
he yelled.
Nobody answered, and then e look
ed round agen and counted us all as
we was a-bobbing about together. e
counted US twice, and then e swore
agen.
"'How dare you leave the ship with
out my ordersY he shouted. Don't
you see that there isn't a man on the
| bark, and that we're left here like @
flock of fools while she drifts on to the
nearest lee shore?
Somebody begun to giggle, and the
skipper swore as ed blow lis brains
out If e found out who it was. The
gal said it was 'er, and sure enough
she was a-laughing away as if it wa:
the best fun in the world, while there
was the crew Of the Liza Jane a-bob
bing about in the water, while oul
ship was a-sailing steadily away b!
'erself, without a 'and to guide 'el
from the cruel rocks. 1t was an awfu
moment for me, as 'ad bin the unwill
ing cause of it all, and it seemed as i
the utter uselessness of women was
fact, after all.
"But there was the gal, still smiling
and when a tramp steamer picked u
up and carried us to Plymouth sh
wanted the skipper to report us to tn
authorities as a picnic party as "a
got out of our depth. But the old maj
was wild with the loss Of lis ship, an,
e couldn't do nothing but stamp abou
and threaten to kill us all.
1--WE did ear afterward that the Liz
lane lad stood out to sea and wen
down in a squall somewhere in the re
gion of the tropics. And that's as like
ly as not, for we never set eyes on e
lagen.
"And when the skipper got over
and come to look upon things in th
right spirit he sorter veered round t
the conclusion that comfortable 'om
and a good looking wife wasn't such
poor consolation after all. No NOR
. was the ESQ each of us got for ou
share, either."- Chicago Times-Heralt