The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-04-15
MET1HIS FATE.
chs Ola Sailor Who Drowned Id
Tub.


They sat a little way apart on the
leck Of the Cleveland boat one morn
ing. One was a young woman, pos
sibly 25, with bright brown eyes anu
hair and pretty face, and the other
was old-she must have been IS at
least-with tired eyes and gray hair
and a wrinkled face, says the Detroit
Free Press. The first would sit still
a moment, then wriggle around in her
chair and look over along the dock as
though she feared something. The old
lady was sweetly calm, and observed
the actions Of the other with q curious
little smile. Finally she decided to
speak to her deckmate, if one may use
that term. "Be yew lookin' for some
body?" asked the old lady quietly. Inc
other woman sighed as though 1t were
a relief to her to be spoken to, ana
pushed her chair little nearer her
questioner. <No," she said; i am not
looking for any one Il thought yew
mote be-" went on the old lady. =
seen yew again off toward the dock
No." repeated the young woman. Il
am not looking for any one. I'm just
a little bit frightened, that is all. .
"Skeert, be yew? Why. fo' tn lan's
sake, what of" WELL" continued
the fidgety one. since the sinking Of
that ocean steamer l have been dread
fully frightened on the water "Sho'
yew don't say? Well. yew needn't be-
They amt nobody drownin' but them
whose fate it is 10 drown "Oh, 10
you think so?' "Of course l does. l
made up my mind t. that twenty
years ago" what makes YOU say
that?' asked the young woman, Win
little look Of interest i'll her eyes.
We'll, my husban' wuz a sailor Oh
these lakes fer twenty year. After
awhile he was 'pinted captain an ne n
me ulster so all over everywhere. lie n
me seen a lot O. storms in our day
But they wuz never no disaster. | sez
to him onct, sez !, John, yeWre
sailor an I know it's yewr fate to die
by drownin'.' He looked at me mint
an then he sez, sez ne, 'Marthy, I'll
fool yew.' 7 didn't say nothin' more,
but / knowed that his fate would be
a wet one. I jes' felt it like. 1eW
know how yew'll feel things some
times. Well, it wuz thataway with me.
I knowed John would be drowned some
day. 'Twouldn't be no more'n mach
eral. Well, we sailed and sailed, men
John, an he a captiug. Arter he'd
been at it fer more'n twenty year he
wuz retired an we made up our
minds t take little farm away out
the Gratiot road an spen' our re-
mainin' days in peace an quiet. By
that time Id almos' made up my min
that John WIZ goin' t. fool me an
not die drownded arter all. Then one
mornin' in airly summer when I wuz
a-puttin' up little fruit tn en- come.
John went out t the pump t draw
me pail O fresh water, an he didn
come bach. Bimeby I went out thar
an 10 an behold. John had leptic
fit an fell inter the pump tub head
fust. He was droInded wen reach
ed him. 'Th' Lords will be DONE said
|I. I knowed 1t wuz his fate. An I've
said ever since that they amt nobody
drownded les it be his fate t be
drownded: but, do yew know, when ]
seen that he wuz drowned in a tub q
water I fe:t just sorry fer him an
i-oaftt cooaaft henw tshafned
he'd be ef he'd knowed he wuz
drownded in a tub O. water arter sail
, in these lakes fer twenty years 'ithout
no disaster ever happenin' t him. And
the kindly old lady had wiped away q
tear that the wind, probably, had
caused to gatha".