The silver lance., 1899-02-24
MET HIS FATE.
The Old Sailor Who Drowned In .
Tub,

The Old Sailor Who Drowned In =
They sat little way apart on the
deck Of the Cleveland boat one morn
ing. One was a young woman, DOS
sipiy 20. with bright brown eyes and
hair and a pretty face, and the other
was old-she must have been o5 at
least-with tired eyes and gray hair
and a wrinkled face, says the Detroit
Free Press. The first would sit still
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 a curious
little smile. Finally she decided to
speak to her deckmate. If one may use
that term. BE yew lookin' for some
oody?' asked the oil lady quietly. The
otner woman sighed as though it were
reilef to her to be spoken to, and
pushed her chair a little nearer her
questioner. NO" she said; 81 am not
looking for any one." 81 thought yew
mote be- went on the old lady. II
seen yew again of toward the dock"
NO., repeated the young woman. "I
am not looking for any one. I'm Just
little bit frightened, that is ALL"
Skeert, be yew? Why, To- tn lans
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 to drown" "Oh, do
you think so?" "Of course l does
made up my mind to that twenty
years ago." What makes you say
that?' asked the young woman, with
a little look Of interest in her eyes.
We'll, my husban' wuz a sailor on
these lakes fer twenty year. After
awhile he was 'pinted captain an hen
me ulster go all over everywhere. Hen
me seen lot O. storms in our day.
But they wuz never no disaster. l sez
to him onct, sez l, John, yew're
sailor an | know it's yewr fate to die
by drownin'.' He looked at me a mint
an then he sez, sez he, 'Marthy, I'll
fool yew.' l didn't say nothin' more,
but l knowed that his fate would be
a wet one. l jes' felt 1t like. Yew
know how yew'll feel things some
times. Well. it wuz thataway with me.
l 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 capting. 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 I'd almos' made up my min
that John wuz goin' t. fool me an
not die drownded arter all. Then one
mornin' in airly summer when l 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't
come back. Bimeby l went out thar
an 10 an behold, John had 'leptic
fit an fell inter the pump tub head
fust. He-was drownded wen I reach
ed him. 'Th' Lords will be done said
l. l knowed it 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 l
seen that he wuz drowned in a tub O.
water l felt just sorry fer him an
couldn't help a'thinkin' heow 'shamed
he'd be eff he'd a knowed he wuz
drownded in a tub o. water arter sail
in these lakes fer twenty years 'ithout
no disaster ever happenin' Z him. And
the kindly old lady had wiped away a
tear that the wind, probably, had
caused to gather.