The Holly chieftain., 1899-11-10
net HIS FArs.
rhe Old SAILOR Who Drowned in .
Tub.


They sat a little way apart on the
eek OF the Cleveland boat one morn
ns. One was young woman, pos
,ioly 25. with bright brown eyes and
lair and pretty face. and the othel
was old-she must have been IS al
.east-with tired eyes and gray hair
and wrinkled face, says the Detroit
Free Press. The first would sit still
moment. then wriggle around In her
chair and look over along the deck az
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 uso
that term. BE yew lookin' for some
body?" asked the old lady quietly. The
other woman sighed as though it were
a relief to her to be spoken to- and
pushed her chair little nearer her
questioner. NO" she said: Il am not
looking for any one" Il thought yew
mote be-" went on the old lady. II
seen yew again of toward the dock"
No" repeated the young woman. Il
am not looking for any one. I'm Just
little bit frightened. that is ALL"
''Skeert, be yew? Why. TO tn lan's
sake, what off," WELL" continued
the fidgety one. since the sinking Of
that ocean steamer 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 II is 10 drown" "Oh. do
you think so!" "Of course does.
made up my mind to that twenty
years ago." What makes you say
that?" asked the young woman. with
little look of interest in her eyes
Well. my husban' wuz sailor Oh
these lakes fer twenty year. After
awhile he was 'pinted captain an hen
me uster go all over everywhere. Hen
me seen a lot O. storms In our day
But they wuz never no disaster. / Sc.
to him onct, ser I. John, yew're a
sailor an I know its yewr fate to die
by drownin. He looked at me mint
an then he seq. SEE he. 'Marthy. I'll
fool yew.' didn't say nothin' more,
but l knowet that Ills fate would be
u wet one. l jes' felt it like Yew
know how yew1l feel things some
times. Well it wuz thataway with me-
. 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. After he'd
been at 1t 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 WIZ goin' t fool me an
not die drownded erter all. Then one
nornin' in airly summer when I wuz
a-puttin' up little fruit tn en- come
John went out t the pump { draw
me pail o. fresh water. an he didn't
come back. Bimeby I went out thar
an 10 an behold! John had 'leptic
ft an fell inter the pump tub head
tust. He was drownded wen l reach
ec him. 'Th' Lords will be done, said
l. knowed 1t WIZ his fate. An I've
said ever since that they amt nobody
drownded les it be his fate Z be
drownded; but. do yew know, when l
seen that he wuz drowned in tub O.
water i felt just sorry fer him an
couldn't help a'thinkin' heow 'shamed
| he'd be ef he'd knowed he wuz
drownded in a tub o. water arter sail
in these lakes fer twenty rears 'ithout
no disaster ever happenin' { him. And
the kindly old lady had wiped away a
tear that the wind. probably, had
caused to gather.