The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-22
WATER FASClNATES HIM.
SO sAIL0RMAN MACREY mas 4 HABTr
or TUMBLTNG IN.

Cetch coldp-not muehl 'TRint no worse'n
bathing in summer-only o little colder"
Mackey the sailor shyok the dripping water
from bis shaggy beard like a Newfoundland
dog. and then walked ~leisurely down Front
street toward q saloon for q drink Of hot
Scotch after being In the river.
Il alus manage to drop In the river n dozen
times or so IN winter. ~ sorter frcsheps mo
mind up-makes me sober. too. sometimes.
L ain't never full inside but | have ter make
straight for water. II fascinates me. Then I
tumble In. an when theI yank EN- out I'm
sober aRin. Mebbe it's cause l was bitten
by q mad dog when n youhGster. People said
I'd 90 mad then. but l didn't. / just 20 mad
when | get liquored up. an then l want to go
for the river. 'Tain't that l banker fur water
inside. Oh. mol that never fascinates mo. It's
les outside"
To the mild inquiry whether he wasn't
afraid Of getting drowned some day. he re-
piled promptly: Perhaps 80. seeln' I can't
swim"
Not swimi I thought you we're n-sailor2'
so l am. but what's that got to do with it2
Can't a man be a sailor an not know how to
swim3 We don't swim the seas-we let the ship
do that-we Just sail her. No. sir, I can't
swim. an neither can more'n half the fellers
that / ever sailed with. What's the use OF
swimmin'2 II you tumble overheard some
bodynl throw q line. an that's all there is to it.
Now, the best swimmers l over knew alus got
drowned. They get foolhardy when they
know how ter swim. an then some day they
no down and don't come up aRin. / sdon't
swim. an they al'us get u line out ter me In a
hurry. I've been overheard In about every
port you can mention. an l amt dead yet. Tho
boys arus keeps q watchful eye'on me. KNOWN
my failln'. an' when they see me liauored up
an startin' fur the water. thev jes' say. There
goes Mac: get the rope ready Then they let
me tumble in fur the sake Of haulin' me. out"
After warming up with.the be seraRe which
q salt. sea sailor considers essential to health
after n dousinR in the water Mackey and his
friend wandered down by the water front.
Now. on the last trip with the Mary Ann
1 tunbled overheard three times an n half
once in Boston harbor, t'other time at sea.
an the last time down the bay jes' afore we rot
up to Guvrors Island" AIackey continued.
An the half? Oh. that was off Cape Cod. 1t
was a cold night jes' afore Christmas. an on
my watch I had to take a drink TO keep warm.
l guess | must hev taken a drop too much. l
jes' had sense enough to know that / was
startin' fur the water. / knew then 1 was lost
IL somebody didn't see me. 20 1 jes' let out n
wild yell that could be heerd a mile away. l
couldn't stop. so strong was the fascination
OF the water fur me. an 1 jes' tumbled over
board as l heerd nv mates come runnin' up
the companionway. | heerd one on 'em say.
There goes Mac overheard: get a rope quick
Then l didn't know no more"
We'll. what else?"
We'll. l jes' woke up an found that I had only
half fallen in the water. My feet was a-hangin'
in. but my head and arms was mixed up In
the rigging OF me prov. l couldn't see the
deck, but ! eould hear ,em talk bout me i
about disnosin' o my things.
We'll. he's gone fur sure this time. Poor
Mac Jim Lacey WIS a-Sayin'.
often, chimes in Tod Wiley; i aIus told him
He don't leave no relatives. does he? asked
"'None what I knows Of
Then ! guess his things blonRs to us, an
Yes. but afore he tumbled overheard Mac
cy an, that new suit OF clothes OF his'n. don't
ca:e fur none O. the rest o his buds an you
on me, Tod Wiley Jim answered quick. It'll
'Saec lai nn @'l the p Gr none OF th &c a aloth ! want half the
dsmand ash1 Tod ,ns sharp Ike a. Tod aIus was a
I amt sayin' what l think you're dom.
but In a.Goin, ter have my share
I'll send We overheard after Mae. an you can
settle, it with him down at the bottom,
altered % 'of Sc. ' 'Fod f' Wi R!s. ant at + se want ! si tet
prove it jes' sail IN now
There Vas a sound Of %scufiIn' on deck right
knew they was s%tartln' in ter settle among
shoutin' first to Tod an then to jim. You can
bet they stopped flghtin' in double quick time.
They was bot,n so scared that | couldn't get
neither one OF 'em to help me for q plagued
TITS Macs voice. I finally heerd Jim say,
No. It's his ghost replied Tod It's come
back ter settle this dispute atgeen us, ~,
jest as live as any o ys. Jes' drop q robe down
he :!%a an III tbe come @eo ~ an aot sh EoSk ye ths,r sonsos
up on deck they kinder steered clear o me. It
was nigh onto q week afore they were con-
the Mary Ann by this time. and as MaSkey
decR he h add IetS" sha 9R 1ne t RRish sab te her clean
shes n re2,ler downeaster-a spick-an'-
span {lPs sti class 81 Maine tbs sshoonf IT. that R.r ain Grt . got Of
they're les, as good as the ship. except may
be the nnpts'p hod he w II a little queer a. tines e.,
cey. one O. the best sailors an swimmers in
the county cunt 2 E,th Bgt what's he a-tryin' to do'-
The sailor noin,ed ont as Lacey was leaning
tSing ' eS t GHsg S g I as 81 7 the irsi seho :" aes0eS su sH@s-
~ without warning he lost his balance and
tum6leG Ti,h a Splash int9 The river. -. on,v
10 tilhb th"S WV ohi ohs tlos ~ ohiJ
Jim Lacey cried some one.
Mac smiled at this remark.
"Jim's q good swimmer, you see, an they
think he, can take care OF himself. Now. II 1t
was mel'
He walked up toward the stern of the schoon-
err where a group Of sailors were laughing ut
Lucey's antics in tho water. The best swim
mer in the world, was acting very queerly.
and splashinR around, and going
down for some seconds at a time.
'Jim's a good %ope-like a duck In water"
one OF them.
The sport was entertaining. and the sailors
seemed TO enjoy 1t; but Jim continued to act
queerly.
Mae. isn't he'-- began Mackev's friend.
But Mac had gone away. The next mo-
ment there was a splash In the water. Then
shouted: |
"HellHi There goes Mac overheard. Get
a line. quick he can't SWIM"
How he had managed to get In the, water
80 quickly was n mystery. but long familiarity
with the business had made him an adept.
The next moment his head came up to the
and he was flounderinR around. The |
active sailors already had a line dangling over
the schooncr's side.
Here, Mac. take this"
With a quick grab the foundering man
grasped the end Of the rope and chung tena-
to It. His other arm was around the
..,,. - IfHn Il AaAR 4