The Somerset reporter., 1899-11-23

board. so that we shan't be In danger.
And when it's over. sailor. I'll give you
to. Now you cant say no to me. can
you-you dear. kind MANI
mo. | couldn't and that was a fact
It's bad enough when you've got ii
ovesick maiden gasping and a-leaning
On you. but when 1t comes to five quid
In ard cash dangling before your nose
it's too much.
$50 we arranged 1t that next day. IL
the sea was smooth and the weather
fine I'd sprinkle few life buoys over.
board and accidentally tumble among
'em. 1nen. with a cry as 'ud bring
the skipper on deck. the gal would dive
after me, and we'd go through a sorter
life saving performance, and If that
didn't make the old man fall on 'et
neck and ask to be forgiven
then we'd ave to throw i'm in next,
and let 'er ave 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 !
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 | slipped off my boots and drop
ped quietly over the side.
when | looked up | seed the gal
a-lookng as If she was wondering
'ow cold il was. And then all of a sud
den she gave yell. and diyed In and
come swimming toward me like fish.
"Lor'. the connection 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
rush out of the galley. r took in the
situation. and the next moment e WAS
taking Il header from the stern. Two
seamen as 'ad card the cry next tum-
bled over. and before | 'ad time To oil
Ter out and tell 'em it was all right the
other two seamen and the boy was a
bohbing about in the water.
BY this time the gal ad got to me.
and we was each of us angling to Il
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 colared old of a buoy, to wait
for what was going to 'appen next.
And all the time that blamed hark
was standing away under full sail as
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 +
counted us twice and then e swore
agen
"'IIow dare you leave the ship with
out my ordersY he shouted. Don't
you see that there isn't Il man on the
bark. ami 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 Us ed blow is bra.
out if e found out who it was. The
gal said it WAS er and sure enough
she WAS a-laughing away as if il W;
the best run III the world. while there
WAS the crew of the Liza Jane a-boh
bling about in the water While or
ship WAS a-sailing steadily away by
'erself. without n and to guide 'er
from the cruel rocks 1t was an awful
moment for me. as 'ad bin the unWill
ing cause of it all. and it seemed as if
the utter uselessness of women was
fact, after all
But there was the gal. still smiling.
and when a tramp steamer picked Us
up and carried us to Plymouth sh.
authorities as a picnic party rs al
got out of our depth. But the old man
WAS wild with the loss of is ship. and
e couldn't do nothing but stamp about
and threaten to Kill us all
we did ear afterward that the Liza
Jane adj stood out to sea and went
down in a squat somewhere in the re
gion of the tropics. And that's as like
~ as not, for we never set eyes on 'er
agen.
And when the skipper got over it
and come TO look upon things in the
right spirit he sorter veered round to
the conclusion that a comfortable ONE
and ii good looking wife wasn't such
poor consolation after all No moro
WAS the ESQ each of us got for our
share, clther." Chicago Times-lIerald