Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-04
With ALL
SAIL SET
BY FRANCES SCHNEIDER.

that lay at anchor in the Inlet, when I, !
who tightening the jib sheet, saw her
master Captain Martin, doff his old !,
yachting cap and bob his grizzled head.
Dye see that thar lady an gentle
man?' asked he. indicating with a wag
of his head, to some people on board an
ugly little brown sIoop to port of us.
yes 7 said, what of them?"
"Wall, that thar's Miss Beemis IN her
father Mr.. Frederick Beemis, as lost his
money on Wal sire ct, spring afOre last.
"Yes?' I replied interrogatlvely.
Hes a fine man an mis- darter's as fine
a gal as she is good lookin'-an' that's
saying a good deal.
1T is indeed said I, looking adrniring-
ly at the 1.-the figure and beautiful
face of the girl, who at that moment was
swinging out on the bowsprit ropes I'M
lashing the jib sail. IT'S a pity she hasn't
a better boat
"A better boat than the Ugly Duck
ling!" exclaimed the captain chuckling,
oval, thar ain't none in these here wat
ers."
We were at the mouth of the Inlet now
and l looked back at the Ugly Duckling
and her crew. They had hoisted her sails
and pulled up her anchor and the girl ran
along the deck and springing down into
the cockpit, took the tiller. a trenlor
ran through the yacht as the sails filled
and presently she leaned her brown body
down and sped across the water like a
shadow. We were going at a fair speed,
but the Ugly Duclling rushed by us and
swept out over the blue winG-ruffled
waters of the bay. I stood and CAPPED af-
ter her till the captain recalled me TO my
self with q triumphant:
Thar, wasn't l right about that thar
bCat?'
How do you account for her speed?"
II don't altoGether-boats is like vim
men, yer can't allus tell how they're goin'
ter act, nor iist why. Yer never seen Mr..
Beemis' other boat, the Mermaid?"
mo; but I've heard you mention her"
eve amt goin' ter jibe fer O good spell
now; so we kin set quit an I'll tell yer
bout her"
Il wish YOU would" said T, settling my
self in my favorite position stretched
along the top of the cabin with my head
on a cushion.
Y see" began the captain, GIVE
knowed ME-. Beemis sence he war a
young man; an Miss Eleanor, sence she
war a baby, an they sets a heap o
store by my Observation-Disclosures in nauti-
cal matters. 1t comes about, wen Mr.
Beemis' riches tux an put wings on their
selves an flown away, that Mr.. Cronln-
the young gentleman as owns the big car
works up BlaCkport ~way-bought Mer-
maid off'n him.. 1t was my 'plnion at the
time that it I'D be better fer MI. Cronln
ter stick to his keers an not try sailin' as
he war never intended by natur' fer the
water-though good lookin' enough fer
that matter-but e TUX the Mermaid,
howsomever an as she sailed away with
him on board, i heard the gal say to 'er
father: Never min daddy, never m1nd,'
saws she, well have some sOrtn a craft
ter sail in, won't we?' An me a~-standin'
ahind EN-, says ter myself, Yer VIII, fer
I knowed neither of 'em couldn't keep
from the water, they bein' born sailors
both.
'Twarn't long arter this, Mr.. Beemis
come ter me one day and asked eff !
knowcd a good boat e could git cheap:
Wall, l didn't jist then, but I said I'd
look: but atween the time I foun' the
Brownie, which was the Ugly Duckline
as is. an the time Mr.. Beemls spoke tel
me, Cronin come over an TUX him an
Miss Eleanor out on the Mermaid
mighty often. He had a man to sail 'er
fer as says, he knowd more about keers
than boats, an didn't take kind ter the
water.
wall, one day I run acrost a lad as
come up from Boston waters, an had 6
bit O brown boat he wanted ter sell. Shf
needed repair an war as ugly as blue
mud: but he stud to it, she was sea
worth an a tidy sailer. Mr.. Cronln an
the Mermaid hadn't ben roun' fer almos
two weeks then, an I knowd the Beemis
3atnef an carter, was illSH SIGN -
on the water ag'in. SO I says ter Mr.
Beemis"Yer kin but try the boat an N
says, 'all right"
'Wall. the upshot O. it war, we tut
that thar ugly little brown thing out on
day fer a trial trip-me an Mr.. Beemit
an his darter-an' we hadn't mucl
more'n cleared the Inlet, Wen they wa
wild ter nave 'er. An Miss Eleanor say
wen we was a-comin' home, She's mos
likt a little brown duck ter look at-bu
she sails like a fust class yacht-well cal
'er the Ugly Duckling'. An that's how
she come by 'er name. An how the.
come ter git 'er.
wall, Mr.. Beemis used ter git me te
take the gal a~-sailin' wen he couldn't g
long, an many's the little VICES we tut
together, her an me. We seen the Mer
maid hangin' round quite frequent; blu
Miss Eleanor didn't never seem particla
pleased, l will say, an didn't pay n
mount o ~'tention ter Mr.. Cronlns sa
lutes. Mr.. Cronin, he was a-tryln tie
learn ter sail his boat hisself, but g wa
mighty dumb about it an l didn't see a
e improved none; an specially, Wen h
seen the Duckling a-heavin' in sight, he
handle that thar Mermaid like she war
four in han. till she'd pitch an toss lk
q plungin' boss.
Long about the middle o. Auguus
last year, I got my arm broke an m
leg injured by gittin' caught in the boor
of a big cat boat a ~greenhorn was a-tryir
ter sail, an / was laid up fer three week
in my bed. The fust day l war cut, rec
lect. was q regular fall day, with a mis-
a-lyin' over the hay an a soft light o
the water. | limped down ter the tloa
an was a-stardin' a-lookin' at the Duel
ling ba-obbin' an a-bOWin 'er ugly II
tie brown body up an down in the ligi
swell: an as / stud thar, Miss Elean,
w n1nnp M ga We GDa'