Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-06-20
Narcissus Brown was O. most esti

Narcissus Brown was most esti
mable young man Of studious hab
SITS. His father, 8 tradesman, hat
taken pride in giving him a liberia
seducation.s At the age of 19 years
therefore, 5Narcissus had finished hi:
education and had become q philos
opher.
But youth is tickle. An ardent im
agination and restless Instincts worked
{ their way, and three months latel
Narcissus became poet.
Father" sale lie, one day, 81 fee
within me the poetic instinct. am {
poet''
every we'll, my son, said the pa.
! ternal Brown, .be poetif you will.
So much the better, too," he added;
with proud fondness, "because it will
yex Green, the grocer. His son is Q
writer, but he only writes prose.
So Narcissus became a poet. Every
day he wandered off to the little vii.
Ilagas near his native city, and there
communed with nature. The dusty
trees which lined the roadside moved
him to poetry, and even the windmills
stirred his soul.
':Ah," he would sentimentally say,
show romantic they look! See the
white sails glinting in the sun like
thoseI of a fair galleon gliding over
the e.wayes to some far-off shore.
m1>o ,oaf H. l,oH ,,o,o, &1,o, cSbt ~
the sea before. The idea suddenly
flashed across his brain.
& "a ..Ah, y he mused, ''the sea! The
bright, blue, boundless ocean! That is
the place for poet. What is there
poetic in this humdrum life ashore?
On the ocean man, struggles with ma
sture; lie combats the elements; he de-
lfes the-storm. I shall so to sea"
> He returned. to the paternal shop
and declared his intention. But his
father only yielded after much per-
-suasion. AT 4last he consented and
made npla package of fancy dry goods
which he thought would sell we'll at
the colonies, To this he added o
purse, some tears and his blessing,
aud Narcissus started for the nearest
seaport -, 3 3.5s =
There he repaired to the house OF 4
'cousin,, assresident of the place; he
stated his intention and asked for adj
vice. The cousin was we'll acquainted
with The captain of q brig which was
sabor q to sail for Martinique, and Sc
cured Elm % passage aboard Of her.
Narcissus experienced "a slight
shock when he heard the name of the
vessel. sss sc sii5. fIssf
"lf it were only a little more poet
ical!" he thought. The Undine, or
the Mermaid, or something like that.
But the Sarah Ami" And he asked
The captains name. When told it was
Smith, he almost tainted. He was to
sail aboard of the brig Sarah Ann,
Smith, master. He would have will
lingly given larger sum if the cap
tain had had nautical name.
However, there was no help for it
his passage money was paid. So the
next day, accompanied by his cousin,
he took boat aud went on board the
Sarah Ann, to see what she looked
like. On the way out the water was
very rough, the boat was small, and
Narcissus at once hoped and feared
some accident something romantic.
But he only got seasick.
When he reached the deck he cast
an eager glance around upon the hardy
sons of the sea. Most of them were
swabbing the deck after getting in
cargo, and there were several engaged
in washing and hanging out shirts
upon the rigging to dry. With an ex-
clamation of disgust, Narcissus turned
away.
fftsThey. only need fatirons to be
.washerwomen," said he.
However, he descended to the cap.
tain's cabin. That individual was talk
ing to o stout, think-set man, and
signed to Narcissus and his cousin to
seat themselves. They did so, and
Narcissus Immediately began to in
spect the cabin. To his disgust he
found it was a prosaic little room, with
q carpet, chairs, table and pictures on
the wallsAexactly like room on
shore. ,Narcissus sighed and turned
his eyes upon the captain. His ideal
of the man who was to brave the ele-
ments and command turbulent crew
was as follows: A mariner Of giant
frame-at least six feet; massive
head; fierce eyes; a voice of awe-in-
spring qualities. He looked at Cap
tain Smith and saw that he was n
short, thin man about 40 years of
age; he was extremely polite in his
manners; he wore wig, and he took
snuff. It is impossible to describe the
reyulsionsof feeling that swept over
Narcissus when he beheld this insig-
,nificant parsonage.
The individual who was talking to
the captain was, as we have said,
.stoutly built; he was iolly-looking
fellow, and was deeply interested in
trying to beat down the rate of pas
sage. 81 rrss 49,
~ "Come now, captain" said he,
''can't you putt a little lower2'.' r
e''I have only one price" replied the
captain. - = sa g,.,g
( Narcissus Thought OF the paternal
shop and shuddered.
ss'Well," said tile stout man, after
much debate, t'what, ,Rust be must be.
One condition, ssakeyer: my boxes
must have air. aud dampness will in
iure them. Yogknow what they con-
tain. So ! Wait you to promise me
that Ethey Shall not be put in the
?s ?ss,'eailright, 2 said the captain; ''they
shall be placedson the orlop deck.s'
.,sissAnd;I can examine them whenever
IIikes. ssqi,a. ,sa s,s.'-
. .szsseS e g yhenever you ike,
:. s'NIell, here's, your money" said
The stout man, and he placed the sum
upons the table, seluted snd left. is
aWho's that fellow?" asked the
cousip.
s.Oh, it's poor Snowman. He's