The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-02
L Copyright, 1899. bys. s. Mcclure Co.,

uSHSHIeu niHl5 ne was comfortable, and
the captain inspired no fesling Of restraint
or sense Of intrusion, so he sat on.
The fog Is as thick as mud in O.
wine glass;" exclaimed Capt Layard
Some go fast and some go slow through
these sn1others. The fast man holds that
a ship is under more immediate control
When travelling; 1 am slow man when
cant see. In fact" he continued, with
a look Of exaltation, with smile of pro-
found seif-complacency 81 claim to
know my business. There Is no man
ahoat who Is going to teach me wFfaa
to do when a thing is to be DONE an6
done properly.
IF all ships would heave to- said
| HSrrdy, witnessing the captains mind
! in the expression Which subtIy inter.
/ preted 1t, "then 1t would be the right
thing in fog to stop your engines, OF
back your ,topsail. But it's the other
! fellow you can't see that makes the fear"
! He Immediately added Your dog Is ex-
| traordinariIy sagacious, sir"
1T amused ME to train him. replied
the captain, smoothing Johnny's llttlA
hand as 1t lay upon the table. ''There
Is no fog-horn which equals the screams
! of an irritated SOW. A sow once saved
me from collision by causing dog,
! In an invisible ship close aboard on the
| starboard bow, to bark. That put the
| idea into my head. Sailor has the voice
| OF trombone, and he didn't need much
| training either; he is now perched be-
tween the knight heads with more
| searching eyes and clearer ears than
| the whole ships company could put to-
| gether If they made their heads into
one
! Hardy laughed.
Don't forget Sailors supper, father"
said Johnny
I'll not forget" answered the cap
tain.
AS he spoke the words the man who
waited on the cabin came down the
steps
rs it still very thick?" asked the
| captain.
'Blinding, SIR" was the answer
Get the dogs supper and take it to
him on the fox sle." said Capt Lay
ard. See that he was water; it may be
an all-night job for him. Pearson was
very humane man." he went on, ad-
dressing Hardy Il might guess that
by the medicine chest he's left me-
overhauled 1t before We sailed, and won
dered at the quantity of sleeping and
| death stuffs it contained. 1 found out
that In one of his passages home from
| Calcutta several men died of cholera,
and he was at his wits ends for drugs.
Ships bound to India should always carry
surgeon; they would-they must, If
there are passengers. But glauber salts
are good things for Jack; It's an all
round physic, as good for smallpox as
for Indigestion" He laughed somewhat
heartily and continued: Pearsons men
| might have died to man, for his medi-
| cine chest showed badly like the end of
long voyage. Fortunately half Of
them took it into their heads to live, and
they got the ship home. After this Pear
| son never went to sea without plenty OF
| drink for cholera. He's left some doc
/ N he Of
| and there's volume on poisons full Of
| pencil marks. His humanity was un-
Wearying, but he got the sack all the
same. Johnny my darling, it's time for
| bed. Come along, my lamb"
He took the boy by the hand, and
i, child crying as his father opened the
door, Good night, Mr. Hardy
1t was half past z; Hardy went into his
| berth to smoke a pipe before relieving
the deck The captains cabin gIowed
with the soft illumination of an oil lamp
! to bulkhead, and swinging in it's brack-
ct to the .heave. It was a fine large cab
IN, equipped with a table covered with
green baize, on which were writing ma
terials, nautical instruments and such
things; a fore-and-aft bunk for the cap
tain and brass cot at the foot of the
bunk, safely secured to the deck, for
Johnny. 1t was comfortable, With a car
pSIJ CHdlTSI d snort SOFA, chest OF
drawers and washstand. Close beside
Johnny's cot on the deck was the boy s
drum.
The captain began to undress the little
fellow, who talked to him of Mr. Hardy;
he said he wished Mr.. Hardy could sleep
with them. No mother ever used ten
derer hand in putting her child to bed
than did this strange sea captain, mad or
not mad. His eyes were tender; twice
he kissed the boys fair brow; he seemed
reluctant to make an end of this un-
dressing, as though he loved to have his
hands upon the child, to have his face
close to him.
Now your prayer, Johnny" said he
And the boy knelt by his cot, and In
words he had learnt frem his father
prayed that his mother would look down
and watch over them both. and that God
would bless his father and himself
dhe captain stood by in devout posture
and whispered the words which the child
uttered, then hoisted the little fellow
into bed, covered him up and kissed him.
''Mayn't Mr. Hardy come and see me
in bed?" said the child
''Ay," answered the captain, and he
stepped to the door and called the chief
officer by name.
Hardy instantly came out, leaving his
pipe behind him.
Come and see my boy in bed" said
the captain.
Hardy, not knowing that this was due
to the child and not to the father, was
secretly .astonished, for, though he had
always lived on very good terms with
the captains he had sailed with, he had
never met any commander who treated
him just as though they occupied the
same platform
He followed him into his cabin, and the
boy with his bright hair on the pillow
smiled a greeting
1T is beautiful bed, Johnny" said
the mate, stepping close to the cot and
looking at him with the affection which
such child as this will excite in a
sailors heart at sea, moved by thoughts
OF home and OF the fair land he has
left, of his own childhood perhaps, and
visited by that mute sense of solitude.
peril and the holy and brooding presence
OF the Great Spirit, which is the impulse
of the deep and understood by those
whom the ocean, eternal and boundless
IN the constant recession of It's horizon,
Is an interpretable face He turned to
the captain and exclaimed:
If your boy ever dreams, sir. 1t Is of
the angels who guard his bed''
lie kissed The little chap and was go
ing.
"A moment, Mr.. Hardy" exclaimed the
captain, who did not seem to have caught
or noticed what the mate said This Is
an example of old Pearson's forethought
and humanity"
He stepped. followed by Hardy. to a
corner of the cabin, I'm which stood a
small mahogany chest. and lifted the Ill.
ihls I'D was furnished with scissors syr
1nges and the like, and the contents OF
the chest consisted CT number Of stop
pered green bottles, as We'll as sticking
plaster lint and surgical Instruments