The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-11-06
When the Schools
nla'amS Sailed.
BY HARRY
A. ARMSTRONG.

.-s"s- .-!..-s~s"..'.i.
Judge Nevins sat on the edge OF the
drydock whiting and spinning yarns
as he was always doing. Not that he
was a Judge or ever had been, but 1t
shows now a name will stick to sea-
fariny man through life, for the judges
bapislual name was William. Some
one called him judge in the days when
he sailed before the mast, and it stuck
to him always, like his white hat.
Here the Judge sat with the calking
hammers Gathering away around him
like spring frogs and the keel OF the
Mary Ann of Charlefoix as dry as it
was before the launch day. Men were
at work on plank slung over the side
splIliug green paint into the seams
with the rechlcssness rightfully belong
ing TO drunken sailors.
A woman passed along the opposite
side of the street. She was listening
to the clattcr Of the mallets and did
not see the judge as he stood erect, hat
in hand and bowling like Beau Brum-
mel. The other men giggled bit, not
because q woman was rare thing on
Goose island, but wholly at the judge.
",rhat is the bravest woman who
ever stepped over the side of any craft
atloat or on the bottom of the lake.
said the Judge as lie slipped back to
his place on the edge Of the drydock
and began TO stroke bis beard, which
had more gray hair than black In 1t.
"Shp--ihat is to say, that lady-doesn't
look afraid OF anything, not even the
water out of the river But the Judge
paid no attention to the remark Of the
first mate.
"The Mary Ann of Charlevoix was
not so pretty then as she was at first
said the judge half to himself, but she
was just as scaworthy as any of the
bigger vessels going up and down the
dake under their own steam. When
the June vacations came, the Mary Ann
lay here in the river without a thing
to do. Along came a schoolteacher
and asked me what we would charge
to take q half dozen or so young ladies'
sailing up the lake TO the Thousand
Islands and bring them safely back
to Chicago.
"Sow. that was q new kind Of
cargo, and 1 had to scratch my head
quite bit before making Il price. All
right, sir she said. We will come
down tomorrow And SO they came.
Every mothers son Of us was carrying
provisions and getting a stock of fresh
meats and things when there broke
loose a regular babel at the gansp'ank,
and there they came trlpping/aboard
with valises and bandboXes and UNI
brclas and packages and no telling
what. Just nine came, and we had no
trouble slowing them away in the
cabin, my room and the mates room.
But two more came, and then, just as
1t was getting dark, two more came.
"rhat made thirteen!
"As Il result | had to 20 out and pick
IN Il new crew in the hope Of getting
| under way before the Kind Of cargo
carried was KNOWN. but forgot this
day was FRIDAY. Something got tan
! gicl with tie lines, or the anchor chain
was ruStcd, or the Wheel had to be
fixed. The Mary Ann lU@getl the
" harf til after midnight, when we ran
UP 4 light, aud tug came alongside
and towcd us OFT into the lake. The
young women were all up ns wc'Glided
along past the big elevator and the
| shadows of the mast swept across the
Gcids OF salt barrels and on into the
broader basin beyond the life saving
station.
ave threw off the lines of the tug,
| and there was such a Shouting the
lookout at the life saving station would
have been excused if he had thought II
female lunatic asylum bad broken out
Or The Mary Ann.
Eat? They could eat anything. |
believe they would have fattcncd on
| fricassee Of rope ends. Oh, 1t was q
jolly lot that drew up 10 the first
breakfast. and the cabin boys had to
make several trips to the scullery be-
fore the meal was done. Before noon
they had minutcly examined every.
thing from the rock ballast in the hold
to the little flags whipping ut the mast
heads. They even wanted 10 steer, and
| sometimes the qHartcr,naster would
let them. Tho ship would luff, and
the outfit would laugh and grab Mt
masts and coils of rope as the boat
rolled back to the course.
"Whcn the first night came. the man.
lolins and guitars came on deck, and
for hours the voices of women were
mingled with the trembling melody of
the strings. That, too, came to an end
along about midnight, and the whole
10 pulled cots out upon the deck and
slept there.
"But might 60 on and on about that
voyage and not get to the point about
this schoolma'am, so We will pass up
until we are north Of Little Mantou
light and four nights out. There came
a good fresh wind that rocked the Mary
Ann like a cradle. Cots on tie deck
were showed In, and the girls were be-
ginning TO regret leaving their moth
ers One by one they dashed out of
the cabin and clutched wildly at the
rail. LIKE epecters. they made trer
way along the decks until the 13 were
there, barefooted. bareheaded and
clothed In loose robes of white. We
turned the ships head against the wind
/ and waited. =
"Just as daylight was showing tho
anoon sailed out from behind bank or
clouds and shone upon the waters. One
Of the girls screamed and ! started
down to the deck, for I was up by the
wheel, Man ovcrboardr she cried.
and met her at the top Of the ladder
| .,.1 ,,,n,,x In MI with 1,or