Smyrna times., 1901-09-11
The Last Cruise of
the Little Mother
By JOHN H.
RAFFERTY,
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Diego, Cal. His father, a consumptive,
was no longer able to work His moth |
cr, tiny, cheerful, busy woman, with
three small children besides Tom, had |
band, making, mending, cooking and |
caring for the family. They had been |
in their new home for three months, |
living away their small capital and |
with no prospect of earning a dollar.
The boom was over. The town was
overrun with easterners, men and wo-
men in frail health, willing to work for
small pay at anything that would yield
them sustenance. And so Tom, the
hope of his courageous little mother,
had tried everything and failed to set
work.
1t was then that he hit upon the idea
of becoming 4 fisherman. For n week
before he broached the subject at home
he had patrolled the shore from Point
Iona to the Coronado beach in search
of a boat. He had only $1j, and of the
scores of small craft that could be
bought at all there was but one within
his means. a leaky lugger, with fray
ed old sails and an impossible Spanish
name, sinking of fish and with a dirty
black hull, lay mOOred off the POrtu-
guese village on the north shore of the
bay. and thither day after day poor
Tom trudged, big with his secret.
One Saturday night lie startled the
family with:
well. people, I'm a sea captain at
last, and no joke. Mother, behold your
son, Captain Thomas Cladin of the
good ship Little Mother"
The little wOman's blue eyes were
filed with tears when her boy showed
them the bill of sale to the effect that
he had bought a vessel for $3.50, and
thus, like true blue Chicagoan, risked
his all in the only business venture in
sight.
Il named her for you, mother, and
you must christen her and take a sail
In her tomorrow"
With a basket of luncheon and pail
and shovel for clans the Clafin fam
fly, with Tom proudly leading the way,
went down to the beach in the morn
ing. Sure enough. there lay the Little
Mother, swinging gracefully at her
mornings, no longer dingy and black,
but radiant in a coat of fresh white
paint, her sails mended and shipshape,
the stars and stripes futtering from
her peak, and her name in bold blue let
ters across her bows. Toms little
brother and sisters danced with de-
light, new light came into his fathers
eyes, and as for little MOTHER" the
patron saint of that first voyage. she
laughed and cried by turns rs she sat
in the stern of the boat and watched
Tom, the captain, and little Charley
the first mate" both bubbling ovel
with excitement and nautical terms
tugging at ropes, running about like
regular jack tars and making all ready
ito put to sea-" as Tom said.
AS the boat, driven by n cool SOU
east breeze, stood out across the ba!
for the Iona lighthouse Tom showed
them all the new handpump he ha'
rigged into his little ship" he explain
ed the centerboard. pointed out tn
imaginary beauties and qualities of tn
%~ittAC 4hOAAGAg Va W nat ~
meant to accomplish as a professiona
fisherman. and made everybody so hap
py that it seemed no time at all till tn
sun was dipping into the sea and tn
first cruise of the Little Mother wa
over.
And the boy made good money wit
his modest venture. He would rise wit
the sun each morning and with his Gil
ner pail and coarse tackle make for tn
boat that had become to him bot
sweetheart and proyider. His creates
difficulty was his need of an assistan
and many were the BARRACUDA an
giant Jewish that escaped him in b
lonely all day cruises up and dow
that matchless summer sea. Som
times he would induce some lazy whal
ldler to accompany him; sometimes o.
Pedro, the retired Portuguese fro
whom he had bought the boat, wou
nail him as he stood out to sea and he
him with the work. Sometimes, whC
the sea was like a floor Of gleamiI
onyx, his father would sit in the stel
sheets, and little Charley would 'mi
the jib' or troll line for small fis
but alone or with a crew Tom nev
tailed to bring home at night enoui
hsh so that his earnings at the end
the week were almost enough to p'
the running expenses of the frugal
tie family.
1t was in the end of August that t
Monterey, the monster coast defer
monitor, returned from her first crui
She had been in South American v
ters for four months, and the crew {
lts first shore leave ON American soil
ean Diego. The big war vessel W
thrown open to visitors one Sund
morning, and all that day Tom Clai
carried sightseers from the Santa
pier to the Monterey. Good seam
that he was, he was fascinated W
the dazzling spotlessness of the m
itor' and every night while she lay