The Tupelo journal., 1902-10-10

THE boat had apparently dug a
L grave in the sand and buried it.
self there. The huh was partly sub
merged. The mast reared itself
diagonaHy skyward. The broken
rudder dangled a wreck.
Beyond it the waves, rolling and
muttering. dashed the shore with the
fury of fall-time, and back of it the
wiry grasses dotting the sand-hills
we're turning slowly to a parched and
dingy brown.
Sid, stretched his brawny length
upon the beach, blew clouds of smoke
about his face from the bowl of a
giant pipe. Presently, prodding
down the ashes with a hardened fore
finger, he spoke.
ut was a good boat" he said; IAN
now look at it'll"
"How did it h%appen?" 1 asked and
scrubbed jagged letters in the sand,
waiting for an answer.
Its a long story" he commenced,
taking his time-Sid always takes
his time--'an' all about them fool
city folk"
With that he smoked.
"Why can't they let a quiet beach
alone?" he demanded by and by, his
blue eyes flashing in the sunburn of
his face. "Why must they come med
lin S far this island even, bringin'
their new-fangled notions an sp'ilin'
the scenery? There want no q~uieter
spot on Long Island than this spot
here two years or so before they
come. All sand-dunes an soft slopin'
beaches an reed-birds an snipes.
Nov look round you an see how
different it is. They've. done scared
away everything-the reed-birds an
snipes an all. They've dug up the
CLAIMS and frightened away the fishes,
an disfiggered the slope o. the beach
with them ropes o. theirn, an buoys
an, things for their bathin.'"
He pulled hard and Indignantly.
San they call it civilian u.s." he
snorted. "Civilizin' us! Humph! All
I've got to say is we didn't want none
without it before they come, them
city folk"
After a time, waving his disengaged
hand toward the far-off beach, he
questioned, "You see that there ho-
tel? Well, the first thing they did
was to build that. An the way they
went bout it was enuf to make you
bust out laughin' if it hadn't "a been
that the buildin' of it spilled the
beach there so. You see it was like
this: The channel between Fire is
land an Oak island"
"Wi1 you tell me-" 1 put in, inter
rupting, "why they call it Oak is
land, Sid?"
81 dunno" said he, "unless it's be-
cause there amt no oak in 100 mile or
so from here. That's it, 1 guess"
"Well," 1 queried, finishing a pro-
longed pause.
"As / was bout to say when o
interrupted me-" he went on, "the
channel between Fire island and Oak
island is mighty shallow. It's the
easiest thing in the world, if you amt
keerful, to run aground there with
a boat, an never get loose ag'in.
Them city men knew it. So when
they see a lumber schooner comm
1azin' along, out they rushes with all
their life-boats, an yells to 'em,
For the love o. heaven, be keerful
there or you'll III aground!' Then
the captain gets w~ild-eyed, an yelis
hack. Lord! What must we dot,
An the city men cries to 'em, Throw
off your lumber"
Taking his pipe out OF his mouth,
he spat enthusiastically.
ssOf course" he continued, "of goes
the lumber, an the captain an his
crew, blessin' the city men for savin'
their lives, sails away with tears in
their eyes an wavin's of handker-
chiefs. Humph!"
"And what them" said l..
.What them" he repeated.
"Nothin'. Only the tide rollin' up
an in, rolls the lumber long with it,
an them there city men haulin' it
ashore built that there hotel standin'
there blottin' of the beauty O. the
beach, an a good part o. them other
houses you see here an bout a-doin'
of exactly the same thing.
"They KEEP right on at that little
game o. theirn, too, till the lumber
captains got onto it. after SO long a
time, an quit dumpin' their lumber
over to 'em for the tide to carry in"
I turned my face seward for fear
the smile wreathing it might offend.
4But about the boat?" / reminded
him.
.sThe boat?" frowning moodily at
IL. "Do you know, them city folk
make me mad. That's what they do.
They make me mad shown off their
ignorance. What do they know
mont a boat? Nothin'. Not a blamed
endurin' thing. They might know all
there is to know bout electric carr
an trans an cabs an automobiles,