The National tribune., 1902-01-30

snip Ituucf. III can be the JruSiluS o
the boat. \ buckinS mustang has offer
shock me up worse than this. But thcl
Il mustang don't go morcn half doEcI
ways at once. and has To stop every few
minutes to get breath and rest Wish Il
gracious this plagucy old boat did. Thyr
I'd stult even with it. and meet its huck'
halfway. But oughtn't 10 give way thi,
way. Si never did and he's been through
much worse things. III take brace 81
myself
/ He made an effort of his will. straight
cned up, holding fast to the bulwarks
drew in long breath, and looked Out
over the limitless cXpanSe of tumblnl
| waves.
The sky was gray to hlack-lowernl
and checrlcss. The wind moancd drcarily
through the rigging, and over the comb
ings and pipc-mouths
! ElOcks of spectral, uncann:-loOking
! gulls whirlcd about, scrceching yiciouSly
What miserable squawking birds,
thought the Deacon, turning up his sick
eyes ut them. Heap sight mcaner than
| cOrn-Stealing crows and backbirds. Like
to let into 'cm with doublebarrcied
shotgun. They help make me feel worse,
| No land was i'll sight in any direction.
but everywhere endless miles Of dark
green waves. rolling. pitching and tum-
/ bling in vehement confusion that made
| the eyes weary and the soul sick.
=
Amt there nothing nowhere that's stand
! ing still Just for Il moment? My innards d
! quiet down if ] could Only see something
else that was steady like. But | declare.
| believe if | could see the sun he'd be
turning doublc-summcrSaults, and leap
| frogging with the moon. If I could only
hold on to that stone hitching post III
front of my house gate for II quiet minnie
I'd feel all right. But can't. W-h-o-o-p.
O-w-a-r-g-h.. Here it all comes MP again.
! Gracious. | can feel my bootsolcs tryin-
to tear away from the uppcrs, and fol
low the rest. O-w-a-ti-g-h -
Say, old fellow" snecrcd the Mate.
don't throw away all Yourself at the very
beginning. Save something for later on.
This is only starter. 'Tain't once. This
is only Currituck. Wait till we come to
Cape Hatteras. Then you'll have some
| thing to be sick for
''IS HatteraS going to be much worse
| than this" anNiously inquired the Deacon,
wiping his mouth and his fearful eyes
with his big red bandanna.
Worse? Well, | should say so, This
amt morc'n marker to IIattcras. Cur
rituck's only loye-tap. The wind and
waves only start in here to get M their
muscle for tho grand scrummage at Hat
teras. You want 10 save the heft Of your
contributions for the great event around
the main bandstand. You hear me. Cut
it short now, so you can jest throw your
self later r.,
You plaguey fool" shouted the Dea-
con, turning to the side to make another
vOlumnous dqnation to the fishes. DO
you suppose I'm doing this because
want to? I'm sickcr'n a horse
Sick; are yGHy' said the Mate ,t9 with
you was just playing neXt-day-
Christmas to imuse the porpoises.'
What degraded brute. to talk that
way to Il man in my condition." sighed
the Deacon, resting his tired head on the
rail. 'lfaint no more heart i'll him than
a flea. But This thing must end soon
There amt much more in me to come
mp, except my liver and lights. religious
faith and political principles. The last
that came up | distinctly recognized a
something I'd ct before ! left home. and
thought it had long ago become part Of
Josiah I<Icgg. There can't be nothing
more. My st"mach's rs empty as IA poor
mans mcal-sack En- What's this? e?
W-b-O-o-p-p W-a-u-g-h, h,-wa-u-g-h ~
Limp as a rag after this paroXysm. he
sat down or II coil of rome, wiped the
tears from his eyes with his bandanua
and mcditatcd on the text the rcvivalist
had spread over the walls OF the great
warehouse at the Washington dock:
THEY WHO GO DOWN TO SEA
IN GREAT SHIPS.
PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD"
well, if it's to he, it viii be-" he con
cluded. "If it's His will that | shall 20
to meet Him from here. | must be re-
signed. I'm in the path Of dooty, as | and
others saw it, and He cant ask no more.
| certainly can't stand many more Of
them awful retches. Another like the
any more. Yes. there is! Great grief.
here comes another. O-w-a-u-g-h !.
W-h-o-o-p -
He sank back on the coil of rope after
the parOXysm in utter collapse, and as far
as he could think at all his mind went
TO burials at sea, and what the Baptist
minister at home was likely to say in
The Mate came up, and said in a
rough, kindly way:
Say, old fclIer. it's settin' awful hard
on you. fer fack. Y're gittin' as pale as
death round the gills, an I've brung you
a dram o whisky. Here, drink it, an
it'll help you pull through
He produced a glass with very stiff
jorum of liquor.
Take it awayr' said the Deacon. with
gesture of horror. 'If I've got to die.
I'll die with an Hnstained conscience. I'll
not die with the Mark of the Beast upon
me. I'd rather die sober than owe my
life TO Rum. Take it awayw
W fll' We StNH many MINUS vi ububit-
distilled fools in my time" remarked the
amazed Mate, but you're certainly the
quintessence. \ man to refuse good liquor
when he's well is simply Onaccountable.
But TO refuse it when he's in the last
squeak shows that he's too big n fool to
live, an Oughter die But your death be
on y're own head. I've done all | could
begged this licker from the Captain for
you. II shan't be wasted. I'll drink it
myself first"
Whether it was the reward of haying
stcrDly resisted the Tempter. or the trou-
BILE having spent its force, the Deacon be-
gan to feel better Immediately He perked
up considerably, and resolved not to die
over a little StUmach-ache. lie had too
many important things to do yet. Steady
ing himself by the rOpe-lines. he rose
weakly to his feet, and succeeded in max
ing his way down into the cabin, where
he gave himself Il good wash, incidentally
soaking his clothes pretty thoroughly in
his struggles with the swinging wash
bowl. But the wash revived him still
more, and he even tried to roach his hair,
but decided that the refincments of the
toilet would have TO be postponed until
Calmer weather.
The fragrance Of boiling coffee came up
from the cooks galley, and assailed his
nostrils gratefully.
He believed that n big cup would do
him good. He succeeded in obtaining it.
and it braced him up so that he decided
to venture to repair little of the waste
of the past few hours by laying in some