The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-01-31
THE MARINERS TALE
ny GEORGE BROOKS.

and cast 4 glance over the great expanse
OF the blue lake. Wind, rain, OF both al
together?"
Hits a-goin' to blow great guns" said
the ancient mariner, "an' that afore dark
Hits a-goin ter blow like hit did that yer
mite When we run the Glad News acrost
from Bradford's Pint to Little Weasel
Plan"
l could see indications of good yarn
coming whether the storm did or not, so
took in all sail and rode at anchor by the
side of the ancient mariner and stood by
with his favorite brand OF cut plug while he
went on with the story.
II was tn only sailor man on the Glad
News, said the ancient mariner. They
called me the 'sailin master er something
like that Anyway, I was the handy man
that knew how, when the land lubbers we
We're takin' fer vacation cruise lost their
heads and tried to pull the forethrote
halerds in two when the skipper told them
TO let go the foresheet. There was six of
the crew, all friends of the skipper what
owned the boat. We wuz having nretty
good time until we put into Bradford's
Point on Thursday, way up on the pinin-
suley fer mail and ter>get out of a squall
that was abrewin'.
The skipper was as happy as the Jolly
boat on whaler until he went down to tn
post office and got a little blue letter that
was awaitin' Their fer him. When he came
back l c'u'd see that something was tn
matter. He looked pale and ,stern like.
jess as he jumped on board he yelled OUT
Here, now, men, stand by to git under
way Well, l was that astonshed you
could have pushed me over with a two
knot breeze. | up an says: There's only
Jes' Tommy'-he was one of the skipper's
fr'en's-'an' the cook on board. Th' rest OF
the boys are a-hangin' around the girls over
at TIL hotel Never mind says the skip
per; stan by the foresail, and after you
make that get up the mainsell'
We'll, o course, orders wuz orders an
me an Tommy an the cook made sail, an
then one of the life safers, who sed we wuz
crazy, cast off our lines an we hauled em
in an started out inter tn lake, right in
theteeth OF one of the howlnest sou-westers
ever see. | didn't know wot was the mat
ter, but | allowed as how the skipper he'd
got word OF his pa er ma er tn whole
family a-dyin' on one of them islands, and
that he wanted to git there before their
sta board lights went out fer good an ALL
We had the wind right ON the stern quar-
ter an how we did go. We WIZ maxim nine
Knots from the start, an nine knots fer
such ole tub as the Glad News is a sailin'.
Then the skipper bawls out: Put ON tn
head canvas Say, most had fit. But I'm
sailor man and / took the cook am Tommy
an went forerd. We made the lib all right
an the Glad News jest begin ter snort. ]
wuz holding on with my feet, teeth, hans,
an eyebrows, wen the skipper belers out:
Clap on that staysel.'
'WPll lest save Ia fba c,nl. ;JToro'.
where we go to the bottom of the lake an
the cook, who is the blacklist man ever see.
purity near turned W tie We had horrible
time putin on tibet staysell, but finally we
got it up, though it threatened to carry
away every minute. Then we crawled aft
on our hands and knees, with the seas a.
comm, over us and a-sousin' us every second.
Pretty soon the skipper says: Go aft now
and make the jibtopsel.' Pm sailor man,
but | amt a-goin to jest throw my life away
on a ole hog trough like the Glad News,
and | says 50: Hold the stick says the
skipper and | took the rudder an the skip
per crawls forerd and wrggles out rite on
to the end of the bowsprt He set out there
a-fussin' with tibet jibtopsell an every mir
ute or two the ole ship would stick its nose
way down in the sea and the skipper would
go under just but his he'd. Then he yelled
and Tommy went forerd and got hold OF
the jibtop hallirds an up went the jibtop-
sail
Say, l thought the old Glad News would
jest jump out O 'er hide. But it held an
how we did go. The cook was laid out in
the cockpit ded to the worl', only once in
awhile he would moan somethin' about
his babies. How we wuz a-goin' The lee
skuppers was away under the water and
halt the time we wuz a-standin' up on our
beams end. The skipper KEEP a-lookin'
astern an, suddenly e yelled to take out the
reefs in tn mainsell. knew he wuz plum
crazy then, but we took 'em out. though
how we done it l don't know. The fore
jibtopsell carried away, as | knew it would.
an we had t jump to cut it loose.
Everything was apoppin' an a-snappin',
an [ thought the Glad News would jump
its masts clear out of it. But luck was with
us, an about eight o'clock we went slidin'
around Little Weasel Flan' an into calm
water on the weather side of the place. We
ran into good snug harbor an dropped
anchor, an the skipper baled out the dingy
an went ashore with his valise An after
he'd gone picked up the blue letter he
dropped, an wanting to know whether it
was hiz ma er his pa that was dyin', | read
it, an wot do you suppose?
The note WIZ from one OF them punches
of kaliker on tn islam an it sed tibet if the
skipper didn't git over Their by Thursday
mite he was hateful ole, mean thing, and
she would go to tn party with the major so
there now. l jess laid down in the cockpit
an he'd a spasIn. Chicago Tribune.
Comfort in Amiction.
Director-I called on Ledgerman, our old
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