The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-10-21

seat on the main deck about amidships
Talk about cats In strange garrett.
'Twan't nothin' to us two Johnny
haul tauts' slowed away in a high
toned New York church. with swell
people all round rugged up in fine tog-
gerry.
Well. cast my eyes about an finally
spied the music pilot about two pints
on the starboard bow. He wuz actin
kinder oneasylike, as If he want dead
sure how she was headin', but at last
he got his bearin's an let her went.
First, there wuz some birds a-twit
term up aloft somewheres on the
main skysl yard an there they chased
themselves up an down the r'yal stay
an then they perched on the oret'gan'l
crosstrees singin like bird store let
loose. Then they wuz gone an Bill
SEE to me, "Suthin' skeered them birds
away, Jack" an | whispered back.
Maybe the cook shook the tablecloth
overheard an they're after the crumbs
They'll be back ag'in all right"
Then the music pilot kind of cast his
eye aloft, give her couple Of spokes
an we heard light breeze a-comin
out Of the sou'west gentle an softlike.
SEE to Bill. Light breeze an passin
Clouds" an Bill SEE. AYE. aye, Jack"
The pilot laid back an took things
easy. turned over his chart, Jest takin
squirt at the compass now an then.
''Plain sailin'," seq Bill. an l SEE,
AYE, he's got all the rags on her now.
r'yals, skys'ls an moon scrapers."
AN stuns'ls." added Bill
Then the music chap got frisky as If
he wuz settin on a hot galley stove,
an it begun to breeze up a leetle stron-
ger He pulled out some wind JAM
mers on the port side an she gave
roll. an he fetched up ag'in the lee rail
l knowed a smoky sOu'wester wuz
a-comin', for heerd the thunder follin'
way off like 1t wuz nigh hull down to
the wind'ard 1t kept breezin' more
an more. the thunder wuz gettin' loud
er an louder, an | could almost hear
the ole man boiler, "All hands aloft an
take In sailp'
She eased up bit when the flynn
kite an light sails wuz slowed away.
an the old gal wuz maxim good wealth
er of it under lower topsls an stays'ls
She wuz jest a-bilin' an carried bone
in her teeth like Cunarder.
You oughter heerd that music tune!
Even If twas screechln hard enuf to
blow yer hair off we could foller that
ere tune all the same. an it didn't
seem to make no difrunce how she
much them birds screeched, that music
pilot held that tune full-an'-by
through it ALL
He yanked out some more wind jam
mers on the lee side an the thunder
rolled an moaned as If all the furies
wuz loose an the devil chasin 'em;
the old packet wuz nigh on her beam
ends. an she rolled so | calkilated to
see that chap pitch overheard. Bime-
by she easi up bit. an Bill nudged
me with his elbow an says. Jack,
they've got her hove to under a goose
wing main tops'l an she's maxim good
weather of It." That wuz my idea. but
wuz expectin' to see the whole out
fit bust an spill all hands.
The wust was over, for the music
pilot cast his weather eye on the chart,
give her the lower tops'ls an swung
her on her course. He begun punchin'
them wind TANNERS back ag'in as If
ne had no more use for 'em. an 1t be-
gun to moderate.
We could hear the thunder dyin'
away in the northeast, kinder mutter-
in an cuttin', as If 1t didn't want tc
leave. The birds come back. an we
could hear 'em peepin' agin up on the
yardarms. Then it died out fat
calm, an even the birds begun to
quiet down till there wuz only one lee
tie euss left a-twitterln' on the end of
the jibboom. He give a tiny squeak
an wuZ gone.
Then the music pilot slowed away
his charts an went below. an that
part of the show wuZ over.
Bill an me saw the gospel man when
we wuz goin' out, an I asked him
what that tune wuz an where 1t hailed
from.
He said; Boys, that's one of the
grandest tunes man ever listened to,
an If there's any soul In him at all
that tune will find it. The name of it
is The Lost Chord"
See Bill: Il know hanged sight bet
ter. He fetched her through it an
never lost a rope yarn"
We walked down the street piece,
sayin' nothin'. but l wuz dom a big
thinkin'. That music had made queer
feelin' come over me, an fore | knowed
1t | wuz thinkin' of home an the old
folks. | remembered what my mother
said jest before l went off to sea-that
she wuz goin' to pray for me every
night an dad he laid his hand on my
shoulder an SEE. You've alters home
to come to- my boy, when you want
to, an I'll leave the shed window I'M
locked for you ev'ry night"
wuz thinkin' of all those things, an
finally | seq to Bill, I'm goin' home
to see the folksp' Bill coughed queer
like an SEE, Som l." An we went
Well. boys. | amt much on music.