The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1902-10-09
J THE BOAT:
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By Zoe Anderson, Norris.


i grave in the sand and buried it.
self there. The hull was partly sub.
merged. The mast reared itself
diagonally 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
were turning slowly to parched and
dingy brown.
Sid, stretched his brawnyi length
upon the beach, blew clouds of smoke
about his face from the bowl of a
giant pipe. Presently, prodding
down the ashes with hardened fore
finger, he spoke.
ct was a good boat" he said; IAN
now look at It'll"
How did it happen?" asked and
scrubbed jagged letters in the sand,
waiting for an answer.
cts long story" he commenced,
taking his time-Sid always takes
his time-''an' all about them fool
city, folk
With that he smoked. s
why can't they let quiet beach
alone?" he demanded by. and by, his
blue eyes flashing in the sunburn of
his face. 'Why must they come med
tins far this island even, bringin'
their new-fangled notions an sp'ilin.
the scenery? There want no quieter
spot ION Long Island than this spot
here two years or SO before they
come. All sand-dunes an soft slopin'
beaches an reedrbirds an snipes.
''Npw look round you an see how
different it is. They've done scared
away every thingL the reed-birds an
snipes an all. They've. dug up the
clamssand frightened away the fishes,
an disfggered the slope g. the beach
withsthem ropes O. theirn, an buoys
an things for their bathin.'". =.
Hespuffed hard and Indignantly
"Aii' they call it civilizin' U.S. he
snorfed. "Civilizin' us! Humph! AL
I've got to say is we didn't want none
O. their civilizin'. We was, better off
without it before they come, them
city folk"
After 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 -
''Will you tell me-. I put in. inter-
rupting, why they call il Oak is
land, Sid?" s.'ts
4 dunno" said he, "a anless it's be-
cause there Amt no oak in 100 mile or
SO from here. That's II. 4 guess"
''Well," queried, finishing a pro-
.As I was bout to say when you
interrupted me," he went, on,e tssthe
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's never get ! loose ag'in.
Them city men knew it. So when
they see lumber schooner comm
lain along, out they rushes with all
their life-boats, an yells to 'em,
For the love % heaven, be keerful
there or. you'll run aground!' Then
the, captain gets wild-eyed, an yells
back, Lord! What must we do?
An, the city men cries to 'em, Throw
offssyour lumber
Taking his pipe out Of his mouth,
hesspat enthusiastically.
'sOf course he continued, '.off 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, wayin's of handker,
chiefs. Humph!''
sssAnd what then?" said I.
ssWhat then?' he repeated
.'Nothin'. Only the tide rollin' uI
amin, rolls the lumber long with it
an, them there city men .haulin' il
ashore built that there hotel standin
there blottin' of the beauty o. thu
4 beach, an a good part o. them othe,
houses you see here an bout a-1oin
Of exactly the same thing. y
They KEEP right on at that 1ittl,
game q theirn, too, till the lumber