The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-10-10
THE BOAT.
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By Zoe Anderson Norris.

THE boat had apparently dug
l 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 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 a parched and
dingy brown.
Sid, stretched his brawny length
upon the beach, blew clouds of smoke
about his face from the bowl of
giant pipe. Presently, prodding
down the ashes with hardened fore
finger, he spoke.
at was good boat" he said; "an'
now look at it,"
''How did it happen?" I 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"
WIFI ClldU He SI1Okeu.
''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
lin s far this island even, bringin'
their new-fangled notions an sp'ilin'
the scenery? There want no quieter
spot on Long Island than this spot
hnro f1un ,af1 fhaxy
come. All sanddunes an soft slopin'
beaches an reed-birds an snipes.
''Now 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 disfggered 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 civilizin' u.s." he
snorted. "Civilizin' us! Humph! All
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-" 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, guess"
''Well," I queried, finishing pro-
longed pause.
GAS I was bout to say when you
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
leerful, to run aground there with
boat, an never get loose ag'in.
Them city men knew it. So when
they see a lumber schooner comm
lazin' along, out they rushes with all
their Iife-boats, an yells to 'em,
For the love O. 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
off your lumber
Taking his pipe out of his mouth,
he spat enthusiastically.
"Of 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 wavin's of handker-
chiefs. Humph!"
"And what then?" said I.
''What then?" 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 good part o. them othcr
houses you see here an bout a-doin'
of exactly the same thing.
'They KEEP right on at that littlu
game O. theirn, too, till the lumber