Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17


Although he had owned and commanded
MARY Ann" for ten years, 1t was
by no means a new craft when he got
Il. In making repairs he had found many
signs of weakness, and as he finished his
days work and started for home his knees
were stiff and his back ached He reached
his house to find his wife, Nancy, and
supper waiting for him, and as he took his
seat at the table he looked at her critically
and for the first time noticed that there
were gray hairs among the brown on her
head
elisha, have you lost your jackknife or
heard that your brother was dead?" quietly
asked Nancy after awhile.
mo" he answered and followed the
word with sigh
''Mebbe ye are comm down with measles.
Your mother says We never bad 'em as a
boy"
'Mebbe am," he gloomily replied.
Nancy waited for three minutes to see
if he had an explanation, but as none came
she briskiy said
Now look here. Elisha, know all about
it, and I've bin sort o. spectin' this thing
would happen any time. You've bin over
haulin' Mary Ann and you've found
out tho same thing of yourself and you've
suddenly seen it in me. 1t has struck
you all in a heap, and you feel glum over
it."
'Then by Josh you've hit it!' exclaimed
the captain, glad to have an opportunity
to talk it over.
wall, there amt no call to cry over
It," she continued. Ever since you got
this charter I've made up my mind that
It would be our last voyage"
"But how can 1t be, Nancy?"
'It won't be so hard. We are purity
well off fur common folks, Elisha. That
is we've got enough money to start you
in shin chandlery, and we own our own
house and lot. No fear but what We'll
come out all right. We must give up the
sea to younger folks"
They talked it over for a couple of hours
and 1t was fully decided that when
MARY Ann returned to Salem its list
voyage under Captain Hopewell would he
ended. Perhaps an astrologist might have
warned them that there would be no home
coming for the brig which had borne them
safely over many leagues of ocean, but
there was no reader of the future at hand.
1t got to be known over Salem that Captain
Hopewell was making his last voyage and
when Mary Ann" cast off from the
wharf there was big crowd at hand to
cheer its departure and wish it a safe re-
turn. 1t headed out into the. Atlantic on
summers afternoon and as the MAssa-
chusetts shores faded behind them Captain
Elisha said to Nancy:
by Josh, then, Nancy. but IT seems as
II a piece of that beef we had fur break
fast had got stuck in my throat"
Its a sort o. weakness of our feelin's
Elisha" she replied as she turned away
to wipe her eyes, but 1 guess we've de-
cided fur the best"
For a thousand leagues, headed toward
the rising SUM- Mary Ann" was driver
l-E.v haf.,U I1aarx
was a piping breeze and it scarcely varied
a point, and a third of the rua had beer
marked off when there fell a fat calm
II was noon when the wind died out anC
the man sent aloft reported the ocea;
clear of sail. AS sundown came the Sc.
was like glass and it was the same stat
of affairs at midnight when the watch wa
changed. The mate went off and the cap
tain came on and he had been only oi
deck half an hour when Nancy appeared
She declared 1t to be too hot below I
sleep In a calm in mid-ocean at nigh
there are strange and uncanny sound
from the hold of a ship as it lazily heave
up on the ground swell. Boxes and barrel
down in the hold rub each other, bulk
heads creak and timbers groan, and noN
and then there are shrill sQueaks froT
the fighting rats. Men who sleep during
calm breathe stentoriously and sigh an
groan now and then, and the wakeful one
move about uneasily and cast apprehensiv
glances over the sea.
Nancy walked aimlessly about for whi
and then rested her arms on the rail ar
gazed of into the darkness and let h
thoughts wander back home. She ha
been silent for a quarter of an hour whe
she gave a sudden start and bent her e;
70 listen. Captain Elisha happened
note her attitude, and he crossed over
her side and queried:
wall Nancy, dye think anybody W
steal the woodpile while we're gone on tn
trip?"
I'm listenin', Elisha" she replied,
Nd