Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-09-12
\ APT. ELISHA HOPEWELL,

a All. ELISHA HUI w MILL, Oh
\ the brig Mary Ann, OF Salem,
had been repairing and repaint-
sng and making his craft ready for a
voyage to London and return. The
year was 1888, and boy and man he
had been sailing for over thirty years.
Although he had owned and COM
manded the Mary Ann for ten years,
abe was by no means a new craft
when he got her. In making repairs
De had found many signs Of weak
ness, 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 ar 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 jack
knife or heard that your brother was
deadT' quietly asked Nancy after
awhile.
"No." he answered. and followed the
word with sigh.
"Mebbe ye are comm down with
measles. Your mother says We never
had 'em as boy"
"Mebbe am" he gloomily replied.
Nancy waited for three minutes to
see Il he had an explanation, but as
hn iCly w
"Now look here. Elisha, know all
about 1t, and I've been sort o. spectin'
this thing would happen any time.
You've been overhaulin' the Mary Ann
and you've found she's growing old.
You've found out the same thing Of
yourself. and you've suddenly seen it
I'm me. 1t has struck you all in a
heap and you feel glum over it."
"Then. by Josh, you've hit itr' ex-
claimed 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 1t would be our last voy-
age"
"But how can it be. Nancy"
cit 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 ship chandlery, and we
own our own house and lot. No fear
but what wen come out all right
We must give up the sea to younger
bolks."
They talked 1t over for a couple Of
hours, and it was fully decided that
when the Mary Ann returned to Salem
her last voyage under Captain Hope
well would be ended. Perhaps an
astrologer might have warned them
that there would be no homecoming
for the brig which had borne them
safely over SO 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 the Mary Ann cost
of from the wharf there was q big
crowd at hand to cheer her departure
and wish her safe return. She head
ed out into the Atlantic On q sum-
mer's afternoon, and as the MaSsa-
chusetts shores faded behind them,
Captain Elisha said to Nancy:
by Josh. then, Nancy, but it seems
as IL a piece of that beef we had
fur breakfast had got stuck in my
thr Dat"
cts a sort O. weakness of our feel
ins', Elisha" she replied as she turned
away to wipe her eyes, "but I guess
we've decided for the BEST"
For thousand miles, headed to-
ward the rising sun, the Mary Ann
was driven as she had never been
driven before. There was q piping
breeze. and it scarcely varied point,
and q third of the run had been mark
Cd Off when there fell fiat calm.
It was noon when the wind died
out, and the man sent aloft reported
the ocean clear Of sail. AS shutdown
came the sea was like glass, and it
was the same state Of affairs at mi l.
The mate went off and the captain
caEle on and ne had been only on deck
half an hour when Nancy appeared. She
declared 1t to be too hot below to
"Sleep.
In a calm midocean at night there
are strange and uncanny sounds from
the hold Of ship as she lazily heaves
up on the ground swell. Boxes and
barrels down In the hold rub each
other, bulkheads creak and timbers
groan, and now and then there are
ahrin sQueaks from the fighting rats.
Men who sleep during a clam breathe
Stentoriously and sigh and groan now
and then, and the wakeful ones move
about uneasily and cast apprehensive
glances over the sea.
Nancy walked aimlessly about for a
while and then rested her arms on the
rail and gazed off into the darkness
and let her thoughts wander back