Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-04-24

men. of-wars in the harbor fire their
guns and deck out in flags, and every
body smiles and greets the European
and invites him to drink tea with
them. Kobie has no docks and all
cargo is transferred by lighters (or big
boatsl from ship to shore. Near
where our ship lay at anchor was an
American wsrship. She had been out
on that station several years, but now
was homeward bound. Her home.
bound pennant "a long, slim flag
was trailing out behind her. They
had a fine band on board, and the
evening before she turned her PROV to-
wards the Land OF the Free, they gave
a concert. 1t was about dusk when
the band began playing. The flagship
was several hundred yards from our
ship. There was no wind and the
music was grand. In front was Kobie,
its paper lanterns swinging from boat
and house. Around us were men-of-
wars from nearly all sea, going nations.
The sun had gone down in blaze of
red. l lay on the topgallant fore.
castle Of our ship. 1 had sailed nearly
10000 miles on the water since / left
Puget Sound. There were rumors
that our ship was going to Manila and
load for Boston, and then my chances
to get back to the Sound would be
doubled in that event. So as 1 lay
back and listened to the music COM
ing softly over the waters. I felt very
sad and homesick when the first few
bars OF the 4" Star Spangled Banner"
came trilling over the water. l tried
hard to control my feelings. A little
later the music of Payne's immortal
melody came rolling over the water.
1t sounded like some heartbroken
person was singing the words to the
music. 1t seemed to say:
"Mid pleasures and palaces, where ere may
Be 1t ever SO humble, there's no place like home
charm from the skies seems to hallow us there,
Which seek thro' the earth is eer met elsew here
Home, home,
Home sweet home,
Be 1t ever so humble there's no place like home.
l did not try to control my feelings,
but laid on the deck and cried like a
heart-broken baby, while the band was
playing the heart-thrilling strains.
When l dried my eyes a little, l
looked aft. There were the mates
and hardened old sailors, trying to
look severe, with tears rolling down
their tanned cheeks. We men are
but grovn.up children and sympathy
lays our hearts bare and sometimes
makes better men of us.
When our ship finished discharging
cargo at Kobie, charter was gotten
to load tea and curios for San Fran
cisco. The Captain came on board
one day after long stay ashore. He
came to me and said, "Well, young
man, I am going to take you back to
New York with me (my heart sank); /;
but am going to Frisco first" he
added with smile. A kinder, better
ship Captain than John Mullen never
sailed the seas. We loaded our cargo
and headed across the Pacific for
Frisco, which we reached in 3S days, q
quick passage. At San Francisco l
boarded the old steamship Idaho. On
the way up the Coast all the passen.
gers were sick, but I was exempt from
NAL de mer by this time. When l
arrived on the Sound the steamers
that seemed 80 large at one time were
little tubs and very slow.
Olympia had not changed much,
nor had its people. In the early
morning Tom Prather still went
oAOuuu Will HIS Wucci-UdIIOW duO
shovel and gathered all the stray cow
slips that had grown over night in
Olympia's classic streets; Charley
Grainger's billy-goat had lost one ear,
but still retained his appetite for tin.
cans, meal-saeks, or any old thing !;
some of the old-timers had scraped
the moss off from their house-tops,
and some had changed shirts old
Hotel de Bill still bad the same old
proprietor, and set the same bounti.
full table IS in the happy days OF yore.
Hoping that this sketch of my trip
around the world has proven interest
ing to the STANDARD readers, l am
yours truly, CLOVER BILL,
per Frank Mossman.
>O"
"HELLoW said Ascum to Littleton,
whom he met in the market. "After
something nicef"