The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-02-11


An l thinks O. the easy times wot
would come to the poor chaps ford
wot he had lambasted O every one
An | thinks O. when he smashed me,
too. But, most of all, wanted to see
a bow-iegged man swim.
Say, you fellers don't know what d
good larf is till ye see a bow-legged
man swim. I've seen it once"
Here Steve broke off his narrative
to chuckle over funny memories.
Well" he resumed. ''at larst
couldn't stand it no longer. There was
Black Jack a-leanin' over the rail an
there was me dyin' to see him swim.
So steadies the helm pretty good, an
then kicks off my slippers, easy like,
SOS he couldn't hear.
An then l leaves the wheel, softly,
an creeps up to the weather rail, an
so help me, there was Black Jack
a-snoozin'! Yessir, sleepin' on his
watch. Him as would lam a poor fell
Ter from ford dead for doin' that same
thing. Wot yer think O. that? =
He was leanin' over pretty far, hold
in on to awning stanchion. Wot yer
think | did? Ye'd never guess.
The canvas draw bucket was layin'
on the skylight. an it looked so much
like cork helmet | couldn't help Won
Cerin, how it would fit Black Jacks
Eear-shaped head. So | sneaked over
to the skylight an cut off the rope
Then | tried it on my head, an it
was jest trifie too big. But. thinks
|, it'll jest fit Black Jack, tight fit,
too. SOS he couldn't get it of.
Back to the weather rail l tip toes,
until | stands jest in back O. Black
Jack. His head was jest in a daisy
position, so 1 carefully raises the draw
bucket above it, an down l pumps it
jest damned it down tight to his
shoulders.
We'll. fellers. ye'd a larfed to see
the jump he made, like a chicken with
its head cut off. floppin' his arms like
bloomin' chicken"
The smile struck Steve's sense of
humOr so strongly that it was some
moments before he could continue.
Even some of his audience laughed
with him.
But that was only fer a minute"
he continued. Fore he could do any
thing | ups with his heels as the
chap on the Nancy Bell would "a said,
an over he went. with the draw bucket
stuck fast an a-smotherin' his
squea:s."
The humor of the situation-ghastly
hUmor. perhaps-so struck all hands,
owing more to Steve's manner than to
his words. that all burst out into a
long guffaw. The idea of Black Jack
diving to his death with draw bucket
over his head seemed ridiculousiy
funny.
Well. fellers" said Steve. after he
had wiped the tears from his own eyes,
the ship was gOin' bare three knots,
an the moon was out. l could see the
white foam spot where he went down,
an aft l runs to the log line an
watches.
will ye believe me-but it's true.
all of sudden l sees that white can
vas draw bucket pop up with his two
arms a-wavin' on each side O it. An
there was them bow legs O. his a-wag-
gin behind, like crabs nippers. Oh,
say, fellers-"
Again Steve went Off into peals of
merriment. Finally he was able to re-
sumo.
We'll, boys, l Jest leaned over the
rail an larfed fit to bust myself. The
way he was tryin' to holler through
that draw bucket an couldn't would
"a given ye fits if ye'd "a heard the
way he was a-rippin up inside.
Il kinder reckon the cuss words he
was lettin' out weighed the bucket
down an them, with the iron band,
sent him nose down. Larst l see was
his two bow legs a-kickin' up in the
air, an then / went back to the wheel
when the chap came back to re-
lieye me didn't say nothin, but pretty
soon the third mate misses Black Jack,
an as he couldn't find him he goes an
calls the skipper.
hS VI udu SOiucS vi uech, ana we
squares in our yards an sails back over
our course, burnin' blue lights an
shOutin', an l was shoutin' louder AN
any of 'em, but you bet they didn't see
no signs of Black Jack with his head
in draw bucket.
Say, fellers, wot We suppose old Nick
said when he saw Black Jack comm
with that draw bucket over his head?
Blessed if l wouldn't been willin' to
stand the high temperatoor for few
minutes jest to see what happened"
The idea seemed so humorous to
Happy Steve that the story ended in
a long, loud laugh, interpolated with
humorous comments on an imaginary
conversation between his Satanic mai
esty and Black Jack, with the draw
bucket presenting difficulties in the
way of mutual recognition.
Happy Steve often referred to the
murder he had committed, and each
time he sprinkled his story with hearty
laughter.
When We arrived in Australia Happy
Steve cleared out for the Swan River
gold diggings. Later, we heard that