Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-02-05
well, things went along that way

was a-pacin' the deck. Ye remember,
Black Jack was b~ow-legged. an | was
larfin' to myself, wonderin' how he'd
look swimmin' with them bow legs.
Ever see a bow-lcgged man swim?
Funniest thing yet. But Black Jack
was the bow-leggedest man We ever
see.
THAT idea stuck to me for n long
time. an whenever I'd think OF It,
night or day, I'd larf. | was Just
a-hankerin' to see Black Jack swim
with them bow legs o. his a-waggin'
behind.
"Onc night. in the middle watch. the
chap at the wheel wanted to be re-
lieved n few minutes, SC I went and
took the wheel while he went ford.
Black Jack was pacln' the poop slowly,
IT. bein' IA sultry night. Pretty o he
goes up to the weather rail and leans
agin It, kind o sleepy.
well. %fcllers. them legs o his never
looked so bowed as they did then.
could already fancy him kickin' them
out as he was swimmin'.
"The more ] thought, the stronger
that idea got. Thinks l to myself.
here's n man wot makes the world all
the worse for bcin' In It: why not give
him n boost into a better world?'
AN ! 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-leggGl man swim.
Say, you fellers don't know what "A
good larf Is till we see n bow-legged
man swim. I've seen 1t once"
Here Steve broke off his narrative
to chucltle over funny memories.
We'll" 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 sec him swim.
So ! steadics the helm pretty good, an
then kicks off my slippers, easy like,
SOS he couldn't hear.
An then | leaves the wheel, softly,
an creeps up to the weather rail, an
so help me-, there was Black Jack
~a-snoozin'! Yessir, slcepin' on his
watch. Him as would lam n poor fcl-
Ter from ford dead for dom that same
thing. Wo yer think o. that?
He was leanin' over pretty far, hold
in on to a awning stanchiOn. Wot yer
think ! did? Yc'd never guess.
"Thc canvas dvaw bucket wa layin'
on the skylight. an it looked so much
like n cork helmet ! couldn't help won
dcrin' how 1t would fit Black Jacks
p~ear-shaped head. SO ] sncakcd over
to the skylieht an cut off the rope.
"Then | tried 1t on my head, an IL
was jest n trinc too big. But, thinks
!, itll jest fit Black Jack. a tight fit,
too. SOS he couldn't get It off.
'I!ack to the weather rail | tip toes,
until | stands jest in back o Black
Jack. His head was jest in a daisy
position, SO | carefully raises the draw
bucket above it, an down | pumps 1t
Jest jammcd IT down tight to his
shoulders.
"Wcll, ~fellcrs, yc'd "A larfcd to see
the jump he made, like n chicken with
its head cut off, a tloppin' his arms like
they was wings. Yes. sir, jest like a
bloomin' chichcn."
The smile strucl, Stcve'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 for n minute
he continued. "'Forc he could do any
thing | ups with his heels AZ the
chap on the Nancy Bell would "a said,
an over he went, with the draw bucket
stuck fast an a-smothcrin' his
squeais."
The humOr Of the situation-ghastly
humOr, pcrhaps-HO struck all hands,
owing more TO Steye's manner than 10
his words. that all burst out into a
long guffaw. The idea of Black Jack
diving to his death with n draw bucket
over his head seemed rldiculously
funny.
"Wcll, fcllcrs" said Steve, after he
had wiped the tears from his eyes
| the ship vas goin' a bare three knots
an the moon was out. ! could see the
white foam spot where he went down
an aft ] runs to the log line an
watches.
"Will we believe me-but it's true
all Of a sudden ! sees That white caD.
a 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 of into peals Ol
merriment. Finally he was able to re
sumc.
"Wall hova icat luan.I nvar thf