davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

parts the tide has a clutch; the water
gripped the boat and drew her out-swift
and sly as a thief's hand Soon the grip
was fact; had the young strength-that
now spent itself in guiding, to escape
wreck on the Pancake-been turned to fiat
vain. But to the childrens sight the sea
was fair-so they were swept on, sing
ing:
"Lookit!" Ezekiel exclaimed, pointing
to the shore. He was scared to whisper.
'Tis Bob," 10 said. "Hark!''
Bob, frowsy old dog with the name OF
a fish-thief, was in the shadow of
flake, bowling and madly paving the
shingle.
'Tis the sign O. death!' 10 gripped
the gunwale.
The dog howled for the third time; then
he skunk off down the road with his clog
between his legs.
Josiah Butts-'tis he, sure!" Ezekiel
exclaimed.
'Iss; it's Josiah. He've handy T. five
yards too much t the spread O. his
mainsl."
"'Tis Uncle Job Luff, BY 10 said
knowingly. Il heered un curse God last
even.'
Ezekiel started What did un say,
b'y?" he insinuated.
stop. 'Hughl'' he went on, eunningly.
Think O all the cursin' you ever heer-
ed
''NoaH' Ezekiel said, quickly. ''sure 'tis
sin t think o. cursin'"
10 grinned. Then, sadly. he said: !" 'Tis
Uncle Job-iss, sure. Poor Aunt 'Melia
Ann!'
Ezekiel unused. "I low It's Uncle job" /"
he agreed at last. ''He've a rotten pad
die to his punt"
10 spread the SAIL stretched himself in
the stern, with his feet on the gunwales
and lazy hand on the sc0ll oar, and
began to sing.
The sun was dropping swiftly, putting
himself up In his precipitate descent to
the ragged black clouds that were mount
ing the sky, taking on deepening, glow
ing crimson, the color of fame in dense
smoke. The woolly clouds In the east
We're flushed pink, mottled like a salmon's
bely-a borrowed glory that, anon, fed
leaving a melancholy tint behind Soon
the whole heaven from the crest Of the
black hills, far in the unknown inland,
to the black horizon in the mysterious
expanse beyond the Graphing Hook fish
ing grounds, was aglow; splashes of pink
and gray and blue, thin streaks of pale
green, heaps of smoky black and of gold,
glowing, and of purple and violets and
fiery red. The coast high and rugged.
Win q iOW lHie Vi AIObhy WnlCes ana q
crest of stunted spruce sloping to the
edge of the precipice, was changed from
dull green and duller gray to blood-red
and purple and black; but this glorious
mantle was soon lifted In the white line
there was one black space the harbor
mouth, whence the tickle led to the basin;
and that space was like rat hole On
either side, from the tip of Mad Null to
the limit of vision in the south, the
coast rocks were like wall, sheer, mas
sive, scowling, with here and there at
the base. great shattered masses, over
which the sea frothed. The boat was
headed for the sun; it was slipping over
gentle lop in light wind. '.Rede me a
riddle said Ezekiel.
The demand startled 10. The great de-
scending night oppressed him; and he had
been thinking of the tide, now a cold,
frowning mystery. He eased the sheet and
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26
BY NORMAN DUNCAN
Author of
1.-THE Way of the Sea"
4-an u44 49,

"HE enviable achievement in his
sight was a gunwale load snatched
n from a loppy sea. He had never
heard of pirate or a clown or motor
man From the beginning he was COM
mitted to the toll of the sea; for he was
a Newfoundlander of the upper shore
the child of a gray solemn waste place;
@ land of artificial graVeyardS. The lean
rocks to which the cottages of Ragged
Harbor cling like barnacles lie, thin,
jagged strip, between a wilderness OF
scraWny shrubs and the seas fretful eX-
panse. 1t chanced that 10 was the issue
of Springtime arrangement-Such as the
gulls make-which happily had endured
to the coming of a paTson of passage four
years later He had been brought forth
like the young of the seal and the white
bear, and he was nurtured into hardy
childheod-into brown, 1.-the, quick
strength-no more for love than for the
labor of his hands. Obviously then he
was committed to the toll of the sea.
This was disclosed to him-this and
the seas enmity-while he was yet in a
pinafore of hard-tack sac1xing, months
distant from his heritage of old homespun
clothes.
Il low 1 cotches moare fish n Job
Luf when 1 grows up" he boasted to
Sammy Arnold, who had fished out of
Ragged Harbor for sixty years, and was
then past his labor. Il low l salts un
better, too"
Sammy chuckled.
~I Iow," the child pursued steadily, 'I
cotches moare'n you done, Uncle
Sammy"
Hut by!" the old man cried in
rage They be moare quintals t. my
name on ManueIs books n they ben
they be-folk in the-the warld!
They were on Lookout Head, waiting
for the fleet to beat in from a thickening
night; from this vantage Uncle Sammy
swept his staff over the land, north to
south, to comprehend the whole world.
''Iss? said Jo doubtfuIly. 1t was past
his understanding; so he crept to the
edge of the cliff to watch the black waves
roll ponderously out of the mist and shat
ter and froth over the lower rocks.
The say do be hungry for lives this
eVen," Uncle Sammy sighed
For me?' the boy screamed. "Iss un?''
He shrank from the abyss quivering
He do be hungry this day.
10 STROBE forward, as in wrath; then
boldly he faced the sea, boarding it with
clinched hands and dilated nostrils
Tis good for un." Uncle Sammy
laughed
The say woan't cotch mey the boy
cried. Il woan't let un cotch mel.
He've. not cotched me-" Sammy said
serenely. He peered seaward; and for
him 1t was as though the mist were the
dust of past years.
Il woan't let un cotch mel" the boy
cried again. He stumbled, in blind
fright, to Uncle Sammy, and took his
hand. II woantr' he sobbed. Il
woant. I woan't!'
1t was the Mystery! Skipper 10.
bly,, the old man whispered, you be one
o. they poor folk that can't 'bide the
say. Little Skipper" he said, crooking
his arm about the lads waist, never
care. Iss, sure-you be one O. they the
say cotches-like you fawther-iss, sure
Thereafter 10 knew the sea for his
enemy.
Thence, to his tenth year. when all
things We're suddenly revealed, he won
dered concerning many things; and chief
among his perplexities was this: Where
did the tide go? Where did the waters
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

scanned the sea ahead The sea was fiat;
there was no hill to be seen. He sighed,
and said in distracted way:
AS 1 went up t London Bridge
i met me brother Jan;
I cut off his head an sucked his blood
An let his body stan.
'tJewberry," said Ezekiel with lack of In
terest.
''Uh-huh.' said Je Then, bethinking
himself: "Oh!"
AS I went up t. London Bridge
1 saw mighty wonder.
Twenty pots a-bilin'
An no fire under.
1t was a new riddle in Ragged Harbor!
"Who guve it you, b'y?' Ezekiel cried.
Granny Sevior," said 10. "Iss, sure;
when 1 took her some trouts. She do say
she heered un when she were maid. It's
a brook bubblin.''
Ezekiel marveled.
From the body of the fog that lurked
behind Mad Null, there damned in its
course from the north, thick gray mass
overf1owed and settled to the surface of
the sea. A cloud, high lying, attenuated.
impenetrable. rounded the point and crept
seaward with the deviated current of the
wind its outmoSt parts Swerving to the
SOUTH advancing slowly, implacably.
"They be mar a hill t. the say, by"
Ezekiel said, impatiently. He glanced
apprehensively shOreWard.
1t had come to 10 that the abode of the
tide was hidden of design-an infinite, ter
rible mystery. In the consciousness of
presumption he quaked; but he gripped
the Scull oar tighter and held the boat on
her course for the sun.
'"They be mar hill tween here an the
sum-" Ezekiel planted.
They were sailing over the Graphing
Hook grounds; and, as far as sight car
ried, the graying sea was fat.
"Usll goa hoame, now, Jo," Ezekiel
pleaded. Twill be barbarous hard t find
the goats In the dark"
"They do be hill further out" said
10. Keep lookout, by
A rift in the clouds disclosed the sun as
it sank-as it went out like a candle in
sudden draft. The arm of fog closed In
on the boat; the shoreward cloud crept
past the harbor and reached for Guil's
Nest Point, a mile to the south, the last
distinguishable landmark. The boys were
silent for a long time. Ezekiel watched
a whale at play to leeward; he wondered
concerning his fate if it should mistake
the punt for it's young. as had happened
to Uncle Sammy Arnold long ago, when
there were more whales. and they were
much, much bigger as Uncle Sammy had
said. 10 was sunk in the bitterness OF
realizing failure; he saw nothing but
surface of water that was fat-fiat as the
splitting table.
"'Tis past the turn o. the tide said 10
at last, like a man giving up hope.
"Iss, sure!'' said Ezekiel, blithely ''Usn
come about"
"Usll come about" said 10.
The theory had failed. 10 headed the
boat for shore. He shaped the course by
Gulls Nest Point, measuring the shore
from its fading outline to the probable To-
cation of the harbor; then he noted the di-
rection of the wind. feeling it with his
ear. his cheek. and the tip of his nose;
fixing it. thus in his mind. When he
looked at Gulls Nst Point again the
black mass had vanished.
Job Luff do say said Ezekiel, that
the It'd bides in hoal in the say
'tNoa!'' said 10, sharply.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26


and requested that the bartender put
it away for him until he returned. The
bartender carelessly placed it in the
rear of his cash drawer. The "Yegg'
was arrested on suspicion as he left
the saloon. The following morning
when the proprietor arrived and was
checking up receipts, he noticed the
bottle in the cash drawer and on learn
Ing who left IL suspected what it was
Calling a tramp who was a frequenter
of the place, a harmless sort of chap
the proprietor handed him the bottle
and told him to take it to the lake and
throw 1T in 1t was a particularly cold
morning and the tramp being thinly
clad and not relishing the walk to the
lake, which was about a mile distant;
when he got about block from the
saloon, he threw the bottle against the
side wall of building in the course
of construction. The explosion was
terrific and tore a very large hole in
the new wall. In fact almost wrecked
the building. When the tramp re-
turned to the saloon and the proprie-
tor asked him if he threw the bottle
into the lake, he replied that he had
not, because there was an earthquake
In one of the streets he passed through.
In another instance "Yeggman'
had been apprehended in Arkansas had
concealed on his person large vial of
nitroglycerin, which the police found.
At the preliminary hearing the ''Yeggs'
attorney had not been made wise by
his client that the vial contained an ex-
plosive, but simply had been told that
the liquid in the vial was an eye wash.
In his eloquent address to the magis-
trate for the prompt discharge of his
client he suddenly grabbed the vial
from the table, shook it vigorously in
the face of the judge, declaring it sim
ply an eye-wash, was about to slam it
on the counsel table, when the 'FYegg'
grabbed his arm, halted him and said
he would waive further hearing rather
than have the eye-water slammed on
the table.
They Stand Together
We have found the apprehension and
conviction of these 'Yeggmen" most
difficult because of their method of
operating. They rarely, if ever, per-
init anyone to see them in the vicinity
of or at a place where they commit q
crime, thereby preventing identity and
making their connection with the
crime difficult There is considerable
brotherhood or loyalty among them.
They are always ready with a willing
hand to contribute to the defense of one
of their number In trouble, or to aid
in breaking him out Of jail, although
they sometimes do not know the party
except by reputation.
Not a few of them who have been
successful in attacking banks and not
been apprehended are reported to have
given up burglary work and settled
down in large cities in business for
which they are best fitted. In the
many cases they engage in keeping
liquor saloons, dance halls, lodging or
eating houses, and their resorts be-
come a rendezvous of "Yeggmen" who
have not been so fortunate or success
full in their work. I know of an in
stance of a. "Yegg" burglar, who was
married and had family sentenced to
a seven year term. Another "Yegg-
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

north The dusk was thick and clammy.
The sound of the surf had risen to a
deep, harsh growl.
Be you feared o. help
.Noa," said 10. Lads dean'ts goa t.
hell
Momentarily Ezekiel thought himself
In the company of the damned. He look
ed in new fright at the water, through
which, his experience had taught him.
most men found their exit from life.
- Tis a sin, he cried IT say it!''
Sure, O such be the kingdom O.
heaven" said Jo, in continued serenity.
maintaining his position with the word
of the Book.
"Iss, sure!" Ezekiel was comforted.
The breakers seemed very near. 10
peered long into the tumultuous darkness
ahead. Soon they could hear the hiss Of
broken waves. 10 freed the sheet and
sprang for the mast. They furled the
sail and slowed the mast 10 took his
place in the shute; he propelled the boat
by the scull Then Ezekiers sight did
not reach seven oarlengths from the
bow.
You be not goain' t. hell, Ezekiel Sc
Wort" Jo exclaimed, lifting his voice
above the sound of the surf. "Doan't
worry me-
The boat was advancing slowly, for the
strength in the oar was slight. They
were secure for the time, and they were
not unused to the predicament; but at
such other times the oar had been in
lalger hands, the lookout kept by more
discerning eyes. They thought the har-
Dor tickle was ahead, perchance some
fathomS to the south or to the north.
The wind had confused them utterly;
the breakers were not the breakers of
the Pillar and the Staff, but Of the Rocks
of the Three Poor Sisters But they were
not perturbed, so they fell again into
thought and long silence; and for 10
thought was the old, disquieting wonder.
Ezekiel JOS voice was husky, SOL
enn; it had the thrill of triumph in it,
"Iss, by? Does you see the shoare?"
Ezekiel" 10 was exultant, like an in
vestigator who beholds in wonder the
beautiful issue of his research.
"Iss?''
10 swung from side to side on the oar
with a vigor stimulated by his exultation.
II knows-iss, sure, said he.
Where the tickle be? Does you?''
t'Where the tide goas.''
Where do un goa?' Ezekiel asked in
mournful disappointment
10 pointed to the wash in the bottom OF
the boat as it slipped from stem to stern
with the risen lop. Now the waters COW
cred the boys feet and gurgled and Missed
under the stern seat; now they swirled
to Ezekfels boots sweeping along a chip
and spare thole-pin
. ''Tis like the tide-'tis like uns." 10
whispered.
AYE, by, sure" said Ezekiel.
II found un out meself.' 10 went on,
solemnly II en- tell Job Luff now. He
thought un were a hoale.'' 10 laughed
softly, t'Tis noa hoale. 'Tis noa hill.
'Tis like that
Ezekiel watched the water ebb and
flow. 10 watched the water ebb and
flow. Both were in the grip of mystery
of the great solution which had been
yielded to them of all the world
When tits ebb in Ragged Harbor."
said 10, tits the flood in-in other
pairts.,'
The discovery had fascinated their at
tention. Lookout and headway were for
gotten
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

Tea" Hanged June 10, 1903. Clarkes-
vile, Ark, for Murder of a Sheriff
Who Attempted to Arrest Him for
Bank Burglary.
give them nights lodging in the
town calaboose. The real intention of
the band was to rob the postoffice.
When en- route to the lookup and near
The postoffiee, they grabbed the mar
shal, tied his hands behind his back
and took him into the building with
them, where they forced him into a.
canvas mail> sack, tying the mouth of
the sack tight around his neck and
standing him in one corner while they
operated on the safe. After obtaining
it's contents, one of the ''Yeggs" jocu-
larry remarked that he did not see how
the marshal could be shipped without
postage and began plaStering him with
postage stamps of different denomina-
tions.. Then they tumbled the marshal
over on the floor, where he was found
the following morning in preearious
condition.
Handling NitrogIycerin
On one occasion a 'Yeggman' in one
of our large cities, who intended going
out on burglary expedition, but who,
on account of the weather conditions,
decided late at night to abandon the
work, dropped into a well known tramp
saloon where he was at times Gus
toner, and handed the bartender a
bottle filed with white liquid, which
the "Yegg'' explained was medicine,
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26


man." member of his tribe, immedi-
ately TOOK possession of his home and
supported 1t. While No. was engaged
at burglary work he was arrested and
sent to prison for long term A third
member OF the tribe then began where
the second left off, in the support of the
first members family, continuing SO
untll the nrst member was released
with considerable larger family TO
support than when he began serving his
sentence.
Displaying Nerve
There have been some exceptional in.
stances wherein the "Yegg' displayed
grit and nerve. In one escapade a fight
ensued between town watchman and
band who were about to rob bank,
when a number Of shots were exchang-
ed, resulting in the death of the night
watchman and-escape of the "Yeggs,'
two of whom were shot, bullet en-
tering the back of one and the hand OF
the other. They all hid in barn two
miles from the scene Of the shooting
and one of the band removed a bullet
from the back of another with pen
knife. This "Yegg" after arrest was
suspected of having a bullet in the
shoulder and told a police official if he
thought he could find it there to have
a surgeon cut him open and make a
search for it. There was a partly heal
ed wound which the surgeon examined,
and before using the knife spoke of
administering drug or using the
X-ray. This the 'fYegg" would not
listen TO, but told the surgeon to go ON
with his operation without the drug or
light, which he did, without, Of cource,
discovering the bullet, but during the
entire operation the "Yegg," who stood
with folded arms, never WINGED. When
the bullet was not found the "Yegg''
asked the police If they were satisfied
and remarked they would some day.
find out how and where the bullet was
removed, which would help to convict
him. all of which did occur.
Another time after an exchange of
shots between a band of "Yeggmen"
and posse a "Yegg'' leader was cap
tured and carried wounded to the jail.
To induce him to give up his associates,
a coat was riddled with bullets and
covered with blood, which was shown
him. He was informed one of his pals
was badly wounded and dying in the
hospital, that he had confessed and was
now unconscious. Members of the posse
told the leader they had decided to give
him a chance. He looked at them Gu
riouSly for time and then remarked,
You'd better give the dying man the
chance, he needs it; no confession for
mine.''
They frequently carry away wound
ed associates, shot in conflict with Off
GERS or a posse and care for them until
they recover. The last request of George
Collins, "Yegg," who murdered one Of
our detectives in this state, just be-
fore he went to the scaffold to be
hanged was that a band be engaged to
play 1.-The Wearing of the Green as
he passed in" as he put 1T.
Altogether they are a lawless, MUIR
derous class, and the sooner, steps are
taken to entirely exterminate them by
making the penalty for their crimes
most severe, the better it will be for
the community at large.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

Nally has been inundated with re-
quests for details to receptions at rsle
homes of wealthy residents in his pre-
cfnct, particularly along the Riverside
drive and West end avenue section
Short is clean-shaven, handsome
looking man, Of fine figure and excel
lent manners. Capt. Nally, on Mon
day and again Tuesday, detailed him
to attend weddings in the precinct,
supposing that he would follow the
precedent, don his uniform and go
there thus accredited; but Short, hav-
ing recently bought an evening dress
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

Course In BreadmaEIng In Public Schools
mo properly raised American woman
should have the least dread Of q bakers
strike such as we are having up Boston
way" said l.. NJ. Waters. OF that city.
The making Of bread ought TO be part
of a girls education nowadays, just as It
was in the early days of this country. L
believe that the home bread that our
fathers ate contributed to their viriiity
and nerve 1t was the sure enough thing.
the real essence of wheat before the
patent processes came along and made the
strength gone from it. But, anyway, it
is foolish for any girl to grow up in ig-
norance Of the breadmaking process. My
belief Is that the girls of the land ought
to be made to take a compulsory course
in the schools that would give them the
knowledge Of it. Washington Post.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

rible, pungent odor' which resulted from
the combination Of exploding nitro
glycerin and the firproofng material
between the steel plates. There were
strong traces of this odor when the ex-
pert arrived, and he believes that inn
mediately following the explosion and
probably for several hours later it must
have been impossible to work in it or
near it. The fireproofing Of the Dover
vault is a mixture of fire clay and
hornblende, such as Is often used in
government buildings. and more Of
which Mr.. Taylor now intends to use.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26

suit, donned it and reported at the
station house ready for the society
duty. Sergeant Gallagher almost faint
ed with surprise
When he appeared at the homes of
those requesting police protection they
looked at him with surprise until he
would pull out his shield and satisfy
them that he was "one of the finest"
He could find no place to pin his shield,
and as the book of drawing room eth
les do not permit badges Of that sort
displayed on dress-suit fronts he would
return it to his pocket.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-26
F. THE CHASE OF THE TIDE ===5= {
Copyright by
MCCLURE, PHILLIPS
& co.

=
Where, b'y?" said Ezekiel
PA fridge Pint 10 answered, read
fly. What you sees from the Lookout in
a fine time.''
1T do be too handy; it
"Twillingate, then, I low" said 10.
Where Manuel's trader comes from. 'TiS
furthern any place"
Ezekiel turned to resume the lookout.
10 gloated in a long, low chuckle.
Port! Keep un off, The ring Of terror
was in the scream. Port Port!''
Aye, by firmly spoken.
Ezekiel rose in the bow and raised his
hands as though to push the boat back
from a danger.
Port. Port!''
AYE, by
The rock of the Third Poor Sister took
black, towering from in the mist, before
and overhead. The punt paused on the
crest of a declivfty of rushing water. The
white depths were like an abyss; she was
like man clinging to a fringe of a prec-
ipice. 1t was time for the strength Of
men; in that swift pause the strength Of
girls arms was as no strength.
The sea- We cotched uS!" 10 muttered.
''The sea-he'Ve cotched usi''
The wave ran on its course, broke with
slow might, fell with crash and long,
thick hiss.
Ezekiel sank to the seat and covered
his eyes with his hands. but 10 dropped
the oar, and bearded the rock and the
wave as he had done in the days when he
wore pinafore of hard-tack sacking, and
he clinched his hands, and his nostrilSl
quivered.
The sea-he've cotched me-" he said
again; and it was like a quiet admission
of defeat at the hands Of a long-fought
enemy,
The returning body of water slipped like
oil under the boat; il fastened its grip at
the turn, lifted the boat lost it, caught it
again, swept it with full force onward and
downward.
"Motheri''
Ezekiel had forgotten his God. He cried
for his mother. who was real and nearer.
God had been to him like frowning shape
in the mist.
How shall we interpret? Where is the
poet who shall now sing the seas song Of
triumph? Who shall ascribe glory to her
for this deed? Thus, In truth, she bears
herself in the dark corners Of the earth.
These children had followed the lure OF
her mystery. which is, to the people OF
bleak coasts like the variable light in
false eyes like a fair finger beckoning IL
was though the sea had smiled at their
coming and had said to the mist and the
wind. Gather them In If there be glory
to the sea. 1t was glory of hidden mercy;
indeed. isolation and toll are things to
escape.