The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1904-02-12

l nardSnlpS Win jolly Smlle, WnAe Has
shipmates looked black and swore.
Steve could swear, too, but ne did 1t
in such humorous way that the foul
words On his lips lost their worst sig
niicance. Even when he had a growl
with tho captain it usually ended with
the captains laughing and granting
the demand.
Usually an optimist is not favorite
in q ships forecastle, but Steve could
! give everything such humorous turn
that his shipmates would laugh in
spite Of themselves. During the second
dog watch he kept the men in contin-
uous roar of laughter with his tales
Of past exploits.
We had passed the doldrums and
were we'll down into the southeast
trades, where the steady breeze made
1t seldom necessary to pull rope or
to touch a sail. In that respect 1t was
almost like steamboating. Our dog
watches were never disturbed, and
every mans artistic ability as story
teller was in. full demand.
One evening the conversation turned
to hard-case Yankee packets, of ships
where men take and give blows with
! deadly intent Each man told of the
buckle mates he had known, and as al
most every one had. known Dick
Hardy, or Black Jack, he and his mys-
FERROUS fate became the principal SUBJ
| ject for discussion. il.
HE was bad 'un." commented
! Kanaka Joe; blessed If he weren't.
I've known hard-case mates, but most
of 'em was on the square in a fight.
Black Jack weren't; he was mucker;
he'd hit a man when he was down.
"You bet" agreed another man;
| "drownin' was too good fer him. He
should a been hamstrung first, then
hung by his arms in the main chains
an then billed in pot O tar
Here each man gave his idea Of q
| fitting end for Black Jack, and some
were quite ingenious. That is, all did
so except Happy Steve. He only
laughed immediately as each ,man
presented his method.
Come, Steve" said Kanaka Joe,
"how would you have him cooked?'
Steve laughed uproariously. while his
mates grinned in anticipation of par
ticularly funny account of an imaginary
death for Black Jack. But SteveS
| laughter increased; his face was rtd
with suppressed merriment.
Come, Steve" said cockuey sailor,
r;~ ;<f'1 20 i0Eo.
don't be a-keepin' it all to yerse!f.'
"Why, We blessed galoots." chOrtled
Steve at last, Il could tell We story of
Black Jack as would make yer eyes
water Here you chaps is talkin' OF
Black Jack, with me here as could tell
ye more about him than any man liv-
in" And Steve shook with keen ap-
probation of the humor of it.
well, why don't you tell u.s." sug-
gested the cockney.
| spasms, 'seein' as how am with a
crowd as can appreciate the funny side
of good story, am goin' to oblige We.
Eye see, fellers, I was bos'n's mate
of the Southern Cross the trip Black
Jack crOaked."
"Well, I be hanged" calculated sew
eral of the men together.
Steve chuckled at the establishment
in their faces
"You bet," he continued, IAN am
the boy as can tell ye few things
about that trip.
eve left Liverpool for Frisco with
general cargo an crowd O green
cockneys aboard as didn't know the
spanker boom from marlin spike.
Naturally, Black Jack piled into 'em
before we got clear of Ushant light
/ an the scuppers was red with blood
night an day.
"Well, about five days out we struck
a bit of nasty weather, an one night
upper topsail Black Jack was up
there in the bunt lookin' arter the job.
+ 1T so happened as I was next to
him, but he didn'+ know it was me.
Well. something happened to rifle him,
and first thing l knew he landed on
NY Jaw Ill AcdI1y SSul uc uOWA OAA
deck. Fancy him takin' me for a blast
ed lmejuicer.
Steve stopped for a moment to thor
oughly enjoy Black Jacks mistake.
"Well,' he continued, when his
laughter had subsidized, when we got
down told him as how he had hit me
by mistake. But, blast me, he didn't
see the joke.
"'Good for ye,' SEE he.
"Well, naturally, that kind O riled
me, bein' taken for bloomin' green
horn, an I told Black Jack right then
as how I'd fix him in Frisco. Upon
which he fetches ME an upper cut that
sends me down to leeward into the
scuppers.
"Well, things went along that way
until we got down into the trades, an
one night funny idea struck me as
was a-pacin' the deck. We remember,
Black Jack was bow-legged, an was
larfin' to myself, wonderin' how he'd
a.