Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-19
CHAPTER XIV.
The Generosity OF CAPTAIN Sears.


to the dock was a ceremony, and such a
one as would be unlikely to be born out Of
the hearts of any folk except Cape Cod
ders. Without planning prearrange-
ment, rejoicing at the good luck of the old
man at their head, they fell into a strange
lantern and torchIit procession and tramped
through the deep sand of the narrow road
toward Provincetown. Soon some one of
them began a Gospel Hymn" Churches
languish on the Cape, sbut the Moody and
Sankey songs go on forever Whether it
was through chance, or perhaps because in
the confused mind of the woman who
started the singing there was appro-
priateness in it. no one knew, but the song
first started was THE Prodigal Child
The dre-scarred hulk of the Lydia S1ol-
field had been lied up after the menhadener
had cast off the towing lines at one of
those great decaying wharves which now
show so melancholy at the Cape's chief
ports. There had been days when many
hundred sailors had homed there but the
memories Of those times now seem like
legends. The days when the rotting pier
which was the goal for the struggling little
band which followed in the captains wake
had been as busy as any on this coast or
any other had long passed by, and this
night the men with the lanterns tiptoed on
it cautiously.
The light of many lanterns showed the
floating ruin of The ship beyond the rough
and broken platform. The shouts which had
risen from the crowd were subdued.
The investigators declared that the dock
was quite too shaky to risk much weight
upon it, and so the captains arm chair
was deposited for the time in the midst of
chattering, good-natured group upon the
solid earth, full thirty feet away from the
dismantled ship he loved so well.
VITO nd %
board the Lydia and make a preliminary
survey and investigation.
1t was after Capt. Sears and Parton had
succeeded with the assistance of much
shouted advice from the onlookers in get
ting an improvised gangplank securely
fixed so that it bridged the three or four
feet of water between the ship and the pier,
and rested on portion of the vessels rail
that was not too badly burned to make it
firm support, that he yielded to the
American impulse to make a speech.
He had been greatly impressed by the ex-
hlbiton of popular delight over Capt. Bur-
gees good fortune. 1t had angered him a
little even, for he did not understand it, but
his slow wits were quick enough to tell him
that this he must not show. People had
jeered him, and he knew that he was I'M
popular This had long worried him.
Inc remark that dock lounger had
made Just as the Susy had begun the voy-
age which ended when she lowed the
Lydia in had CALLED him deeply. The man
had called out cheerfuly:
Bun wage Cap. Hope ye'll have good
duck this trip Praps you'll run acrost
another hoatin' co pSe-thiS time one that's
Ieft a rich widder-that can payv'
Ipere was an especial reason why he sor-
roWed over this trend of public thought al
this particular time. A government COM
mission was to be appointed to study Cane
COO S sand dunes. One native was to grace
Its councils at a salary of 5000 for the ses-
sion OF six months. Capt. Sears was begin
n1ns to get old, and life on the menhaden
steamer was most lahOriOns Ha Wi bad
to be that native.
He had thought much of this the while
the recent voyage was in progress. And
after he picked up the LYDIA a great
thought came to him. He looked the mel
archoly derelict over with some care and
decided that she was almost worthless
salvage for her rescue would be divided,
according to the law in such cases, among
MS entire crew Of she was declared to be
worth anything at alb, and he would get
but little, he reflected. at the best. 1t oc-
Cured to him that therein lay his oppor-
tunity 10 redeem his damaged reputation
for generosity and general decency The
other members of the crew were certain
10 consent The loss could not be great
foT the derelict of the Lydia was scarcely
worth. he estimated. the coal it cost to
tow her In.
Thus where all the people were gathered.
thinking OF nothing but the wreck and of
no one but the captain. was the time and
there the place to spring" it.
Capt Burgee,'' he said leaning against
wharf post and trying to make his face
take on an expression as near as possible
10 geniality, there's somethin' that | want
10 say, an I'm a-goin to say it. This here
fndin' of your ship a-driftin' round gives
me jest the chance that I've ben Iookn'
for They is them here on the Cane that's
spoke an thunk hard of me in times gone
past, because of things l may have done
They was especial bad feelin' over the fact
that asst the wilder Briscoe for the usual
fee for pickin' up her husbands co'pse.
Now think il over 1 see that | was wrong
to ask pay for the ffndin of Ned Briscoe
dead, when he was worthless Twin I'm
sorry that l done It, Now what / want to
say is this: There is times and there amt
times for askin' salvage. 1 thought that
the time when l found Briscoe a-bobbin'
round out there like a cork loose from a
boys fish line was the time to do it, l
know that now when I've found your ship
a-foatin' is the time not to do IT,
Now, you folks know as well as 1 do
what claims for salvage me an my men
might make ag'inst this ship an whatever
may be left in her. Well, we amt goin' to
make no claim! That's all there is to that.
An me an my men-we're all consid' able
glad to say so. Amt we, boys?'
The three members of his crew were pres
ent. and they manifested their approval of
what he said in three awkward, shame
faced ways-although it is probable that
their generous sincerity was at least as
great as was his own. The other people on
the dock, amazed at this from the penuri
Gus Sears. were at first quite speeches.,
it were. literally yanked out of them by
their surprise. 1t rose in spasms
Captain Sears. flushed by this spectacu-
lar success. went on
After we had picked her up and while
We was a-comin' into port we talked this
matter over. And. in order that there
couldn't be no mistake at all about it,
made out a paper, We signed it and we
was glad to sign it. 1t transfers our claims
TO you. an don't reckon that you are
a-goin' to sue yourself for salvage. If you'll
jest step forard here little Mis- Burgee.
III hand the paper to you. I've got 1t right
here in my pocket"
Mrs. Burgee stepped forward and Captain
Sears did hand her the paper She took II
TO her husband. All she could say was,
THANK We, Captain Sears; thank YETI But
the fist that stole up to his eyes trembling,
a moment later, testified there was much
more which he thought but could not say.
Captain Sears unquestionably had the
people with him now. If he had stopped
there. he might have won back that popu-
iarity which had passed with the Briscoe
corpse salvage incident. But he continued
saying:
And now, Teller citizens i hope there
amt none here as thinks hard o. ME no
more. An L hope that when my claims
is properly presented to tn gov'ment
there amt none as will oppose my gittin
on tn cape commission
Ia H. u.