The Republican journal., 1905-05-18
Captain Barrett's Promise.

When l asked Captain Barrett to
spend the day with me at farm l
owned in one of the suburbs of New
York, l had no presentiment that was
to become acquainted with an episode
that marked what might be called the
turning point in his life. The disclosure
came about because of my desire to
drive him from the railroad station to
my house. When he left the train and
saw my horse and buggy he shook his
head doubtfully, and said:
you'll excuse me, sir, but I'd sooner
walk. | don't have nothing to do with
hosses''
'This is a very gentle one," l ex-
planned, thinking that he might be
nervous, land Pm careful driver
Gentle OF skittish, l don't have
nothing to do with 'em," he replied.
''It's dusty mile and quarter to
the house." said in tones designed to
persuade, ''and the sun is hot"
'Pd prefer to walk all the same" was
his logged rejoinder.
AS rule, sailors like nothing better
than to drive behind horse. and l
knew, therefore, that Captain Barrett,
being an exception, must have some
good reason for his idiosyncrasy. So
without another word l walked my ami
NAL slowly along while the skipper
rolled and hobbled along beside the
buggy.
/ say that he rolled and hobbled be-
cause he had gait peculiarly his own,
and this was due to a pair of painfully
bowed legs that upheld with difficulty
a broad, thickset body. | know that
Captain Barrett was sensitive about
his legs, for at the sailors mission one
day | had seen him strike an impudent
young seaman because the latter jOcu-
larly remarked that the shippers legs
were built like pair of sister hooks,
which meant that they were nearly
doubled beneath him. If this deScrip-
ton was unseemly, no one could deny
that Captain Barrett was topheavy.
After we had travelled half the dis
tance he was obliged to call halt, to
recover his breath he explained, though
/ knew his means of locomotion had
given out tied the horse to nearby
tree and sat on bank at the roadside
with the skipper. He took nip from
my whisky flask, and shook his head
when l suggested that he trust the
horse for the rest of the journey.
NO" he said decidedly, 'I'll walk.
I'd be different man to-day if it hadn't
been for a boss. | amt afraid of 'em,
but He paused, and l knew by his
intonation that l had unwittingly up
rooted an old memory.
"You may not believe it," was the
way he opened, "but was once hand
some young Teller like yourself. Look
at me now."
Perhaps the unexpected compliment
disconnected me- but it was fully thirty
seconds before | realized that | had
been gazing straight into Captain Bar
rett's face. And what did l see? An
ancient mariner with rather sharp fea.
lures, grisly white beard and bright
little eyes set SO deep beneath buShy
brows that they were nearly hidden by
the brim of his rusty, black SLOUGH hat.
His loosely-hung clothes were of pilot
blue and the coatsleeves were turned
half way back to the elbows-a habit
not uncommon among sailormen. He
wasn't bad looking old man, if you
forgot his legs, and he might very we'll
have been a clean-cut, powerful young
chap, | was thinking, when he brought
me to my proper senses by hopping his
face with a gorgeous bandanna 'ker.
chief. | fancy | must have colored at
my unintentional rudeness, and Captain
Barrett did not add to my comfort when
he remarked
Yes, you can see amt much to look
at now, and it's all because of blamed
hos
| was at the point of assuring hin
that there was nothing odd about his
appearance, but the opportunity was
lost before | could frame the words.
IN the Civil war days" he said
hastily. Il used TO run the blockade be-
tween Nassau and Wilmington, and
amt TOO proud to say that there WASH
quartermaster in the business
than yours truly. had money in the
bank, a pretty gal ashore, and every
thing was lovely until | Joined the
plover. She was IA hardluck vessel from
the time she came out from Liverpool,
and While she never got captured there
was always something happening to
her.
Captain Barrett paused to cut some
tobacco and light his pipe. He always
smoked a short clay nose warmer,
black and most wonderfully strong,
and he had the supreme faculty of be-
ing able to talk without removing it
from his lips.
Il amt agoing to tell you about all
The accidents That ship had, he said,
while the smoke curled around his head !;
I'm only going to tell the facts of one
voyage We left Nassau loaded so
deep you could touch the water by lean
ing over the rail, and what we didn't
have aboard amt worth mentioning
1t was likely cargo said the skipper
and | would have agreed with him if it
hadn't bin for a boss we had on deck.
| had feeling that he would make
trouble, and | told the skipper SO be-
fore they hoisted the animal aboard.
Il don't want to carry him." says the
skipper, "but he's a present from my
owners for the COMMUNICATIVE chief,
General Lee, and I've got to obey
orders. Johnny he says, you feed
and take care of him and I'll see that
you get bonus for the job
''All right replies, not wanting to
let any opportunity go by, but l amt
a-going to be responsible if he kicks up
They said that boss was an Arab
charger, worth twice his weight in COT
ton, so | treated him as kind as knew,
though | wasn't cut out for a stable
boy. We had him padded stall abaft
the fo'c'sle, and there was plenty of
straw for him to stand on. He got hay
and oats three times a day, and he
wasn't SaaSick a hit tho,,oh at fret he