The San Francisco call., 1907-06-02

and the captain ana l sftrlnS peace
fully on two stools near by.
bad tide this morning" he said. "Ses
that rip out there? You never saw e
such bay as this. Just like a woman
pretty as picturs and as moody and
treacherous as cat"
1t is we'll known to bay-farers that
such is the case No bay in the world
IS so beautffuEso unreliable and so
fascinating Today she smiles on you
open eyed-frank as child. Tomorrow
she throws a cloud over her sinister
harridan's face. but. singing like the
LoreIei, makes you dare her mood Just
the same.
out near the gate little purs Of fog
were gathering and slight wind was
blowing.
Coming back the captain said. I'VE
will have the fog. So I had better
show you things while we are on fair
sea"
We could not see the passengers now,
for the wide roof hid them from view.
but all the way across We could hear
the steady tramp OF the Office man
walking the decks to get In his meas
ure of exercise before he climbed his
stool for the day.
We are going to have fair weather
and no storms for while.- the wizard
said presently. See; the gulls are fly
ing low They never fly high except
in bad weather."
This was elew. so asked him for .
some tips on the tides and the seasons
and the language OF the bay.
What the Fish Tell
Such wonderland as the. "naturs
man lives in! Who but he could tell
winter by the herrings' coming. spring
by the sardines' passage and summer
in both her beginning and end by the
run of smelt and sea bass? The gentle
- -
season in the deep winter and that
oysters are edible when the name OF
the month contains an "r.~ Yet who
but the old seadog could tell seasons
by the fish that run. the condition Of
the sea outside the gate by their num-
Der and what currents are running by
the way the porpoises come in and go
out of the bay?
The language of the vessels is none
the less wonderful This / saw ON the
night trips. To tell a vessel by. her
lights, what Kind she is, to whom she
belongs, where she runs. how she is
headed and her speed by a few little
glinting lanterns on her bow and stern.
seemed to me almost sorcery.
On our return trip I heard some OF
the tragedies of the bay--the story of
a suicide or two. the cook who had
murdered a waiter and then jumped
overheard. only to be pulled out and
given over to the law, the recovery OF
bodies of people lost at sea and the
tale of shooting scrapes caused by too
much Sunday picnickfng.
This last was a topic that pleased
the captain. He dilated on the unruly
crowd. its makeup and the studies ie
furnished him.
It's not so hard to learn to read
people" he said They're all alike in
things, only they differ IN degrees
know respectable gentlemen who are
like the rowdy OF the picnic, only in a
less degree. Society ladies, some of
them, have inside machinery like the
Maggie who dances the 'cancan' on
the gangplank in the evening Only
they don't show 1T so openly, They
are trained"
oh said, do tell ME. about the
women
The captain threw up his hands, II
have been forty years at sea with men.
young lady. and I have learned them. T
could be eighty years at sea with
women, young lady. and I'd never know
them don't want TO. either. 1 never
was good at guessing riddles"
The bankers boat lacked the kaleido-e
scopic interest of the others. One char
acter only did find overly interesting
He was an old man. with face as
hard as the gold he handles. He wore
= shabby suit. but In his shirt front
shone diamond almost like a huge
lump of glass.
He was stopped and halting and had
hump on his back 1t wasn't a na-
ture-made hump. 1t was there because
the old miser, distrustfuI OF everything
and everybody. carries in a square box
all his papers. his jewels and his valu-
ables, strapped next to his poor old
body. His wife was with him, and I
could succeed where the captain failed
1t did not take an experienced eye to
read on her face hard lines of over
work and thrift. too ignorant and habit
ridden to spend what had been given
her in exchange for a wasted youth
and unfulflled middle age.
All day long we rode and watched
the crowds, heavy In morning and even
Ing and thin at night. Because OF that
day / could go aboard the ferry now
In state of somnolent stupidity. hear
the crowd walk and tell "instanter" the
run We were on Any one could This
Is one of the first lessons one learns.
The half-sprightly walk OF 7:40 could
not possibly be the dainty feminine
tread OF 1920 any more than the jaded
shuttle OF $3.50 could be the social tea
step of the 2 o'clock boat.
Now, do you see why you should re-
we're the man at the wheel? Do you
know what he Is. after all this?
Just try the experiment OF looking at
him when you go on board his boat to-
morrow morning You'll see then II he
doesn't know something besides run.
ming ferry