Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-12-05

The strange beliefs of those who go
down to sea in ships u don't know
as sailormcn on the lakes is given to
supersritions very much. Cos why?
They has hard work to do and wants
to enjoy themselves when they gets
ashore. I only knowed one case where
a skipper bothered about such things,
and that was old Ezra BoltOn-as |
sailed with on the steam freighter
Monteagle.
Some one got hold of the old man
and loaded him to the hatches with
queer ideas about stuff called theos
ophy, reincarnations and such junk,
and he became a regular convert to
the game, attending mestin's regular
whenever we lay in port. Well, one
trip to Buffalo we had a passenger
aboard, young fellow named Edgerton,
and the cap began on him with his
theories right away. Thisyer chap
seemed to like the dope, and 'peared
to make the skipper nuttier than ever
by encouragin' him. We was all fair
knocked out when the word was
passed that the old man ordered par
owned account of the brute bein' an
incarnation of Andrew Jackson.
Everybody thought it a big joke but
the mate, and he kicked when the cur
jumped on the cabin table at dinner
and grabbed a chunk of meat off his
plate. The mate made a bolt at him
and the captain rOared like bull, said
he ought to be ashamed of himself for
insulting animal that contained the
spirit of a great man. The mate al
lowed that he hadn't signed articles
to eat with dogs or pal with the spirit
of Jackson but the old man wouldn't
listen 10 him, and he left the cabin,
mad as blazes.
Young EdgcrtOa vas chucklin' TO
himself all the time. Then the skip
per calls all hands together and gives
'em a lecture on spirits and theosophy.
He tells how the world has been in
darkness all this while and is only
wakin' TO the true light and that for
all he knows, some of the crew has
lived in the past ages and used to be
pretty swell guys. Most of us thought
it slushy spiel, but there was others
said there might be somethin' in it,
and what with the arguments as came
on, there was cne scrap come up right
after another all the way to Buffalo.
when we tied up, we heard how
Edgerton was goin' to take a trip back
on the Monteagle, and had promised
the skipper to bring along a lady who
was one of the shining lights of the
theosophy bunch. Sure enough he
showed up with a might. pretty girl
in tow.
Capt Bolton ses he, allow me to
introduce Miss Maitland, a high priest
'ess OF the great belief
The old man bowed very polite,
but she stands lookin' at him kind of
wild; then all of a sudden throws both
arms around his neck and screams:
"' At last | have found my affinity
"'What does this mean" roars the
old man, taken all aback
al see it ALL ses young Edgerton.
She has known and loved you in
past life
Sure thing ses the priestess;
this here is my third time on earth
and twice we have loved each other
through the cycles of the ages
But, blast it, roars Bolton, I've
a wife and six kids in Chicago, miss!
Cruel man., ses she, to greet me
thus. What has the sordid present to
do with the ideal mystic past? I've
found you and now we'll never part
But the boat leaves tonight ses
Bolton.
Me, too ses the priestess. May
be you'll learn to appreciate my de-
votion durin the voyage.
The end of it was that we had two
passengers leavin' Buffalo. That girl
spent part of her time with Edgerton,
but she never missed a chance of
hanging on to the old mans arm,
whenever anyone was around to see,
and smilin' up in his face as if he was
the darlin' of her heart. 1t made him
feel more than uncomfortable to have
the crew pipin' him off and GRIMM,
but there was no help for it.
The first day out the mate reports
that Jim Adams, one of the deckhands
had it revealed to him in a dream that
he was the reincarnation of Admiral
Paul Jones. | see thisyer Edgerton
talkin on the quiet to Adams Just be-
fore we left port, but that wasn't any
of my business, so KEEP my mouth
shut
send Adams aft ses the old man.
FIX him up a berth and we'll have him
~eat in the cabin. It'll never be said
that the spirit of Paul Jones had to
.swab decks on any hooker commanded
by Ezra Bolton
THAT night Mick Flaherty was re-
ported as bein' possessed of the spirit
of William Shakespeare.
"Poets are bum lot says Bolton.
but for the principle of the thing. !
suppose he must be let double up with
Adams And back goes that shanty