Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-03-13


bonfire.
US. We saw the open sea and the
waves tumbling over the reef outside.
We saw the headlands and the bow of
the bay and the surf with its watching
seals and the curve of yellow sands.
We saw the sweep of coast and the
downs and the strange huts we had
built out Of Departed magniticence
And that was all. That constituted
our world.
IN the evening sometimes we lit a
big bonfire. sailor fashion, just at the
edge of the beach. There we sat at
ease and smoked our pipes in silence,
too tired to talk. Even Handy Solo
mons song was still. Outside the ctr
Gle Of light were mysterious things
strange wavings Of white hands, bend
ings Of figures, callings Of voices, rus
thing Of feet. We knew them for the
surf and the wind in the grasses, but
they were not the less mysterious for
that.
Logically Captain selover and I
should have passed most of our even
ings together. AS a matter of fact we
80 spent very few. Early In the dusk
the captain invariably rowed himself
out to his beloved schooner. What he
did there do not know. We could
see his light now in one part of her,
now In the other. The men claimed
he was scrubbing her teeth. "Old
Scrubs" they called him to his back,
never Captain Selover.
HE has to clean up after his own
feet, he's SO dirty" sagely proffered
Handy Solomon. And this was true.
The seaman's prophecy held good.
Seven weeks held us at that Internal
job-seyen weeks of solid, grinding
work. The worst of 1t was that we
We're kept at 1t so breathlessly, as
though our very existence were to de-
pend on the Aeadlang rush of our la-
Dor. And then we had fully half the
stores to put away again and the 9TH
er half to transport painfully over the
neck of land from the cove to the
beach.
So accustomed had become to the
routine in which we We're involved, so
habituated to anticipating the coming
day as exactly like the day that had
gone, that the completion of our Job
caught me quite by surprise. ] had
thrown myself down by the fire pre-
pared for the same old half hour of
drowsy nicotine, to be followed by
the accustomed heavy sleep aud the
usual early rising to toll. The evening
was warm. half closed my eyes.
Handy Solomon was coming In last.
Instead of dropping to his place he
straddled the fire. stretching his arms
over his head. He let them fall with
a sharp exhalation:
Lay aloft, lay aloft,' the Jolly bo's'n
cried
Blow high. blow low, what care we!
Look ahead. look astern, look a-wind-
ward, look a-lee.'
Down on the coast Of the high Bar
bare-e-e."
The effect was electrical. We all
sprang to our feet and fell to talking
at once. ~.
''By God. we're through!D cried Pull.
"I'd clean forgot it!'
hS uA5SSA pAiSu VA l1OlV MOOl.
We drew closer about the fire. All the
interests in life, SO long held in the
background, leaped forward. eager fol-
recognition. We spoke Of trivialities
almost for the first time since our land
Ing, fused into temporary but com.
plete good fellowship by the relief.
wonder how the old doctor is get.
ting on?' ventured Thraekles after
awhile.
"The devils preacher! I wonder?
cried Handy Solomon.
Lets make 'em GALA suggested
Pull.
"poA't believe they'd appreciate the
compliment" laughed. Better lei
them make first call. They're the
longer established" This was lost or
them, of course. But we all felt kindly
to one another that evening.
/ carried the glow of 1t with me over
until the next morning and was there
| fore somewhat dashed to meet Captain
Seloyer with clouded brows and an un
certain manner. He quite ignored my
greeting.
"Eagen.' be saueaked ''can yoy