The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-09-22

ally LOudSCC WIN Jou ~ q JoSS
the way I am telling you. I don't
know if he was a German or an Eng
lishman. or he may have been Dutch,
for he couldn't talk, at least not that
I know Of"
AS usual there were several people
talking at once in the little fisher
mans cabin. but when Old Yvensen
began the others stopped to listen.
One of them showed himself along the
bench, saying. What is it, Ole?"
you might have listened, and you
would have known said Ole, "but
have you any tobacco"
He had. Ole got his tobacco and
filled his pipe. Then he began at the
beginning again.
1T was the dead man that washed
ashore here, what we call a beach
washer. 1t is a long time ago, thirty
years I should say, and at that time
there was Goldfish right outside here.
I was out in the boat with Jens Split
and fellow called Hans, VINO went to
America and was drowned there af-
terward. Jens and I were standing
aft and hauling at the nets, and Hans
was rowing. All at once the lines
frightened.
Now haul away I said.
"'She's heavy said Jens. What
the deuce is it,
Haul away 1 said, and you'll
and out
He pulled, and 1 got the trough
ready, for I thought it was a very
large fish.
look at him. said Jens, who
was pulling with all his might. I
turned my head, and there was first
the crook of an arm with a hand ris-
ing out of the water, then the breast
and a bit of the chin with a beard I'M
der it. Then the chin and the breast
went down again, for there was an
other hook that had caught the
breeches, and then a pair of boots
knocked against the side of the boat.
What became of him. said Jens,
who had loosed the lines.
Il told him to pull in again. but
carefully. Then the thing came up
for the second time, stiff and long,
standing almost straight up and down
in the water.
Let him 60 cried Hans from his
place.
Shall we let him go?' asked Jens,
who was still holding the line.
II looked at him and then I looked
at the boat. AID 1 said: After all. he
is a human being
\ well. we got him to the edge of
the boat and pulled him in. A great,
deal of water ran from him, and he
was a little hard to handle, rather
aabby in the back like a dead fish,
but we managed to prop him up in
the fore part of the boat with his face
turned to us.
"There he sat. The sun was low,
and it shone right into his face. While
we were pulling at the lines and every
once in awhile took a fish from the
hook, we could not help turning our
heads to look at him, sitting there
Will HIS ldCS LuTuSu Ou Us.
"Hans, who was rowing, got a
queer itching feeling in the back of
his head. He showed himself back
and forth and every little while he
looked forward over his shoulder.
"'Wha are you looking at, Hans?'
I asked.
Hans did not answer, but began
TO whistle.
IA fisherman doesn't whistle in
his boat I said.
"Jens said: 1T seems to me the fell
low over there is staring at us
Nonsense I said; how can a
dead mar stare?'
"a little later Jens again said that
the dead man was staring at US, and
Hans began to shuttle again. Then,
just as we had pulled in the last part
of the lines. Hans bent down and
grabbed a large starfish from the bot
tom of the boat. turned and slapped
it right in the face Of the beach
washer,
you shouldn't have done that,
Hans 1 said. .t
Perhaps not he said, but you
hadn't needed to take him on board.
Every time I have looked over my
shoulder l have seer him staring at
me, and it isn't a pleasant sensation
at all, especially not when you feel it
in the back Of your head
well at sunset W. got in to the
landing place. and there were people
standing there, and they cried to US:
What kind of a fellow have you got
there?'
"We didn't answer before we had
turned the boat. Then we jumped out
and pulled it in, and the others lent a
hand, for we always help each other
where there is no harbor. When we
had the keel upon the sand said to
those who were standing around:
Now you can see for yourselves
They all wanted to know, and old
Niel's cook asked if he had a watch
or anything like that.
I'VE never thought of that I said,
and tried to unbutton his jacket, but
the pilot-master told me that l must
not d.. that before the police or any,
way the customs collector had been
there.
al didn't suppose there was any
duty on such a one said Hans. lift
ing him a little. People began to
laugh, and that made Hans so frisky
that he began to do all kinds of mon
kew tricks with him.