The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-12-02

SALTWATER
months pay in my pockets, and reach
ed Walloopala Island in less than thirty
days time."
"Twas a pleasant voyage at first, and
twas a jolly crew that was with, but
long before W Q reached Destruction
Reef we were having rough weather
and when we rounded to in the unchart-
ei seas we had neither sails nor rud-
der. The schooner soon went to pie es
in the shoals off Walloopala Island and
Twas washed upon the beach with a
lot of others in the same fix as myself
When came to looked around and
noticed that most Of crew that I'D
been travelling with were lying around
on the sand. A little way off noticed
q square case and when went to it and
opened it up found it was full of
New Bedford, SO l says to myself,
there's no use wastin' this good liquor
on those common drunks,an most of
'em Irish at that, so l made cache
and hid the rum away, for my own use.
put jug in my clothes and took q
swig every now and then to keep me
braced up and by the time the other
stiffs began to wake up had found q
good place to camp. So We set TO work
and built fire, aud rustled some stuff
to eat, but everyone was too sick to eat,
so we just lay around the fire and told
each other our tales of wee.
"Walloopa' a Island is queer place.
Sometimes when bird flies over your
head you think there is a balloon going
Ly, or if fly lights on you rather sud-
denly you think somebody has hit you
with brickbat, while the buzzing of a
mosquitoes wings sounds like ten thou
sand saw mills.
"As we lay there noticed that all
around us were a lot of little green
mounds, just for al the world like
graves. Of course, we knew no body
was buried there, but still it kind of got
on our nerves and we got to talking
about it, so during the afternoon made
several trips into the bush and took a
few swallows just to keep braced up,
and while got pretty we'll mellowed
up, all the rest OF the crew kept getting
shaker all the time. but they were a
gang of waterfront pikers and never
bought drink while was with them,
so proposed to look out for myself
from that time on"
| "Yez don't need to tell US tha'," jibes
in Hughey, "the first thing We know
yez will be after tellin' us: yer a: Yam.
kee."
| cit was matter of selfprotection,
resumed Jade, not in the least disturb.
ed by the interruption, "and you'll soon
see where my foresight saved my life.
"When night came on we built a bic
fire and lay huddled up around it, some
asleep and the others wishing the Y
could, but as far as was concerned |
was feeling pretty good, and soon roll.
ed over and went to sleep.
"Boom! boom! boom! sounded a big
bell somewhere close at hand. At the
first clap we were all on our feet; the
fire was out but there was moonlight
which made everything pretty plain
At the twelfth clap there was biz
sigh or yawn like an army had awaken
ed all at once and stretched itself
Then there was light, rustling sount
over in the direction of the little
mounds, and as we looked, E ach of then
few open, just like pair of cellar
doors, and right in the doorway sat
!, white specter with its arms stretched
out a-yawning. Atfirst thought wa'
} dreaming, and pinched myself to max,
: sure, but was awake all right and s,
were the other fellows for most of ZEN
J had their mouths open and their eye
sticking out foot, so just side step
ped over into the bush and poure,
7 down good, big drink, and then wa
all to the good as far as any ghosts wer
} concerned.
7 "'Hell, the graveyard yawp,' said
, and just as l said this h Q sspecter
t looked over and saw us standing there
they let out one unearthly yell an
sprang to their feet, and then they kick
8 ed off their winding sheets and as fin
bunch of rafting, cleaning bones a
1you would wish to see started for U
> on the run with their arms waving an
shouting with every jump. About th
Q tsecond jump, and was the only ma