Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01

ably, is seafaring likely" said to myself
aStutely. Then l marched up the neat shell path,
assembled the steps of the porch and caught sight of the
believer.
He standing upright, looking through the lattice,
and grlnnng the spectacle presented by the flying
grocers boy He was towering man, inches above six
feet though bowed at the shoulders Those shoulders
thought, must in the gone years have been close fit
going through any sort of door, Under his blue cap,
with glazed peak his head covered with of the
most wonderful hair of silver, looked massive. His
deeply scanned bronzed face full of humor and charac
ter, still positively handsome. His eyes, big and
blue and watery behind the gold trimmed spectacles,
had twinkle in them He looked at the outside, about
slx atyr
to myself regarding him. And so spoke to him upon
this presumption.
MAY see your father, sir?" said to him, perhaps
little timorously remembering that great believing
voice had heard He turned and studied me as stood
at the top of the steps, His idea could later,
to perceive whether meant to jest with him. Then
he threw back his great head and let out huge,
bling, roaring laugh which it delight to listen to.
It was big unctuous, happy spontaneous full of the
stood there and laughed with him like fool.
my fahe+ eh young mate? he broke broke out up
diving gear7 Tell me that! My father-ho, no! He's
been in Davy Joness locker these hundred years gone
Now, that might have sounded uncanny, eery, sort
Of had it not been uttered between Garganuan laughs
by this fine, bronzed, silver haired, wholesome old man.
1t dawned upon me at once, of course that he himself
was old manwhich, again, pretty bright of me,
considering that MS 1atner deep sea SKIPPER actually
had gone down with his last ship trife more than
hundred years before And this massive, wonderful
laughing old boy standing there by the porch with the
sunshine checkerng his scanned face through the lattice
work. had been nearly years old when his father
had gone to Davy Jones's locker hundred years
before!
But my installing him for his fathers pleased
him, of course He extended his huge, haInke hand,
and can feel the voltage of that grip yet.
"A noggin here, Sweetheart" he called out in his
great booming voice; and presently pretty young
matron in close fitting print housegown brought out
tray decanter of old rum glasses, hot water in
pitcher, and sugar. The pretty young matron,
found, the old boys great-granddaughter by his
third wife! He mixed two bountifu decoctions of rum
and hot water and sugar. and drank his off rapidly
nippy, eager day in mid spring. Then he filled big
bowled meerschaum pipe from box of excessively black
looking tobacco in box the table beside him.
lighted it, blew rings at the bars of sunshine
streaming through the lattice, and said he:
Turn to, m hearty! What sort of yarn is it you
want me to spin?"
You see he had only left off going up and down the
world in ships-his own ships always-at the age of
eighty; his deep talk natural to him the
wnking of his eyes, Seventy full years he had spent
away clnging to so frail thing chickencoop
in the tord Indian Ocean for four days before being
picked up; and the ports of the Seven Seas to him
as familiar any scroll unroled upon wall Now for
town of his nativty-and dull work he'd found it too
as he told me in his great, rumbling voice.
Crog and Smoking
TT seemed imbecile submit this happy bury giant
of hundred and seven the list of interrogatories
customarily tossed at centenarians. But pointed
foolish finger at his noggin.
How long have you been at this?" asked him.