The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-09-12
SENTIMENT or THE SEA.

James 3. Connolly IN Earper's Magazins.
IT was a good breeze Of wind, We
picked up other proof OF IL next day.
Bill Johnson had slapped sail TO his
Fannie and gone to the eastward, ard
the skipper had decided to run for
Newport, and so we were on our way.
The middle Of the morning 1t was, a
fine day, and as we We're still hoping
for nSh the lookouts were aloft. Ezra
called on something and pointed. and
we all looked. 1t was part OF a drift
ing mast, the lower part broken Off
raggedly from n foot or two above the
saddle to the step.
And then we saw a dory, bottom up.
"a yellow dory," somebody said. "A
yellow dory," somebody else said. land
twas a white painted saddle to that
mast a while ago" Everybody repeated
that and then suddenly nobody seemed
to be saying any more about 1t. b
The skipper also put off to get the.
dory. 1t was some little trouble to right
the capsized dory from our dory gun
vale, but we did II after a while. A
part OF a sword had been driven
through her bottom, which happens
often and meant nothing: but there
was the name on her bow-Nokomis.
We took the dory aboard our vessel
and went on.
A. dory, too, could be washed off the
deck of a fishing vessel, SO hat didn't
prove anything, but the lower end OF
the mast and the OIL barrel with the
hole in the head-altogether Il didn't
look good. And then We picked up part
Of a BOBBY hatch and. close by, two
hatch covers And then Bill Identified
them as from of the Nokomis.
hShn'a hrORn nm Enn6hv NnlFnDnfo -
said u skipper, and Big Bill went
on to tell about John P%ettipaw. Easy
goin', nothln' worrit him. The finest
kind OF a chap" said Bill. "Mebbe he
didn't worry enough"
And then we picked up the water
melon. Everybody knew that Petit
paws cook. Bill said. was q great fell
ow to ship a few watermelons and al
ways kept O couple to cut on the pass
age home. And men don't throw wa
termelons overheard. This one must
have floated out of her hold, which
meant she had broken up; the mast,
the BOBBY hatch, the hatch covers and
now the melon. 1t was John who
spied the melon from aloft, but we
would have missed 1t only for Ezra
He made a flying leap into the dOry
towing astern, and leaning far enough
out to lay the dory on her side he
spread wide his hands and the melon
just naturally foated right over the
gunwale and into his arms and Ezra
Rugged 1t to his bosom.
Bill took the melon when 1t was
passed up over the rail and tested y
for s~oundness. "Only one little soft
spot" he announced, and without any
foolish delay got hts dressing knife and
cut 1t up. Poor old Nokomis. I Won
der where we be now," observed Bill.
and cautiously tasted the melon. mot
a touch o. salt" he declared, and cut
into 1t more deeply. Poor old Noko-
mis-, I'm sorry for yer" and handed
himself a fat slice. Three melancholy
bites Of that n he threw the rind
over the side: and he had another slice
and studied that rind, too, as 1t slowly
sank under u quarter. Well, his old
shipmates were gone, that was sure.
With his tongue he worked the juicy
shreds from the far corners Of HIS
mouth. He was staring cupboard. Why
be downcast2 He faced inboard. and
cast a side look at the watermelon. He
contemplated what was left of that, by
now a hollow shell. At last he spoke:
Poor Nokornisl But a. damn good
tastin' melon, warn't she pr"