Arizona republican., 1912-02-25
THE SENTIMENT OF THE SEA


 It was q good breeze of wind We
 picked up other proof of it next day
 Bill Johnson had slapped sail to his
 Fannie and gone to the eastward, and the skipper had decided to run for
 Newport, and so we were on our way The middle of the morning it was. a fine day, and as We were still shoping for fish. the lOOkouts were aloft Ezra
 called out something and pointed, and We all looked. IL was part of q
 drifting mast, the lower part broken
 off raggedly from a foot or two above
 the saddle to the step.
 l And then we saw a dory bottom up "A yellow dory," somebody said "A yellow dcry," somebody else said and
 twas white-painted saddle to that
 mast while ago" Everybody re- peated that. and then suddenly nobody seemed to be saving any more about it. The skipper also put off to get the dory. IL was some little trouble to right the capsized dOry from our dory gunwale, but we did it after d while 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 that didn't
 prove anything; but the lower end of
 the mast. and the oil barrel with the hole in the head-altogether it didn't look good. And then We picked up part of booby-hatch and. close by. two hatch-covers. And then Bill identified them as from off the Nokomis.
 she's broke up Good-by NOko- 1 mis-" said our skipper, and Big Bill 1 went on to tell about John Pettipaw 1 "Easy-goin'., nothin' worrit him. The finest kind of a chap" said Bill | "Mebbe he didn't worry enough"
 And then we picked up the water i melon. Everybody knew that Petit l paws cook Bill said, was a great | fellow to ship a few watermelons, and | always kept couple to cut on the passage home. And men don't throw watermelons overbOard This one must have floated out of her hold. which meant she had broken up; the mast, the booby-hatch. the hatch T. covers, and now the melon. It was II John who spied the melon from aloft, II but We would have missed it 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 floated right over the gunwale and into his arms. II and Ezra hugged it to his bosom.
 Bill took the melon when it was passed up over the rail and tested it for soundness. "Only one little soft spot" he announced, and without any 'oolish delay got his dressing knife and cut it up. Poor old Nokomis. wonder where ye be now observed Bill, and cautiously tasted the melon Not a touch O salt" he declared and ut into it more deeply. Poor old Nokomis, I'm sorry for yer" and !, handed himself a fat slice. Three bits of that and he threw { he rind over the side; and he had mother slice. and studied that rind, co, as it slowly sank under our quar- CT. Well, his old shipmates were ,one, that was sure. With his tongue e worked the juicy shreds from the ar corners of his mouth He was taring outboard. Why be downcast? Ie faced inboard. and cast side ook at the watermelon. He con- emplated what was left of that. by { ow a hollow shell. At last he spoke: Poor Nokomis But a damn good astin' melon. warn't she?"-James B. in Harpers Magazine for Iarch.