The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-09-12
ser bringing the craft forward with such

the murky Mystic water; after had be-
slowed we'll forward the detachable cuffs
which Mr.. Barrett Wendell says no gen.
tleman ever wears, and had seized the
wheel with that weatherwise squirt
which Gloucester shippers use in Mr..
Buhler's pictures; after l had adjusted
three buttons of the spray guard which
had been neglected and had kicked a
little resting place for my feet in the
omnig atherum of the extreme bow
after these and other preparations, oc-
cupying about the time it takes to die
tate four typewriter pages, nothing at
all had happened, except that Baker,
we'll aft in the boat, seemed to be turning
wheels and saying things both under
and above his breath.
WHEN THE SKIPPER CRANKS UP
| looked fearsomely up the gangway
lest Fuller might come. Fuller, the
careful of speech, how shocked he would
be! Even to me it was revelation to
hear Baker curse so. He is at once the
when he is ashore. With him l had
we had padded a canoe on peaceful
plans for identifying the world and
standardizing humanity. Together we
had snowshoed through pine and hemlock
woods beautiful with pure green and the
infantile softness of the fresh-fallen
snow. Of science and art Baker has
profound convictions which wide circle
of friends and acquaintance admire and
respect. Yet here he was, at ten min
utes before nine. two hundred yards
above Cradock dam, swearing like ten
mis- player!
Bakers imagination, kindling faster
than his spark plug, was already work.
ing in the direction of the less usual
oaths when suddenly it was my turn to
say things. The Park Commission s
concrete bridge, which up to now stood
at a little distance upstream, appeared
to be about to topple upon US, and |
uttered an imprecation upon the folly
of erecting these wabbly structures.
1.-THE other way, old man. called out
Baker, with the serenity of one who has
sworn himself out. grasped the sltua-
ton and the wheel, and we were off in a
series of eccentric semicircles, due,
perhaps, to desultory study of the mas
tiers of the Ukiyo-ye abhorrent of the
straight line. Such steering resembles
skating, with its outward rolls. In
fascinating curves we thus were career
ing down the Mystic when | was brought
to earth almost literally-by Baker s
insistent demand for a whistle. His
words were hortatory, as when one says,
Thumbs up!' or writes "Send today"
or "Remit by return mail" For an
swer he received my feeble little whistle,
barely audible above the engines chug.
''No, no. The whistle hanging there
on string! Blow it three times
Into the gloom of the bows covered
part | reached forward and came back
with six inches of string. Just little
bit of string! With perhaps ill-timeo
righteousness | then called on Baker for
the rosin, letting him know that he had
evidently mistaken his instruments and
| that while | was tolerable performer,
wood wind or brass wind, | could hardly
be expected to qualifyias vioinist with
out the proper materials. Baker cut
short my levity by explaining CURLY:
That damned whistles loose again.
You'll find it there somewhere.
AS indeed | did, after | had paved
| through the most extraordinary assort-
ment of rubber, leather, wood, paper,
glass and wet goods ever slowed promis-
cuously into space fourteen inches by
eight Being just miffed enough nc
longer to be willing to display my must
cal talents, passed the dinky little tir
whistle back to Baker, who said nothing
but, like Childe Roland at the Dark
Tower, blew on it long and loud. Their
he blew again. And again. And ones
more And a final trio of blasts, looking
4 anODlectic