News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-07-09

new boy heard not word else 'cept
the splash. For mother just escorted
that niger right through the galley
out at the other end, over the port
rail, and boosted him into the blue
harbor, for the first and only bath
he'd ever had. Then she took off her
horn spectacles, her old buckskin
gloves, and her bonnet, and sot to
cleaning galley which hadn't been
washed since the days of President
Lincoln. She hadn't time to listen to
the wet niger or the mate, and marry
man on board could get more than
yea or nay out of mother. She
cooked them supper too good to be
eaten and spoilt, then set the dishes
to rights, got the lamp a-shining, and
axed to be shown round the ship.
The cap'n and me comes back along
with the dinghy, makes fast, and
climbs aboard. There's old gray moth
er, with the horn specs, calm in her
own kitchen, just tellin' us to set right
down to supper. Cap'n lives aft, and
belongs up forrard, being ordinary
seaman, and less important aboard
than the old mans pig. Yet somehow
mother knew, feeding us both in the
galley, and standing by while we fed.
Never a word, but mother had light
for Captain Smiths cigar, and her
eyes looking hungry at me for fear
she'd be sent ashore.
"Well, maam," says the captain,
sent your baggage aft? Oh, We'll
soon get your baggage aboard"
Then l heard him on deck seeing
mothers damage into the srare berth
aft, and tho ni5gcr's turkey thrown
out On the wharf.
Sort OF strange to me remembering
mother, gaunt, bitter-hard, always in
the right, with lots to say. And here
was little mother sobbing her heart
out on the breast of my jersey. Just
the same mother changed. Said she
was fed up with the Labrador, coming
away to see the world, meet folks, and
have good time; but would I be
ashamed Of having her with me at
sea?'
Shamed? All the ways down to
Joe Beefs clear to Rimouski you'll
hear that yarn today, of how the old
sea custom of winning a berth in fair
fight was practiced by lady, aboard
of the Pawnticket.
You've heard of ships husbands,
but we'd the first ships mother. And
the way she crep' in was surely insidi-
GUS. Good word that. She's got to
be queen, and the schooner's a sea
palace, when we suddenly discovered
she only signed as cook.
Now we're asleep at eleven knots
on a beam wind, and Key West wide
on the starboard bow, the same being
in the second dog-watch when I'm in
vited aft. There's the old man setting
in the captains palace, there's mother
at the head Of the table sewing, and
she asks me to sit in the mates seat
as if I was chief officer instead of
masters dog.
Son." says she-queer, little, soft
chuckle, "son. You'll never guess"
I was sort of sulky at having riddles ,,
put.
Then the old man gets red to the
gills, giggling. He slaps hisself on
his fat knee and wriggles. Then he ;
up and kisses mother with a big !
smack right on the lips. ]
Cant guess?" says mother.
''I'm the old man." he giggles, she's |
the old woman" Then he reached out |
his paw. put her there, son!" says |
he; whats yer name, boy?"
He'd a hand like a bear trap. |
SMITH" squealed. Smith"
Fast" says he. Fill yourself a
goblet of that ERE sherry wine, with |
some sugar. Drink, you cub, to Cap
tain and Mrs. Smith. Now off with |
we, and pass the bottle forrard."
Next day, or next week, or maybe |
the Monday following, the ships got
headache, with the sky sitting down
on the mastheads, the sea like oil, the |
sheets Shaping the shadows on the I
deck, where the tar boils, and our feet |
is like overdone toast.
The sky's like copper edged with |
sheet lightning, then there's scud in ,
a hurry overhead, the horizon folding 1
in, and a funnel-shaped cloud to the |
southland wrapping up the sky. There's !
no air, and / noticed the pinnacle |
alight, so it must have been nigh dark i
under that funnel cloud. Just as it /
struck, some one called out "All |
aboard" and I heard the mate yell,
you mean, all overboardl"
Couldn't see much at first, as l was |
busy getting mother out of the /,
drowned cabin. When I'd passed a /,
halyard round her and the stump of |
the mizzen, I'd Just breathing time. |
The sea was flattened, white under |
black sky, and what was left of us !
was mostly blowing about.
Dad was just taking command again
OF what remained. No use shouting
either, SO he hung on and beckoned.
The masts oversize were battering
holes in us, until we cut adrift. Then
to the pumps, but that was sort of
ex oficio just to keep us warm. Work
ms warmer than waiting.
Being Undertaken we couldn't sink,
which was convenient. But, as mother
said, there wasn't any grub on the
roof, and we couldn't go downstairs.
For instance, We wanted a drink of