The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1913-10-10
cHAPTER II.-contInued.


where's up the st. Lawrence where we
loaded lumber for the Gulf o. Mexico,
but the captain and me was away fish
ing. Mother had come from the Lab
rador to find me, old gray mother She
put on her round horn spectacles to
smile at the mate aft, and the second
mate forward, the Urinary seaman
painting In the name board, and Bill
In his bos'n's chair a-tarring down the
rigging, and the bumboat laundress
who'd been tearing the old mans
ehirt-fronts. She just sat happy at the
sight of the Pawnticket, and she sure
ly admired everything, from Old Glory
to Blue Peter-until our niger cook
came and spilled Stops oversize.
Seems he'd had news of the lady. and
came to grin but was back in his gal
ley, like a rabbit to his borrow, while
she marched up the gangway. Cant
abide dirt" says mother, and even the
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 a 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
a 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 tie dinghy, makes fast, and
climbs aboard. There's old gray moth
err 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 a light
for Captain Smiths cigar, and her
she'd be sent ashore.
well. ma'am," says the captain,
''sent your baggage aft? Oh, we'll
soon get your baggage aboard"
Then I>heard him on deck seeing
mothers dunnage into the spare berth
aft, and the nigger's turkey thrown
out on the wharf.
Sort Of - 49,
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 a good time; but would be
ashamed of having her with me at
sea?
Shamed? All the ways down to
Joe Beef's clear to Rimoush you'll
hear that yarn today, of how the old
sea custom of winning berth IN fair
fight was practiced by a 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 sea
palace, when we suddenly discovered
she only signed as cook.
Now we're asleep at eleven knots
on 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 l was chief officer instead of
masters dog.
Son." says she-queer, little, soft
chuckle, son. You'll never guess"
/ 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. boyT
He'd a hand Nike bear trap.
oernffhtS eOuaalad 0efv,fth 10