Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-18
ASailor S Yam
b. F. A. Mitchell

!" NCy - Ooh 60
Amt"
They were at the Sailors Snug Har-
Dor. sitting on benches in the sun
Some of the younger oneS-young fel-
lows of seyenty-had imbibed modern
notions concerning apparitions- The
man who demurred. Bob Barclay. an
old tub some eighty-six years old.
was not minded to have the traditions
Of a lifetime thus. demolished
"Wh:t de y know about ghost
ships asked one Of the sunshine
bathefs.
'"What do know about ghost ships?
Vel. hist. mates, and Ill spin y yarn
about one. and when l get through l
don't want none o. y to say 'twan't no
sich thing. I'm goin, to ten y what |
seen With MY own two eyes.
s The OLD fellow was shfunken like
| bladder with the wind gone. out Of 1t,
and bis voice was husky asa cracked
bell But he believed the yarn he told,
as any one could see BIZ the earnestness
wHh which he told Il.
lit was this way. mates: I'd left the
tsea and had gone to live. with my
darter IN j seaport town on the south
Atlantic coast. The apple o. my eye
vas my grandfather. Molly Sewen.
as pretty a little craft as yesever see.
Most young .uns hafn't got no use for
old duffers. but Molly had q lot O. use
| for me. and there was nothin' she
wouldn't do for ME. The only thing l
could. do for her was to make fancy
| baskets for her. as Id learned to do
aboard ship. and spin yarns for her
about the sea. She'd Inherited love
| for d sailors life from me and a lot
! O. other granddads before me-we was
i all sailors =. and she couldn't get
enough yarns about sea life out O me
to satisfy her.
| Zone day soc her walkin' with a
! young sailor. Jack Barston. on the
| beach. and when she come In l said,
Molly. air ye goin' to sail in that
shipT
"'What ship, grandp'T she asked,
colorin She knew well enough what
l meant.
| ".The ship l saw skuddfn' before the
! wind on the beach this AFTERNOON.
"she jist dropped her hand down on
| my shoulder. put her arms around me
land didn't say nothin'.
at didn't make no, difference to me
! her hayfn' sweetheart. She was list
as lovin' to me as before. Barston
was as ane a young man as ever pull
ed rope. and none OF. as had any OBJ
Election to him. But he bad to save
some money to put gal he'd marry
into cot. and that would take him
| some time He made several voyages
l.after he got engaged to Molly. and
| every time he come back he'd doubled
This pile. At last he said he'd make
one more voyage and when he come
1 back from that he'd get married and
stay ashore. He'd have enough to
build his cot and buy him a good boat
for odd jobs by which he could make
| a liyin'.
"Arter he'd sailed away on this last
cruise on the President Adams Molly
came to. me for comfort. She allus
relied on me for that when her boy
went away. because I'd let her talk
about him and nothin' else. And she
says to .grandp',' says she. Somehow
| got an idee that Jack amt never
| comm back from this. voyage. | list
TUX her In my arms and tried to smoth-
err it ont of her. but I couldn't. But,
| grandp',, she went on. he promised
me that IL he lost his life by bein'
! wrecked or dyin' of fever or anything
like that he'd send me some token to
| let me know that he died thinking OF
| me-
/ Il disremeRber what year It was
that Jack was due. but it was in the
spring. Molly got letter from him
from Singapore figurin' out the date Of
the ships reachiR the home port with
! in a week. At the beginnin' o. that
week Molly was very naryous. She
never acted before about Jacks COM
! In home as she did this time. She KEEP
sayin': .Grandp', he won't come. know
he won't come The first day Of the
| week Jack allowed the ship would
! reach port passed. and the second and
/! SO on to the sixth. and no ship Adams.
ION the morning of the seventh and
last day thick fog was rollin' In
from the ocean. Molly and sat quiet
ly on a dune. I holdin' her hand to
keep up her courage. waitin' for the
fog to lift and hopin' the Adams would
be in the of1ng. AFTER awhile there
was a break in the mist. and then.
with all her sails filed. came ship
/ knew to onct was the Adams But
chill run over me. for knowed there
wasn't any wind.
"MoIly looked and clutched her bos-
ON with her hands. .-.'. ii. =.
| Then the fog slowly closed in on
! the ship. aud we couldn't see no more
of her. We waited. and knpwed If
she was real ship as soon as the fog
cleared away we'd see her ridin' at
! anchor IN the harbor. But when 1t
! cleared up she wasn't there. :-