The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-08

NNoPy "iiSHl' 1910, ny ftlcdru Sp1llane.)
i" HOUSANDS of mothers worry them
selves sick when their boys go
into the world in search of ad-
venture. They imagine all sorts of dread
ful things happening to the youngsters.
They picture them i'll and suffering, pow
erty stricken and forlorn, strangers among
strange people and, despite everything
that is said to reassure them, the cam
not be comforted.
1t is natural for a boy to seek new
fields and mix with new people as for the
pollen TO plants to be carried by vagrant
winds away from the parent stems. The
trouble with most mothers is that they
never realize their boys have grown up.
They have no resourcefulness of youth
or how much a little roughng serves to
make real men of their sons.
This story is written to illustrate how
boy wild as a March hare and intoer-
ant of home discipline gets his fill of
experience and is the better for it. This
one roamed the sea and land and had
his share of hardship. Now only SO
years old, he is a prosperous New Y ork
merchant, head of business as foreign
to anything he dreamed in his early
days as the moon is from the stars. That,
too. is natural, for the lad whose ardent
ambition is to be an Indian fighter, a
cowboy, a pirate or a robber bold not
infrequently develops into a pulpiteer, a
captain of industry or a man of sub
stance and quality.
Everything set down in this story is
true except the name of the principal
character. 1t is at his request that his
real name is not disclosed. Therefore he
will be called Jean Marian.
st. John, New Brunswick, is Marian s
home town. He is of French descent.
He went to school and TO a small col
lege. Half a dozen times he was threat
ened with expulsion. When finally he
was graduated his father, who was a
lumber merchant, called him into his
Office and asked him what he intended
to do Most New Brunswickers love the
sea Marian said he wanted to go to sea
This displeased his father but the boy,
headstrong and untamed, would have his
way. Young Marian met Captain Hat
field commander of the old British bark
Eva Lynch and told him he would like
to take "A trip with him.
'Bahr said the captain. you're no
good You'd be of no use to me. Your
hands are soft. You can't do anything"
The boy said he was willing to ship be-
fore the mast. The captain agreed to
take him at $50 month, and Marian
signed as the ordinary seaman for three
years service.
The Eva Lynch sailed for St John,
lumber laden, LOT BuenOS <ASleS. 'ohe
had a motley crew. There were couple
of Indians, Dutchman, two French
Nova Scotians, a vagabond Scotchman and
two negroes in the lot. The first night
out it began to blow and the second
mate sent the boy aloft to assist III
trimming sail He made horrible botch
of it, and the second mate got In such
q temper that when Marian came oack
on deck the mate cursed him roundly.
The boy answered impertinently and tLen
the mate gave him licking such as
Marian never had received before in his
life That mate was holy terror. lie
took delight in hiding that boy.
The Eva Lynch met lot of heavy
weather. She had all the lumber be-
low decks she could carry and a big
deck load besides She was blown out OF
her course many times and the scant
crew had to work night and day Many
times that boy sank exhausted on the
deck load of lumber ami slept, being too
exhausted to go TO his bunk in the fore
castle. After ths Eva Lynch had been
out 60 days her supply of food began
to run low. The mea were put on short
allowance, Marian had almost to fight
with the negroes and Indians for his share
of grub
The bark had been out 70 days when
at last she reached the river Plate and
anchored off Buenos Ayres.
II was Christmas. 1t was bright and