The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-03-05
A SAILORS
! YARN
BY RMAND BELL.

i One bright moonlight night during
the fifties of the last century COM
pany of tars were lolling on the fore
castle when one of them, Jim Burns,
told the following yarn:
Mates, I've seen marvels on salt
water, but the biggest marvel ] ever
see was on land. I'd been left in a
hospital at Marseilles. and when ] got
well shipped in the brigantine North
ern Light, bound for New Orleans.
But | wasn't fated to git to that port.
| for we was driven ashore by SOU
easter and every soul lost except my
self Bein' washed overheard. ] hung
| on to a chicken coop that fioated by
me, was carried into the breakers and
throwed on sandy beach. Between
| seas | managed to crawl up beyond
| 'em, and somehow as soon as saw
| they couldn't sit me ag'in my strength
went out o me all Of a student, and |
didn't know nothin'. The last / re-
membered was a lot o. corpses of my
! mates rolIin' around In the breakers,
and they seemed TO be lookin' at me
enyious.
There was big change from this to
what saw when got back to myself
ag'in A gal with pair o blue eyes
was a-lookin' down into mine. She
had just poured some grog down my
throat from u bottle and was watchin
to see IL 1t would bring me out"
Bully said Tom Nye. II wouldn't
give a piece o. bareback for yarn
without gal in It."
There bein nothin' the matter with
me" continued the speaker. except
exhaustion, rose on my legs and.
havn' got my bearin's. axed the gal
where | was. She said ! was on the
coast o. South Carolina, not far from
Savannah. She p'inted to a house back
on the shore and said she lived there.
could come up there If l liked and
git some rest and somepin TO eat
1T was queer Iookin' house and
seemed to have been built long time
before. when there was Indians In the
neghborhood. cos there was loopholes
u. "
oncet. but was turrable run down.
concluded to 20 up there with the gal
IL only TO git rid of the rollin' corpses
| found what they call poor white
family occupyin' the premises-the
gals mother, one or two white chill
dren and a few niggers. They give
me some grub, and by this time II was
CROWN dark. and, havin been two
days and nights at the pumps, ! told
EN- Id like to turn in. The mother
and daughter did lot o whisperin'
together. and then the daughter went
off, come back with a key and told me
she'd show me to my room. AS soon
as she opened the door a shut.up smell
rome out that almost made me sick.
The furniture was the old fashion
kin tell you, but the curtains and the
canopy TO the big bed was all fallen
to pieces. There was fireplace big
enough to roast an OK in and arm
chairs that for comfort beat ham
mock all TO pieces. But | was too
well. now. mebhe them covers
wasn't musty. Ii hadn't been ready
TO drop off | wouldn't IA stayed under
em no time As 1t was. | was asleep
almost before | struck the bed.
I'm the middle of the night ! was
dreamin' of my mates rolin' around
in the breakers and woke up with a
start. What dye suppose ! saw? A
man comm in at the door. He held
candle to light the way. and it shined
right on to his face. and 1t was the
ugliest mug ever see in any country.
Why. Malay pirate was holy Joe
TO 1t. Wost OF all, the Teller clutched
knife as long as your arm.
He wasn't lookin at the bed at
fust His face was a-workin' as IL he
was powerful mad. But he come right
on and purity soon held up his candle
SO the light shined right on TO my face.
At the same moment ! jumped But
hadn't landed on the floor before the
light went out. and II was as dark as
the black hole o Calcutta. / expected
10 git that knife in my ribs. but !
didn't. Then listened 10 hear the
Teller move, hopin' he'd go out The
room was as still as burryin' ground
81 had no way o. strikin' light. for
when went TO bed | hadn't thort
about wakin' up in the night. | won
dered If | hadn't been sufferin' from
nightmare. Anyway | got back into
bed. my heart a-thumpin' and the
sweat standin' out on me. | lay
awake till day came and could see
all over the room. There was no signs
of any one except me hayin' been in il
durin the night. So turned over and
went TO sleep.
II walked about noon and went
"'where's that piratical chap that
come into my room last night? asked.
Law sakesr said the gal palm.
Did you see him?'
"'Reckon | did Who is hep
Hes ghost When this we're
was first settled a slave dealer
built this house and brought n young
wife here to live in it. One time when
be come home from Africa student he
found another man here. He killed |