The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-12-12

his. trade. Every inch of wall space
maintained mounted specimen or a
picture. There were drawings, some
crude, some clever, some beyond the
( criticism of our limited acquaintance
with the art that had inspired them.
Marine views and curiosities and for
eign gatherings predominated, as be-
fitted the habitation Of one who had
many times sailed over. the globe.
My boyish eye rejoiced in this free
/ exhibition. He talked to me of his
Treasures as he basked in the sun by
his little window or stopped forward
into the circle Of light from his lamp.
q Whether twining the frame of a hum
ming bird or cleaving the head of q
deer, he was the essence of skill and
confidence. Once I remarked that he
should have been surgeon. and an
odd smile was his answer. His father
had been Of that mind.
/ He made no intimates. Though not
exactly repellant in manner he clever
4 ly confined would-be intruders to strict
est business relations. Why, then,
should a mere lad not feel elated on
receiving his confidence? With me
4 he was unconstrained; with others
he was distressingly monOsyllabic.
We sailed together every charted sea
at home. l assumed the functions
Of steward, sparing him disliked trips
to the stores. l shared his meals,
then learned to cook them. And we
enjoyed our Bohemian life and our
intimacy. I'D.
There was the inevitable fly in the
ointment Although practical Cath
Ollie 1.-THE sincerity of his. religion was
attested, in one way, by the blurred
tattoo marks on his body that had
once, he informed me, been ribald
pictures) he had more than once been
seen coming from a certain Methodist
church after its services. The pastor
was notorious for religious bigotry. /
! sometimes tried to gain courage to
J demonstrate, but I feared to offend
him.
i One dull November day, when the
sullen gusts of an on-shore storm
whipped the soggy leaves through the
|
, shivering tree branches, paused out,
side his steaming windows to trace
his form as he bent forward into the
circle Of light to trim a tiny squirrel
hide.
What cheer, what cheer, mate@
he growled as entered, in exagger
ated form of sea greeting.
"Frightful weather, isn't it," / land
, 1ubberly replied, as / shook the water
from coat and hat. He went on touch
ing the skin with the arsenic solu
,, tion.
"Ive seen a calm, hot day that was
worse-on raft in midocean," was
his unsympathetic rejoinder.
1 shifted in derision.
ooh, that's different! You know
there are not many worse days thar
e this"
Just a day to appreciate the inside
MORE was the cheerful response
How would you like to stock the
galley for me tonight?"
with an oyster stew and some cuts
+ of blue fish fried in corn meal?"
ventured.
That's the ticket! And you might
manage to scoop UP some duff" And
he handed me the money.
fought my way through the storm
to the corner grocery and for "duff" =
dessert for a sweet toothed boy
picked out jar of honey, to spread
over the biscuits I decided to bake
pickles, crackers and celery. Back in
: the kitchen--he called it the ''.fo'cas
tle"-I lit the ships lamp" swinging
over the tiny table, then the fire in
the little cook stove.
This o'castle,' his particular pride
was trim and wholesome as man
o'war's locker. The low lamp flooded
, "a. good circle in warm light, but per
niitted shade to the murky corners
Etenanted by his creepy collection. His
bunk was swung to the ceiling
through which he had cut port hole
! for a first and last glimpse of the
weather. Blowing the smoke out
, through it, he told me, reminded him
/, Eof days on certain ships when this
, was the only way smoking was per
, United between decks.
BY constant practise on patient
, subject had gained. a fair mastery
: of the art of cooking, and the neal
. prepared that bleak night was tooth
! some. He fingered long over the
"duff,'' making up for past taciturnity
! ate and listened.
RI Eating is sociable pastime," he
J. admitted at length, but it requires
!. good company. And there's no com
pany sitting opposite a fellow better
! than his wife,
Fl 1t seemed to have slipped out be
' fore he was aware of it, and he sought
to hide his embarrassment by swal
/ lowing a cup Of scalding tea.
/ laughed.
How do you know that?% demand
1 led skeptically. The plunge made him
kept on recklessly.
I Because l had one once, lad"
v My eyes must have bulged, for he
relieved the situation by hearty
4 laugh. It was the first peep behind
i. the curtain of the past, and l had
always invested him with the qualities
t of an affection-proof hero. AS fol
5 the domestic side to his nature -poof!
1 But felt that was to hear tht
!. story.