The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-07-10
A Fisherman's S
Story
By MARCIA BEVERAGE

Gals Is gals" said the old fisher
man as he went on mending his nets.
whether they're poor fisher folk sich
as we hive here the year round or high
flyers from the city. You neyer can
tell whnt one OF ems goin' to do. II
seems sometimes as II there was a
wireless telegraph apparatus that
sends a spark from a mans eye into
one on EN- when he looks at her. and
she drops like skeeter into plate O.
coal oil.
"Now. there was Miss Markham.
who come here first seven years ago.
as purty little thing as bran new
schooner yacht She wasn't more'u
seventeen years old and wore the neat
est dres ses of any gal on the island.
You'd ought to seen her swimi She
didn't tie up her hair In lump on the
top Of her head when she went into
the water. but let 1t trail behind her
like a mermaid. Never In my long
life did / see anything 80 likely az
Josephine Markham pullin' herself
along on her side In water 90 clear
that yon could see the whole Of her.
the sun shinin' on her and the nppies
she made and sparklin' at the same
time from jewel she wore on one Of
her fingers.
IL had nothin' to do then. waitin'
for my boat to come out o drydock.
and used to go down to the beach on
purpose to see her In the winter. Some
times ste'd go In right about here with
the other bathers. and sometimes she'd
go out yonder on to the end OF the
dock ard take header. But wher-
ever she padded she attracted a
crowd. One day while was watchin'
her swim Off from the beech saw
her lookin' up at the dock at somebody
and followed the direction Of her eyes
with mine. A young feller was stand
in alone up there and ! knowed 1t
was him that was attractn' her. 70
was purity enough. but, laws, there
wasn't no stun In him-paie little chap
with big eyes. They was bigger than
usual when he watched Miss Markham
kind o. wistful. like as though he
wished ne was swimmin' beside her.
"Every morning after that the little
beggar would stand on the dock watch
in for the gal to go In. One day call
ed up to him. 'Hain't you goin' In. SIR
And he said. NO And said, Never
learned to swimr and he said awful
melancholy like. Yes, I know how, but
I can't
"Well, one mornin' when Miss Mark
ham was a-steppin' into the water with
her dainty little feet, sort O. shrinkin'
cause the ocean was cold-it wasn't
more than 60 degrees-a lot O. boys
was a-stylarkin' on the dock, and one
on 'em, tryin' to dodge another. push
ed the little chap or into twenty feet
o. water. You'd ought to seen the gal
skip the breakers and, after gettin' be-
yond 'em. 60 for him. The bathin,
master didn't happen to be about I
s'pect the water was 30 cold he didn't
look for bathers. So I cln the life
boat down in order to heJp. launched
II and rowed out to the scene O. the
accident.
when I got there saw the con-
sarnedest sight I ever clapped eyes on.
There was Miss Markham struggin'
with a pair o. legs. The little chaps
head WIS down In the water. while the
lower Iart of him was afloat. The
gal coul Int do nothin' with him. Once
she succeeded in gittin' his head above
the surface. but his legs wouldn't 40
down. and that spoiled the game. She
cast a pitiful look at me. was hur-
ryin' to pull up beside her. and rs soon
az came into position catched a-hold
Of an snkle and pulled the drownin'
man oul, his head comm up last and
got him into the boat. Then helped
the gal In and. takin' the oars. pulled
for the beach.
''Them two creatures hadn't never
spoken a word to each other. and yet
she hung over him as II she'd growed
up with him. AS soon as | got him
ashore [ set about bringin'~ him back
to life, for he was unconscious, and.
callin for a barrel, put him on II and
rolled him to git the water out OF him.
What do you think happened? Fust
one OF mis- legs come or and then the
other one.
"'He's fallin' to pieces. screamed
a woman who was lookin' on, scared
out o. her wits.
"'Poor fellerv said another. Did q
shark bite 'em offT
"'Yes' man In the crowd answer.
ed. They was hangin' by the skin
"Jist then a man come up who said
he was doctor. He picked up one o
the leg, and throwed It down, then
picked up the other and throwed that
down.
~'CorS. he said.
"The little chap opened his eyes and
looked about for somepin. When ne
saw the gal he looked relieved and
closed 'em ag'in. We carried him To
his hotel. and he was soon all right
ag'in
"what I'm gittiD' at Is the Qu'arness
o. gals. found ont afterward that
Miss Markham married the little feller
she'd saved from drownin'. That's the
way they always do In romances. but