Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-04-17


tle me man, the life of shipmaster
when he's alive is a dogs life, but
when he's officially supposed to be
dead It's plain hell"
Captain Kettles mind flashed
across to that comfortable woman
In the bursting satins who lived in
Merseyside Terrace, Birkenhead. "And
you've never reported that you were
nlive?"
"T never had the heart to say the
word. or a postage stamp to send 1t
with"
"Then mother will have drawn
your insurance?"
"There is none, owen, me man.
There's not a penny to draw. I got
bit irregular about my payments,
being forgetful, owing to attacks of
malaria, and the insurance has lap
sed. It'll have been workhouse for
the old woman and the girls, unless
she's got bit of washing, or unless
the firms done something for them,
which isn't likely" He rubbed his
sea-chapped hands together, and sniff
fed hungrily. where's rare tasty
smell coming from below somewhere.
Must be cooky's putting up bit Of
snack for the steward and himself
before they turn in, D'you know,
Owen, me man, an onions fruit
haven't touched for six months, and
for that matter l haven't seen meat
half a dozen times"
"Come away below, Captain. Mr..
Forster, send the boats crew for
ward, and see them we'll attended
to and fed, and serve them out a
good stiff tot of grog. Come away,
below, Captain, at once"
The shaggy man sat at the end Of
the saloon table eating steadily, eat
Ing as man only can eat after he
has lived for months on the edge of
starvation, and Miss Dubbs and Cap
tain Kettle leaned elbows on the
table on either side Of him, and star
ed gloomily at one another and at
him. Conversation came disjointedly,
and between mouthfuls.
1t appeared that when cargo shift
ed in the gale six months ago, and
the Norman Towers lay helpless on
her beam ends with the wind howl
ing over her, Captain Farnish de-
cided that she would sink, but made
up his mind to go down with her
tribe. He was "old and useless" f"
He would never get another ship"
He would be "far better off comfort
ably drowned" There were institu-
tions which would help the widow
of a shipmaster lost at sea-" while
mo institution on earth except the
workhouse would assist the wife of
disrated, out-of-work sea-captain."
But certain of the hands impelled
thereto by the musically-minded car
penter lugged him with them into
the boat and once there his old trick
of seamanship saved the lot of them.
I'VE old shellbacks can handle
open boats in heavy weather in a
way that would surprise you brass
bound swells of the newer school,
Owen, me man."-They, too, saw the
Norman Towers, instead of turning
turtle, shake her cargo amidships
again, and blow off before the gale,
and Farnish tried desperately to fol
low, but lost her in the driving sea
smoke. But he was then and later
bitten with the theory that she was
either afloat somewhere, blowing
about the seas, or neatly ashore and
offering her cargo for salvage.
Thereafter his wanderings were
worthy of Homeric verse. He was
old, he was not too competent, he
had no particular charm that I ever
saw to attract men to him. He had
neither money nor credit with which
stuck by him is one of those things
that seem to be in the teeth of all
reason. One can only conclude that
for some obscure reason they must
have loved the old man, and for that
and no other possible cause they
stuck to him.
1t must have been the most hope
less kind of chase. He was ignor
ant about the more modern niceties
of currents, unsound on his trade
winds, hopelessly out of date on the
theory of storms. His dull rule oi
thumb science could not ever form
theory as to where they had drift
ed to. But from some obscure prick
ing of the thumbs he had faith thai
she was either afloat, or neatly cast
ashore. but, at any rate, waiting fol
him.
II knew should hit upon the ole
girl at last if only I could induce
the hands to keep on long enough,
said Captain Saturday Farnish. "Dit
you happen to find my old pipe In
the chart house by any chance oil
had the niggers scoffed it? Chips
lugged me away in such hurry
hadn't time to slip 1t into my pock,
ct. I should hate to lose that pipe
It's the one mother gave me tht
year earned all my bonus"
81 have it in my own chart-room
on top. There was mother's photo
too. took that also"
Captain Kettle swallowed hard