The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1914-03-04
A SAILORS
YARN
By RYlAND BELL

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
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 a SOU
easter and every soul lost except my
self. Bein' washed overheard. | hung
| on to Il chicken coop that flOated by
me, was carried into the breakers and
| thrOwed on q sandy beach. Between
! seas | managed to crawl up beyond
| 'em, and somehow as soon as | saw
they couldn't git me ag'in my strength
| went out o me all of student. and l
| didn't know nOthin'. The last l re-
| membered was il lot O. corpses of my
mates rollin' around in the breakers,
and they seemed to be loOkin' at me
| enviOuS
There was a big change from this to
what | saw when I got back to myself
| ag'in. A gal with a pair o. blue eyes
was a-lOokin' down into mine. She
had just poured some grog down my
throat from Il bottle and was watchin'
to see if it would bring me OUT
Bully" said Tom Nye, Il wouldn't
\ give a piece o bareback for a yarn
without a gal in it,"
There bein' nOthin' the matter with
me-" continued the speaker. except
exhaustion, l rose on my legs and.
havin' got my bearin's. aXed the gal
! where | was She said l 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 | liked and
! git some rest and sOmepin to eat.
1T was queer loOkin' house and
seemed to have been built a long time
before when there was Tzdians in the
neighbOrhOOd. cos there was lOOphOIes
| in it, 1t had been kind O. elegant
| Oncet, but was turrable run down.
concluded to 20 up there with the gal
if 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 it 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 Il key and told me
she'd show me to my room. As soon
as she opened the door a shut-up smel!
come out that almost made ME sick
The furniture was the old fashion
eldest | ever see. 1t was fine stuff.
kin tell you. but the curtains and the
canopy to the big bed was all fallen
TO pieces. There was a fireplace big
enough to roast an OK in and arm
chairs that for comfort beat ham
mock all to pieces. But ! was too
sleepy TO take much notice.
We'll. now. mebbe them covers
wasn't musty. If | hadn't been ready
to drop off | wouldn't "A stayed under
EN- no time As it was. | was asleep
almost before | struck the bed
In the middle of the night | was
dreamin' of my mates rOllin' around
in the breakers and woke up with a
start. What dye suppose | saw? \
man comm in ut the door He held a
randle to light the way. and it shined
right on to his face. and it was the
ugliest mug | ever see in any country
Why. IA Malay pirate was holy Joe
to it. WO'st of all. the Teller clutched
a knife as long as your arm.
He wasn't iOokin' at the bed at
fuSt. His face was a-wOrkin' as if he
was powerful mad. But he come right
Oh 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 it was us dark as
the black hole o Calcutta. | expected
to git that knife in my ribs. but /
didn't Then | listened to hear the
Teller move. hOpin' he'd go out The
room was rs still as a burryin' ground
Il had no way o. strikin' light. for
when | went to bed | hadn't thOrt
about wakin' up in the night. 1 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 l could see
all over the room. There was no signs
of any one except me havin' been in it
durin' the night So | turned over and
went to sleep.
Il walked about noon and went
downstairs.
where's that piratical chap that
rome into my room last night? l asked.
Law sakes.' said the gal. palm
Did you see him.?
"'ReckOn | did. Who is hep
Hes a ghost. When this yere
country was first settled a slave dealer
built this house and brought a young
wife here to live in it. One time when
ne come home from Africa student he
found another man here. He killed
both the man and the woman in that
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