The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-01-23
A Sailors
Yarn
1t Involves a Strange
Coincidence
By F. A. mitchell

have no object In making up this yarn
or any part Of 1t. | know that sail
Or's yarn Is generally well stretched.
and don't deny that many time on
the fo'c'sle I've made up things myself.
but that was to help my mates pass
the time. We didn't have any story
books. and some of us couldn't have
read 'em If we had, SO we just made
up stories Of our own.
But this is different. There are
things about 1t too serious for made
up yarn. III admit that none of the
happenings l ever told Of or listened to
OH the fo'c'sle were harder to believe
than this one, but since haven't
made it up I'm not responsible for
that.
Jennie Kline and l were brought up
at the same place on the coast. and
both Of us were used to boats from
were able to send us to school. and
since we were about the same age we
went to school together. No such thing
as love occurred to me till l was six
steen years old-Jennie was fifteen
and Tom Hobson came home from a
cruise dressed in sailor toys and was
mighty fine looking fellow He was
twenty-one years old. and since Jennie
was passing from childhood to woman
hood he took fancy to her. He was
the first man who ever paid her any
attention. and she was mighty well
pleased.
complained to her about her going
so much with Hobson, and yet it
seemed senseless for me to do so. |
hadn't appropriated her. True, she and
| seemed to belong to each other. but
there was no reason why 1t should al
ways be so. Jennie took my COM
plants seriously. She didn't like the
idea of any break between us any
more than | did. She said she didn't
see why we shouldn't be the same as
we always had been, and yet she knew
better. She knew that a change had
come over the boy and girl condition
that had existed, and we were enter
Hobson stayed ashore for some time,
during which there was sort Of
rivalry between him and me. Jennie
wouldn't give up his attentions to
please me; indeed, | didn't ask her to
do so. only let her see that every
time she was with Hobson was like
sticking q knife into me. 1t hurt her.
perhaps. almost as much as it did me.
but there was nothing to do in the
matter. no reason why she should re-
fuse Hobson's attentions. no sense In
her combining her associations to one
boy not yet seventeen years old.
When my rival went to sea again il
was as third mate of vessel. The
night before he sailed he was with
Jennie. l didn't know what passed be-
tween them. but after he had gone
Jennie seemed very much changed.
Whether he had made love to her and
she was pining for him. whether she
didn't know If she wanted to tie up to
him or to me couldn't find out. II she
knew what was troubling her she kept
1t to herself. I've often thought 1t was
kind of indecision.
After this. instead Of being ingenu-
Gus with me, as she had been. she was
freaky. Sometimes she would be very
friendly, or affectionate, rather, and
sometimes she would be the reverse.
My father about this time told me that
ii was time FOR me to be doing some
thing. and since the only thing for me
to do was on the water | shipped for
a voyage. When l said goodby to Jen-
ME she held on to my hand long
while, and 1t seemed that she couldn't
bear to part with me. i asked her IL
she would be the same to me when
came back that she had always been.
but she didn't give me any answer
whatever.
From this time Jennie had an easier
job of it. since Hobson and | were not
at home ut the same time. When
came back from my first voyage
heard that he had been there and that
he and Jennie had been great deal
together. Jennie seemed mighty glad
to see me back. ! kissed her. but in
stead of taking it as kiss from u
lover 1t seemed to give her little
shock.
This coming and going continued for
several years. during which became
an officer. Hobson kept coming and
going as well. and finally, returning
from one Of my voyages. ] heard be
had got q ship. He was now Captain
Hobson. while ] was plain Mr. Gibbs
| He was twenty-four years old. while
] was but nineteen
I fancy IL was Hobson's higher and
more lucrative position that induced
Jennie's family to bring their influence
TO bear upon her to marry him. At
any rate when | sailed the next time
| she threw her arms around me. and IL
seemed she would never let me go.
took 1t for granted that had won and
went away very happy. Alas. 1t was
goodby! She had promised her par
ents that she would say yes to Hobson
when he returned from his next voy-
| age.
Jennie kept her promise. and when
| Captain Hohson sailed on his next
voyage he took her with him as his
bride. learned Of my loss at Bonn
bay. where we received letters. IL
gave me the shock Of my life. ] didn't
blame Jennie. She had been placed
when very young between two lovers