Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1917-02-09
"A Bottle and a
Message
By r. A. Mitchell


10 ! can truly say that I'm . water
man all over. But now I'm Twin In
clover.
There be stories Of bottles with mes
sages In EN- dropped from ships goin'
down. that the messages bein' written
for q Joke. This has made pussons
think that all messages found In bot
ties are jokes. But this isn't 80, as ]
can prove, for picked up one OF them
bottles myself, and the puss0ns TINT
the message was written 10 are livin'
and can voucb for my story. But the
message I'm thInkin' Of was differ
ent kind from the jokes.
One day when was pullin' In my
net with q catch o mackerel saw
bottle bobbin up and down. II foated
near Inc, and had only to put out an
or 10 take II IN. The cork want
sealed. but Il was driven In 30 tight
that hnd 10 cut II out There was n
paper inside aud message on It, writ.
ten with lead pencil. This is the
way II read:
On Steamer Ellen Hathaway.
Ship goib' down In gale kidnaped
Stephen Cartright. Has Twin with Math-
sw Drake. No. --- Bennett Street. Balti-
more, Maryland. SAM sHARKEY.
IL didn't seem to me that II feller
was goln' 10 make joke he'd write
that sort Of Z one. SO the next day
takes the message TO Boston and hands
II in at a police station. They called
Il fake or something like that. but
said they'd see that II got to the party
whnt II was written to.
Not hearin nothin' from II for some
time. forgot all about 1t. list kept
on hshin'. One lay a young feller
come down on to the dock where !
was mendin' my net and looked at me
and asked II I was Jack Bunker. !
said that was my name.
He stood lookln at me kind o queer
for awhile; then he snid:
"Mr. Bunker. if you had wish
granted what would the wish bc?"
MY friend" said. I'm nothin' but
fisherman. ! hain't got no time TO be
thinkin about whether or not I'd like
the sky fer blue bandannar."
The feller was a-studyin me all thu
while. and when ia said thnt he says:
"Mr. Bunker, Is that your boat tie'I
up alongside the pier!'
II reckon Il is." says.
How would you like new one?"
"How would like n new one? What
dye take me fer--a lunaticg OF course
I'd like new boat IN place o that old
trap. I'm thinkin' that the next time
sit caught out In gale she'll let me
down into the brine"
''Is there anything else you'd like
Mr.. Bunkerl'
l looked up ut him. wondcrin ef he
was loony.
Young feller." says. Il reckon Il
I'm goln' TO get these nets mended Ill
have to shut you or all TO oncet. Id
Ike a new house On the blun ovel
there. all furnished, with garding
Id like a thousand dollars u year q
keep Il up. I'D like the celler stocked
with good grog. Now I've tole you al
this perhaps youll let me alone 'foi
awhile
lie turned away without sayin' moth
in more, aud thought he was mad
| was sorry, but didn't see why ht
should take up my time askin' foo
questions. so thought no mort
about Il.
Lcss'n month after that somebOd.
begun TO build house ON the blur
When II was finished II was the pur
tyest little shack ever seen Aud one
day when come down to the dock
found a single sticker about thirty fee,
long. bran new aud rugged out witt
everything needed. anchored out abou
cables length. And the Queeres
thing about It was that on her ster
was painted the same name as my VI,
tub. I asked who was her owner
but nobody seemed to know anythln,
about her.
That afternoon come In early from
fishin'. not havin' no luck, and rs
rounded UP to the pier who should set
standln' on Il hut the lunatic that wa,
askin' me how many things I'd lik,
to have II could get 'em. When II
throwed the painter around a post thu
feller said to me:
"Mr. Bunker, when I was here som,
time ago think YOU sald you'd like I
house."
Yes, aud \ gardlnR. Are you goin
to begin that racket ag'inf'
"Do you see that house up on th'
bluffr
In course do. My eyes are rs good
as when was at sea and could take
In bird on the horizon"
"That house Ia yours, The cellar Il
well stocked with grog, and there II
plenty Of room for q garden"
my friend" said /, "I'd better dt
YOU favor From what madhous'
lid you escapef"
"You also said." lie went on, not no
tlcin' my remark, "that you'd like :
boat, There she IL out there"--pointet
to the new boat. stlll ridin' at anchor
"and In a deposit eompany's vaults n
Boston are some 8 per cent bonds tha
viii give YOU II thousand dollars veal
Income"