The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1918-06-06
CHAPTER XIV.

L nau SJOppeu rdlnlnB enllEely uO"'
and the south wind had become
warm and welcome reality. l
went down to the cove AS had
rather expected, found Bill johnson
there with his motor scow, the Merry
Widow, with her nose driven up on the
beach.
Bills father was Danish, believe,
and his mother was a French Cana
dian. His speech Is a combination Of
patois that he heard at home.
"Quite a sea out there" indicated
the lake.
"She shall run pretty high" replied
Bill, but not so high like she do
awhile ago"
Just come out for the rider
queried.
"No. The Merry Widow she bring
over q young man, newspaper feller.
He saws he give me three dollars or
wouldn't, by yimminy Christmas, do
IT. No, sare, not for twO-tifty even
shant do It" Then he added, with
slight wink, "The sen she amt so high
now as | make him think
"DO you know where HuntingdOn's
island is?" inquired, vague plan of
action forming itself in my brain.
Sure know him. She set over yOn
bout three mile, maybe four or two
and half"
swell, the young man you brought
over here has decided to stay for an
hour or so. While you are waiting l
want you to take me over to Hunting
dOns and get Mrs. Green"
'Mrs. Green! What she do by Hunt
ingdOn's"
"Tll tell you later after I think up
some interesting explanation. At pres
ent shouldn't be able to do the sub
Ject justice. How about it? viii you
take me over there"
He hesitated.
Here's a dollar" l said. "The
storm is quieting down a good deal
and, anyhow, you know the Merry
Widow is the best sea boat on the
lake"
The fiattery won him. What owner
even of the veriest motor mOnstrosity
Is not susceptible to praise bestowed
upon his darling.
81 guess she shall run all right. One
valve she shan't work yust so good a'
she ought, but l got some wire. 1 fiN
him up"
helped him shove off, and Bill tin
kered with the one cylinder machine
gun which propelled the barge until he
induced it to bark at irregular inter
walls.
Have | forgotten to mention that the
Merry Widow is an open boat with nc
superstructure or canopy of any sort
If | have. let me state here that heI
lines are very decOlete, and a large
wave meets with little obstruction save
the passengers when it starts to trave
from the bow to the stern.
"She shall be, by yimminy Christ
mas, sure choppy," Bill commented
1.-The wind she shall haul to the soutf
and make cross waves
He was absolutely correct AS sOOI
as we left the mouth of the cove we
went through some evOlutiOns which
| would have said it was absolutely
impossible for a man of my build t
perform. | was favorably considering
the idea of being seasick when 1
larger wave than usual washed owe
and struck the engine. 1t expired
peacefully on the spot.
What has haDpened?' asked, will
a landsman's justified terror.
t.FVF,. nd
calm statement of the obvious exas
perated me.
"Of course it has stopped. Can W
ever start it again?"
Sure She shall run some mor'
The wave. she short circuit th
spark. See," Bill pointed, "she a
wet" His enthusiasm as a lecture
on the gasoline engine made him fO
get the lake outside.
1t was brought to his attention b
large wave which tipped us on OF
beam ends and dropped Bill and m!
self in an affectionate group into tt
stern of the boat, where we were jOil
ed presently by a collection Of O
cans, wrenches, grease cans and otht
marine impedimenta.
Bill removed his elbow from the .
Of my long since hopeless stomach ar
scrambled to the engine.
"She hain't hurted a Bit" he a
nOunced. Lend me your handke
chief"
| silently passed him the article
desired. He carefully wiped Off
large part Of the engine with it b
fore be offered 1t back to me. d
clined and told him to consider it n
contribution to the equipment Of Il
boat.
Now, sare," he directed, you mu
hold the coat over the spark so 81
shall not get, by yee vizz, again wet
He showed me how to protect Il
engine from the elements by interpo
ing my coat and my shivering boo
between it and the waves. This beiI
accomplished, he started the machi
cry, and we lurched forth into Il
night once more
Bill split his time between steeriI
and mending the engine, keeping up
running fire of conversation, not vii
me, but with the motor. When she
cough weakly Bill would hit her
some apparently tender spot with Il
fiat Of a monkey wrench and Sa!
Come on, Merry; you shan't stop.
knock the carbon off your valves. No
you f>el better"
Finally we reached the dock
HuntingdOn's island.
After I had filed my lungs with
little uadll1ted air picked up hea1