Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1925-12-02


thus far"
The boys rowed us up to the land
ing and went back to the boat.
Later, standing on the bridge, we saw
her coming up the river with cat-in-
the-cream expression. But she
wasn't done. They tied up at a
wharf where the natives said there
was only nine-foot drop of tide.
But they had forgotten it was the full
of the moon, and a low run of tides.
Well, eventually we had supper and
went to bed, to be ready for an early
start next morning.
We three women slept in the after
cabin Along in the middle of the
night l began hearing soft footballs
up on deck, over our heads. Then
they became quick and careless, and
there was hurried talking. All Of a
sudden Ted was out on the floor.
'The boat is tipping over" said she,
land | am going on deck" Grabbing
coat and one slipper she did SO.
We followed, pausing only for second
slippers.
Rank list to port said the cap
tain; but | guess the ropes will hold
her."
For three hours we sat on the dewy
deck, holding onto anything that Of
fered, and watched the mast canting
down across the stars. At first there
was a moon, but then it set behind
the spruces and there was only star
light till the dawn came-and oh,
how cold it was. For hours on end
we hung over the rail watching a
white pebble at the edge of the black
water, trying to decide whether the
tide was ebb or flood. Everybody
went below and got into some
clothes, all except Ted, who refused
to leave the safety of the deck and
managed to dress there somehow
but her methods were those of fire or
flood, for she appeared at breakfast
later, when we had righted, fully clad
both for day and night. Just how
it had been achieved she was never
able to decide.
When we had begun to right, as we
could see by sighting the mast
against the stars, most of the folks
went below again, but Ted and | sat
UP while longer and listened to
the Cap and Mr.. Peasley telling us
stories Real ones this time, not the
tall kind.
By jimmy jumbos,' said the Cap,
Eve seen it so rough the waves have
come down the stack. There was
once we struck comber in the fog
and just lay over on our side. l
threw the wheel hard over and
climbed out The upper window of the
bottom up for sure, and | wanted to
drown outside"
Another story was about a family
the mission had discovered one bitter
cold winter day on an island, with
no food or fuel in the house. The
children We're barefoot, and clad in
cotton shirts and. trousers with
nothing underneath-''and we were
shivering in aur thick clothes and
overcoats,' the Captain told us. They
hadn't had anything to eat for three
days. The boys gave them barrel
of flour and a lot of bacon and con-
densed milk, and everything they
could spare from their stores, and got
them some wood. 1t was all in the
days work.
to bed, and two hours afterwards we
got up to breakfast, which was half
an hour later than we got up most
mornings. The men liked to get the
dishes done by seven o'clock. Be
cause the Captain was the cook, or
vice versa, we always ate our meals
! in port somewhere, at anchor or tied
/ up to a wharf, or else had sandwiches
on deck. Forced runs often made
the meals irregular. The morning of
! the storm we got up at three O'Clock
and breakfasted at IL. Twice
emergency cases put off supper till
| after nine. But we throve on it and
gained weight Georges cooking was
all good, but his lobster stews were
memorable.
| Outer Long was our first island. 1t
| is southwest of Mt. Desert, and we'll
out to sea. AS on all the islands, the
population is American, mostly
Anglo-Saxon with some old Dutch. 1t
was in general way typical of the
rest-a ledge of rocks covered with
spruces and sparse grass and hand
| full of gray, weather-beaten little
houses strewn over it, here clustered
| around a narrow harbor inlet.
There is an interesting thing about
islands. Their prosperity and COM
fort depend on the soil. Where there
is nothing to do but fish, you find
dire and dreadful proverty. Where
| there is land for any sort OF a gar
den, things are better. Where there
is land that can really be cultivated,
in addition to the fishing, progress
and plenty prevail. Outer Long was
| near the top.
Our next island was farther east
up near Jonesport. For twenty years
the mission has been going there
| in fact, it was started there, in 1904.
The houses are unbelievably tiny,
often with just loft upstairs for
sleeping quarters. But | saw hen
house that had once sheltered large
family 1t doesn't, now. have
~ fn hn