The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-07-08

1@4E1A4A vas q 1A4Ln
NJ Lucia, his mother, used to
wv wrap him away in the dried
sea grass Of the higher
beaches while she worked at the torn
nets and watched the blue strip Of
water beyond the point for the sweep
Of q hOme-spread sail. Even when
CRleb's boat had just cleared the har
Dor and her hands still twitched as
she tried to weave the threads. her
eyes would dream around the spot
where she knew the masts would first
loom above the dunes on Long point
Maybe it was in those long waiting
months that ~Jedediah's eyes began to
look like his mothers, a misty reveriO
about them, but seeing every dot that
fecked the sea. And with the. OctO-
ber's coming, when the cranberries
were red drops IN the brown boys,
Lucia would take him across the strip
Of land that held the sea from the
little town, and while she cleaned the
bOgs he kept on the upper dunes where
he could see the ships standing well
out past the bars OF Peaked Hills.
And once as he watched there, glad,
he did not know why, that the wind
was strong over him, he saw a man
In the high rigging Of a ship, q small,
dark, swaylng thing against the taut
white sails.
where are your" Lucia cried out,
starting suddenly. And when she
turned about he pointed out to sea
and laughed down TO her:
I'm in that riggin', reehn' the top
saiIT"
you shan'ti Never-neverI" she
cried to herself, as she bent to the
cleaning again. But II your baby has
slept In the dried sea grass and rolled
among the nets and at last to
watch. always, the ships 60 up and
Gown and Is glad when the wind flies
strong. and does not know why, there
Is no use trying to hold him when
his time comes. And Jedediah's time
came sOOn enough, for when they
came to tell Lucia that Caleb would
never ONE back, she just said: yes,
I know" and In q few weeks she died
and left Jedediah to watch the ships
alone. He went across the dunes, past
the hogs where his mother had
cleaned, and when he came to the sea
his eyes saw nothing but a far white
sail, no greater than his hand. He
watched until It grew big, beating
close inshOre, and he could hear the
gcrape Of the wind on her canvas.
shes rugged outward bound, but
she's making harbOr," he said aloud
,"She's coming for mel" And he
turned to run all the way to the VII
lage to wait by the wharf until the
boat came in. But when he asked to
ship on her the captain Of the whaler
looked him over slowly with a careful
noting Of the 1.-THE, boyish figure, and
then a long stare into Jedediah's eyes.
"Can you keep your head and eyes
by your"
Yes"
Don't look itl"
81 can"
"Sign in, then. I put in here for an
other hand. One didn't show up at
sailing. Didn't wan a boy, but sign
in" And Jedediah signed for a two
years cruise.
While the ship beat up the coast
toward Davis strait there was little
work to do, and Jedediah could dream
and grow solemn in the great new
marvel Of 1t all, and then laugh aloud
because he was glad, and drag his
bed up from below to lie under this
new sky and take the swish Of the
sea and the purr Of the wind on the
sails into his sleep with him. But
when they had entered the straits and
the bay Was nearing, there was too
serious work to be dreaming. There
were the long cold days at the mast.
head that grew suddenly pulsing hot
at sight Of a spOuting whale. Then
the great swing Of the boats pull "a
meet It; the craft and cunning Of
stealth, and the stihed Joy in the dan.
ger Of fight and capture. Seattle wal
a rapturOus life to Jedediah, and nOt
even the heavy work could take away
the spell Of II all that made him GLAD
-glad-he did not know why. And 81
when the ship swept out from the bay
again, flying before the ice that a.
ready stifened the waves OF the head
lands, Jedediah climbed into the fore
sail and said his farewell 70 Rowe,
Welcome with q promise Of return
The Ice had come early that year
or, maybe, the whales were shy, FOL
the ship could not get her full earg,
and ran down by the Azores to con-
plete it. and made Amsterdam he
market close to the ending OF her hrs
year. But Jedediah was afraid Of tha.
great strange thing at the end Of gl
quays that was q city, where Ia.
sailors HOted at night and the YER,
children spoke a language he 6id no
know, and he stayed By the ahiD whe.
the work Of the day was over. climb
ing the rigging 70 watch the lrh1
that pricked the b~iacknass int lie
and % wonder about the people WI.
drifsed up and down the quaye. An,
49,