The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-07-18
Enoch Arden of
Skulpin Cove
By TRUMAN ORDIORNE
@ Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.

ITIRST week in April I was busy
IL In the fishhouse knittin' heads.
l. The big doors were open lettin'
In the spring sunshine, the smell
OF the flats and the shrill chirp OF
the early ring-necks that were
diggin' for sand worms In the mud.
AS worked away with the Irvine II
comes into my head all at once. /
wonder who'll get the wilder Bas-
com? Sid Bascom had been lost
or on the Kittle a year before In a
nor'west squall. His boat was picked
I'D miles Off shore, but the body was
never found.
Judith Bascom mourned for q
good husband, like the good wom-
an she was. But she was q fisher
mans daughter and had known
many sea tragedies In the 40 years
she had lived at Skulpin Cove. Ju-
dith Bascom was a handsome wom-
an, sun-tanned face, good form in
spite Of the years, brown eyes that
twinkled, and, like most all the
daughters OF fishermen, had a quick
wit and a ready answer.
Sid Bascom had left his wife fair
ly well ofE-a small farm borderin'
on the beach, a fair payin' business,
and some money. There had been
no children and I often wondered
IL Judith didn't get lonesome. She
was at the landin' one day buyln'
fish as the boats came ashore, and
1 says, jokin': Jude, you look
tired"
"Yes," she comes back. 81 am
tired, Trume, and lonesome. Can't
you find me a MANI"
"Plenty of 'em fussln' round,
Jude" / says. "Can't you sort one
out? There's Deacon Goodwin and
Skipper Sol Becker, both bout yore
age and well fixed"
"a saint and a sinner" says Judy.
zone thinks he is and the other
knows he u.s." and she went on
buyin' cod.
As I sat there workin' on the
Irvine that day I heard somebody
clumpin' up the path round the
point with rubber boots on, hummin'
q hymn tune: ION the other side
of Jordan In the sweet fields OF
Eden" but when he sees the fish,
house door open he Stacks up his
singln' and hauls to. "Good after
noon, Truman. Hope you are feelin'
well today"
'Tolerable, Deacon Goodwin. Hope
you're the same. Come in and rest
yourself. I see you been lumpin'."
He had a two-tine fork on his shoul-
der and big lump OF fish on each
tine. In the spring the tide leaves
the Jumps In the little ponds among
the lodges, and the natives get them
with forks.
The Deacon sets down on a trawl
tub, fidgets some, and says: "Tru-
man, what do you think OF the wild
der Bascom?" III
''No smarter woman round the
Cove" I says, ''and it don't hurt
much to look at her. Are you
thinkin' some In that quarter, Dea-
conf" ~
81 have given some thought and
prayer to the matter and / need a
companion and helper up to my
house, but Judith is not church
goln' woman" he says. .
"Don't let that worry you any,
Deacon. You never heard a word
.ag'in' Judith Bascom," / says, sand
your church door is wide"
The Deacon shouldered his lump
fish and went of up across 30 his
house. ..
am about ready to quit and call
it day when I hears another song
ster comm down the Cove road:
"Hi de dl de, Skipper the deei
How love to sing to thee.
I sing with Joy and I sing with
glee,
For I'm Just as young as / used
TO be-" ..- ~. 81.
Skipper Sol Becker shoots up In
front Of the door and comes In.
Good nature sticks out all over
Skipper SOL and a mighty good
lookln', big, wholesome man he is.
He had been to town and was
feelln' some clipper. "Hello there,
Trume," halls Skipper Sol scot
anything in the cupboard?"
always a drop for you, Cap'n
SOL" I says. "Set down while I
get It."
"Trume," says the skipper, ''I
got bout tired beln' an old bach
an I'm thinkin' bout askln' Judy
Bascom to splice up with me.
We've always been good friends
Do you think she'll have me?"
"You old fool" says, do you
think you can get a wife, 'thout
doin' some courtln'? Go see Judy
and take her round some. You've
got a good boss and buggy. An
other thing, Deacon Goodwin is
settin' his cap in that quarter"
deacon Goodwin courtin' Judy
Bascomw barks the skipper. "If
I catches that old Bible-back skin.
flint cruisin' round her I'll carry
away his iib."