The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-27
Vagabond
from
Indiana
ERNIE PYLE
CAvANNAH, Ga. Feb. 27.-one

CAVANNAH, Ga, Feb. 27.-One
~ night several years ago was on
a boat going down the Savannah
River to the sea.
About half way down. when we
passed a lighthouse, I noticed that
somebody was swinging lantern on
shore, and the ship gave couple
of whistle blasts in reply.
I asked the captain about it, and
he said it was the famous Waving
Girl" He said she lived at the
lighthouse with her brother, and
had waved at every ship. day and
night, for 40 years. He said the
legend was that when she was young
her sweetheart went to sea and
never came back, and she started
waving at every ship so that if he
should ever return she would be the
first to greet him.
The captain said that sailormen
all over the world knew about her.
Later, on other ships and in other
ports, I found that was true. Sailors
from Cape Horn to Nome, and east
and west too, know of the waving
girl of Savannah" Few have ever
seen her. close up.
NTHEN got to Savannah this
w time, 1 thought I'd drive
down the river and try to see this
almost mythical woman. I in
quired how to get there, but was
told she wasn't there any more,
that she retired" five years ago.
finally found her in a little cot
tage under big trees on the road to
the Isle of Hope, down on the salt
fats out of Savannah, toward the
sea. Her name is Florence Martus.
She's 81 now She lives there with
her brother George. He's rs.
They invited me in, and we three
sat around their wood stove, talking
about the cold weather up north,
and in Savannah, too.
Miss Florence is ordinary flesh
and blood. I'd half expected to see
a mystic, unreal sort of person,
legend-like even in personality But
she's quite matter of-fact.
She is very small and weathered.
Her white hair is cut short like
mans. only IN front it's longer and
curled up across her forehead. She
had on a brown sweater.
| rs it true that you never missed
waving at a single ship in 40 yearS?"
I asked her.
yes, I guess it is. Even longer
than that. How long were we there,
George?" -
"EoRTY-FoUR years." brother
n George said, sucking at his
pipe. Brother George was the
lighthouse keeper, and sister Flor
ence kept house for him. Just the
two of them, on Elba Island, in Che
Savannah River, for A years.
weren't you ever sick and missed
some?" She said, mo; was never
too sick to get up when one was
coming"
How did you know when one
was coming at night? Didn't you ever
sleep?"
"Oh, I could always hear skem.
1t didn't bother me any to gtSup
in the night. 1 got plenty of sleep.
There wasn't much else to do"
Nov, please don't mind me ask
ing this, but is that legend true
about your sweetheart going away
and never coming back? Is that
why you waved at ships?"
"Oh, that old stuff" She said it
sort of testify. She didn't say
whether it was true or not, and I
couldn't tell from her tone. why.
I was born and raised right down
at the mouth of the river, and we
knew all the local tugboat and
schooner captains, and it was only
natural that should wave at them
when they passed. And then I
just got to waving at everybody"
DURING all that a years Miss
- Florence kept a dairy and a
log book. She wrote down what she
thought and did every day, and
listed every ship that passed-its
name, where it was from, what kind
it was, and so on. The ledger filed
four big volumes.
George had to retire five years
ago, and the day they left the is
land and moved into town, Miss
Florence sorted out her stuff.
1.-The young people nowadays" she
thought to herself, don't want to
read any of this old junk. It'll just
collect dust" So she threw it in
the fre The daily record, for A
years, of one of the most legendary
figures of the Seven Seas, kept in
her own hand, gone up in smoke in
two minutes.
I said to her: eff I knew you bet
ter. I'd give you great big kick"
She laughed and said well,
guess you ought to-"