Sam Lawson's Oldtown Fireside Stories: With IllustrationsStowe, Harriet Beecher
General
Sam Lawson's Oldtown Fireside Stories: With Illustrations
Stowe, Harriet Beecher
New England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Short stories, American; Storytelling -- Fiction
“Wal, sure enough, he see a man a-crouchin' over the stove, with
his back to him, a-stretchin' out his hands to warm 'em. He had on a
sou'wester and a pea-jacket, with a red tippet round his neck; and his
clothes was drippin' as if he'd just come in from a rain.
“'What the divil!' says Tom. And he riz right up, and rubbed his eyes.
'Bill Bridges,' says he, 'what shine be you up to now?' For Bill was a
master oneasy crittur, and allers a-gettin' up and walkin' nights; and
Tom, he thought it was Bill. But in a minute he looked over, and there,
sure enough, was Bill, fast asleep in his bunk, mouth wide open, snoring
like a Jericho ram's-horn. Tom looked round, and counted every man in
his bunk, and then says he, 'Who the devil is this? for there's Bob
Coffin on deck, and the rest is all here.'
“Wal, Tom wa'n't a man to be put under too easy. He hed his thoughts
about him allers; and the fust he thought in every pinch was what to do.
So he sot considerin' a minute, sort o' winkin' his eyes to be sure he
saw straight, when, sure enough, there come another man backin' down the
companion-way.
“'Wal, there's Bob Coffin, anyhow,' says Tom to himself. But no, the
other man, he turned: Tom see his face; and, sure as you live, it was
the face of a dead corpse. Its eyes was sot, and it jest came as still
across the cabin, and sot down by the stove, and kind o' shivered, and
put out its hands as if it was gettin' warm.
“Tom said that there was a cold air round in the cabin, as if an iceberg
was comin' near, and he felt cold chills running down his back; but he
jumped out of his bunk, and took a step forward. 'Speak!' says he. 'Who
be you? and what do you want?'
“They never spoke, nor looked up, but kept kind o' shivering and
crouching over the stove.
“'Wal,' says Tom, 'I 'll see who you be, anyhow.' And he walked right
up to the last man that come in, and reached out to catch hold of his
coat-collar; but his hand jest went through him like moonshine, and in
a minute he all faded away; and when he turned round the other one was
gone too. Tom stood there, looking this way and that; but there warn't
nothing but the old stove, and the lantern swingin', and the men all
snorin' round in their bunks. Tom, he sung out to Bob Coffin. 'Hullo,
up there!' says he. But Bob never answered, and Tom, he went up, and
found Bob down on his knees, his teeth a-chatterin' like a bag o' nails,
trying to say his prayers; and all he could think of was, 'Now I lay
me,' and he kep' going that over and over. Ye see, boys, Bob was a
drefful wicked, swearin' crittur, and hadn't said no prayers since he
was tew years old, and it didn't come natural to him. Tom give a grip on
his collar, and shook him. 'Hold yer yawp,' said he. 'What you howlin'
about? What's up?'
“'Oh, Lordy massy!' says Bob, 'we're sent for,--all on us,--there's been
two on 'em: both on 'em went right by me!'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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