Nude on the Beach

Nude on the Beach
One Moment in Time
precious time
Red Hat Girl
¡¡¡¡'And still no more dead men,' I twitted Louis, when Smoke and Henderson, side by side, in friendly conversation, took their first exercise on deck. ¡¡¡¡Louis surveyed me with his shrewd gray eyes and shook his head portentously. ¡¡¡¡'She's a-comin', I tell you, an' it'll be sheets an' halyards, stand by all hands, when she begins to howl. I've had the feel iv it this long time, an' I can feel it now as plainly as I feel the riggin' iv a dark night. She's close, she's close.' ¡¡¡¡'Who goes first?' I queried. ¡¡¡¡'Not old fat Louis, I promise you,' he laughed. 'For 't is in the bones iv me I know that come this time next year I'll be gazin' in the old mother's eyes, weary with watchin' iv the sea for the five sons she gave to it.' ¡¡¡¡'Wot's'e been s'yin' to yer?' Thomas Mugridge demanded a moment later. ¡¡¡¡'That he's going home some day to see his mother,' I answered diplomatically. ¡¡¡¡'I never 'ad none,' was the Cockney's comment, as he gazed with lusterless, hopeless eyes into mine.