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FLIGHT DELAY

Steve Bayly

"It's hard. Yeah, it's hard. It's a lot harder than you other
people think. We get up at daylight and work 'till dark. If the
fishin's good, it's one hundred pel" cent work.

"The winter? Oh, some fishin' goes on. The waters

around this Ketchikan area are warmed by the Japanese current.

Alaska's not all ice and snow, like you guys think. But it's

too ncold for me--in the winter, I mean. I get odd jobs durin'

those months--fixin' fences, paintin' houses, and the like.

Course, there's always the boat, too. S he needs motor

over-haulin! , s cr-apin! , paintin', and all sorts 0' other things.

Course, with a trawler, like this boat is, there ain't no net

r-epair-in". Those seiners and gill netters may rake in the

dough durin' the summer, but they got a hell of a mess w or-kin!

those nets over in the winter. With a trawler, though, you just
use lines, see.

"Lots of men live on their boats all winter. Not me!

I got a little place up on Pier Street--me and my family.

Winter's a nice time in that way--get to spend some time with

the kids, be with my wife "

"Oh , most definitely! I just adore the color here! Why,
it's so thick you can wade through it! And it's simply wonderful
that you were afforded the opportunity to visit this wonderful
new land. Oh, the 'last frontier!' I only wish all of you in
the States could visit your glorious forty-ninth. You know,
I've been town librarian here for ten years, and you couldn't
force me to trade positions with anyone. Oh, of course I do
miss the cultural advantages of the East. I was born in Boston,
you know. Surely you've been there, too. But Alaska--where
else would you find such devastating characters? The aura--the
mystic realm that evolves around the lumbermen and fishermen
here is simply thrilling . . . "

"You're early tonight, Mr. Bayly. You're the only diner
present, as yet. Would you care for the table you had last
night--the one by the fire? You know, I heard that your flight
finally leaves tomorrow. We're going to miss you.

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