Peter Kyne: Coastside Author (2)

The Kyne family oved from San Francisco to Moss Beach in 1885 when Peter was five-years-old. A precocious child, with a gift for gab, he knew he wanted to travel and “to make his mark in life.”

Kyne spent hours wandering around Amesport Wharf at Miramar Beach, which by then was already in decline, but where little steamers such as the “Maggie” tied up at the dock. He had a chance to observe the rugged life of sea captains, one of the subjects he later wrote about.

(In an early book, “Captain Scraggs or The Green Pea Pirates,” sea yarn published in 1911, Kyne set the scene on the “Maggie” off Half Moon Bay.)

In 1897, when he was 16, Peter worked at a general store on Main Street in Half Moon Bay–he soon discovered that he had to learn to do business in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Working in the store, gave him the opportunity of mentally recording the actions of colorful characters who occasionally appeared in his short stories.

…to be continued…