Casper Daily Tribune Newspaper, December 24, 1921, Page 11

x = * em ry “Sim — fn promised to eatherbeaten vessel, as some diMculty’ in ben the ory goons, Adel nobody but Scragge would Hal The inevitable happen att Maggi "7 ashore tn « fog. sh wl a! nA ve tng, the reek Mir. Gibney ets a company.in San the ship sshore is the Yankee Prince, at the Seoepe the two tug~ of the “Fan- kee Prince” and, fearing ridic ir way to th Gerelict abd Gibney and Mca be the Chesapeaki le and sail the ship to. San salvage money amount CHAPTER VIl.—Independent!: two adventurers still have a kindly feel- lng for. the Maggi im, ‘duces then to retirn. the =) Somea whieh an rich, our candi, hla crew hav- Pn Mold horas” two mystert © the. treacherous ‘ then: marooned. on the Island. Francisco the corporation agement of its wealth. Pienaly haves, ni % Ge are taken prisoners, to beheld » Ddelieving ed, shells the are for a cannibal f ea AEP, Mevdibney outwits him and satisfactory financial bet Spey with Chinese to whom thi e trumps,” acquiesced the engineer. “We-got plenty 0’ dough an’ no board bills comin’ due, so we'll loaf ‘along-} them ashore. Gib digs up somethin'|/ and Mr. Gibney and MecGuffey were 5 snuffing audibly. low about Nelis?” queried Captain The next day, Scraggs. “Do we continue to let that | steamed out of the harbor, bearing the syndicate back to San Francisco, they looked across at the little Maggie IT that question when he come to rescue | for the Iast time, and observed that | at you the day you lay a-dyin’ o° thirst | the mate was on deck, superinten: on that desert island, wonldn't you) three Kanaka sallors who were hoist- ing supplies aboard from a bumboat. Commodore Gibney bade his first “Then don't ask no questions that's | command a misty farewell. unworthy of you,” said Mr. Gibney se- xerely. “I don't want to see none o” | waved his hand. “Gawd! a man hire, ie reigns in the engine room. CHAPTER It —' and his ancient rT} in ‘esse! word \ Netla Halvorsen, for- ns ‘out to find the only” by inform: he | bh ship's log. “He. in time to ani 5. Bren: iad et deluded mi Sen the man- makes a contract with Scruggs to ip five hundred tons_o! furs on the Victor. turns out to be the is time ts an advanced stay a “the shipment naturally @ Victor wo! less for passenger ‘which the owners had planned. After ‘natural ious exchan; jeases the owners ‘fled and 7 “Halvorsen, Gibney purchases | the use givin’ him the vessel if we nd the three sail for) don't give him some spondulicks to cul Scodtinh, which ise of relents and re- from their jowever, refuses tw ithdraws from the “syn- his intention of ¢n- ith Mc- ashore with su} Gibney and nibals for hay Scraggs, who ig not fond of @ ght, Gib- i to rh Me as Se | evoke if you can’t be as much of a man an’ bet sport hereafter as them «ne | You've wronged an’ who's forgive you company bodies | fully and freely.” have been consigned, leaving scrages out ex-deckhand in on our fortunes?” “Tf, Nelis Halvorsen had asked you GEE se 7s QZ McGuffey and Halvorsen on the liner Hilontan, due to sat] at noon next day. eta’ itten to, “It appears, my man,” the commo- lore began, “that you was too anxions to horn in on the profits o’ this expe- deed. We had It all figgered out to feed you to the sharks on the way bome, because dead men tell no tales, but our suffertn’s on that {sland has jhould | Caused us all to look with a milder a asec ya a bed piven water | eye on mere human shortcomin's. The ‘Thetr hostile vistt to the Maggi in Bcrages on E33 pass ogin us,’an' I ain't ashamed to admit that you owe your wicked life to the fact that Scraggsy's got religion an’ McGuffey altit much better. But | great fist. we got all the money we need an’ we're goin’ to Europe to enjoy it, so before we go we're goin’ to pass sen- It fs the verdict o’ uftey swim | the court that we present you with the CHAPTER VI.—The derelict proves to | Power schooner Maggie II free gratis, richly laden, its en- | an’ that you accept the same in the by Sry same friendly sperrit in which it is tendered. Havin’ a sthooner o° your t-} own from now on, you tempted to steal onean’ commit whole- sale murder a-doin’ {t. You're forgiven, blessin', organize a comp'ny, an’ go back to Kandavu an’ make some money for yourself. Scraggsy, are you a-wil- Un’ to. prove that: you've xiven this errin’ mate complete the ship ar-| Shakin’ hands with him?’ “I forgive him freely,” Scraggs, “‘an' here's my fin on it.” The unfortunate mate hung his He was much moved. “You don't mean it, sir, do you?" he forgiveness by “I hope I may never ste the back o’ my neck if I don’t,” replied the skip “Thanks,” the mate mumbled. “I ain’: deservin’ o’ this nohow,” and he commenced to snivel a little. Mr. Gibney forget that he was play- ing a hypocrite’s part, and his gener- ous nature overcame him. I bet he ain't got a cent to bless himself with. Scraggsy, old tar- pot, if we're goin’ to turn over a new leaf an’ be Christians, let’s sail under ‘2 full cloud o° canvas.” » “By Neptune, that's so, Gib. This feller did us an awful dirty trick, but at the same time there,aln't a coward- ly bone in his hull carcass. I ain't forgot how he stood to the guns that day off the Coronados when we was ‘Stake the feller, Gib,” advised Mc- He was quite overcome at his some fun with} own generosity and the manner in which it had tov;hed the hard heart the iniquitous mate. Dut} as good a the green-pea trade pumped the “Well, I'll follow. suit. Gib's got all} stricken mate’s hand, tossed him a scrap of advice, and went overside in- to the small boat which was to take It was a solemn parting as the Hilonian “Good-by, little ship,” he yelled and ae, i? i H ts § ? H | aie ui iy t i i i F | the won't be ir vy = ex-| _“Surest thing you know, brother,” over} shouted Mr. McGuffey and swatted the between the shoulders. “Take her with our compliments, You was a good brave mate until you went wrong. I ain't forgot how you sprayed the hillsides with lead the day Gib an’ Scraggsy was took by them cannibals., No, str-ee! I ain't holding It's human to commit crime. I've committed one or two my- self. Good Iuck to you, mafey. Hope you make a barrel o’ money with the dicate,” come to order. ants Safe, deposited an emergency roll with the hotel clerk, and banked the balance of the company funds In the names of all four; after which the syn- dicate gave Itseif up to a period of joy unconfined. At the end of a week of riot and revelry Mr. Gibney revived sufficiently to muster all hands and lead them to 8 Turkish bath. Two days in the bith restored them wonderfully, and when worthy commodore eventually got them back to the hotel he announced thet henceforth the lid was on—and on tight. Captain Scraggs, who was bart to mangge tn his cups and the most prodigal of prodigais with steam bai a certaln pressure, demurred at “No more sky-larkin’, Scraggey, you old cut-up,” Mr. Gibney ordered. “We had our good time comin’ after all that we've beén through, but it's time to get down to business agin. Riches has wings, Scraggsy, old salamander, ‘an’ even if we are ashore, F'm still the commodore. Now, set around an’ we'll hold a meetin’.” He banged the chiffonier with his “Meetin’ o' the Maggi he anneunced. The first business be- fore the meetin’ is a call for volun- teers to furnish a money-makin' idee for the syndicate.” Nels Halvorsen shook his sorrel head. He had no (deas. B. McGuitey, Esquire, shook his head also, Captain Scraggs wanted to sing. “I cee {t's up to me to suggest some- thin’.”” Mr, Gibney smiled benignly, as man, Take the Maggie II with | if a money-making idea was the ensiest thing on earth to produce. “The last thing I remember before we went to that Turkish bath was us four visitin’ @ fortune teller an’ havin’ our fortunes told, past, present an’ future, for u dollar a throw. Anyc ber what his fortune was?" It appeared that no one remembered, not even Mr. Gibney, jcontinued ; “The chair will app’int Mr. McGuf- fey an' himself a committee o’ two to wait on one o’ these here clairvoy- and have their fortunes told McGuffey, who was as superstitious as @ negro, seconded the motion heart- fly and the committee forthwith sal- Med forth to consult the clairvoyant. Within the hour they returned. “Members o' the syndicate,” the com- modore announced, “we got an idea, Not a heluva. good one, but fair to Mac calls on this Madame de What-you-may-call-her an’ the minute she gets a lamp at my mit (it is worthy ‘of remark here that Mr. Gibney had a starfish tattooed on the back of his left hand, a full-rigged ship across his breast, and a gorgeous pic- ture of a Indy climbing a ladder adorned the inner, side of his brawny The feet of the lady in question hung down below the fringe of Mr, Gibney’s short sleeve) she got middlin’. Me ai right forearm. up an’ says: you're a sucker. intervene. er SS “Meetin's adjourned,” he announced, “pendin’ the issue e' the papers to- morrow mornin’, oughter jJ'ine the Band o' Hope. You're ugly when you got a drink in Nells Halvorsen interferéd to beg a cigar of Mr, Gibney and the affair over. At alx o'clock the following morn- ing the numbers of the syndicate were awakened by a prodigious pounding respective doors. Answering the summons, they found Mr. Gibney {n undress upiform and the morning paper clutched tn his hand, “Meetin’ o' the Maggie syndicate in my room,” he bawled. our fortune.” You was The meeting came to order without 0 REE SN as Whe eet : i | | | | d ii “REPORTS PASSING DERELICT “The steam schooner Arethusa, Grays Harbor to Oakland Long wharf, reports passing a derelict schooner twenty wiles off Point Reyes at six o'clock last night. The cerelict was down by the head, and her rail just showed above the water. possible to learn her identity. “The presence of this derelict in the steamer lanes ‘to North Pacific ports !s a distinct menace to naviga- tion, and ft is probable. that a revenue cutter will be dispatched today to seatch for the derelict and either tow her into. port or destroy her.” “Gentlemen 0’ the syndicate, them's the only two items in the shippin’ Page that looks likely.’ The question which Hes our fortune?” Neils Halvorsen spoke up, giving it as his opinion that the fortune-telling lady probably knew her business and that ‘heir fortune really lay at sea. ‘The derelict was at sea. ‘then, ane the prophecy be inter- at “All right, Mac. “Well, this steamer Victor {sn’t ex- actly traveling overland,” McGuffey He bad a secret hankering to mess around some real engines again, and gave it as his opinion that fortune was more likely to lurk in a solid stern-wheel steamer with good engines and boilers than tn a battered bulk at sea, Captain Scraggs agreed with him most heartily and a tie vote resulted, Mr. Gibney inclining toward “What're we goin’ to do about it, Gib?” Captain Scraggs demanded, “When In doubt, Scraggsy, old tar- Pot, always play trumps. make no mistak fast you an’ M, Jackson. street wharf an’ this man Coakley about his steamer You been goin’ to sea long enough te know a good hull when you if we can't trust Mac to know a good set of inner works we'd better dissolve the syndicate. me an’ Neils, we'll go down to the Front an’ charter a tug an’ chase out after that there derelict before the revenue cutter gets her an’ blows her out 0’ the path o’ commerce with a stick of dynamite.” Forthwith Mr, right after break- ‘Guffey go down to Gibney and Neils, after snatching a hasty breakfast, e- Darted for the waterfront, where they chartered a tug for three days and But to sea. At about ten o'clock Cap- tain Scraggs and McGuffey strolled leisurely down to Jackson street wharf to Inspect the Victor. bad completed a most satisfactory in- spection of the steamer’s hull and bollers, and bought her in for seven {thousand dollars, Captain Scraggs He said she was worth Already he had de- and profitable freights awaited the syndicat the Sacramento river, where the farm- and orchardists had been for years the victims of & monopoly and @ gentlemen's agreement between the two steamboat lines that plied be- tween Sacramento, Stockton and San He therefore By noon they was delighted. ten thousand. On the afternoon of the third day Mr. Gibney and Neils Halvorsen re- turned from sea. Thty were unutter- decayed codfish! ably weary and hollow-eyed for lack Captain Scraggs turned a sneering glance upon the unhappy commodore while McGuffey sat down on the damp rail of the derelict and laughed until “Well, I suppose you two suckers ‘hy friend, you're mak-| found that derelict,” challenged Mc- in’ a grave mistake remainin’ ashore. Your fortune Mes at sea.’ Then she threw a fit an’ mumbled something about a light-haired man that was goin’ to cross my path. must have meant Scraggsy or Neils, both bein’ blondes—an’ she come out of her trance shiverin’ an’ shakin’. “Your fortune lies at sea, my friend,’ she kept on sayin’. an’ seek It.’ ‘Gimme the longitude an’ latitude, maam,' I says, x “ ‘Look in the shippin’ news in the papers tomorrower,’ ‘Five dollars, please.’” “You didn't give her five dollars, did you?’ gasped Captain Scraggs. “Why, Gib, my dear bi you was sober.” “So I was.” “Then, Gib, all I got to say is that ‘You want to consult the rest of us before you go throwin’ away the funds o’ the syndicate on such tom-fool dees as—" McGuffey saw a storm gathering on Mr. Gibney’s brows, and hastened to Found her an’ got a line aboard an’ towed her in, an’ ft was She's layin’ oyer on the Berkeley tide flats, an’ at lowtide to- morrow we'll go over an’ find out what we've got. Don't even know her She's practically sub- raved Captain a-sinkin’ the time an’ money o' the in rotten codfish on the say-so of a clairvoyant you ain't even been Introduced to. Gib, if that’s bi ness, all I got to say is: ‘Excuse me.” Mr. Gibney selzed the defunct fish from the diver's hand, tore tt in half, | outer here. slapped Captain Scraggs with one aw- ful fragment and hurled the other at “I think you was awful foolish, Gib, buyin’ a pig in a poke that way. don't believe in goin’ in blind. an’ Mac's bought a real ship. own the Victor.” “Pm dead on my feet,” growled the commodore, and Jumping into bed he refused to discuss the matter further and was sound asleep in a jiffy. up bright and early and aroused the syndicate to action. Tho tide would be at its lowest ebb at nine thirty-one and the’ commodore figured that his fortune would be ly- Ing well exposed on the Berkeley tide fats. He engaged a diver and a smal! gasoline launch, and after an early breakfast in a chophouse on the Em- barcadero they started for the wreck. They were within half a mile of It, heading right into the eye of the wind, when Captain Scraggs and McGuffey stood erect In the launch simultaneous- ly and sniffed like a pair of—well, she pipes up. oy, Y thought Mr. Gibney wi dred-dollar loss. change his spots.” “Dead whale,” suggested McGuffey. n't Gib's fortane,” re- plied Scraggs drily. “Shut up,” bellowed Mr. Gibney, He was sniffing himself by this time, for as the launch swiftly approached the derelict the unpleasant odor became more pronounced. “Betcher that schooner, was in col- Iston with a steamer,” Scraggs announced. down right through the fo’castle with the watch below sound asleep, an‘ this here fragrance sppeals to me as re sign of & job for the coroner.” ger and chagrin. “She was cut — $ x SS PY eet Woe Oe o> Mr. Gibney'’s eyes flashed, but he made no reply. They had roanded the schooner’s stern now, and her name «, “Schooner Kadiak, Seattle,” read Scraggs. “Little old three sticker a thousand years old an’ cut clear through just abaft the foremast. Me- Guffey, you don’t s'pose this here’s a Pirate craft an‘ just bulgin’ with gol “Sure,” retorted the enginéer with a slow wink, “tainted wealth.” Mr. Gibney could stand thelr hack- lng no longer, “Looky here, you two,” he bawled out angrily. “I got a hunch I picked up a lemon, but I'm a-willin’ to tackle the deal with Neils if you two think I didn't do right by the| reply. He carefully examined syndicate a-runnin’ up a bill of ex- Pense tow!n’ this craft Into port. ain't goin’ to stand for no kiddin’, even If we are tn a five-hundred-dollar Man {8 human an’ bound to make mistakes,” This aromer o’ roses 1s more'n a strong man can stand, so cut out the I guess the com- modore’s foot slipped this time, but IT ain't equawkin’ yet.” " erled Mr. Gibney bitterly, “but soon. “IT ain't, outher,’ assumed an air of injured virtue. “I'm a-willin’ to go through with you, Gib, at a loss, for nothin’ else except to convince you o' the folly o' makin’ this &@ one-man syndicate. but I'm free to confess that I'd like to be consulted oncet in a while. “That's logic,” rumbled the single- minded McGuffey, “You dirty welchers,” d “I ain't askin’ you two to take chances with me, Neils'l! take this deal over Independ- ent o° the syndicate.” “Well, let's dress this here diver,” the cautious Scraggs, “an’ send him into the hold for a look around before we make up our minds.” Captain Scraggs was not a man to take chances, They moored the laumch to the wreck and commenced operations. Mr, Gibney worked the air: pump while the diver, ax in hand, dropped into the Captain Scraggs T aln’t a-kickin’, roared the Ax In Hand, Dropped Into the Murky Depths of the Flooded Hold. murky depths of the flooded hold. He | Gib's a sei was down half an hour before he sig- | I reckon w naled to be pulled up. sprang to the line to haul.bim back to daylight, and the Instant he popped clear of the water Mr. Gibney unbur- dened himself of an\agonized curse. “ant “I'm outer the syndicate,” he raved, beside himself with anger. go to work an’ make a fortune for a pair of short sports an’ pikers an’ you. get to squealin’ at the first five-hun- I know you of old, Phineas Scraggs, an’ the ieopard can’t He raised his right “I'm through for We'll sell the.pearls today, divvy up, an’ dissolve. “Here I Tm through,” growled McGuffey. “I don’t want nd more o' that codfish, an’ a8 soon as we git fightin’ room I'll | Gibney, prove to you that no near-sallor can insult me an’ git away with It. Me| tly. “I s'pose you been rolled for your | money as per usual. an’ you're around lookin’ for a job as mate?” Mr. Gibney ignored this veiled in- sult. “Not yet, Scraggsy. five hundred tons o’ freight to send up to Dunnigan'’s landing an’ I want a lump sum figger for doin’ the job, We parted friends an’ for the sake 0’ old times I thought I'd give you a chance to figger on the business.” TE be glad to Where's your freight an’ what does it consist of?” “Agricultural stuff. I deliver it here on the steamer's deck within reach o’ ber tackles, “As near as I can make out, boss, | pieces. Two men can handle every there ain't a thing-o’ value in this hulk but a couple o’ hundred tons o° an’ Scraggsy’s got some rights. You can walk on Scraggsy, Gib, but It takes a man to walk on the McGuffey Nothing but the lack of sea-room prevented a battle royal. stood glaring at his late partners. His great ham-like fists were opening and closing automatically. “You're right, Mac,’ ently, endeavoring to control bis an- “We'll settle this Take that helmet off the an’ let's hear what he’s got to report.” With the helmet removed the diver Mr. Gibney he sald pres- Me an’ you diver Hereafter, sternwheel our chances. to re—” “Enough! me an'—" McGuffey. All hands | intendin’ it.” the South seas, sold for thirty thousand dollars. hour later they had adjusted thelr | accounts, divided the fortune of the syndicate equally, and then dissolved At parting, Mr, Gibney spoke for the first time when It had not been ab- solutely necessary. “Put a beggar on horseback an’ he'll ride to the devil,” he said. “When you two swabs was poor you was con- tent to Jet me lerd you Into a fortune, but now that you're well-heeled, you think you're business men. I ain't got a Word to say except this: | Before I get through with you two beachcombers I'll have all your money and you'll be a-beggin’ me for a job. T apologize for sonktn’ you two with that diseased codfish, an’ for old sake's fight. We're still friends, but business associates no longer, for I'm too big a figger in this syndicate to stand for any criticism on my handiin’ o° the joint finances, Scraggsy, old kiddo, an’ Mac can go it alone with your steamer. Me an' The Squarehead legs it together an’ takes You don't hear that poor untootered Swede makin’ no holler at the way I've handled the syndicate—" “But, Gib, my dear boy,” chattered Captain Scraggs, “will you just listen sake we won't ‘to somethin’. tion o’ his workin’. time; he gets a foggy look in his eyes, We made 2 mistake kiddin’ him today. . boy some ways an’ surt his feelin's without but that's codfish. She was cut tn two fust ford ® the bulkhead an’ ber anchc ried away on the section that was off. She ain't worth the cost 0’ toy her In on the flats.” “So that codfish has some vatue, sneered Captain Sérages. “Great grief, Scrazesy! me {t's sp'iled,” cried MeGuffey, sin ." | Isting horror. “No, not quite, Mac, not quite. slightly. I spose GIb'll tack a sizn to the stub o' the main mast: ly spoUled codfish for sale. A. P. Gibney, on the premises. cial rates on Friday.” Mr, Gibney quivered, but made no Too much ts plenty. Let’s shake hands an’ part friends, We just can't get along in business together, that’s all.” “Well, I'm sorry, Gib,” mumbled Mc- Guffey, very much crestfallen, then you hove that dog-gone fish at “That was fortune hittin’ you a belt In the face, Mac, an’ you was too self-concelted to recognize it. ber that, both of you two, hit you tn the face today an’ you didn't know it.” “Td ruther die poor, Gib,” walled The commodore shook hands cor- dially and departed, followed by the faithfyl Neils ialvorsen, ment the door closed behind them Scraggs turned to the engineer, he said earnestly, “Gib's up He's got that imagina- T can tell it every “He thrun a dead codfish at me,” protested McGuffey. like a brother, things with a mighty high hand.” In his hands the diver held a large “Well, I'll apologize to him,” de- clared Captain Scraggs and started for the door to follow Mr. Gibney. MecGuffey barred his way. "You apologize without my consent an’ you gotta buy me out o’ the Vic- the tears coursed down his honest | tor. I won't be no engineer with a skipper that Iacks backbone.” “Thanky, = 2 oS ae ae STF SESS SESS SS ms vss a3 x —— = fs S CSS ae, McGuffey in anybody else. steamboat lines. Piece easy.” “Turnin’ farmer, Gib3" “A dirty little codfishin’ schooner,” “Oh, very well, Mac,’ Captain Scraggs realized too well the value of the engine room. knew he coulé never be happy with “We'll complete the 1- | deal with the Victor, ship a crew, get down to business, an’ leave Gib to his codfish, An’ let's pay our bill an’ get It’s too high-toned for me—an’ expensive.” For two weeks Captain Scraggs and McGuffey saw no more of Mr. Gibney ond Neils Halvorsen. time, they had commenced running the Victor regularly up river, soliciting business {n opposition to the regular While the Victor was running with Might freights and con- sequently at a loss, ultimate business was very bright and Scraggs and McGuffey were not at all worried about the future. Judge at thelr surprise, therefore, when one morning who should appear at the door of Scraggs’ cabin but Mr. “Mornin’, Gib,” began Scraggs cheer- a = = 3 rs car- rat Don't tel u- Inst “Slight- Apply to | Spe- that Portion of the derelict above water and I| discovered th=; by an adiditional ex- penditcre uf about fifty dollars he might recover an equs! amount tn brass fittings. The Kadi was gone and her decks completely | “Don't kid the commodore, Scraggsy. | futted. Nothing remained but the am- putated bull and the foul cargo below her battered decks. In majestic silence the commodore | motioned all hands into the launch. In sllence they returned to the city. Arrived here, Mr. Gibney paid off the launch man and the diver and ac- companied by his associates repaired | to a prominent jeweler’s shop the pearls they had accumulated tn | The entire lot was 's house | with An All right! you “but Remem- Fortune The mo- “I love old Gib earryin’ He In the mean- the prospect for I got about It's crated, an’ No heavy “Thinkin modore ad J on this | s0 get d Scraggs. w lars celpted f parted, bunted alo Halvorse: “Holy Salleri™ He Shouted. “Who Uncorked That Atter o’ Violets?” sniffed. He was still sniffing when McGuffey bounced up out of the engine room. “Holy Sailor!" he shouted. uncorked that atter o' viol ted. ight? to accept. for the lot.” The commodore non- ded Scraggs five hundred me a receipt,” he said. ain Scrages gave him a re- eight bill and Mr. Gibney de- An hour tater a ide the Victor appeared in Scraggs’ cabin to Inform him that the five hundred tons of freight was ready to be taken aboard. “all to work right off. deck, paused, Net tilted out tt a Iittle, “Whai Tt aln’t perishable, wn to brass tacks.” ‘4 dollar a ton,” declared the greedy naming a figure fully forty cents higher than he would have been Ive hundred dol- TU put a gang He came out on his “You dog-gone squarehea: Captain Scraggs. tain you" fis! of tears, “But, Gibt “You been monkey- in’ around that codfish again.” “What smells?" demanded the mate, poking his nose out of his room. “That tainted wealth I picked up at sea.” shouted a voice from the dock, and turning, Scraggs and McGuffey observed Mr. Gibney standing on a stringer smiling at them. “Gib, my dear boy,” quavered Cap- Scraggs, “you can't mean to say unloaded them gosh-awful cod- No, not yet—but soon, Scraggsy, old tarpot.” Captain Scraggs was on the verge My dear boy! This freight'll fou! the Victor up for © month o' Fridays—-an' I just took out a passenger license!” “I'm sorry, Scraggsy, but business Is business. You've took my money an’ you got to perform.” “You Med to me, agricultural stuff plows an’ harrers “It's fertilizer—an’ if that ain't agri- cultural stuff I hope my teeth may drop out an’ roll In the ocean. An’ it It perished long ago. An’ If you don't ain't perishable, T ain't decetved you, like the scent o' dead codfish on your decks, you can swab ‘em down with Florida water fur a month.” Captain Seraggs’ mate came around the corner of the house and addressed himself to Captain Scraggs. “You can give me my time, sir. a steamboat mate, not a grave digger or @ coroner's assistant, or an under- taker, an’ I can’t stand to handle this here fre!ght." Mr. McGuffey tossed his silken en- gineer’'s cap over to Scraggs. “Hop on that, Scraggsy. Your own hat {s ground to powder. strange, Gib, what little Imagination He'll Scraggsy's got? a-scream! -—Scraggsy! o Gib's at all. that barge an’ tow it up river.” “You won't do nothin’ o’ the sort, because that's my barge an’ T ain't a-goin’ to let it out o' my sight. my freight alongside your steamer and prepaid the fretght an’ it's up to you to handle itv “Gib” ae “That's the programme!” crooned Mr. McGuffey, “ain't you got no heart? You know ; I got a half interest in the Victor—” “O-oo-oh !" Captain Scraggs groaned, and his groan wns that of a seasick When he could look up again his face was ghastly with mis- ery. “Gib,” he pleaded sadly, “you got us where the hair ts short. i voke the law an’ make us handle that Tt ain't right. leave to tow that barge—anytbing to | keep your freight off the Victor, an’ we'll pull it up river for you—" Mac, I've delivered “Adelbert,” passeng codfish, Gib! You said it wad I thought ‘t was. " sich—" an’ a-cussin’ an’ a-prancin’ Ain't you got no pride, makin’ such a spectacle o’ yourself? We don't have to handle this freight We'll just hook onto “Be a good feller, Gib. be hard an’ spiteful like that,” urged MeGuffey. “rh Sctages, (To be Continued) crochet w veloped a td Queen of Denmark delights in At an early age he de te for this sort of wot':, Lnt as it was considered by his parents did it secretly sses effeminate, ndra_ pe stawl made by his hands ES Ser 9 =. So am | he tow the barge free,” a S Ss. eI ts .) ys a p x i << S35 x J le = LA ee SS h ip Tons SESS Ss f 7) S (| RS ——