Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-07-03
larry Jane with the skipper and the

Mary Jane With the skipper and the
cook. &. Fl
There was but one solution to the
mystery. The ship was haunted.
Strange stories were told with bated
breath about spirits who lived on board
ships, Of which the skipper or an officer
was bad man; big, bearded men, who
had bravaa danger in every part of the
world, related all they had ever heard
Of gnomes and sea spirites with a
spite against certain craft, or GER
tain member of its:.crew, with serious
mods and winks.
Bartlett alone pooh-poohed these idle
tales, and linked the believers with
Captain Brandy in his category of
"derned fools, "and almostgot angry with
the little girl for sharing the popular
| creed.
Mary Jane enjoyed herself immensely.
The weather was perfect, SO that she
could ro,np about as much AS she liked ;
! her appetite maintained its invariable
excellence, although she generally had
! her meals alone, and nobody could
swear that she ate ell that was placed
before her.
This last fact gave Captain Bartlett
an idea. She was the thief He knew
that she was fayorite with the men,
and he knew from long experience that
the men were up to any dodge to get an
increase of rations and grog. They had
got over the innocent little thing with
their soft sawder. He watched her.
The steward set before her for supper
one evening meat and biscuit enough for
three men, and left her. Bartlett from
the bunk of an empty cabin saw her fall
to with fair appetite for while, al
though he remarked that she did not
eat extraordinarily for healthy, grow
ing child.
| When she had finished, she pulled
out linen bag from her pocket, and
into it she put all that was left. Then
she rose gently, got on to the seat, took
down the whisky bottle from the shelf
swinging above her head, and poured
half its contents into flask.
Then she stole away, Bartlett after
her. Right forward she went along the
deserted deck, and disappeared in the
darkness under the raised foc'sls.
''Wall," said the skipper to himself,
"ef this don't beat 'possum trackin' !,
bust me eff know what does, an that's
| fact. They're cunnin lot O rascals
they are! Jes think that they should
come it over poor innocent little kid
like that thar, anthem try an blarney
NE with lot of yarns bout spirits !!
We're ten days out, anyway, an We'll
make Liverpool to-morrer, SO that it
doesn't signify with much, an Brandy's
hundred pound II pay; but it's real
mean, that's what it is. :"
Bartlett, who, with all his rough
ness, was kind hearted man, could
not bring himself to tell Mary Jane
what he had seen, but he became con-
cerned with new thought. What
was to be done with her on landing :?
She lived in Birkenhead, but how was
he to find out in huge place like
Birkenhead where she lived and who
her parents were? Take her to his own
home he dare not; partly because Mrs.
Bartlett had five youngsters of her own,
and, partly, because she WAS g. bit of a
Tartar, and would be sure to be down
pretty heavily on him for taking so
much notice of strange, stowaway
child, when he was always complain
ing about the expense and worry Of
| his own.
So this question as to the disposition
of Mary Jane Johnsworth vexed Cap
tain Bartlett all the next day, and TN
till next evening, when Holyhead
Light was sighted, and his attention
was directed to other matters.
! 4o4o of
great excitement at the approach to her
land, now running to one side of the
deck, now to the other, then scuttling
UP the companion ladder to the bridge,
then darting into the galley to poster
Marcus with all sorts of questions, to
which the faithful negro had to invent
answers, then dashing away into tho
| foc'sle until it was dark and she could
see no more.
| At midnight, the *'Picayune, Cap
tain Bartlett, was safe alongside the
dock quay, and the Captain himself, af-
ter bothering day, was at liberty to
turn in.
''Poor little kidd" he said as he ca
ressed Mary James fair hair; land
what's to become of you? I'm real sor-
! ry that the voyage is finished, as I've
got uncommon fond O you, Mary Jane,
an eff hadn't kids Of my own, I'd like
to change your name to Mary Jane
Bartlett, and turn you out a real lady"
els your home here ?" asked the child,
looking up in the Captains face with an
artless gaze.
eyes, my sugar stick" replied the
I 81 In,,o M
Road, that's where the Missis is located,
but she's agoin' back to New York, she
is, next trip. But look yer, I reckon
you're bit tired; you go an turn in an
to-morrer we'll see what's to be DONE"
I So he kissed the child as he babe her
goodnight and she battered eff singing
as if it were midday.
"Poor little kid poor little kid !" solil-
oquized the Captain when she had gone,
IT should like to have ten minutes
with them brutes as have sent her away
like this, and that's fact!"
EARLY next morning, the Captain
sent hand ashore to find out if the
"Cockney" had by chance arrived dur
ing the night. ...
"Not that I reckon she's more'n half
way across the pond" he said to him.
self; "b1,t Brandy's up to lodges, he. is,
although he is such derned fool" "a
The reply came that the "Cockney'
had not arrived. .. .f..-l..r.
"Wall, then, I reckon I needn't hur-
ry ashore" said Bartlett.
He was in the saloon going over his
I papers with the customs officers, when
the chief mate appeared at the door
with broad grin in his face. -
I "'Thar's gentleman an a lady come
aboard and wants to see you, sir"
"a gentleman an q lady!" repeated