The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-05-22

f0re-t0p ana report II the COChheJ SlLl
sight"
FAY, ay, sir replied Mr.. Slope. The
man assembled to the fOre-top, canned
the ocean for some moments, and bel
lowed out: .
"'Cockney' astern, sir; hull down.
"Brandy's a derned fool" muttered
Captain Bartlett, and rolled himself OIL
the bridge to breakfast.
During the second dOg-watch in the
evening, Captain Bartlett, reclining IN
his a chair on the bridge, observed a
commotion forward. The first mate and
| half a dozen of the crew were assembled
around some object. and at intervals
cast side -glances at the skipper. Bart
lett had the eye of a hawk.
"Mr. Slope, what's going on torr'ard?
he sang out.
Mr.. Slope came slowly aft with the
| air of q criminal.
please, sir, it's a stowaway."
The effect of this announcement up
on his superior officer was terrible and
Immediate; he jumped up from his
chair as if agitated by an electric
shock his eyes glared like a couple of
torches; his brow contracted into all
sorts of frowns and burrows; he fOamed
and spluttered, and at length roared
out:
"Chuck him o~verboardm
please, sir, lisa she" said the chief
mate.
"Chuck her-no! Great sakes!
Bring her aft :" roared the Captain.
SO the mate returned to the group
forr'ard, and presently returned, lead
ing by the hand a fair-haired, blue-eyed
child of about eleven.
"Well," said Bartlett, after he had
slowly surveyed her from head to foot
and from foot back again to head, and
noted that she was apparently of a very
superior order of ~stowaway, her clothes
being good, and her physical appear
ance that of a child well looked after,
"who are yOu?"
MARY Jane Johnsworth," was the
ready reply.
Mary Jane Johnsworth," repeated
the skipper; wall, and what the tar
nal does Mary Jane Johnsworth want
hidin' of herself aboard a craft as don't
belong to herr"
II don't know" vas the answer.
"You don't know. Got father and
mother ?" asked Bartlett.
eyes sir, answered the child.
Then what are yer a-slopin' from
home fur?"
"Tm not. Tn going home"
"Then you'rea Br1tisher, I reckon"
'Mary Jane is nv name; England is my
nation,
Birkenhead is my dwelling place, and"-
said the child.
Captain Bartlett filled up the rhyme
with something which was not saliva
tion," then took a turn or twc'aiong the
bridge, keeping his eye OF the child all
the time, as if she was some rare zoolog-
ical specimen.
Wall. ne said, stopping suddenly,
eff you wur a man, o. a boy, do you
know what / should do with You?"
ASK me if / could eat anything"
was the reply"
Captain Bartlett took his agar from
his mouth, and looked at her with in
creased amazement.
"Graat Scott" he calculated, you've
got sass anyway. Mr.. Slope, take her
ferr'ard and see that she has something
to eat. and-Mr Slope. send a hand
aloft, and report the hearings of the
"Cockney."
The report presently came that the
"Cockney" was out of sight.
"BrandY's a derned FOOL" chuckIed
the skipper.
In half an hour Mr.. Slope reappeared
on the bridge.
"She's a queer 'un, that ther kid,
| sir" he said; "I left her with q couple
o. pounds o. beef, and a loaf % bread,
/ an potaters, an fixins', and I'm blessed
If she hadn't slowed it away in a quar-
ter of an hour. She's aproper stow
away, she is sir"
"Poor little cussw said Bartlett; II
reckon / should like to have a ten
minutes talk with her skunk of q
father, or whoever her friend is.
Thar's one thing, Brandy's hundred
poundH pay for her passage, an that's
a fact"
Three days passed, three days OF
! glorious weather and calm sea, and the
"Plcayune" made her twelve knot:
regularly every hour. Mary jane
Johnsworth in this time established
herself as a general favorite with officers
and crew, and particularly with the
skipper. She could sing any amount
of old sea songs, could initiate to the
life the noise made by the men rs they
ram round the capstau TO the shanty o
Johnny F~ranswaw" or the "Shanan'
dore." She could dance, and with al
she had such pretty, piquant ways
that there was not a man OF board wh'
would not have done anything to pleas
her. from the skipper to the steward
boy. Her appetite continued huge
with ease she put away twice the ratiol