River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-05-07

1 NAAASAASeO 40 0UCAAALb t43CCy a4AO
said the child.
Captain Bartlett filed up the rhyme
with something which was not SALIVA
ton" then took turn or two along the
bridge, keeping his eye on the child all
the time, as if she was some rare Zoolog-
ical specimen.
"Wall. p" he said, stopping suddenly,
eff you wur man, or boy, do you
know what should do with you?"
"Ask me if l could eat anything?"
was the reply"
Captain Bartlett took his cigar from
his mouth, and looked at her with in
creased amazement.
Great 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 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" chuckled
the skipper.
In half an hour Mr.. Slope reappeared
on the bridge
"She's a queer 'un, that ther kid,
sir" he said; II left her with a couple
o. pounds o beef, and loaf O. bread,
an Dotaters, an fixins, and I'm blessed
if she hadn't slowed it away in quar-
ter of an hour. She's aproper stow
away, she is sir"
poor little cussw said Bartlett; az
reckon / should like to have ten
minutes' talk with her skunk of a
father, or whoever her friend is.
Thar's one thing, Brandys hundred
pound'll pay for her passage, an that's
a fact"
Three days passed, three days of
glorious weather and calm sea, and the
"PIcayune" made her twelve knots
regularly every hour. Mary Jane
Johnsw0rth in this time established
herself as a general favorite with officers
aud crew, and particularly with the
skipper. She could sing any amount
of old sea songs, could initiate to the
life the noise made b. the men as they
ran round the capstan to the shanty of
Johnny Franswaw" or the "Shanan-
dore." She could dance, and with all
she had such pretty, piquant ways,
that there was not man on board who
would not have done anything to please
her. from the skipper to the stewards
boy. Her appetite continued huge !;
with ease she put away twice the ration
or an ordinary seaman, although she
had within of preferring to have her
meals alone at all sorts of odd times.
On the fifth day out, Marcus, the
black cook, came aft with long face to
the skipper.
''Please, sab, he said, 4" I nebber
seed such ting in all my horned days,
nebberp
what is it, you vagabond? ?" demand
ed Bartlett.
"Why, sah," replied the cook, ode
steward he glib me beef, an mutton, an
pork, an m'lasses, an, flour, an biscuit,
cherry mornin', and it go"
"What dye mean, it go? of course,
1t go" said the Captain, yer don't
reckon ships stores amt made to CO."
Oats ies'what seq to myself, seq /, "
replied Marcus. "Ship's stores is
meant to go, but dey isn't meant to fly"
"Wher do they fly to, you black-liv-
cred skunk ?" asked the skipper angrily.
Oats ies' the oder ting l asks my
self" replied the cook, wher does they
fly to? Steward he glib me over lowance.
II reckon some of the boys rob you,
Marcus" said Bartlett; Jest you keep
that weather eve O. yOurn open, an if
you ketch any skunk prowlin' around
the galley when you amt thar, ies fetch
him over the head with anything handy,
and then tell me. You can bet your
bottom dollar he won't do it second
time"
Marcus took all possible precautions.
After nightfall he would prowl about
the galley with marling- spike in hand,
ready to pounce upon any hungry foe sic
hand or fireman who should be tempted
to tap the provision store in the galley.
He and Mary Jane were the very best of
friends, and In return for little delicacies
he made her, she would offer to keep
watch whilst he snoOzed or joined the
hands in sky-larking,
Still, the provisions went, and the
rum went, and the shippers whisky
went, and neither Marcus nor Mary
Jane, nor any one else could imagine
how. Bartlett waxed furious, and held
a consultation with his first mate; the
result was that all hands were piped
forward Of the bridge, and the skipper
addressed them as follows:
"Now, look yer, boys, recken, takin
You all roun', you're as smart lot as
ever shipped, but thar's derned thief
amongst YOU. a lowminded cuss, what
can't content hisself with the regulation
skinful, but must go sneakin' an PROV
lin around like coyote, and freezin
to things as don't belong to him.
don't suspect nary a man in partikler,
but he's amongst you, an if [ nab him
set him afoat in the dinghy with 6
i bit o hard tack, an an anker of water
as sure as my names Hosea II. Bart
lett, an that's a fact"
: The men skunk off grumbllng.
That very evening bottle of three
star Exshaw disappeared from the
, swinging shelf in the saloon, and {
packet of Virginia from the Captains
+ own cabin.
/ Bartlett was furious: he swore thai
; the steward was in league with the
, crew; he swore that he didn't trust {
man in his ship from the first mate
2 downwards.
More depredations occurred in the re-
. gions of the cooking galley. Marcus
, the cook, was furious, and the only
/ thing that prevented a row on boarC
, was the alternate intercession of little
! Mary Jane with the skipper and thu
cook.
J There was but one solution to the
mystery. The ship was haunted
Strange stories were told with bateC
: breath about spirits who lived on board
| ships, of which the skipper or an officer
was bad man; big, bearded men, who
had braved danger in every part of th;
world, related all they had ever hearC
| of gnCmes and sea spirites with {
I spite against a certain craft, or Ger
tain member of its crew, with serious
Q mods and winks.
/ Bartlett alone pooh-poohed these idle
1 tales. and linked the believers will
| Captain Brandy in his category o
/ "derned fools, and almost got angry will
$ the little girl for sharing the popular
creed.
Mary Jane enjoyed herself immensely
The weather was perfect, so that she
could romp about as much as she liked
0 her appetite maintained its invariablt
excellence, although she generally had
her meals alone, and nobody could
: swear that she ate all that was placed
| before her.
5 This last fact gave Captain Bartlett
, an idea. She was the thief. He knew
{ that she was a fayorite with the men