Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-07-03

II don't know" was 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?"
I'm not. I'm going home"
"Then you're Br,tisher, I reckon.
"Mary Jane is my 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 ''salva-
tion," then took turn or two along the
bridge, keeping his eye on the child ali
the time, as if she was some rare zoolog.
ical specimen.
"Wall, he said, stopping suddenly,
IF you wur man, or a boy, do you
know what I should do with you?"
ASK me if i could eat anything?"
was the reply"
Captain Bartlett took his cigar from
his mouth, and looked at her with in
creased amazement.
"Great Scottr he calculated, "you'v We
got sass anyway. MIR. 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.
"Brandys derned FOOL" chuckled
the skipper.
In half an hour MIR. Slope reappeared
on the bridge.
"She's a queer 'un, that Their kid,
sir" he said; II left her with a couple
o pounds O beef, and loaf O. bread,
an potaters, an fxins', 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 cuss!" said Bartlett ~
reckon I should like to have g ten
minutes talk with her skunk of a
father, or whoever her friend is.
Thar's one thing, Brandy's hundred
pound'll pay for her passage, an that's
a fact"
Three days passed, three days oil
glorious weather and calm sea, and the
"P1cayune" made her twelve knots
regularly every hour. Mary Jane
Johnsworth in this time established
herself as 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 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
of an ordinary seaman, although she
had q within of preferring to have her
meals alone 1T all sorts Of odd times.
On the fifth day out, Marcus, the
black cook, came aft with long face to
the skipper.
t'Please, sah,' he said, I nebber
seed such ting in all my horned days,
nebber"
"What is it, you vagabond ?" demand
ed Bartlett.
"Why, sah," replied the cook, "de
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 co. said the Captain, yer don't
reckon ships stores amt made to CO."
"Dat's jes'what sez to myself, sez I,
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 angri]y.
''Dat's jes' the oder ting I asks my
self" replied the cook, wher does they
fly to? Steward he glib me over lowance.
Dat amt no good worth cent"
Il reckon some Of the boys rob you,
Marcus" said Bartlett; lest you keep
| that weather eye O yourn open, an il
| you ketch any skunk prowlin' around
the galley when you amt thar, jes'fetch
him over the head with anything handy
and then tell me. You can bet your
bottom dollar he won't do it q 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 foc'sle
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 delcacies
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
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, I recken, takin
you all roun', you're as smart lot as
ever shipped, but thar's derned thie1
amongst you, lowminded ouss, what
can't content hisseH 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 man in partikler,
but he's amongst you, an if I nab him
set him aaoat in the dinghy with 8
bit o hard tack, an an anker Of water
as sure as my names Hosea p. Bart.
lett, an that's fact II. ..== ..s...
The men skunk OFF grumbling. 81.
That very evening bottle of three.
star Exshaw disappeared from The
swinging shelf in the saloon, and .
packet Of Virginia from the Captain'i
own cabin.
BARTLETT was fnri;ona Ia swnra fha1
the steward was il league with the
crew; he swore that he didn't trust :
man is his ship from the first mate
downWarGls. S8B. 81 ii
More dapredatio ions occurred s. the re-
gions Of the cooking galley. Marcus,
The cook !. WAs furioI1s. ana The only