Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-10-05

Goods ways are full of mystery"
and no one realizes the truth of the
quotation more than the men who
60 down to sea in ships. Ny fifteenth
birthday found me an orphan and a
Waif in the streets of New Orleans. I
had run away from a farmer in Him
ois, to whom I was bound, and, by
hook and crook. had reached the
great town on the Father of Waters.
I had been living a precariOus life for
a month when the proprietor of an
oyster house gave me a job. 1t was
part of my work to open the oysters
consumed in the place, and this pOr-
ton was done in a little room just in
the rear of some private stalls or
compartments. The stalls fronted
the public room, of course, and were
intended for parties who desired pri-
vacy while eating a stew or drinking
a glass Of wine. 1 could hear all that
was said in two of them, as the parti-
tons were only cloth; but had been
In the place two weeks before anything
Of particular interest was dropped
from either. One evening while I
was at work two men entered one of
the stalls, and devoured a stew, and
drank some grOg, and, after lighting
cigars, entered upon a conversation
which at once attracted my atten-
ton.
"Weu, have you got it all fxed?''
asked one.
Everything ship-shape and under
stood" replied the other.
''She is msured?"
''Way up"
''And no suspiciOns?"
'FNOt a one.
eve take machinery to Rio janet
iro?''
eyes. That and other stuff
"And bring backsugar and coffee?''
eyes, if we return"
''What do we get?"
''Three thousand apiece"
''Wen, I don't like it, but I'm in
with you. She's to go down off the
Guinea coast, eh?o
eyes, down that way"
Spring a leak and founder, and al
hands take the boats, I suppose?''
'"That's the plan"
''WeH, here's success to it. The Al
batross is a good old craft, and
hate to see her go, but one must looI
out for himself
'Aye! mate, that's Gospe
truth, That's what you and me arr
/ going TO do now. TIN come from
/ the rich insurance companies, anC
no one w{ll be the poorer"
''AIed we can trust Williams tC
! hand over our diVVy?''
He's square. He's got to b.
square
L was Il green country br-J, but
caught on to their talk. They Wcyt
sailors, and they were planning Uht
rose uB and found q hole in the clOtl
J.
them, They talked q " &C more anC
then went out, and within twelve
! hours one Of the mysteries occurred
| A boy who had formerly worked fOl
/ the restaurant, and who had falleI
sick, recovered sufficiently to disDlact
me, and was cast adrift again with
only four bits in my purse. The next
/ day but one, as / entered q tavern Oh
! the levee IN hopes to find something
to do, the proprietor gave me a cor
! dial welcome, with a dinnec, and at
/ last got around to say
NOW, my boy, I feel like q father
/ to Won, I do indeed. You have haC
a hard time, and you have been full
/ O pluck. I'm interested IN seeing
/ you do we'll and have got anice place
for you. Ny brother, who is the best
man IN the world, is a sea captain
and he wants a good boy to sail with
| him, "
But 1 was never on a ship, pro
tested.
''Of course not, but that makes nc
difference. You will have a nice little
room to yourself, live like a prince,
and as for work, all you will have to
do Will be to hand the Captain his
spygIass when a ship comes in sight. -
1 had no desire to go to sea. In
deed had a dread Oft; but in hall
an hour he had won me over, and
that afternoon was sent of to the
ship in company with several sailors.
In two hours after our coming
aboard she started down the river on
her trip, and it was only then that ]
got my eyes opened. There was such
a hubbub aboard that L had not paid
particular attention to officers or
men, but all of a sudden I discovered
that She CAPTAIN and mate We're the