Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-30

Loosbs's ready presence Of mind and
highstrung spirit would be invaluable,
one can understand. IA moments OF eEner-
gency.
There Is no human doubt that but for
her Captain Clstterpen l-Oosba's short
for Clntterbuck, which really Is his
nanie) would not At this present moment
be ''adroring the bereth of life. Cap
tain ClatterDen had regularly for years
laid into Billt's docks when ashore for
the needful oyerhauling. The captain
was grizzled. thick set, elderly, stanch
Presbyterian and an admirable seaman.
he had but one failing.
Somewhere about the small hours OF
the morning shutting sound would
be heard upon the doorstep Of Billits. q
puff OF old Jamaica through the letter
slip would succeed an aimless period of
fumbling with the latch key. and the in
mates Of Billt's would be startled from
their SAUNDERS by "A nautical below, "Of
ship a-hoilr" says Loosha Like tho
fog OF a penny steamboat il sounded.
and 'Old your noise, Captin Chatter
pen, dor Mrs. Bilht nd say. lettin down
the chain. Then ia ed tumble as Apply
as you please. There was only one way
o gettin i'm up stairs, and that called
the candle charm. Ii was done by 'oldin
thacandle very near Is face til is eyes
began 10 water an is whiskers smell
like singein an then droring of IL a little
way back, when ed stagger arter it like
u pessimized Subjee'.
lone night, when o was as bad as
ever remember 10 a seen i'm, lured
i'm up stairs in this way till got i'm on
the top landin, where his bedroom was.
close TO the iron ladder that run up TO
the fire escape trap in the roof. | got
i'm into IS armcheer, took off is collar.
an raked out the fire, collared is matches,
give i'm soothin shake an left i'm.
Then goes down TO set Mrs. Billit's
art at rest before goin 10 bed myself, as
slep on the same top landin with that
old peach. Up / comes again in ten
minutes time Lo and be'old you! Wot
does | see but is door wide open, und,
simpularly, the roof trap, with the stars
blinkin through. Next minute ears
the capt'in's heavy footmarks jouncin
on the leads over'ed. Up the ladder
ops and puts ont my ed.
Though | knowed e was there il give
me turn to see i'm staggerin up an
down amongst the chimbley pots. Be-
fore could breathe my lips e turns an
sees me. A 'oylr sezee. lows the
wind, boszmg BLOWN round the cor
nerr says /, KNOWN e must be humored.
AT that g gives a lurch as nearly car
ried i'm over the parapet. Lay 'er ed
to it, sezee; AN deer. Fetch me my
night glass from the cabin! Which
| you've 'ad one too many at this identical
moment, thinks |, but says to i'm coax
inly: Go on! Wot comfort is there in 'av-
| in it up ere? Come downa Afor your
self, capt'in.' 'Wot do You mean, you son
| of a seed cake? sezee in tearin rage. DO
you think I'm goin to send my ship an
crew an cargo to Davy Joseph's lockety
sezee, by stoppin under 'atches on a
dirty night like this?' Dirty or not,
says l, you won't clean it by stoppin up
ere amongst the blacksr 'Shiyer my
tops sezee, if / ever card such mu-
| thus langwidge in the ole course OF
my Experience. I'll stop your grog,
| you land to repeat is language
would be to demean MYSELF. III put
You In irons or my name amt Joshua
Clatterpen.' Come an do itr says l,
tauntin i'm an poppin down the ladder
agin.
"Breathin fire and slaughter, e sets
| dnuvv, N tho ode Of tho tva, fnlo Aroy,c
is legs through an begins TO come down
the ladder. A ned wind an a nevey
sea- q growls; low she pitches, the
cussed old 'ulki 'ow she rollsl dom eel
old dead lightsv Which shows the sort
of female is mind was running on. An
then l jumps sky Ugh, for o misses ii
footin an come down ON the landin with
crash an below that brought all the
dodgers out of their beds as pale M
ashes, thinkin it's the last trunk. The
shock sobered Capt'in Clatterpen, for Z
picked ITSELF up, nip an went off to bed
as mild as milk. Though stiff in the
joints next day, which is nothin to what
ed "a been if e hadn't fell into the
ouse instead of off it, as e would "a
done but for me.
IAN | always have said, an ever
SHALL Loosha is wont to wind up, ''ii
it was with my passin breath, that q
garden angel couldn't "a done more for a
man than did for Captin Clatterper
that identical night. st. James Ga
cite.
| Hard Roadbcd.