Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1893-12-02
CHAPTER ~.

| knew more about the Mariners Joy
than was known to Putty. Years before
he took the house | earned my living there,
doing drudge's work and running on er
rands when was mere child. Fly Jigger
had it then: that was before improvements
ruined the neighborhood The houses in
Sweet Apple lane. now mostly untenant
ed, were crowded with tenants, and tue
Joy was favorite house of call" for all
sorts Of bad characters who lived there,
and for the men employed in Baxters
wharf, which was then one Of the busiest
stores for dry sailing on this side OF the
river.
Fly Jigger did well by legitimate trade.
but he made still more money by dishonest
means and principally by plundering Bax-
ter's wharf For this purpose he and his
crew had made a passage under the fore
shore, opening at one end into the cellar of
the Joy and at the other end into the
cellar of the wharf This passage was
called the tub run, because, to prevent the
sides falling in, 1t was lined with casks
with their heads removed and set end to
end AS soon as the house WAS closed at
night Fly Jigger and his mates would set
to work, going through the tub run into
Baxter's wharf and returning with goods
from the storerooms | have seen them
bring out as many as so hams in night.
The secret was never found out, but when
the trade went from BaXter's and the wharf
was cleared out and closed the run was no
longer of any service The wharf watch
man, who had been party to these robber
les, took care to close and conceal the cellar
opening, and Fly Jigger masked the open
ing on his side with hagstone and bar.
row load of rubbish, which, trodden down,
presented no difference from the rest of the
unpaved floor. Previous to that, to keep
the brewers out of the cellar, he had re
moved the beer barrels, which thenceforth
he kept set up behind the bar, saying that
1t was more fair and squarelike for the Gus
toners to see their beer drawn from the
wood than through the engine from the
deuce knows where
The closing of Baxter's wharf was a sad
blow to him, but a worse came soon after
for being of a too active disposition he took
TO smugg ing tobacco and rum from incom
ing ships, and being discovered by the ex-
else was sent to prison, and the Joy lost
it's license. The brewers obtained fresh
license to sell beer and put Putty in to
manage the house. When he came, the
spring tides had flooded the cellar. and see
ing that it WAS of no use he had the trap
screwed down to save the expense of put
ting new hinges on it. Since then, as have
said, no one had ever gone down into the
cellar.
With these recollections crowding my
mind and the means they suggested of de-
livering Taras filing my heart with wild
delight, hurried down Ferryboat alley,
and after looking about carefully to make
sure that no one was observing me wedged
myself through the ventilating hole and
dropped into the wharf cellar, knew ex-
actly where the opening existed. having
taken part myself in some of the old ma
rauding expeditions, and dropping down
upon my hands and knees brushed the
dirt away from the stone that covered the
hole. There was not enough light to see
II, but could trace the outline plainly
enough with my fingers.
But how was | to raise the heavy fiagi
There was no ring or anything to catch
hold Of, and knew that if worked away
the rubbish sufficiently to get my hands
underneath | should still be unable to lift
it. | must have something to pry it up
with. A bar of iron would do. 1t struck
me that might find what needed among
the old iron in Johnson's yard. II had
thought of that beforehand, might have
brought it in with me, but was too inn
patient of delay, too eager to begin. to
waste time in regrets.
Clambering up to the ventilator, looked
out. Some boys were playing on the shore.
! dared not show myself while they were
there. 1t seemed to me that they would
never weary of throwing stones into the
water. but at length they gave 1t up and
went away Then slipped out, and pre-
tending to he looking for odds and ends on
the shore made my way up to Johnson'i
yard and got in through a gap in the pal
ing. 1t didn't take long to find what
wanted-a broken stoking iron looked tc
ME just the thing Asking myself II there
was anything else should need. it oc
Cured to ME that a candle would be nee
essary, the cellar of the Joy being even
darker than the wharf cellar. The gate:
of the yard opened into Sweet Apple lane
| and ~ they closed imperfectly was just