Connecticut western news., 1893-07-27
CANAAN, CONN, THURSDAY

noise, and moment later the covering of the hatchway was removed, and the captains voice was heard telling one of the sailors to go down in the hold and see if a certain box was there. It was pleasant to see the light of day once more and feel the rush of fresh air from above.
 We must be out of sight of land now, said Tommy, ESQ we might as well go and show ourselves on deck"
 The boys accordingly left their place of concealment, clambered swiftly over the boxes and came upon the sailor with suddenness that caused him to rush on deck screaming out that there were evil spirits chasing him about the ship. The boys followed him as fast as they could, and as they clambered out of the hold they found the captain, the mate and nearly all the crew gathered in amaze ment about the hatchway. Their clothes were torn and covered with dust, their faces were grimy, and their uncombed locks hung down over their eyes. It was several moments before it dawned on the mate that they were the same well dressed. polite little fellows whom he had seen playing about the ship a few hours before.
 "Why, captainl' he exclaimed, "those are the same little chaps we saw here this morning. They must have got locked up in the cargo"
 This was the moment that Tommy had been waiting for. Stepping forward, he said to the captain:
 'If you please, sir, we are two stowa- ways, and we hid in the cargo because we wanted to go to sea like the boy in the Ocean Guerrillas; or, The Phantom Havana yetY
 The captain and the mate looked at each other and then at the two boys and then burst into uproarious laughter.
 'I'll show you how near we are to Havana" exclaimed the mate as he took Tommy in his arms and lifted him up so that he could see over the bulwarks. They were just passing through the Mar rows, with Staten Island on one side and the romantic shores of Bath and Benson hurst on the other. In the distance Tom my could see the form of the Coney Is- land elephant outlined against the sky. A tug had the brigantine in tow, and she was moving rapidly through the wa ter. It was an awful come down to both the boys to learn that instead of being far out at sea with the whales spouting, the seagulls circEng over their heads and the white crested waves dancing in the sunlight, and other delightful surround ings, as described in "The Pirates Bride; or, the Averaging Demon of the Gulf," to find instead of all this that they were still in New York harbor and bearing down on Coney Island as fast as the tug could take them.
 "Now, boys" said the captain, 'tI am just going to drop you ashore, and you take my advice and go home as fast as you can. It's mighty lucky you came out of your holes when you did, for those matches might not be opened again be- fore we made port, and by that time there'd be mighty little left of two lads of your size. Mr. Bramhall," he con- tinued, turning to the mate, wed bet ter have the boat manned and put them ashore at Coney Island. They can easi- ly get back from there. I suppose you've got money enough for your fare, boys?" -.
 "If you please, sir," said Tommy, i've don't want to go back. We want to go with you down to Cuba and get some oranges and bananas. That was what we shipped with you for"
 "Cubap' cried the captain. We are not going to Cuba for fruit; we are go- ing down to Rio Janeiro for cargo of hides. You'd better buy your bananas on Third avenue"
 "Then," said Fatty decisively, "that settles the business. We can't eat hides, and I'd rather go home than keep on any longer. Put us ashore, and we'll take the train home. We can find our way to the depot"
 The captain was as good as his word, and the boys were landed on the deso- late western shore of the island with strict injunctions to make the best of their way home.
 Their spirits rose again as they trudged along the beach, enjoying the fresh open breeze and the bright sunshine. Charley was very much impressed with the pic turesque sand hills and clumps of bushes which they passed and declared that the whole country did not offer a better place for camping out than Coney Is- land.
 Look here, Tomp the boy cried sud- denly as he grasped his companion by the arm, "if that doesn't look like the Prairie Queen I am very much mistak- en-"
 And just then young woman in a short, brown riding habit and with her hair flying from beneath slouch felt hat swept by them at full gallop on a buckskin Indian pony, leaving the two boys gazing open mouthed after her.
 II tell you what we'll do," cried Char ley excitedly. "We'l come down here next Saturday and camp out in among those sand hills.''
 And the prospect was so alluring that Tommy gave ready acquiescence.-James L. Ford in Philadelphia Press.