The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-15
THE RAM.
ux CUrCLrrrE uYNz.
fCopyright, 1896. by Bachelor. johnson and
BQchcllegl
PART IL.

gineer. Well, Mr.. Crackenthorpe,
there appears TO be three of us come to
sea ON this rotten old beast for precise
ly the same reason. hope that you
and l get home when the time comes.
and find what we want"
The tramp steamed gaspingly along
her way across the WARM inland sea,
and she made Monte Toro in Minorca at
eight bells of midday. But evening
feii before she steamed between the old
fort and the new, which squat at the
entrance TO Port Mahon, and by the
time she had worked her way up the
narrow harbor and come to an anchor
against the quays. night had fallen, and
lights were beginning 10 kindle in the
windows of the red-roofed houses
above The passenger went ashore
and revelled at the feel of the unsway-
ing cobblestones beneath his feet. And
ashore he stayed, living at Busta-
mente's hotel whilst the Teya remained
in harbor.
Ii had never occurred to the other
two partners that Mr.. Crackenthorpe
was anything more than passenger.
and, consequently, little stroke OF
business which he did came 10 them as
an airy surprise. Port Mahon is almost
dead to trade in these latter days. 1t
hustled once when the English were in
possession; il still held life so long as
the traffic of the seas was done by sail
ing vessels. which required lrarbor OF
refuge: and il continued to breathe
whilst the United States used 1t as q
naval port. But when the ships of this
last power In their turn went to Genoa,
Port Mahon drooped it's head and folded
its hands in resignation. Trade it had
practically none, and its picturesque.
ness was too far from Mr.. Cooks reg.
lular routes TO be turned into profita-
BILE asset.
! In view of these things, the two prac-
tical men had no dream of picking up
chorter from where they were, but in
tended to run in ballast to one of the
Italian ports and try from there; and
so they were much cheered to learn that
they might load up on good freights
without changing their berths. There
is cotton factory just outside the city.
where three hundred excellently pretty
Mahonese damsels transmute raw Cuban
cotton into wearable fabric. twas for
the business of taking back this manu-.
factured article to Cuba that the Teva
was chartered, and ft was Gruciecny
thorpe who, by making friends with
various gentlemen ashore, had gained
her the offer. There was no doubt
about that, any moro than there was
strong doubt an to whether or no she
delicate Teva could get across the broad
Atlantic without laundering. The
skipper gloomily put this to the passen-
ger as he dropped hil pilot just outside
the forts.
Mr.. Crackenthorpe took off his pince-
tnez and put them carefully in his
pocket. 'My dear Cappie," he said, Il
quite understand that, but it Is matter
altogether outside my province. i am
going down below now, and it is proba-
BILE that shall stay there, a picture of
ill-health, till this unpleasant steamer
either sinks or gets into harbor again.
III you and Fletcher can keep her on the
top of the water, and if you can make a
quick passage, / shall be most devoutly
thankful to you. But i am both men
tally and physically unable to help.
There's only one thing want you to do,
md that is to make me out a certifi-
cate"
Certificate" said Capt. Maddox.
"a formal statement that / have
shown business capacity in helping
this steamer of ours to earn money. If
] have got that in my pocket, il will
cheer me when / am lying below sick.
shall feel that have got on bit since
I started"
"Ohl / see" said Maddox; SITS sort
of character you're wanting. Well,
can give you that with a clear con-
science"
"And I'll sign il as well, IL that's any
use" said Fletcher, who was standing
near them. II suppose you want it to
show your girl?"
"Ye-es,' said crackenthorpe; "but
she isn't quite n girl, you know. She's
a bit older than that. But she's SO tre-
meRdously sensible. That's why Iwant
10 marry her."
I It Is unnecessary to specify the pre-
else harbor In the island of Cuba to
which the ancient Teva carried her
cargo of bales. II would be unpleasant
also to recall the passage she made of
it.and her various energetic attempts to
rumble TO pieces amongst various lone
ly waves of the Atlantic ocean. Fletch-
er and Maddox watched her like cats
on the road across; and though the
steering gear broke down four times
en- route, and various other trifles OF
like nature were found badly wanting
when pinch came, she arrived in Cuba
not much worse than she was on leav-
Sng Tyne, saving for the loss of boiler
The third engineer. being energetic and
inexperienced, had gone meddling one
day with this with a hammer and had
caved IL in and had got well scalded
N1ogAAa 81