The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-14
THE RAM.
scopyright. 1896, by Bacheller. Johnson and
Bachel.Srl

engineers were Ill very we'll III tney
were in regular work at sea, but ashore
the only ones she ever knew prosper
were those that got to be superintend-
ents. / said I'd been brought up in
shop and could always get n job in the
shops again il IL came 20 being dead
beached. She said that might be so,
although she'd never heard tell of
man with chiefs ticket in his pocket
ever standing before lathe for q sec
ond time. Bur whether IL was so or
whether ii was not. didn't matter. She
was no woman, she said, TO marry n
common mechnnic with her eyes open"
"Shc's got some business notions"
said Capt. Maddox. Got 'em from her
first husband. who was purser. Can't
say-I like her any the worse for know
Ing thc value of money or position"
"Nor i, either" said the engineer.
sim a man myself that's rose up, and
intend TO stay rose if il can be managed.
I know what down is"
"Then you're quite out of the run
ning?"
81 am ord I am not" replied Fletch-
er II asked her to chalk down on
the slate exactly how stood. She said:
'I'm not going TO marry man with no
living in sight; come TO me and
show me you've regular berth,
and Iii give you further news of the
matter I put it, TO her, was there
anyone else on the footplates except
myself. She didn't deny you'd asked
her, captain"
''Well," said Maddox, 'T may have
done"
"And she said she told you exactly
what she did me. Ye know i believe
what Mrs. Plate says, captain"
'Shc speaks the truth every time"
said Maddox "Half the town knows I
wanted TO hang up my hat there. And"
hc added with gulp, half the town
knows why haven't done IL. But it's
not that I've no money. There's best
part of five hundred pound of mine
put by in the bank. It's because, it's
because"
The word stuck in his throat. Fletcher
supplied the gap. tits because you've
got no luck, captain. You've lost two
ships. No fault of yours: and the
board of trade didn't meddle with your
ticket. But you're not likely to get
another chart-room chucked at you
Owners can put up with fool. but an
unluclSy man acares them"
That's the worst of it," said Capt
Maddox.
swell, with me-" Fletcher went on
with ruthless self-exposure, 'it was the
drink. I'm not a regular boozer, but
I'll not deny was clean sewn up the
night we happened that accident. II
the chief of the queens yacht had been
down there in my engine room then,
he couldn't have done blessed thing
except swear: we'd got the shaft broken
through like carrot, and there You
are: out they wanted some one TO rtick
the blame on, and here was as handy
as a brick wall. I'd had couple ot
passengers along to my room, and
they'd brought dozen Of pop; and
when the Old Man came down TO look
for me, nothing could have looked
drunzer. He logged me with two pens
Luck again, guess"
EYES," said the captain, "1'll give You
credit. You have your sprees, OF
course, like others do, but i wouldn't
call you anything but sober man
Not that it matters what say" he
added, gloomily. "My word wouldn't
help to berth dog in sausage shop"
The two were sitting in the leap,
tain's room of a small Tyneside public
house. The furniture was solid and
shiny; the atmosphere was tinctured
with varnish, cigar smoke and boiled
cabbage; and because these things
never changed the room had grown
TO be the common meeting place of
men who when in work spent three
hundred and fifty days of their year
on one or other of the four seas. They
place, and though they would at times
curse ii with fcrvency, they none the
less loved it with zeal.
But just then the room had no other
tenants besides the two who had been
speaking, and because there was no one
TO overhear him Fletcher smote the
tron-bound table till il creaked.
II declare" he cried, IF we can't get
pfapyone else to do it, captain, we'll take
ourselves on. How's that?"
Capt. Maddox puckered his large
Ibrows. He did not follow.
''It's this way. You have five hun.
dred pound. i can put all of four hun.
dred alongside that, and know n joker
who'll stand TO the rest, II 1t only runs
to as much more. We must just buy
q steamer and run her on our own
braxen hook"
shouldn't I like the chancep" said
Maddox; couldn't / make ten bob on
Der go as far as a pound? Don't know
all there Is to know about making a
tramp pay? But we can't do it, my lad.
Where does nine hundred pound come
In when you start buying steamers?"
IF you're Oh at a new Hariand e.
Wolf boat to cut out the Cunarders, I'll
not say" replied the engineer; "but
I've seen very different sort of craft
60 them kept afloat and yet rake in the
brass. There the Teva. She'd como