The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-08

and murder in the two former.
key West. it must be allowed, is no
paradise but neither is it a'pandemon-
ium. The wrecker is the main ingredient
In the composition Of it's society; yet the
universal lawyer and doctor are here also
the merchant and the devoted minister of
| the gospel, too, to modify greatly the
roughness which must necessarily exist
| in society of sailors.
THE town is situated on a small island
of the same name, which is one of that
| Archipelago of sandy and coral islets form
, ed on that immense submarine reef which
| makes the whole southern coast of Flor
ida as unapproachable as the crystal
| den of Beloun, the Tartar, except through
| the mysterious portal of Key West. The
| island may possibly at present contain a
| thousand inhabitants, including dogs and
| swine. Stunted trees, thickly matted
| bushes and gigantic weeds, sufficient to
( supply whole convention of botanic ply
sicians are on this island, the sole prod
ucts of unassisted nature. No one but
native of Cape Cod or the grand desert
of Sahara can possibly conceive how its
soil can be tortured to produce anything,
yet around a few of the heater dwellings
the orange, the lime and the cocoa have,
| by sedulous coaxing, been made to assume
| a very thrifty appearance. 1t has been
for many years a sort of halfway house,
| where small craft from the Atlantic
| towns bound to ports in the Gulf of Mex
| leo might stop to procure water, and If
| grievously short might be accommodated
at an eXtortionate price with a few hand
| fuls of little, green gnarly, ligneous frag
ments which the Key Westers facetiously
! term firewood
THE climate is highly salubrious; al
/ least, thus saith the worthy Boniface of
the city, who stands prepared to testify
to divers remarkable cures affected on
| sundry consumptive invalids by a resi-
/ n at
! For those who are fond of living on fish
| exclusively the fare is also excellent in
| the opinion of the worthy parsonage afore-
! said, and, in truth, a sight of the man.
| moth turtle taken here might put the
| percardum, epigastrium, heart liver and
! spleen of a London alderman to the exc
! cuton of cotillons and waltzes of ecstatic
| delight.
1.-THE sun had yet two hours of his daily
! journey to complete, and was shedding
! his softest smiles on the white houses of
| the town and the shipping i'm the harbor
| At the end of a pier lay a fore-and-aft
| schooner of light and graceful model, on
! board of which a single individual might
| be seen bestriding the tier. His duck
| trousers and Russia shirt his rusty tar
paulin and the black stump of a pipe that
! proiruded from face whose combined
! features strikingly resembled a half-peck
of -nosed potatoes piled pyramidically,
with The largest at the top, bespoke him
| every inch a sailor The spirit of the
storm had passed harmlessly over his
| head; but, alasi it had settled on his nose.
| The spirit Of the grog-shop had done like
| wise, only adding deeper, darker and more
| titanic tnts to the rubicund probosciS.
This individual had just paused a moment
10 insert a little finger into the bowl OF
| his pipe for the purpose of COMPRISING its
| contents as he cast his eye up the pier
| and saw his well-dressed captain hastily
| approa hing. Instantly the pipe disap-
| peared in the recesseS of his spacious
pocket, and his ample lips puckered to-
| gether in the shape of a nozzle of a dried
| OK bla lder, for the purpose of modifying
| certain sounds which he intended to emit
| in tho shape of a long and sentimental
| whistle But on the nearer approach OF
| his employer the emp,oye evidently chang
ed his purpose, for, putting the tiller he
| advanced to the main rigging and stood
| silently awaiting the expected orders.
"'WeU, Mir. Lircome, still weather for
! this time of year, eh?'
| yes sir; but I'm thinking it'll breeze
BY sundown from nor west
" so | think and that's why I'm here
now. Come, let's get aft
80 saying, the captain jumped on board
and stepped aft to the taffrail, observing
as he walked along: You've noticed that
fellow outside, Mr.. Lrcome?
Ave, the brig. I've been watching her
all afternoon. Her colors is set for a pilot
And the pilot, you know, has left his post
for a visit to Con keys
." Bill, my boy, what's the use of cere-
mony? Our business has been dull lately,
Ell?
Haven't made a single picayune since
the Belshaver stove her bottom, sir
"Ha! hal That was well done, and turn
ed out well, Notwithstanding the backing
and filling of the lawyers and owners.
can but thank you over and over again for
that job, Bill; It's kept me and my fam
ily in trim ever since. BY the way, did
you save any of your share of that wind
fau?'
Not a silver. sir I'm no miser
thanks to a considerate daddy that helped
me to spend all my first wages in a gen
teel way. But I wouldn't run a risk again
for the little ] got then. 1t wouldn't hard
ly pay for the hemp collar that l like to
have got.
why, you got $1,000 and with a little
prudence you might have saved enough
to have purchased a vessel and begun on
your own hook
"Saved. ay. but that's part of the bust
ness I never learned. / must make it all
at a slap or l shall never be better than
mate
My dear fellow, save me that brig,
! and this schooner shall be yours Yes, I
mean it, and I'll pay any extra shares
that may be necessary to secure secrecy
| OF the crew. One Boou maui Will MAKE me
Independent, and I'll retire from business.
Come, what sayg
1.-THE mate took short turn on the
quarterback, thrust both hands into his
pockets, then stopped suddenly, and hav-
ing by a mastery display of muscular
power succeeded in evo.vng his huge quid
from one cheek to the other, turned to the
captain and replied:
"'Its a hanging business, but by -
I'll try it,
" Enough; I know you'll succeed. but
mind We I'm to know nothing about il.
The risk Is your own. and so is the schoon-
er II you succeed. Is the crew ready?
They will be at fifteen minutes warn
ing
oven. be out with the first OF the breeze
have your canvas ready for the white
streak and douse your topmasts. But
can / trust you. Bill?
d" True as a die, sir, and never say die
neither.
Well, good-by and good luck to you
"rhe last blush OF parting day was fad
ing upon the waters as the swift schoon-
| cr shot along the shore and passed close