The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-04

something fiShy ABOUT 'ne N ~ =,
,.nry FIRST minute her skipper 'aiheu ~
NO but | was not in posltioh " pr
nnd choose. In fact L was thal pu'n .sa
anu choice between TAKING 'he
a. vi : was offered or going to sea as UT
1;narv fireman at "a month. 80
o'nai' Nv weakness that had got liie
~ wa" f mo as usual / had come INTO
OeIte o-1oons on one of the West lnulah
NJ" ;so hoats. and the berth was goou.
: !, 49, third ON her. and though ouen,
- boon second, the berth as tliiru
- a;s+inctIv good We engineers hau
r,ossroom. with Il steward an " oui
s'o,ros and bread was baked OH oo'i'
seI,s' ,h,,oo times a week. There was no
clint of anything; even pickle W. VIZ
~ no had for sticking out your iorh'
anvono but fool would nave
r+aro5 On that ship and read up text
b"n,s and won promotion. | was 1901
He was very nice, quiet, gen'ieiii'nls
follow the one who got me 10 -
aShore with him, and he couiu pi's
bvmp tunes on the accordion llNe a.
orrau in chapel. | did see MIN - -
inc and ioking with some OF tne - 1
hit then. as he explained to me- po'i
sng house master had to SUIT hlliiseii ~ -
GUESTS. He admitted he WASH 0co'on
himself. but his mother had come lioiii
E;Imarnock as Il girl, and hed d s'Ions
III for the north country IN conse-
a,co He wasn't wanting me TO go
IL stov in his house, he eXplalned 10
.,,a hpt only to come and have a cup
Of tea lust for the sake of the place l
800 from. 1t was not to cost me Il
SINGLE siXreuce 1t seemed ne was :,
,,,nmhor Of the Free kirk of Scotland
himself. and that explained IT, VI!
father had once been minister 10 lh"'
sect at Balhndrochater
We had a bit Of a social after lea'
and +here was hymn singing to the ac
cord;on. and | sang, too. They seemed
~ like il. and they drank my health
;ust had q tot to drink theirs back.
There was corn whskey in demlJohn
on the table, and you could heip your,
self, with nothing to pay. 1t woulo
have looked unfriendly not to taste.
Well. I'll admit that night was a bll
thick when it got to the finish, ana
where | slept the guild Lord may know
INT | don't. I'd a thirst on me Ike
Welsh coal ashes next morning, and tne
whiskey was still there, and by midday
was full up to the eyes again, and I'M
clined to talk. / went back to the snip,
found the old man on the leyee curslns
some niger roustabouts, and forthwith
told him what thought of his conduct
/ wasn't content with telling him quietly
either: | must needs mount on cotton
bale and preach aloud to all the niggerS
and loafers who would hear, that any
skipper who would use language like
that was no sort of company for God
fearing men like us; and finally Wills
[ was advising them to duck him IN The
Mississippi. policeman came up ant
iugged me off to the calaboose. There
was no foolery about that policeman. He
drove me before him with the small enc
of revolver. and had to go. Policemen
are valuable in New Orleans, and drunks
are not They don't allow their police
to go scrapping with madmen in thu
public streets, and if drunk won't come
when he's told, he's shot, and there's
good radiance of him.
Well of course. | was sacked from tn,
West Indian Pacific after that; the Brit
iSh consul wouldn't look at me; and af
ter the clearinghouse master had mop
ped up my pay, and what he lent or
my chest. he showed me the door, too
He wouldn't keep me on in hopes o.
getting his dollars out Of my next ad
vance. He said straight he didn't thinl
I'd get another ship.
I'd 81 left when | got shown the doc,
there, and with So man doesn't starve
all at once in New Orleans There ar,
free lunch counters everywhere, ant
with 10-cent glass of beer you car
have very tolerable fill out Of fish pie
dry hash, cheese, and so on; but it doesn't
do to go to the same place too Otter
or the niger behind the bar will forge
to fill your plate when You pass it on
But 81 won't last long, and when II
got down to my last % cents, and this
berth on the Shah turned up, I'd JUS
got to take it and hold my tongue.
1t was her skipper himself that luret
me into it. He was a smallish char
called Blake, American Irish l think
and the biggest thief in the two Atlantics
He'd face on him like saint in q
etainHai' glass window, and a reputation
that would have spoiled a gall0ws. But
he could talk polite fit to make an actor
Of
So far no jail had ever claimed him
because he had always kept to wind
ward of the law, or hadn't been caught
but he was considered baddish tough
even in New Orleans, and, goodness
knows, they're not particular down there
He came across me sitting ON cotton
bale on the levee at the foot of Cana
street. He had just come down the river
in big 'stern wheeler" and 1 was the
first person he spoke to after he walked
down her gang plank.
you're Mr.. Sandy McTodd, aim
your
''NeH Angus McTodd."
Same thing. Still out of berth
sonny"
Il haven't decided yet which to take. ;
'Then take mine, or I reckon you'll
r starve."
SIS that stern wheeler yours, captain 2.
"No, Stree. I'm Capt. Blake Of ths
Shah. She's down river at anchor by tbs
quarantine station, waiting orders. AnC
l want new second engineer. My las
skipped. If you think you'd like thu
berth, come and liquor"
"Right-O," said /, and I walked will
him down Canal street, and we turned of
and went into Saloon" 1t was on the
French side, and I'd seen more respect
able places. We went into an up-stair.
room, and a Niger brought us tive
schooners of beer, and when he had gone
we We're alone, excepting for the flies
who wouldn't repeat what they heard
''Now," SAID the captain, 'let's get t.
business tenn the first. you're stone
broke?'
s.I'm no Lay Gn11Id inst fo, tho ;rrto :.