The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-30

a very long chalk" said Captain Net
tie
"If he was" retorted Lupton. with
dry smile, my immediate interest IN
him would cease, and the company
would shrug its shoulders and pay anu
look pleasant. In the meanwhile ne ;.
shall We say?--the dear insured, ana
premium paying asset that the COM
panys told me off to keep an eye on.
DO much business in your partlcu-
lar line?'
why. yes. recently u good deal. It's
got to be quite a fashionable INDUSTRY
of late TO pick Up some foolish Young
gentleman with expectations, insure MS
life for big pile, knock him quietly on
the head, and then come back home IN
neat black suit to pocket the pro-
ceeds."
Docs this Mr. -, Kettle referred
to the passenger list" Hamiltons the
rogue's name. isn't it,"
mo, he's the fiat. Crane is the-er
his friend who stands to draw the
stamps
Does Mr. Hamilton know you?"
Never seen me in his life"
Does GRANGE"
same"
Then. sir. III tell you what's your
ticket" said Kettle, who had got an
eve to business. Take a passage with
me. and keep an eye on the young gen
Ieman yourself III do my best to
make things comfortable for you"
I'm sure you would. captain, but it
can't be done at the price"
Kettle looked thoughtfully at the pas
senger list. 4 could promise you a
room TO Yourself. We're not very full
up this run. IN fact, Mr.. Hamilton
and MIR. Crane are the only two names
I've got down so far. You see birds lay
themselves out more for cargo than
passengers.
SO our local agent in Liverpool
found out for us already, and that's
mostly why I'm here. Don't you see,
captain if the pair OF them had started
in one OF the regular passenger boats
there would have been nothing suspl-
cious But when they book berths by
you. why then it begins to look hshy
at once"
Kettle turned on his companion with
a sudden viciousness. by James, he
snapped, you better take care of your
WORKS or thereIl be a man in this
smolle room with a broken jaw | al
low no one to sling Sights at either me
or my ship, nor at the firm that owns
both Of us BY James, do You think
you can speak to me as if l was
common railway DIRECTOR
NY dear sir said Lupton soothing
~, TO insult you was the last thing
in ms mind. I quite know you've got
d iii.e new ship. What L meant to
point out was that Messrs. Bird have
chosen to schedule you for the less fire.
quented gulf ports, finding, as you hint,
that cargo pays them better than pas
seFgers.'
.fNen?"
and naturally, therefore. anything
that was done on the Flamingo would
not have the same publicity that it
would get on-say-One of the royal
mail boats Their passengers are just
al THEN wits end for something to do.
Give them a topic like this-younS man
VITA expectations suddenly knocked
oveI board, nobody knows by who
mother young man on board drawing
a h.avy insurance from him-and they
aren long in putting two and two to-
getner."
You seem to think it requires
pretty poor brain to run steam pack
ct" said Kettle contemptuously- How
loEE would l be before l had that joker
in i:uns?"
II he did it openly. not long. But you
must remember Crane viii have been
thinning out his game for perhaps
year beforehand. till he thinks that
there's not the VagueSt chance of being
dropped on. If anything happens to
Hamilton his dear friend Crane Will
lie the last man to be suspected OF IL.
And mark you. he's a clever chap.
"stin. / don't see how he'd be better
OF "a my ship than he would be on one
OF ihe biSEer passenger packets.
Just because you won't have
crowd of passengers. Captain. a ships
like Woman; any breath of scandal
damages her reputation, whether it's
deserved or not. And a snip captains
like a woman's husband; he'll put up
with a lot 10 keep any trace of scandal
away from her"
That's . holy truth
''lSut passengers are an impious lot,
and if they can spot bit Of foul play
why. there they are, with one good
solid neVer-stale yarn for all the rest
of their natural lives. SO You see
they've every inducement to do lot of
felretiuC that q ships busy officers
would not dream about
Captain Kettle pulled thoughtfully at
his neat red-pointed beard. You're
putting the thing in a new light, sir,
and / thank you for what you've said.
/ see my course plain before me. SO
soon as we have dropped the pilot, l
shall so straight to this Mr.. Crane,
and tell him that from information re-
ceiVed. I hear he's going to put Mr..
Hamilton over the side. And then l
shall say. Into irons you so, my man,
so soon as ever Hamilton's missing
Lupton laughed rather angrily. And
what would he the result Of that, do
you thial?'
.'Cranze viii get mad. He'll probably
talk q coco deal. But he'll not hit me.
Tn not the kind of man that other
people see fit to raise their hands to-"
But my good sir, don't you see that
II you sneak out like that. yOul prob
ably scare the beggar of his game al
together"
And why not? Do you think my
ships q blessed detective novel that's
TO be run just for your amusement"
L.upton tapped the table slowly with
his fingers. Now look here. captain
he said. there's a chance here OF our
putting a stop 10 a murderous game
that's been going on too long, by
catching 4 rogue red-handed. It's to
our interest 10 get a conviction and
make an example. It's to your inter
est to keep your ship free from a fuss"
An the way
quite so. Ay company's prepared
10 buy your interest up
You must put it palmer than that"
.'TH give you SEQ to keep your eye
on these men. and say nothing about
what I've told you. but just watch
II you catch Cranze"-
Tn nor going 10 let him murder the
other fellow before my eyes. What do
You take me for?"
I'm not asking You to. / say. il you
catch him so clearly trying it on that
the courts give conviction, the COM
papy will pay you &200"
IT'S a lot of money"
MY company will find it a lot
cheaper than paving out 100000. and
that's what Hamilton's insured for"
.'PheN, l didn't know we We're deal
ing with such big figures.'
Il teld you that from the first Now