The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-09
DAGo DIVERS.
CuTCLIFFE HYNE.

nu,rray. in delight at his new promotion,
,yrung his old commanders hand again.
you've shaved hard enough as mate
| Kettle went on. You've sweated and
.lsved so much that your clothes hang
An Won like a slop-chest shirt on a stan
cbion lust now But you'll fill 'em out
nicely by the time you get back to Eng
land again, my lad"
The pair of them liked one another well
hut the ties of discipline had kept them
icy apart up to now. Murray's promo
ton put them on an equal footing OF
grade.
Running the Parakeet doesn't seem to
have made. you very plump. skipper
Constitutional, 1 guess said Kettle
4 81 don't believe she foods grown that'd
/ make me carry flesh. I'm one of those
4 men that was sent into the world with
whole shipboard of bad luck to work
through before 1 came across any of the
soft things.
you haven't much to grumble at now"
said Murray, cheerfully. Here am l
4 kicking you out of the command of the
\ Parakeet, 10 be sure. And why? Be-
cause whilst you've been her old man
you've made her pay so well that the
FIRMS saved enough to buy bigger ship.
They're naturally going to give her to you
TO scare up more fat dividends. Lord
said Murray hitting his knee, 1.-The chaps
on board here will be calling me the old
man behind my back now"
You'll get used to hearing the title"
1 said Kettle, grimly, before you make your
pile You'll get married. l suppose, on the
4 strength of the promotion? 1 saw a girls
n photo nailed up i'm your room"
The new captain nodded Got engag-
ed when I passed for my masters ticket.
i Arranged to be hitched SO soon as 1 found
ship. Wen, l suppose you go straight
II home by mail from Alden here?"
"Hullo, haven't they told your
. MY letter was only the dry formal an
II nouncement that you were promoted 10
the new ship, and l was to take over the
Fl Parakeet."
They don't waste their typewriter in
the office. I suppose they thought ia
h hand on my letter If I saw fit. Read
through that" said Kettle, and handed
4 across. his news. This is how 1t ran:
Dear Capt Kettle-Having noted from
your cables and reports you are making
a good thing for us out of tramping the
H Parakeet, we have pleasure in transfer
ring you to our new boat, which is now
4 building on the Clyde. She will be $500
certificate. Your wage on her will be Ell
H per month, with 21A per cent commission,
h as before. But for the present, till this
new boat is finished, we want you to give
H over command of the Parakeet to Murray
and take on a new job Our Mr.. Alexan-
Il der Bird has recently bought the wreck
H of the steamship Grecian, and we are
sending out a steamer with divers and
n full equipment to get the salvage. We
wish you to go on board this vessel to
watch over our interests. We give you
n full control, and have notified Capt. Taz-
H zuchi, at present in command, TO this eff
feet"
But I've big doubts about three new boats
all at one bite. One they might manage
on a mortgage. But three? 1 don't think
Il it, Old keys too cautious
"Messrs. Bird are your owners and
mine" said Kettle, significantly.
oh" said the newly-made captain,
Il I'm not one of your old-fashloned sort
that thinks an owner little tin god"
My view is" said Kettle, that your
owner pays you, and so is entitled to
your respect so long as he is your owner,
but you've got such big notion of your
own rights that we're not likely to agree.
Besides, you've got to check my accounts
b and see I've left IL all for you shipshape.
See you again before I go away, and wen
have a drop of whisky together to wish
II the Parakeet's new old man a pile of
luck
At the edge of the harbor Alden baked
under the sun. The salvage steamer roll
ed at her anchor at the opposite side of
the harbor and Kettle and two port
manteaux were transhipped direct in one
of the Parakeet's boats.
He was received on board by an affable
Italian, who introduced himself as Capt.
Fl Tazzuchi. The man spoke perfect Eng
n hsh, and was hospitality personified. Taz-
zuchi put the best room in the ship at
his guests disposal and said that any
thing that could act for his comfort should
be done forthwith.
''Y'know, captain" said Tazzuchi, "this
n Is what you cali 'dago' ship, and we
D serve our country wine as a regular ra-
ton. But 1 thought perhaps you'd like
"a your own home ways best, and so I've
ordered the ships chandler ashore to send
off a case of Scotch and 1 sent also for
some London pickles. I know how you
English like your pickles.
In fact, all that a man could do in the
81 way of outward attention Tazzuchi did
out somehow or other Capt. Kettle got
suspicion of him from the very first mo-
ment of their meeting.
Perhaps 1t was because the clvility was
little unexpected, and ever ELUSIVE. Put
ting himself in the Italians place, Ket-
tie certainly would not have gone out of
ms way to be pleasant to foreigner who
was sent practically to supercede him in
II command.
But perhaps a second letter which he
had received had something to do with this
hostile feeling. 1t was from the same hand
which had written the firms formal let
Ter but 1t was couched in quite differ
N ent vein. Isaac Bird was evidently scared
Tor his very commercial existence, and
ne thrust out his arms to Kettle on pa
per as his only savior. 1t seemed that
alexander Bird, the younger brother had
oeen running a little wild of late. The
wreck of the Grecion had been put up to
au' ion. Alexander strolled into the room
10y accident and bought at an eXorbitant
Hsure He came and announced his pur-
cnase to Isaac, declaring it as an instance
o' mis- fine business instincts Isaac set it
Gown to whisky and determinations fol-
owed. Alexander, in huff, said he would
go out and overlook the salvage opera
TONS in person. But forthwith AleXan-
u I'M ALLu in hia cl,ras q hran Hing.