The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-04

Curse their cheek" said the little
sailor, flushing
'Starboard point said the pilot, and
turned to Kettle with some amusement
They don't seem to have done you
much harm this journey, captain.
They've made the country just ring with
you and this old packet. Why, they're
getting up subscriptions for you all
round"
I'm not a blessed mendicant," said
Kettle. stiflly. He walked TO the other
end OF the bridge, and stood there
chewing sayagely at the butt of his
cigar.
Rum blolie." commented the pilot to
himself, though aloud he offered no com
ment Still the pilot was right in say
ing that England was ringing with the
news of Kettles feat. The passen-
gers of the Cunarder, with nothing
much else to interest them, had come
home thrilled and tingling with it. A
smart New Yorker had got a scoop"
by slipping ashore at Queenstown and
cabling Il lavish account to the Ameri-
can press, so that the first news reached
London from the states. Parliament
was not sitting, and there had been no
newspaper sensation for week, and
as Il natural consequence the papers
came out next morning with accounts
of the rescue, varying from two col
umns to a page in length. But let the
Fittings III this case be fact or fiction,
there was no doubt that Kettle and his
crew had saved Il Shpload of panic
stricken foreign emigrants. The pride
of race bubbled through the British
daily press in prosaic long primer and
double-leadcd bourgeois There was no
saying aloud I'VE are glad an Eng
lishman has done this thing, after hav-
ing it proved to us that it was above
the foreigners strength" The news
paper man does not Ihapsodize. But
the sentiment was there all the same.
The FlamingO was worked into dock,
and cheering crowd Surged aboard OF
her in understandable thousands. Stran-
gers same UP and wrung Kettles UNI
willing hand and dropped tears on his
coatsleeve: and when he swore at them,
they only wept the more and smiled
through the drops. 1t was magnificent,
splendid gorgeous. Here was man!
Who said that England would never lose
her proud place amongst the nations
when she could still find men like Oliver
Kelly-or Kettle--or Cutie, or whatever
this man was called, amongst her OBJ
scure merchant captains!
Even Mr.. Isaac Bird caught some OF
the general enthusiasm, and withheld
for the present the unpleasant remarks
which occurred to him rs suitable,
touching Kettles neglect OF the flrms
interest, in favor of Il parcel of bank
rupt foreigners. But Kettle himself
had the subject well in nina, and Wills
the crowd was cheering him, he was
figuring ont the value of the jettisoned
cargo. and whilst prompous Mr.. Isaac
was shaking him by the nand and max
ing neat speech for the ear or casual
reporters. poor Kettle was conjurlng up
visions of the workhOuse and pauptr
corduroy.
But the fateS were moving now in
manner which was beyond his expert
ence. The public which had ignored his
bare existence before for all of life
time. suddenly discovered that he was
hero. and that, too, without knowing
half the facts The press, with its mn
ger on the public's pulse, published het-
tie literature in lavish columns. lie
gave 20 different 'eye-wltnesses ac-
counts" of the rescue. And finally lt
took all the little mans affairs uhuer
its consideration, and settled them WIN
a lordly hand.
"Who pays for the cargo Capt. kuttie
threw overboard?" one paper headed an
article. while another wrote fervldly
obont Cattle ruined for his bravery
Here was a new and striking side issue.
Should the weeks hero pay the blli
himself out OF his miserable savingsE
Certainly not The owners of the
Grosser Carl were the benetting par
ties, and it was only just that they
should take up the expense. SO the
entire press wired off to the German
firm. and next morning were able TO
publish a positive assurance that, OF
course these grateful foreigners would
reimburse all possible outlay.
The subject of finance once broached,
il was naturally discovered that the
hero toiled for very meagre pittance;
that he was getting on in years, and had
wife and family depending ON him
and-rromptly there opened out the sub
scr.ption lists People were stirred, and
the lists totaled up to f24O0, which to
some people, of course, Is gllded al
fluence.
Now Capt. Kettle had endured all this
publicity with a good deal of restiye-
ness, and had used language to one or
Continued on Fourth Pagel Al