The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-06-01


had thrown aside my lines. for
Levi Skullcarp's account of the SEN
] timental man had awakened my in
| terest, and when he had finished his
recital ! had turned my back on the
water, my feet were dangling in the
cockpit and my eyes were fixed on
the bayman.
Didn't he explain why he was so
anxious to see herr" / asked after a
silence of some minutes.
In reply the captain clambered in
to the cockpit and, bracing himself
against the end of the tiller, fixed
the long glass to his eye. followed
his gaze to where it rested on
small white sail that was moving
across the bay, about mile away.
"I'll be blowedl" he cried. There
was pause, and then he muttered:
Small jib, white duck dress, spoony
bow, white hull, black hair I'm
blowedr -
This exclamation was accompanied
by a loud rattle as he closed the
glass.
"Git to win ward, quick" he yell
ed
The boom swung around, allowing
me just time to dodge it, and before
| had fully recovered from my sur
prise we were moving through the
water under the fast freshening
breeze
Where are you going, captaini"
| asked in tone of remonstrance.
He gave the sheet a few turns
about a cleat, tucked the tiller COM
fortably under one leg, filled and
lighted his pipe, and when the smoke
was rising in great volume from the
bowl and trailing astern in clouds
that must have made our boat at
distance present the appearance of a
small steamship he exclaimed again,
III be blowedr'
IAOu dAOcO III my UlotA odN,
supporting myself by grasping the
centerboard and facing the obdurate
mariner, cried, "See here, captain,
was under the impression / had
hired this craft, and''-
I'm goin fer Mr.. Archer. Vans
her," he said in firm, solemn tone
that brooked no trifiing and forced
me to submission.
Hardly had the Miriam touched
fhe dock when Levi Skullcarp was
ashore, and after giving me hur-
ried admonition to be all ready to
push off on his return he clambered
into rickety vehicle and soon dis
appeared in a cloud of dust. For
some ten minutes struggled with
the rising wind and sea that kept in
cessantly pounding the boat against
the dock. At length l was relieved
to spy a cloud of dust rolling down
the level stretch of road that led
from the village. Preceding it was
a man on bicycle. 1t was Archer.
He reached the dock, sprang from
his wheel and tossed it against
post, jumped into the Miriam and
without word to me pushed her
away, seized the tiller and the sheet,
and off we scudded.
"The captainr I cried, pointing
at the approaching cloud in the cen
ter of which I knew the redoubtable
mariner to be.
Plague on the captainI' growled
Archer. Then he added, more soft
ly, "Get to windward, please" :"
"But there he is now," expostu-
lated.
Archer looked around. Standing
on the string piece of the wharf,
violently waving one arm above his
head, while with the other he point
ed seaward, was Levi Skullcarp. The
sentimental man at the catboat's
helm waved a hand to imply that he
saw the speck of sail to which the
captain was pointing and turned to
the business of navigation. Away |
we went in pursuit.
When the Miriam had at length
settled down to work and was with
clocklike regularity sticking her
nose into the solid green waves and
then saucily throwing them upin the
air again and sending the water
skirtiDg along the rail or flying over