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

! kings peg, and was naturally inclined
! to be argumentative. Any one of the
| ships company who happened to be
near him would get up discussion on
| any matter that came to his mind,
/ work things gently to q climax and
! then contradict Crane fatty. Upon
which out would come the revolver, and
/ down would go the humorist on his
! knees. pitifully begging for pardon and
! life TO the vast amusement of the on
/ lockers. FriVolity of this sort in no
! way suited the appetite of Captain
| Owen Kettle. He talked with Crane
with a certain dry cordiality, and at
times he contradicted him. In fact,
the little sailor was a man with strong
| opinions, and he regarded tolerance as
mere weakness. Moreover, CranZe's
chronic soaking nauseated him. But,
though his civility was scant, Crane
never lugged out the foolish weapon IN
! his presence. There was a something
in the shipmaster's eye which daunted
him.
In pleasant contrast to this weak,
contemplate knave was the man
Hamilton, his prospective victim. For
| him Kettle formed liking at once.
though for the first days of the voyage
! it was little enough he saw of his
actual presence, until the Flamingo
| began to make her southing, and the
/
! emerald waves bore evidence that they
were steaming against the warm cur
rent of the Gulf stream. Then Hamil-
ton came into view. He found spot
on the top of the fiddley where a chair
could stand. and sat there in the glow
of sun and boilers and baSked COM
placently. He was shy. nervous lit
tie man. and though Kettle had usually
a fine contempt for all weakness. some
how his heart went out to this retiring
passenger. Myself, l am inclined to
think it was because he knew him 10
| be hunted, knew him to be the object
of murdeTous conspiracy. But Cap
tain Kettle says the mans frailties, in
fact, almost Disguised him before ne
had made sure of his other qualities
But those other qualities We're glaring-
ly obvious from the very first. Kettle
was a poet himself, and with the kin
ship of species, he felt the poetic fire
glowing out from the person of this
Mr.. Hamilton.
Kettle was intensely sensitive about
| his accomplishment, and with passen-
gers especially he kept it scrupulously
in the background. But somehow he
and Hamilton. after a few days ac-
quaintance, seemed to glide into the
subject imperceptibly. 1t seemed that
Hamilton, too, like Kettle was a de-
votee OF the stiller forms of verse.
You see, skipper he said, I've
been a pretty bad lot, and I've made
things hum most of my time. and so
suppose l get my hankerings after
restfulness as the natural result of
contrast"
Same here. sir. Ashore can respect
myself. and in our chapel circle you'n
find few more respected men. But at
sea, 1 shouldn't like to tell you what
I've done. If a saint was TO come down
and skipper the brutes we have to
ship as sailormen nowadays. he'd wear
out his halo flinging it at them. And
when matters have been worst and I'VE
been bashing the hands about or do
ing things to carry out an owners
order that I'd blush even to think Of
ashore, why then, sir, gentle verse, to
tunes l know, seems to bubble up III
side me like springs in Il barren land"
well, / don't know about that, said
Hamilton doubtfuily. but when ! get
thoroughly sick of myself, and wish I
was dead l sometimes stave off put
ting a shot through my silly head by
getting a pencil and paper, and shift
ing my thoughts out of the beastly
world I know. into-well, it's hard TO
explain. But / get sort o notions don't
you see, and they seem to run best in
verse. I write 'em when the fits on
me- and / burn 'em when the fits
through; and you'll hardly think 1t, but
/ never told living soul l ever did
such a thing till 1 told you. But you