The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-21
THE FIGHT BECAME AN EARNEST AFFAIR.

steward. 1t was a good dinner for a
ship thirty days out. There was some
timed soup, roast chicken, dry hash
and dried apple pie. The chicken who
had been called for this particular
Sunday dinner was a fine, fat bird, and
as it lay in the pan, all nicely Drowned,
it looked and smelled tempting.
Where's that duff-'eaded stooward.
/ wonder?" said the cook, impatiently
cycling his watch again 'Ang i'm,
'e,s allus a-keepin' me waitin-"
At that moment a short, round-faced
boy, apparently laboring under great
excitement, rushed to the lee door.
''Oh, look, doctor, lookr' he cried.
There's something in the water over
therer'
'"Where?" said the cook, sliding hur-
riedly to the door.
THERE THERE answered the boy,
pointing vaguely toward the horizon.
Don't you see something black?"
''Jigged if 1 see it." said the cook,
with his hand shading his eyes.
Must have been blooming old
whale. then, or something" grumbled
the youngster when 1 looked first l
made sure it was the sea serpent
Sea serpentw returned the cook,
scornfully. I'VE ought to ave more
sense, Tubby.''
While this conversation between APP
prentice Tubby and Cook Adam was in
progression at the lee door, the head
and arm of a second small boy ap-
reared at the weather door. The new
conner remained just long enough to
grab the fat chicken by the drum
sticks and drop it into q deck bucket.
Then he disappeared.
why, don't you believe in the sea
serpent, doctor?" asked Tubby, inno-
Gently.
"Lummy, no." replied the cook.
That's sum'at as as bin busted long
ago. Though l remember one time when
1 was in the Celia G., just out o Frisco,
we seed a long, snaky critter, with a
'ead on i'm as big as harness cask,
a-laying atop O. the water, 2n'-but III
tell you about that later, Tubby. Ere
comes the stoowa-d.
The round-faced boy vanished in the
direction of the poop, and the cook re-
turned to the cabin dinner.
Now, then, doc, 'urry up, me lad.
TIL OIL man feroshus 'ungry today. an
ah'm laate now said the steward,
busting into the galley in his clean
apron.
He was a ridiculously dumpy individ-
ual. with a very red face, piggy eyes,
and bristline muttonchop whiskers.
Coon, COON, man, he continued,
what ails THAI"
But Adam apparently did not hear
aim; for he neither moved nor an
.swered Holding a platter in one hand
and an appraised fork in the other, he
stood like a purple-faced waXwork,
savagely regarding the empty pan. He
exploded at last with one tremendous
"D-n, They bin an gone an dun it
againi" he screamed to the steward
100? Wot? Where?" asked the
bewildered man from abaft.
THE chicken, you fool" answered
the cook They've took it
The steward gasped and turned pale.
The same thing had happened once be-
fore on the voyage, and the captain
had told him then in strong. deepwater
language that if it occurred a second
time he would discharge him when the
ship reached Calcutta.
oh. dear: oh, dear, Cookie" he ex-
claimed wringing his PIGGY hands.
"Wot will we do? Ell give us both
our walkin tickets for this. 90 was
it. dye think?"
The men, I s'pose," replied the
More like them divils o boys" said
the steward.
"Wen, it's your fault. anyway,
'ooever it was. If you wasn't so rot
ten skinny with the stores, they
wouldn't be takin' things"
My fault,p returned the steward,
hdAlitS NIOlH- DiuH you
The threatened quarrel between the
two men was nipped in the bud at this
moment by the sound of two bells In
stantly the steward snatched up the
soup tureen, and calling to the cook TO
follow him to the pantry, he scurried
aft.
Ere. Doctor" he said, after the
soup had been put on the cabin table,
take these two cans o. boned chicken
and stco' EN- quick. If e notices the
differ I'll tell him as low you 'ad a
haxdent."
LAY that's right. tell i'm it was
haxident," whispered the cook.
As it happened, the skipper and the
mate Were indulging in one of their
periodical rows, and in consequence the
dinner passed muster. In spite of this,
however, the steward was by no means
satisfied. From what the cook had told
him he felt sure that the boys were