The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-09-09

no telling when a job may come along,
and the first man is likely TO get II
Hence it was nothing unusual Tor TIDE
water Jack to be sitting with his feet
over the stern of the broad beamed
Aurora Jane and his oars ready TO be
shipped at a moments notice. what
was unusual, however, was the papa
BILE anxiety with which he turned a
strained gaze up the river every rev
seconds. Some of his companions noted
it. and one insultingly asked him if he
was on the lookout for wreckage- An
other wanted to know if Jack had turn
ed stiff hunter. This hit near the
truth, if the queStiOner had but known
it, for a stiff hunter is one who cap
lures dead bodies found in the river
for reward. AS a profession this line
of business is not highly thought or,
and Jack announced his intention OF
knocking the other mans block on
when he had time for recreation In
the midst of this airy professional per
siflage the object of it leaped into his
boat and was instantly on his way out
into the stream, impelled by bending
oars. All the others wondered what ne
was in such d hurry for, but their
ranging eyes failed to discover either
UP or down stream any explanation SO
before he got out of Ineligible earshot
his particular chum cupped his hands,
and taking deep breath, hallooed;
tAnythin' comm down, Tidewater2'
Danced on the Seat.
Up rose Jack in his boat and danced
a perilous dance upon the seat. waving
his hands in wild gesticulation and
indicating something a little upstream
from where he was; then bent TO his
oars again to hold his boat in place
Those ashore saw an object the like of
which they had not seen before, an OBJ
ject that showed only brief gllmpses
here and there above the waves, OF
- eaT~ T7sar-
fish. flesh, fowl nor good red herring
was that thing according to the eX-
perience of the bOatmen- Stupid and
wondering, they sat until they saw the
object swirl against Jacks skillfully
directed boat and with bursting
amazement beheld him grapple an un-
known monster of the waters. Then
they sprang up and with common
voice shouted their unanimous conclu-
sion:
Sea serpent! He's got Tidewatert"
In the light of events Immediately
subsequent that appeared to be a hasty
assumption Apparently a mighty
struggle was in progress out there in
the waters. but the bOatman was OBJ
served to be manipulating ropes and
presently it appeared that instead of
the sea serpent having got Tidewater
Jack, Tidewater Jack had got the sea
serpent. Out put then brave Watermen
to help, now that the peril seemed to be
over but Jack had drifted well down
stream and was putting in his best
strength at getting further. To all ap-
pearances the monster had been bound
and was following peacefully in his
wake. Only Jacks particular chum
continued pursuit long enough to get
within easy speaking distance
rs he dead?" he asked.
yep" said Jack Head cut clean
off.
did you do it?''
Did 1 do it? Say. what d'you take
me fer2 This is the real thing in a sea
he's an inch, Jack was giving gener-
Gus measure.) What would 1 kill him
with. a Oar?"
How'd he get killed them"
"Well, 1 figure that he must have got
mixed up with one of the big ocean
off. Most likely e propeller blade done
it"
what you going to do with him?'
Take him to the Battery and sell
him for enough to live on the rest O
my natural. Go back an invite the
gang to kick themselves on me-
Lost Opportunity Mourned.
Back went the chum to tell the rest
of the bOatmen, and there was a pc
riod of mourning among them at the
opportunity they had lost. They esti-
mated that Jack could sell his find at
S1,OO0,OOO or Whereabouts, and they set
off in body 10 the Battery TO see him
do it. Because travel by a rowboat is
slow at best and particularly so when
one has TO dodge ferryboats. not only
Tor ones self, but for cOnSidera bic
length of snake OGt behind, the gang,
travelling by land, reached the Battery
long before Jack appeared in the offing
That gentleman, indeed. very nearly
lost his precious tow because of the
obnoxious persistency of a tug which
cut across close behind him so that he
had to haul the serpent as nearly
! alongside as possible. Doubtless the
tugs captain believed the man in the
rowbOat TO be suffering from alcoholic
excuses. as all thar Jack did was 10
make rabid gestures and howl infor-
nation about snakes However. he
reached the Battery eventually. and
there the boatmen were awaiting him,
together with a considerable crowd,
called together by their tales of the
capture of the only genuine sea. serpent
after a terrific mid-river struggle
which they had witnessed with their
own eyes Between disappointment
and lack of anything else to do the
boatmen patrcnized local bars, and
/ their accounts became more and more
/ wonderful after every visit As soon
/ as Underwater Jack hove in sight they
/ gave him three cheers and told him
/ that several millionaireS were waifine
I
! Now, at the battery is the headuar-
/ tiers of the ship news reporters. mer
I tainted with gloomy skepticism de-
1 rived from much hearing of the weird
! tales of them that go down to the ses
/ IN ships. When they were told that the
sea serpent had been caught they
/ yaWned YEARLY and said: What
! again.? and continued to read the
evening papers But when Billy Ouig.
/ ley. the battery boatman, came in Il
tell them that an unknown man in Z
rowboat was approaching with some
/ sort OF a monster in tow two of then
aroused themselves to the extent O.
giving Billy job of rowing them on
| TO investigate, while the rest waited OF
| the seawalL Now, it was no part of tn,
plans of the contrivers of the prodigy
TO court investigation, except in ad
/ Yertisements later. Their plan was sim
ple-that Brad should come to the Bat
terry IN time to make a large offer 70
the sea serpent to its captor. who wa
supposed TO be unknown to him; tina
the offer should be accepted. and tina
the transformed Curves should b
toWed around to a prearranged pIac
on the East river. there to be exhibitet
70 a thronging public. OF course. Bra
had counted on publicity in the news
papers TO give the scheme a start. bu
| that anybody should get close enOue-
70 the wonder to observe the make u
OF 1t meant ruin. This was not beyon
the appreciation of Tidewater JacI