The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-17

| that It's the bo'sun-its Heckles!'
Come off" said his fellow adven-
turer you JAY HecEIles was only
in the book; he didn't live-really.
The likeness, however. between Hec-
! kles of @The Boy Commodore" and the
redfaced. cieanshaved, portly man in
blue peajacket and seaboots who ap-
preached was so remarkable that even
Frank Noble doubted for a moment if
Heckles himself (the man who stood
I by the boy. commodore, don't you
/ know. when, these two quelled the mu-
! tiny, and sailed the prize 5000 miles all
/ by their own selves in the teeth of a
hurricane) was not now present in the
! flesh. So earnest and admiration
/ primed were the stares of the lads that
| the man relaxed his pace when he no
/ tfced them and finally crossed the mar
row street by the river. His shrewd,
rather humorous eyes surveyed the
cousins swiftly and comprehensively.
Morning, shipmates," said he.
| Back from school for Thanksgiving.
hey? Taking a look at the shipping,
hey? My eyes, if you two amt clipper
| built Clean in every line. Bout
| II or IS. amt yOu?"
mo, sir" said Rod. Were 15-both
| of US We're cousins"
The man looked at the we'll set up
| youngsters so cordially and with such
| pleasing appreciation that Frank took
| courage to explain what they wanted
| down by the ships.
| please, sir" said he, can you tell
us where they engage sailors?"
'Ho! want to go to sea? Now that's
my style. It's the finest life for boy
with ambition and some get up to him.
/ Been to sea all my life, and look at
me, Healthy, wise and as to wealth
| why, boys, there's money to burn for
a sailOrman as knows what's what,
Do you belong to the city,"
No, sir, we're from the country.
| 'Ho? And-dOes pa knOw?"
| the boys heSitated and looked down
ward, but the man looked so pleasant
| that Rod spoke frankly.
mo. We decided ourselves"
| "Ho! Run away?"
The boys grinned and nodded.
Then" said the man, holding out a
| big red hand, put it there. Lucky you
met me. I like a. boy with grit to dc
for himself. You've come to the right
place. You just follow me. I can see
at a glance you were made for the sea
Seeing it's Thanksgiving time, there's
| something to be thankful for"
The faces of the two boys frightened
J They had, in fact, become greatly be-
wildered and confused in the tOrtuous
| lanes of the seaport and were really
! thankful to find a friend and guide. II
| a moment, however, Franks face
| cIouded.
4 wish" he whispered to his cousin
as they followed their friend obedient-
ly, Il wish we could have put off goinf
| away until after tomorrow. though
10 - g--I,E
busy now with the turkeys and
/ things
Turkeys" Rod shifted. What ar,
you whining about now? What:
Thanksgiving anyhow mOre'n any 9th
er day. I'm jolly thankful, I can tel
you. that I'm done with school foi
good, and farm chores and all tina
rot. This will be something like {
Thanksgiving. Just think you old jay
we're free. There's nobody so free a,
a sailor. All the books say so. I hop,
we get a ship right away. Turkeys
What's turkeys? 1 want lobscouse.
do"
It was near dusk, and it was dusI
at the farm also. There there wa
much hustle and chattering and jolly
ing in the big warm kitchen, wher
Rods mother, Franks aunt, was su
perintending the thousand needfu
] preparations for the next days feast
I
big farmyard through the open door
Listen, Isn't that the master com
ing? Sounds like his team. Be ready
one of you, to take the horses. Polly
Run out and get the parcels the boy
We're to bring from the city Hav
some coffee hot. It's chill and they'l
be half famished-
The buggy drove up and Farme
| Noble came into the kitchen, puffinj
and beating his hands together.
Mother he cried, what train di
you tell the boys TO come on from tn
city? Cause they amt come"
| What cried Aunt Mary an
everybody else, then they can't com
tonight. Good gracious me! Have tn
| boys gone and got lost, or hurt, or
It cast shadows upon the holiday
The cheerful hustle of the homestea
| died off. WOrriment and anxiet
| ClOuded the faces of father and mOthe
and sisters and servants. and this wa
all for the sake of two restless youn
rascals who though they knew wha
was good for them far better than tn
old folks. They would have bee
greatly gratified, no doubt, if the
could have seen how much more the
were loved than they deserved. JUS
at that moment they were IabOriousl
writing two of those letters which ar
fated never to be sent.
so we've done il after dew delibera
shun, wrote Rod, painfully, for W
know its our mishun in life to ploI
the seas and we both are sorry tina
we could not wait till after Thanks
giving, bat it was such a good chanC
to find a ship when mother sent US I
the city, and what's turkeys to free
dom? When me and Frank come
back again, I mean to bring dad
gold watch and you diamond earring
and sis everything she wants if she
: write me 10 Calcutta. where we're 20
ing tomorrow and a new barn. Pleas
send my dog Rowdy after me- You
. have to express him becos dogs can
go by mail. Franks hOmesick but W
are absiloutly determined to go to Sc
and we have found a nice man who's
like Heckles TO get US ship"
When the boys had written thus [
their distracted kin, on a greasy tabl
, in the back room of a shabby board
ing house, Mr.. Keckles announced tina
as they would have to go aboard ski
| early. il would be well to retire II
was a fatherly old chap. this red-faceC
! big-hsted fellow, who was so like tn
bosun of the boy Commodore" H
insisted upon the lads having a bite [
/ eat and drink before going to bed. an
when they had done that they went t
! sleep on their feet going upstairs, S
tired were they.
So tired-yet they had gone to be
almost every night of their open-ai
lives just as tired. without feeling S
queer and dizzy as they did when the
were now aroused. It was not morn
ing. Nobody was knocking at theI
door. or crying upstairs the familis
warning Boys, boys, boysi Do yo
I