El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-04

aboard and if it is guess we shall find it
| when we want it. What I'm on for now S
grub. 1 hain't had a Christian meal for
| three months, thanks to this new sheriff
| busting after us, and I'm about sick of
| mullet and sweet potatoes. But, please
| our buck we'll raid their storeroomS here
| and fix up regular hotel supper for to-
| night. That's me. Now come along, fell
| lerS.'
The negroes chuckled and crowed ca
pering like children, and went off with
the tall man toward the galley and Mutt,
| after Intellectual attempt to speak,
which threw him into a paroxysm of fury,
presently followed them.
The feast was sui generiS. They found
grease, baking powder and flour and made
doughnuts, they hotted three tins of JUL
enne SOUP they baked a great mass of salt
pork on a bedding of white beans, they
made stew of preserved potatoes, Aus
tralian mutton and pate de foie gras, ard
a chef d'Ceuvre one of the negroes turned
out some crisp three cornered tartlets
stuffed with straw berry Jam. Then Hank,
with lamp in one hand, cylinder of
plates in the other and whole armory of
knives and forks bristling from his peck
cts, battered off to the main cabin to lay
the table.
AT the doorway he stopped, gaping, and
because the instinct of the much hunted
made his right hand slip round to a GER
tain back pocket the plates went to the
ground with crash. In the swivel chair
at the head of the table was huddled
mana small man with cold cigar bit
ten tight between his teeth, a man so
grimy with coal dust that Hank couldn't
have sworn whether the short peaked
beard which rested on his chest was black
or red or pruSSian blue.
''Oh, don't you trouble to be polite, -
said the man in the chair. Pm mighty
glad to see any one who can talk or use
pair of hands, Here he lifted his nose
and snuffed the air like a hound. is that
supper you re cooking?'
II reckon
Found anything TO wash it down
with"
There We're dozen bottles of beer
but we wanted those between whiles and
I guess they're drunk
There should have been more, but
suppose my lousy steward has necked
them. However, this is big night and
this is the first time I've seen you and
your mates. and so 1 guess champagne'll
be good enough for US. There's a case in
that end room ready a-purpose for this
sort of celebration day. Perhaps you'll
fetch it out. I'm weak STILL
Hank Ubeyed, wondering, and laid the
table and brought on the viandS, in which
he was assisted by Mutt and the blacks.
Then Captain Kettle spoke again.
''Ob, look here, friends, I'm not going
to sit at table with niggers. 1 take it this
isn't blessed missionary meeting"
1t seemed as though there would be
row. One of the blacks stated his inten-
ton of ''takin no sass from that po' white
trash" and another openly drew a razor
and made suggestive motions with it
through the air.
''Of course said Kettle, IF you two
gentlemen have chucked your color and
care to feed with those ornaments, you can
do it. Only I'm white man and have
my pride
That's right, - said Mutt 'Picnicking
and the schouner's different. But this is
regular hotel dinner, with napkins and a
tablecloth, and L guess anything colored
'ud spoil the tone. Say, s-S-Sonnies, you
mosey. "a
Il done cooked most this yer grub,
whined he of the razor, an I'ze gwine L
eat my belly load"
''Well. collar what you want to eat till
Yes, but whar'll we go?''
Mutt looked at Captain Kettle The
little man in the swivel chair gave his At
rican guests full leave to go to place
considerably hotter than the engine hold,
suggesting the messroom as an after
thought and alternative. Whittier they
betook themselves, grumbling, and then
the three whites commenced their meal.
Kettle unwired a champagne bottle with
fork and poured out three long tumblers
of dancing froth.
Winner said Hank. ''Oh, my Jemi-
maj
"Gcg- gcg-got ny ice?'' queried the one
eyed man.
Ice is off" replied the captain.
"Things have been that hot this trip it
gave up and melted
You seem TO get your manners on ice, |
Mr.. Billy Mutt, - said his friend Now |
see "A regular hotel meal in front of me, |
and I'm going to make a pig of myself |
and be jolly well thankful 1 hain't any |
use for your high toned sort of canooser- |
ing. See here, stuff your silly mouth and |
quit grumbling, right now. Dye hearS'
His guests ate and Kettle made small |
talk for them, at the same time playing q |
good knife and fork himself. The food
to strai ghten his back and knock
the limpness out of him, but Mr.. Mutt
and his friend were tapping their cham
payne too industriously to see any signifi
canoe in the change, !
The meal crept steadily through its |
and the empty bottles grew on the
cabin floor. No one got drunk. Captain
Kettles own libations were sparing, and
the others had each a high coefficient of
absorption. Still all were exhilarated and
ripe for mischief or merriment as might
befall.
Say, cap" said the long man as he
1allied with his last strawberry tartlet,
isn't it so that you've got this fine steam
boat of yours ballasted with sovereigns?'
Its So" said Kettle, ''or something
very like that
Your own?''
"Oh, Lord no. just freight consigned
20 New Orleans and brought here by that
Olowup l was telling you about. 1 sup
pose that you gentlemen'll have no objec-
hon, -.