The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-10-05

shy. Never mind your rig out lad. IN
ship your torture box and stow it down
here in the gangway and then come
into my stateroom. Why couldn't you
have just knocked at the door and asked
for me?'
"Why, you see, gents all, said the
man, with bashful hesitation, 81 hardly
liked. If there'd been a back door, it
would have been all right. But l tackled
about and couldn't find one, and it's
hardly the place for the likes of me to
come pounding at a big brass knocker
when Iwasn' t expected, specially when
was wanting to ask bit of a favor. +"
"What You don't mean to say that
you We come here to volunteer for the
enterprise, Tom Jelly, do your" in
quired the captain, with obvious amaze
ment. 81 thought you'd given up the
sea for good
''With permission, said Tom, with
grin, STD like to change my mind .
"You' re good lad, Tom Jellya
| good lad!'' reared the captain delight
eddy. tSit down and tell us why you
didn't turn up before Been thinking
the matter over q
"Only just heard about it, cap'n y
said the man, sitting on the extreme
edge of the chair which Captain Colepep-
per pushed to him. "Me and 'Enrietta
trudged into Bristol day afore yester-
day and brought up at our old mornings.
We went to the Admiral Blake for
chat and smoke and drop of ale in the
| evening and heard tell of how you'd got
wonderful scheme on and for weigh
! ing the dollars from out of craft which
| foundered after fight with pirate
some years ago-how many they didn't
seem to rightly know at the Admiral
Blake But everybody said it was
mad idea that nobody but a fool would
| believe in and that you and the doctor
| nd never get a single soul to join you.
Now, the doct9r-no disrespect meant,
sir-I didn' know, never having heard
Of him afore. But Cap'n Colepepper I'd
sailed with. boy and man, nigh on five
and twenty year, and knowed he was
too good a seaman, in manner of
/ speaking, to put to sea in dirty weather
without seeing good chance of wealth
ering it all safely So, gentlemen alp
Tom lifted the glass of beer which the
captain had handed him-s'here's
'ealth and success.
The beervanished into some aperture
hidden among the thick jungle of black
hair, and the glass was set down empty
on the table.
| tThis is very different sort of trip,
Tom, from any other we've had togeth-
er, " observed Captain Colepepper, Are
you sure you know what it is you, are
offering to join?''
81 know, cap'n, know; they told
me all about it at the Admiral Blake,
but'I says to them, says: There amt
| man in the merchant service that
knows how to handle either square rig
OF fore and aft like Cap IN Mich las Cole
pepper At either seamanship or navi-
CATION show. me the man that can beat
him, says |. I'll freely own, says,
that he S learned his experience atop Of
the ocean and not inside it, but if he's
made up his mind to try trip below
the waves, instead of above EN-, in the
rd'nary way, as you tell me he has,
then You may stake your shoes on it
Cap'n Colepepper knows what he's
about. And that just what says to
! 'em, sir. y
The captain had let his pipe go out
and his screwed up eyes were twinkling
with pleasure under the heavy matches
of their brows. DIR. Tring, however,
not being the recipient of the eulogy,
had leisure for criticism and kept look
ing rather pointedly at the new ar
rivals empty left sleeve, wondering to
himself, perhaps, whether half a recruit
was better than no recruit at all.
Jelly noticed these glances and, turn
ing to the doctor, said earnestly, "I've
been at sea with Cap'n Colepepper, sir,
since lost my wing, and, though folks
think there's only half of me left, some
of 'em have found out I'm worth ten
dead men yet
That's a solid fact, doctor, COM
mented the captain.
(Which being so, continued the sea-
man, I'D just like to sign on now for
self and 'Enrietta.
'sFor self and what?' roared DR..
Tring.
"self and 'Enrietta. /" repeated the
man stolidly.
"Quite SO, assented Captain Cole
pepper; ''for himself and Henrietta
~
49, ~~ >S~S---I