The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07

TN tell you what I will do For $500
I'll take all risks of weather and so on.
Your cargo must be worth all of 9lO,G90
AS for the ship-well, she amt what I'd
call a beauty; so we went say mucn
about her. Anyhow she'd 1etch a
couple of thousand sold as old scrap
iron. Amt my offer fair?"
ITS an almighty pickle" muttered
Bennett, for the Miltiades' skipper had
struck home The Tudor's cargo of
| 10000 cases of oranges was worth 10000
to the owner. But this was the point: If
Bennett refused a tow, and landed a bad
cargo through delay caused by his
broken shaft, he would get the blame
| and a permanent holiday; on the other
hand, accepting assistance and arriving
/ home vita a clean cargo, he might b.
able to dispense with the holiday and
| keep his job. Still, the coup was very.
very doubtful The sword of Damocles
could not be held by finer hair.
Bennett signaled to Jameson who
stood beneath the bridge coouy grinning
and when he reached the top of the lad
der the skipper ardently oXhorted him
to promise steam in twelve hours or
even twenty. But the engineer would
not make amy promises. He did not see
why he should kill himself with work to
save another mans neck, and said aloud
something about more jobs than churcn
steeples." At this Bennett spouted up an
! indgestibe adjective and treated the
engineer to many vivid ana lightning
| Ike prayers concerning rotten engines
and unlucky tramp steamboat shippers.
Jameson did not resent the language.
On the contrary, it gave him a twinge OF
satisfact on, and ne dropped a remark
about being in the same box" which
insinuation brought vividly to Bennets
mind visions of tramping Mosey-st ana
Quayside in Geordie-Land, and Water
st. in liverpool, looking for a ship,
armed with thck-soled boots and mucn
strong language, and a few small pence
! borrowed from a hard-up landlady to
buy biscuits and beer 1t was in the
middle OF these bad dreams tnat the
| Militiades' skipper impatiently hailed the
bridge of the Tudor.
MY cid steamboat amt going to wait
here all night for your coffee mill,
cap'in," he roGred, giving at the same
time his engines a touch ahead ana
sneering his vessel close to the Tudor
What's the decision?"
Three hundred and fifty" answered
Bennett nervously.
Thank ea very much" came the mock
ing reply. Then the oranges viii be
perfectly rotten before they gets ONE
if you wait for my services. Good
night and ne put his hand to the
telegraph.
-Four hundred" shouted Bennett des-
! perately. Come. that's a fair and
square price"
ut is" replied the warriors master
sarcastically. IT'S simply monstrous;
and you'd better eat your oranges rather
than chuck EN- away"
Before he had finished speaking his
propeller was churning the blue water
asteTn to a frothy milk, and Bennett
watched the imme nse square stern of the
Milt:ades as it wabbled slowly past the
Iudors stern. He held his breath fer
one impatient minute then he bawled at
the top of his voice. 'I'll make it 600"
The other steamer wallowed around
and her screw ceased working. A ship s
length distance from the b oxen Gown
tramp her skipper called triumph antly:
Flight hundred. Not cent less
The unfortunate Pennet saw it as h 8
| last chance and a glance at the uncom-
Portable northwest hasten ed his dec s. on
'I'll take you at that" he groaned II
might as well be hung for a sheep as a
lamb; and If I get booted out by the
owner I'll lay the result at your door. &"
you may come to me for a job" 1eered
the hairy faced man. if he sacks you.
shall be wanting a trustworthy man. for
this ship after this paying job; for I'll
retire. Send a boat with your hawsars
and Wen connect your CID orange box to
my ship"
Bennett, with deep forebodings put out
boat and passed his STEEL wires to the
Miltiadss.
III.
They had not been more than six hours
In tow before no less than q half dozen
| steamers came out of the southern h3r.-
ION and passed into the north. Bennct
on the bridge watched them with glover
ing and hungry eyes, and as they passed
cursed the folly that led him to accept
assistance in such haste. Here, from tn s
host of vessels, he could rave choSen a
most respectable tow, with e2OJ as a
limit, and Matthew WALKER was the man
10 know Al There WAS aG1eoIuIaIv a ~,