News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-11-05

conspiracy. BUT captain 4-ettle says
the mans frailties, in fact, almost dis
gusted him before he h'l made sure
of his other qualities. But lose other
qualities were glaringly obvious from
the very first. Kettle was Il poet him
self, and with the kinship of species he
felt the poetic fire glowing out from
the person of this Mr.. Hamilton.
Kettle was intensely sensitive about
his accomplishment, and with passen-
gers especially he kept it scrupulously
in the background. But somehow he
and Hamilton after a few days ac-
quaintance seemed to glide into the
subject imperceptibly. 1t seemed that
Hamilton, too like Kettle, was a dev-
otee of the stiller forms of verse.
you see, skipper" he said, give
been a pretty bad lot, and I've made
things hum most of my time, and so
suppose get my hankerings after rest
fitness as the natural result of con-
trast."
"Same here, sir. Ashore l can re-
spect myself, and in our chapel circle
you'll find few more respected men.
But at sea | shouldn't like to tell you
what I've done. If saint was to come
down and skipper the brutes we have
to ship as saiIormen nowadays, he'd
wear out his halo tiinging it at them.
And when matters have been worst
and I've been bashtng the hands about
or doing things to carry out an owners
order that I'd blush even to think of
ashore, why, then, sir, gentle verse, to
tunes | know, seems to bubble up in
side me like springs in barren land"
well | don't know about that"
said Hamilton doubtfully, "but when
l get thoroughly sick of myself and
wish | was dead l sometimes stave off
putting a shot through my silly head
by getting pencil and paper and
shifting my thoughts out of the beastly
world | know into-well, it's hard to
explain. But | get sort of notions
don't you see-and they seem to run
best in verse. l write 'em when the
fits on me, and l burn 'em when the
fits through, and you'll hardly think
it, but l never told a living soul ever
did such a thing till l told you. But
you seem to be a fellow that's been in
much the same sort of box Yourself"
81 don't know quite that. At any
rate, I've never thought of shooting
myself"
ooh, | didn't mean to suggest we
were alike at all in detail. | was only
thinking we had both seen rough times.
Lord forbid that any man should ever
be half the fool that l have beenw
A shoal Of flying fish got up out of
the warm, shining water and ran away
over the ripples like so many silver
rats. On the western horizon screw
pile lighthouses stood up out of the
water, marking the nearness of the
low lying Floridian beaches.
ga man, they tell me-" said Hamil-
ton, "can go into that country at the
back there and be a hermit and live
honestly on his own fish and fruit I
believe l could live there and be de-
cent, and perhaps in time l should for
get things"
Don't you try it. The mosquitoes
are shocking. No, Mr.. Hamilton, you
go home and find a country place and
get on a farm and watch the corn
growing and hear the birds sing and
get hold of the smells of the fields and
the colors of the trees, and then you'll
enjoy life and turn out poetry you can
be proud of"
Doesn't appeal to me. You see, you
look upon the country with a country
mans eye"
'Me," said Kettle. I'm seaport and
sea bred and brought up and all |
know of fields and a farm is what I've
seen from railway carriage window.
No, I've had to work too hard for my
living to have any time for that sort
of enjoyment, but that's what I'm aim
ing at, and it's for that I'm scratching
together every siXpence of money |
can lay hands on"
you want to be a farmer"
"That's me. | could be God fearing
every day of the week then instead of
just when I'm ashore, as it is now.
That's been the dream of my life, Mr..
Hamilton, to live a pastoral life like
Abraham's and ride about round a
farm and boss the hands"
But here a sudden cutlery below
broke in upon their talk. That's Mr..
CranZe," said Kettle. He'll be going,
too far in his tantrums one of these
days"
I'm piously hoping the drunken
brute will tumble overheard" Hamil-
ton muttered. "Ah. well, l suppose I'd
better go and look after him" And he
got up and went below.
Captain Kettle sat where he was,
musing. He had no fear that Crane
would murder his man in broad, star
ing daylight But he did not see his
way to earning that extra t2O0, which
he would very much live to have fin
gered. To let this vulgar, drunken
rufIian commit some overt act against
Hamilton's life without doing him ac-
tual damage seemed an impossibility.
Had Crane been any other passen-
ger he would have stopped his drunken
rioting by taking away the drink. But
Crane sober might be dangerous while
Crane tipsy was merely a figure of
ridicule.
At some twenty ports the Flamingo
came to an anchor six miles OtfshOre
md hooted with her siren till lighters