The National tribune., 1902-02-20

He was apparently looking with an en-
vious eye down upon Pisa's illustrlouS
dead.
have been content to throw up the pre-
carious lease of his stormy life if he could
have secured horizontal standing in the
yenerated soil before him. You will re
member that the pious Pisans of the 18TH
century, wishing to attract to themselves
all the sanctity to be derived from e1,
ternals, sent 30 galleys to Jerusalcm and
had them laden TO the guards with Judah S
sacred soil This precious freight was
carefully laid down in the Campo Santo
for the more perfect repose of favoilte
sons.
Joe Purcell, a short, stockily-built, pock-
marked son of Scotia, stood beside the
meditative Irishman.
Mickey" says Joe, laying the founda-
ton for future deviltry, wouldn't 1t be
jolly to have pot of this ere soil to take
home? 1t would be a gorgeous pillow for
ye when the doctor turned your toes III
the direction of the daisies"
"Och, go way, ye murtherin' blaSpham'
err exclaimed Mickey devoutly; its diZ'
zicration we're talkin'. Sure, wad We take
the bit of sile the Houly Mudder hersel
has bIest (hcre Mickey crossed himselD to
mix wild de dirthy clay av hereticsE
"Wel, Well" said Joe, expectorating a
volume of tobacco juice upon the sacred
soil, to the intense horror of Mickey no
gan. al did think that when we kicked
the bucket and were planted, we'd be done
with COmmodoreS and Admirais and a-rls-
tocrasses, generally; but here you knock
nv hopes into smitherneCns with your re-
served seats in the galleries"
"Och, get out wild We, ye blatherin' hay
them cried Mickey. not knowing how
otherwise TO dodge this solar-plexus blow
at his theology.
A IN NM in a this moment
and notified the mariners that if they
wanted to see the Tower of Pisa before
lunch hour they must start Mt once, which
they did. Joe's scheme was, however. in
cubating in his brain during the visit to
the Tower, and the success of the trick
on Mickey warmed the plan into life.
Boys said Joe to Mike ard Bob that
night, as they were on the train speeding
toward LcEhorn, Il have an idea"
"Is it good to ate?" asked Mike inno-
Gently.
then" answered Joe, initiating Mickey
Hogan.
Come out with your iden," said the
more practical Bob.
whats the matter with having Mickey
getting g bucketful of the dirt from Campo
"Oh, after today" said Mike, Mickey
will have done wild the likes Of ye.
w ell, someone tise, tHeh' SoSbC9'NN
Joe.
"Rut how will you do it?"
"Weu, wen furnish the earth, II you
will furnish the spieler," said Joe.
Done" cried Mike.
The conspirators had plenty Of time in
which to mature their plans.
The ships crew went ashore by quarter
watches, and what with getting ready to
90 ashore and the getting over it. work
on the shin dragged, hence a second raid
was seemingly out of the question.
90 Chance, however, put it in the way OF
the jokers to carry out their plans.
On March q Commodore Case and
Lieut., Lampson were on their way back
to the Colorado in the cutter Orlole.
Commodore Case was n short, pudgy,
benevolent-looking old gentleman. with
wavy, snow-white hair and dignihed car
riage: a very perfect counterpart Of our
own Phil Roach, of San Francisco.
The Commodore had been on visit OF
state to some distinguished parsonage,
Jerome Napoleon, l believe, for he was
al that time in port in his yacht.
The Commodore was arrayed, ike Sol
omon, in all his glory. While gripping his
sword and his dignity with complacent
clutch, the Oriole was somehow over
turned and the old gentleman was pre-
cipitated into the cooling waters OF Livo-
MIA Bay.
II animatoscopes had been in existence
In those days. and the owner had taken
a picture Of the scene that followed, the
moving pictures would have made the
owners fortune.
dozen sailor caps bobblng up ana
down like corks; a mixed crowd of puff
fing. sputtering, bowling landsmen; in the
midst Of the racket a submerged form
cIinying desperately to the rudder of the
up-keeIed boat. Little else of the once
majestic form was now visible except the
crown Of the head, from which tioated ont
Medusa-like, long, snowy, snaky locks
that seemed TO leap and sqnirm and mss
rs if in sympathy with the narrowed feel
ings of the agitated owner
1t might have gone hard with the gal
liant old Commodore and the crew Of the
cutter, but luckily Joe Purcell was on
hand in the Raven, and he went speedily
TO the rescue.
AS graceful return for this timely aid
the crew of the Raven was granted
DAYS extra liberty ashore. Bob Lrnnox
was one of the Ravens crew, ana hence
il was voted good time to try out the
preconcerted plan.
II so happened that one Of the cutter
crew was under the ban of the Executive:
He had been caught splitting on deck,
and was at the time of the accident pack
ing around big wooden cuspidor for the
convenience of his shipmates. He was an
object lesson, you will understand.
/ had put in his place IN the Doat, teHl-
porarily, a very unique character.
Yohn johnson, as he was called, was
a great. big. numbering, good-natured
laundering Teuton. His father was a
Swcde: his mother French peasant. lie
was born somewhere in Sleswick H0lsteln.
He had been dragged up TO seaman +
life in a Prussian barque. He had the
fa1en hair, the calm, blue eyes, and rosy
complexion of the Swedish blood. with
what Jenny Legs called the smoke-a-
pipe-ative sweetness Of the true Dutch
man"
Joe singled out Yohn johnson as the
most likely victim for the contemplated
Joke.
We were billed to leave LeghOrn for
Naples on April 4, hence no time was to
be lost.
| made the necessary arrangements foI
tie men to 20 on their leave on April "a
very suggestive date by the by).
A little after eight bells the day pre-
yious TO the excursion the eXuberant main
topmen were seated around their tarpau
lin tablecloth on the gundeck, between the
guns in the waist of the ship. Lobscouse
soft tack, hard bread, salt horse, butter
(the boys called il axle-greascD, boiled 20
tatoos, bean soup, all scattered around
loose. sent up q composite odOr that foatet
on the fumes of steaming coffee and made
combination that insisted on your recog
pizing the fact Of their vicinity.
The conversation was as mixed as tn
menu. The lads were still full of thei