The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1902-05-23

goes. Then up she comes"
Are We sick?"
go topside and look" With this
the mate collapsed.
Ben Harris shut his book on bit
of waste Ito keep the place., and
went slowly up the ladder. When he
thrust his head out of the door that
gave on the deck he looked forward.
A half-dozen dirty sailors squatted
dumbly on their blankets, while the
captain and his wife faced each other
in anger.
Filthy hole" he heard Mrs Van
Olinda say, and those men sleeping
there! 1 wouldn't put a dog into a
cellar like that"
PLENTY good enough for deck
hands," her husband responded.
81 won't have it on this Ship" re-
torted his wife. THAT'S settled.
That place has got to be scrubbed
and painted before they set foot in it
again"
But" the skipper protested.
mo butts about it,"
The captain glared around, and
caught an uneasy grin on a sailors
face. "You dirty scare-crow," he
Numbered, Jump down there and
clean that out; all Of We, jump! What
dye mean by keeping your end of the
ship in such condition? Fly, now!"
The sailors tumbled around, and
the engineer withdrew his head.
"That settles it," he murmured to
himself. "Now for new boilers"
That evening the captain called
down the speaking-tube to the en-
gineer.
What is it, sir ?" returned the latter.
''I'm going to bring my wife down
to see the engines. Is it all right?"
Sure" With this answer, Harris
called the oiler and told him to wipe
down the railing on the ladders.
The captain and his wife were re-
ceived most gallantly by the chief.
The motion of the steamer was very
gentle, and the machinery ran
smoothly and evenly. Mrs. Van Olin-
da looked and admired. Harris had
never approved of "women-folk
messing around an engine" but he
carefully concealed any such feeling,
if he experienced it, on this occasion.
"Is there any danger?" asked Mrs.
Van, as soon as she recovered from
her first curiosity.
"None in particular" said Harris,
with a very apparent attempt at
evasion.
'None in PARTICULAR" she echoed.
"Is there any? Might the boiler ex-
plode?'
"Not exactly explode" responded
the engineer slowly "The boilers are
too old for that. There wouldn't be
much pop to them. They'd just open
out sort of gentle and easy. No;
they wouldn't explode
The skipper fidgeted violently, but
the chief did not apparently notice
it.
"But the steam would com out?"
she continued.
eyes, ma'am; it comes out now. OF
course, it would come out more then,
and kill whoever was down here"
Mrs. Van Olinda moved back hasti-
ly. "We had steam heat in our house
in Iowa." she explained, "but never
knew it was dangerous"
81 imagine" the captain roared out
CATER long repression), 81 imagine
you think this is funny
"Funny?" repeated his wife. "I
don't see anything funny about it.
Oh, yes, Mr.. Harris, what was the
funny kettle you promised to loan
me?'
"II-forget," suffered the en-
gineer in horror.
"Oh, remember" continued Mrs.
Van Olinda, 'it was the donkey-boil-
err"
"The donkey-boiler!" shouted her
husband.
eyes, to make apple-butter in. Have
you put that patch on it, Mr.. Harris?
1 hope it wasn't an awfully big hole?"
Excuse me, please" said the en-
gineer hastily. 81 must see to some
thing" He did not return until his
visitors were gone. But his soul was
at peace. A couple of hours later
the captain appeared alone. Harris
looked non-committal, and handled
heavy steel spanner gently. But his
superior was past fighting, and simp-
he said, presently, "that you might
have joked about something else"
Look out for that main steam
pipe. If you lean on it, it'll break,
sure"
"Hang you and your engines! Why
don't you keep them in repair?"
eff you can find anything about my
engines, Capt Van Oinda, that amt
all repair, and repair, show me it.
I've nursed your blasted pots and
pans just as long as I'm going to.
Anybody but me couldn't make that
heap of cheap tinware turn peanut
roaster."