The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-05-10

"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! l wouldn't put dog into q
cellar like that"
"Plenty good enough for deck
hands," her husband responded.
II 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 1t
again."
But" the skipper protested,
"No butts about it,"
The captain glared around, and
caught an uneasy grin on sailors
face. "You dirty scare-crow," he
Numbered, lump down there and
clean that out; all of we, jump! What
dye mean by keeping your end of the
ship in such condition? Fly, nowi"
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. \/
"Whnt is II, sir 2" returned the alter.
"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 tho 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 IL, on this occasion.
as there any daBger?" asked Mrs.
Van, as soon as she recovered from
her first curiosity.
"None in particular" said Harris,
with 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
| 1t.
But the steam would come out?"
she continued.
| "Yes, 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 I never
knew it was dangerous"
~ imagine" the captain roared out
| (after long repression), 81 imagine
you think this is funny"
"Funny?" repeated his wife. 81
don't see anything funny about it.
Oh, yes, Mr.. Harris, what was the
funny kettle you promised to loan
me?"
T-I-forget," suffered the en-
gineer in horror.
"Oh, I remember" continued Mrs.
Van Olinda, ut was the donkey-boil-
err"
1.-THE donkey-boiler!" shouted her
husband.
"Yes, to make apple-butter in. Have
you put that patch on it, Mr.. Harris
1 hope it wasn't an awfully big hole p
Excuse me, please" said the en-
gineer hastily. II 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
a heavy steel spanner gently. But his
superior was past fighting, and simp.
ly breathed heavily. ~ think, Ben,'
he said, presently, shat you might
have joked about something else"
Look out for that main steam
pipe. II you lean on It, it'll break
sure"
"Hang you and your engines! Why
don't you keep them in repair?"
IF you can find anything about my
engines, Capt Van Olinda, that amt
all repair, and repair, show me 1t
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 a peanut.
rooster"
swell, why didn't you soy so be-
FORE" growled the skipper.
"Say sol Haven't said SO? Then
you risk your wife down here, and
don't want her death on my head
"She seems to be afraid of your
life. She don't know we, you old
lummox!"