Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-03-01

about among the tables, with a merry
word or a slap on the shoulder for the
most favored OF his guests.
Now, to tell you the truth, from the
very first mention of Long John in
Squire Trelawney's letter, L had taken
a fear In my mind hat he might prove
TO be the very one-legged sailor whom
/ had watched for so long at the old
Benbow. But one look at the man be-
fore me was enough. / had seen the
captain, and Black Dog and the blind
man Pew, and / thought / knew what
a b~uccaneer was Ikea very different
creature, according TO Inc, from this
clean n pleasant-tempered landlord.
/ p!ucked up courage at once,
crossed the threshold, and walked
right up to the man where he stood,
propped or his crutch, talking to a
customer.
Mr.. Silver, slr?" I asked, holding
out the note.
Yes, my lad" said he; such Is my
name, to be sure. And who may you
be?" And when he saw the squire's
letter he seemed to me to give some
thing almost like a start.
oh" said he, quite aloud, and offer
ing his hand, Il see. You are our new
cabin boy; pleased / am to see you"
And he took my hand in his large
firm grasp.
Just then one of the customers at the
far side rose suddenly and made for
the door. 1t was close by him, and he
was out in the street in a moment But
his hurry had attracted my notice, and
/ recognized him at a glance. 1t was
the tallow-faced man, wanting two
fingers, VINO had come first TO the Ad-
miral Benbow.
"Oh," | cried, stop him! It's Black
Dog"
Il don't care two coppers who he u.s."
cried Silver. But he hasn't paid his
score. Harry, run and catch him."
One of the others VINO was nearest
the door leaped up and started in pur-
suit.
IF he were Admiral Hawke he shall
pay his score" cried Silver; and then,
re!inquishing my hand, who did you
say he VASE he asked. "Blnck what?"
Dog, sir" said |. Has Mr.. Trelaw-
ney not told o of The buccaneers? He
was Of them"
"So?" cried Silver. "In my house!
Ben, run and help Harry. One of those
swabs, was he? Was that you drink
ing with him, Morgan? Step up here"
The man whom he called Morgan
an old, gray-haired, mahogany-faced
sailor-came forward pretty s~heepish-
ly. rolling bis quid.
Now, Morgan" said Long John,
very sternly; you never clapped your
W - ch lAld 10y hOS DNAcANg
did you, now?"
mot /, sir" said Morgan, with a sa-
Lutte.
you didn't know his name, did
your"
mo, SIR"
"By the powers, Tom Morgan, it's as
good for you exclaimed the landlord.
IF you had been mixed up with the
like Of that, you would never have put
, ,,,tla- f,.t Ia, - u hgttgn Won mo " la "
to that. and what was he saying to
your"
Il don't rightly know, sir" answered
Morgan.
do you call hat a head on your
shoulders, or a blessed dead-eye?"
cried Long John. Don't rightly know,
don't you? Perhaps you don't happen
to rightly know who you was speaking
to, perhaps? CoIne now, what was he
jawing-v'yages. cap'ns, ships? Pipe
up? What was it,"
I'VE was 9-talkin' of kecl-hauling,"
answered Morgan.
"Keel-hauling was you? and a mighty
suitable thing, too, you may lay 10
that. Get back to your place for a
lubber, Tom"
And then, as Morgan rolled back to
his seat, Silver added to me in a conf
Dental whisper, that vas very ~f1atter-
ing, as l thought:
Hes quite an honest man, Tom
Morgan, only stupid. And now he
ran on again, aloud, Tets setback
Dog? No, | don't know the name, not
[. Yet / kind of think Tve-yes, I've
seen the swab. He used 60 come here
with a blind beggar, he used"
THAT he did, you may be sure" said
I. Il knew that blind man, too. His
name was Pew"
are Nt,Cf''. ppial Gi1NyCr nnyy f,,,ifn ~
cited. "Pewl That was his name for
certain. All, he looked a shark, he did,!
If we run down this Black Dog, now,
thercIl be news for Cap'n Trelawney!
Ben's a good runner; few seamen run
better than Ben. He should run him
down, hand over hand, by the powers!
He talked O keel-hauling, did he? I'll
keel haul him.
All the time he was Jerking out these
phrases he vas stumping up and down
the tavern on his crutch, slapping
tables with his hand, and giving such
q show of excitement as would have
convinced an Old Bailey judge or a
Bow street inner My suspicious had
been thoroughly reawakened on find
ing Black Dog at the Spyglass, and l
watched the cook narrowly. But he
was too deep, and too ready, and too
clever for me, and by the time the two
men had come back out OF breath, and
confessed that they had lost the track
i'm a crowd, and had been scolded like
thieves, / would have gon bail for the
Innocence of Long John Silver.
See here, now, Hawkins" said he,
here's a blessed hard thing on q man
like me now, amt it? There's Cap'n
Trc,aWney-what's he to think? Here
| have this ~Confounded son OF a
Dutchman sitting in my own house,
drinking my own rum. Here you
and tells me Of it plain: and here /
let him give us all the slip before my
blessed daylights! Now, Hawkins,
you do mo justice with the cap'n.
You're a lad, you are, but you're as
smart as paint. / see that when you
first came in. Now, here ii is: What
could | do, with this Old timber | hob
bic on? When | was an A Il master
mariner I'd have come up alongside Of
him, hand over hand, and preached
him to in a brace of old shakes, 1
would; and now
And then, all Of a sudden, he stopped
and his jaw dropped as though he
had remembered something.
The ~score!" he burst out. Three
goes o rum! Why, SILVER my timbers,
If | hadn't forgotten my score!"
And, falling on a bench. he laughed
until the tears ran Gown his cheeks.
l could not help joining; and we
laughed, together, peal after peal, I'M
til the tavcrn rang again.
Why, what n precious old sea-calf I
ann he said, at last. wiping his
checks. You and me should get on
Wei, Hawkins, for I'll take my davy
l should be rated ships boy. But,
come. now, stand by to go about. This
won't do. Booty is dooty, messmates.
I'll put on my old cooked hat, and step
along of you to Cap'n T~relawney, and
report this here affair. For, mind you.
it's serious, young Hawkins; and
neither you nor mes come out of it
with what / should make so bold as to
call credit. Nor you, neither, say you;
not smart-none of the pair of us
smart. But dash my buttons! hat was
q good 'un about my score"
And he began to laugh again, and