The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-04-19


w Amos called him into the dining room and
said:
''Now my poor lad, your father Is no more, and
be has left you almost nothing Everything has gone
70 pay the doctors. What did your pa say TO you
before he passed awayP
"He told me" replied Martin, shat he had little
to leave me. His old umbrella he asked me always
to carry wherever 1 went but 1 don't remember
anything else
"Wen, there's about five thousand yards of blue
mosquito netting that he took in trade, and the little
farm up the hi but it's TO stony and dry to grow
anything on, and you couldn't even give 1t away
still less raise money on it. That's all except a
bottle of peroxide of hydrogen that's never been
opened" added Uncle Amos, who was a bald-headed
old curmudgeon, and who hated Martin because he
had good appetite.
ooh what shall I do 2" asked the boy
81 should advise you to go to sea until you're
grown up, said his uncle. 81 have arranged 1t all
with Captain Scuppers an old friend Of mine, who
loves boys, and he VIII take you on his ship, which
is called the CHEEKY Turtle of Newark, N. j. You'll
ge plenty of fresh air ard exercise which are good
for boys"
Martin liked the name Of the ship and said he
would go. in less than hour after his father was
buried he was on board of the CHEEKY Turtle, and
Captain Scuppers was saying farewell to his Uncle
Amos Now, these men had made a bargain, and
the captain had agreed to throw Martin overheard
somewhere in the Gulf Stream, for Uncle Amos had
discovered that there was oil the stony farm and
he wished the boy out of the way, that he could
have all the fortune to himself Therefore he prom
ised to pay Scuppers for disposing of his nephew
The bad-headed old villain was willing to share the
fortune with another rascal, but not with bis own
nephew.
TRIED TO KILL THE CAPTAIN
Soon the ship was at sea, and Martin certainly
got all the fresh air and exercise he needed for there
was much for the cabin boy to do on that ship. He
had TO wait on Captain Scuppers, shine his Shoes
wind all the watches and clocks, feed the dog and
cat splice the rnainbrace polish the anchor, grind
the coffee, dust all the brc-a-braC sweep the deck
make the fire, as well as do ell that the crew asked
him to do beside, and when the captain and the men
in calm weather were fishing poor Martin was
obliged 20 sit and watch the barometer 20 that it
didn't fall suddenly just before a storm Still, ne
was happy and contented for he had been allowed by
Captain Scuppers % take along the mosquito net
ting, which he hoped to sell in foreign lands
OF course he brought the old umbrella and also the
bottle of peroxide OF hydrogen, as they were all that
be owned
When the CHEEKY Turtle had been at sea many
DAYS without nearing any land the crew began to
murmur. They declared that the captain had lost
his reckoning which true, for he had careessly
Z a y
know how 20 make another. Old Olaf Swineson, the
SWede, and PorcupinOpoulos, the Greek two sailors
who had once been pirates Of the Main, began to III
cite the 20 mutiny, asserting that they were
lost and would never get home.
Soon the whole crew were rebellOus but as the
captain was a savage and dangerous man. they dared
not openly revolt so the Greek prepared terrible
dose for him. it was @ mixture composed of germs
of many dseases-typhoid fever, chills measles pip
hives, smallpox, rheumatism and mumps, all these
awful germs being hidden in q paste Of flour, and
they ordered Martin TO slip it into the bread which
the cook was baking for the captain lie refused to
do this terrible deed of course and the angry men
threatened to have revenge.
They gave the dreadful mess to the captain them
selves, and after eating the bread, he was nmedi-
atey taken very i'll with all the different diseases at
once. He tried TO learn from his doctors book what
allied him, but he had so many different symptoms
that he was confused and alarmed, and took to his
bed, expecting to die at once. Martin nursed the
captain, and knowing just what germs he had taken
he able to give him the separate medicines for
each disease so that, in spite of the crews evil
designs he cured him. although it took all the medi-
cine on board. The captain was very grateful, and
he told Martin of the plot formed by his Uncle Amos
for he was now sorry. lie said that he wouldn't
throw the lad overheard but instead would assist
him to sell his mosquito netting at a profit at the
first port they visited.
But the crew, enraged at the captains recovery,
resolved TO thwart him, and when they neared a
strange land the coast Of which was deserted and
desolate they put Martin in a boat with all of his
belongings, and left him on the dreary shore. Then
they sailed away while Martin sat on his bales of
mosquito netting and wept bitterly.
SAVED BY HIS UMBRELLA