Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-11-27

outside Office of the Astoria
Crescent Cannery. His heavy brows
were drawn over his gray eyes, and
under an unkempt beard his mouth
worked uneasily. When he finished,
he strobe over to the cashier. "You
cheat mer' he cried, thickly. by Jee,
you cheat me twenty dollar!''
Nonsense, Andrew" said the cash
fer; you're off. Your account is just
eighty-three dollars and six bits due
you. Not a cent more. Our books
don't lie."
The fisherman hitched up his trou
sers, and his voice fell two notes. you
cheat me-" he muttered, doggedly. 81
bring in two hundred pound more fish.
It's down in my book. See?"
The young fellow who had charge
of the fish delivery books received gin
gerly the greasy pages thrust in at
him, and rapidly compared the entries
there with those in his ledger. Every
now and then he jotted number on
a pad of blank paper before him, and
when he had run through all the pages
of the fish book he added together his
Jottings, and looked up with a weary
smile. you're wrong, Andrew" he
said. "See here, where you've gone
off your reckoning. This entry calls
for only twenty pounds Of fish, and
you've read it two hundred. This here
Is forty-five pounds of steelhead, and
you've made it salmon. You better be
careful how you say we cheat you.
You are trying to do some cheating
yourself with a darned blunt pencil.
Take your book and clear out"
The heavy-eyed captain of boat No.
S45 loosed his neckerchief and pulled
again at his trousers. you cheat mev
he yelled, shrilly. "Ole, he put him
down that way, and know how much
fish 1 bring in. 1 don't charge him in
the book. You cheat me!'
A rough order to clear out was the
only response, and Andrew blew like
a porpoise. Then his clumsy tongue
gathered articulateness, and he called
down the curse of God upon the As
toria Crescent, with special reference
to the white-faced cashier and Ole,
the weigher. His strident tones re-
sounded in the building, and present
ly the manager of the cannery came
from his private Office to see what the
matter was. Andrew turned to him
with a cry for justice.
''But your account is all straight -
sad the manager. after a quick glance
at the book the fisherman held out to
him. What the devil do you mean
by making such a fuss?"
"But Ole make the wrong number"
Andrew expostulated. "He put down
twenty pound of fish on your book
when have two hundred on mine He
cheat mer'
IF you make any more howl" said
the manager, roughly, ''Tll seize your
boat. You owe US hundred on last
season"
There was a deep silence, while the
huge fellow shambled back as if to
gather himself for a blow. Then in
some way he realized his helplessness
and strove to subdue his voice. 1T
amt right" he mumbled. 81 owe you
noting. I pay him all oop. Ole make
wrong number. You can't take my
boat"
Possibly the manager Of the cannery
was doubtful Of his own position, or
else he was melted by a charita BILE
thought of Andrews wife and small
baby. He pulled gold piece from his
pocket and flung it at the fisherman.
Take this, Andrew, and don't let me
hear any more of your nonsense.
That's a brand-new ten-dollar piece.
and I'll bet you spend it in a saloon,
and curse me over your glass. Now
clear outp'
Hansen looked at the money in his
calloused palm, and then at the re-
treating form Of the manager. "Clear
outr' said the clerk, 'or we'll throw
you out, you darned beggarr'
Mrs. Hansen wept when her hus-
band told her curtly that she was to
have no new dress. When he refused
to buy baby carriage for the first
born, there was deep gloom in the
little house tucked up under the hill
above the gas works. But Andrew
did not explain, though he gazed a
long time at the white-haired son,
whose legs were sure, according to his
mother, to be bent like the slaves of
a fish barrel did he have no carriage
to ride in.
Two days later Andrew paid off his
boat-puller. 1t took all the money to
his credit at the cannery. Then he
went out to the racks on which his
net was hung, and worked there for a
week. Later, he drew his boat out on
the beach, and scraped and cleaned
her through without painting strake.
From that time till September 10th he
sat on the wabbling wharf over the
tide, and figured in his smeary fish
book, and seemed to be nursing some
secret sorrow, SO that his acquaint-
ances nodded their heads, and said
with many oaths that Andrew was an
iii husband, and was spending his sea-
sons wages in sullen drinking.
But when he quietly put his net in
No. 345 on the 10th, and started out
''fall fishing" the mods of head
changed to open-mouthed astonish.
ment. For Andrew was forehanded in
his way, and enjoyed the reputation OF