Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-01-30

!, however great be tho initial supply
. brute force with which God has endow
him. Every time he wiped the wet fro
!, his eyes and looked at the steam gauge
, had climbed down since the time befor
, and however furiously he might hea'
new fuel onto the caking olinkers thu
, , jumping index would continue Its dowI
ward crawl.
ed and grew more sluggish, and then I'll
ponderous cranks took to stopping on
turn as though to gain strength for til
next round. But this did not go on fe
long. The donkeyman felt gentle heay
OF the footplates beneath him and then
heel which was not recovered. Be gor,
said he, "the bloody old tramp's TUX tn
ground at last. Thanks be-"
He pitched his shovel through dul
glowing furnace door and turned to wher
the little captain was lying on the polish
ed footplates, holding a yellow fiarini
slush lamp before him to see through tn
sitting dusty gloom. "Guml" he com
mented. Tho old man looks pretty sick
III crane him up In the ashlift."
| This he did and took his commanding
officer into the main cabin, where the ali
was bright and baking, and the mosqui
toes were biting like dogs. Then, throw
ing back the lid Of the medicine chest
which stood beside the door into the com
panionway, he gazed appreoiatively al
the rows Of bottles, unstopped one or two
and shifted at their contents and then
slammed down the lid again as thought
struck him. NO." he said. RED Ket-
tie wouldn't give me physlo last time !
thought I'd like a dose, an now I'll see
how he fanoies getting round on nothing
Fair play'ss jool. I'll just report to the
pilot an then turn in"
The pilot, however, when the donkey
man had YEARLY hauled himself onto the
upper bridge and stood by his side, proved
to be SO dead asleep that no amount Of
shouting or shaking would wake him.
Even the f1ies did not make him vince.
''Sor, wake, or yell be sunstrook, II
ye're not that already. Rouse, sor I can't
lug ye below, an can't rig an awning.
I'm too tired to speak again, but II yez
stay here yen fry like rasher an be ate
by flies. There's whopping skeeter in each
of yer eyeholes this minute, an kind o
locust browsing on the end Of yer snout.
Listen. I'm knockin wild boot toe on
yer ribs. Well, man, II We won't listen to
reason. it's just leavin yez l am to stew
In yer own juice"
The donkeyman climbed heavily back
down the ladder and went with weary
steps aft along the bridge deck toward his
own place. But at the break of the deck
he paused, spread his grimy, shiny elbows
on the rail and INDUCED in q thin, small
whistle.
Now, here we have come, as the skip I
per remarked, up an unbeknown drain to
which mans improvements have not been !
Introduced, an there's callers turnin up
already. That was the nose of a GAIT
taupsl squintin between those tree tops
Town stream minute ago, or I'm Dago.
Dye know, Mr.. Sullivan, chief of the
Port Edes, I'm beginnin to think ye'd
rave got better value II ye'd gone cruisin
III by an large wild the other boys In the
ifeboats. Thrue, there's the go Ell notes
o dhraw, an daisy Of spree to have
I yez can get anywhere to have it, but
eve worked that wage out already, an
rather seems as though there's more la
seriousness to follow" He yawned cav
"'Tisnt often I'd say no to
1t OF scrimmage, but theatricals are
OF to my taste just now at ALL Too
,uch overtime ruins the sense of humor."
lie yawned again and blinked his eyes
rearily. "Ye must turn in now, Mr.. .
ullivan, or YEN fall down here an be
to alive by the skeeters an other wild
casts Of the forrust, and II the explorers
ho are underneath that white gafftaups'l
ant to come aboard here an make trou- !.
lie, SO far as you're concerned, they'll be
t."
And with that the donkeyman staggered
way to his room beneath the poop, sat
yer the edge Of his bunk and was snoring .
elodiously before his head and his heels
ere on the blanket.
Meanwhile mile lower down a small
nterboard sloop was turning to wind ?
ard up the river, but making little head :.
ny against the current. A negro stood -
her foresruttle, with his elbows on the
ok. Two others sprawled on either side 2,
him. A white man lay spread eaglsd :,
the top OF the coach roof of the cabin, y
d another stood In the cockpit steering. =,
OF all the quintet the man at tho till 81
was the only one who showed signs of
ergy, and his energy had sulphurous an -
: mixed with 1t. He was a bowed =.
imbling creature, with one eye red and ~
other missing, with long, hairy, ape :"
g arms, with dumb impeachment Of ~
'ech which threw him into paroxysms of =. "
nper every second time he opened his AZ
S. Once or twice when his malady
OK him voiceless in the middle of a
tence the other white man laughed, -
q then when his tongue served him
hin he would break off from the text
4 rap out stream of poisonous ours 4
IS.
At last he climaxed these by the only
operation which no American can listen
ANNOYED, and the man on the coach
+ dropped his Incidence like fash and
) on him before he could resist. The
ressor was lusty, and he shook the
'rsman as big dog shakes rat, with
derous wrenches, and because the sloop
ried strong weather helm when the
n was let go she ran up into the wind
her canvas Stating wildly.
You snake mouthed little skunk, you'd
that to me, would you? I thought
ned you once how far you might 90.
I've had one eye gouged for this game
n month back, and if you fling your
'ted suffering tongue at me any more,
'um, pocket the other.'
be blacHs on the foredeck chuckled
spluttered, but the big man hove an
bucket at them, with the curt com.
ID, Quit that yehawinl' which they
with a yell and sudden yelling of
J. Then with an indolent spra wiling
rms and legs he gained his basking
again on the top Of the cabin roof.
once more the steersman got the sloop
Il command.
lie next three boards were made in 81.
; save for the creaking of the gear -
] she went about, and then the ono