The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-09-16
WHO STOLE THE CAPTAINS HAM?
Mystery Of the Briny Deep Which is
Still UnsOlved.
BY e. ii. GO5SE.
JA

firemens peggies in the breadroom, for
| instance, would set up a cry that they
| could not find the bareback, and while
the cook came to unearth it, the sail
ors' peggies in the opposite room
would stuff their waists and caps with
boiled carrots, spinach, slices of steak,
and other delicacies of the officers
mess. Vice-versa, the sailors peggies
might engage the cooks attention
while stCkers' peggy absconded with
a pudding. The trimmers also, had
their peggy, only one; as they were a
small body, and he was out of place
in a manoeuvre of this kind; it was
obviously situation where two are
company and three crowd" The best
he could expect was to be regarded as
o neutral spectator and not pounded
by the robbers for being in the way
nor blamed, on the other hand, fail
ing to prove an alibi for other peoples
thefts.
The trimmers took their hardship
very much to heart, but there was no
apparent remedy. Wherever their soil
tary peggy happened to be he was out
numbered by the enemy and helpless.
In addition to superior force the
strokers and sailors were either gifted
with a sort Of second sight, or had
some mysterious channel Of informa-
ton with the galley, possibly through
terrorized mess boy, that enabled
them to prognosticate pretty accurate
" what was being cooked there on any
particular day and where it could be
found. The trimmers had no private
wire; the only hints they ever re-
ceived they gathered, second hand,
from the gossip of the fireroom.
One noontime, when the trimmers
peggy reached the galley he found the
stokers' peggies there ahead of him
aud the representatives of the fore
castle in the breadroom He was con-
Scious OF a sort of electrical excite
ment in the air without seeing any,
thing at first glance to warrant it. He
had just filed his soup bucket and
was waiting for his pan of meat when
the cook went off to get his pipe.
The stokers' peggies stood for an in
slant looking at the cooks retreating
figure with the rapt gaze of devotees
at the psychic moment of a miracle.
They recovered presence of mind and
tilted Off the lid of pot on the galley
range. Within, just rising and falling
with the ebullitions of the water, was
a luciOus, fragrant, Yorkshire ham.
The stokers' peggies placed their hands
On their stomachs and struck attitudes
symbolizing appreciation. The poor
overcome with emotion, fair
ly drooled at the sight.
Ignoring him, the stokers agreed to
run quickly around, in contrary direc-
tons, to the starboard alley to make
sure no officers were in sight between
the galley and the stokehole fiddler
They departed on the double-quick. In
about three seconds the lid was back
on the pct and the despised trimmer
was going below, very rapidly, with
a soup can in one hand and 20 pounds
OF ham in the ether.
He had just about gotten down the
by wonderful luck, I'M
observed, when the two sailors peg
gieS came cautiously out of the bread
room. Give us 'alf, would they. Ya
The mischief they would" said one;
grab the pot and cut" With the lid
stlll on they took pot and all and sped
for the forecastle.
A moment later stokers' peggy No. l
got back, and missed the pot. Just
then stokers' peggy No. appeared.
"Ye think ye're cute stealth the am
while I'm running like mad around the |
skip, don't ye?'
Dent try to get out of it that way,
ere's the ann"
you stole it?"
"Ditto!"
In sparring for an opening they |
,urned and saw the chief steward |
standing at the door listening to their |
dialogue.
Half an hour later, two stokers sit
Jig in irons under the main hatch |
heard a cry on deck: AYE me am,
ne am: catch inn" There was q /