The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-24


followed this was genuine enough.
Sir Lemuel is coming out" said
Captain Lushton. "PitY the Ironclad
wouldn't so away every week.
In the natural order of things Sir
Lemuel had to respond to the toast OF
THE Queen" Now the secretary hao
very carefully and deliberately prepar.
ed the Chief Commissioners speech
for this occasion Sir Lemuel had
conscientiously "mugged" it up, an6
if he had not at that moment been a
prisoner on board the Newcastle Maid
would have delivered it with a POM
pous sincerity which would have add
ed to his laurelS as a deep thinker and
brilliant speaker. But the captain Of
a tramp steamer, with a mixed cargo
of sherry, hook and dry monopole in
his stomach, is not exactly the proper
person to deliver a statistical semi,
official after-dinner speech.
When the captain rose to his fee,
the secretary whispered in his ear
For heavens sake, don't say any
thing about the Judicial's wife. Talk
about dacoits'; but the speech, SO
beautifully written, so lucid in its
meaning and SO complicated in it's de-
tail, became a waving sea of foam
From out the billowy waste of this
indefinite mass there doomed only the
tall figure of the cadaverous j. c.; and
attached to it, as a tangible some
thing, the fact that he had lost his
wife and settled the dacoits.
1t was glorious, this getting up be-
| fore two strings of more or less bald.
headed officials to tell them how the
state ought to be run--the ship steer
ed, as it were. Gentlemen he be-
gan, starting off bravely enough eve
are pleased to have among us once
more our fellow skipper, the Judicial,
Commissioner"
''The old ducks got rare streak
Of humor on tonight whispered
Lushton.
His jovial face adds to the har
mony of the occasion. / will not al
Jude to his late loss, as we all know
how deeply he feels it,"
"Gad! but he's rubbing it in," said
Lushton.
Il repeat, we are glad to have him
among us once again. My secretary
assures me that there's not Il single
dacoit left alive in the province.
There's nothing like putting these re-
bellious chaps down. l had mutt
ny myself one, on board the kanga-
roo / shot the ringleaders, and
made every mothers son of the rest
of them walk the plank. SO I'm
proud of the good work the Judicial
mas uOlle III lulS respect.
Now, it had been a source of irri-
tatng regret to every Deputy Com
missioner in the service that when he
had caught a dacoit red-handed con-
victed and sentenced him to be hang
ed and sent the ruling up to the Jul
dicial for confirmation. he had been
promptly sat-on officially, and the
prisoner either pardoned or let off
with a light sentence. Consequently
these little pleasantries of the captain
were looked upon as satire.
The secretary sighed as he showed
| in his pocket the written speech,
which the captain had allowed TO slip
to the floor. It'll do for another
time, / suppose" he said YEARLY:
when he gets over this internal touch
| Of sun or Burmah head"
The other speeches did not appeal
/ to Captain Larry much, nor for the
matter of that to the others either.
lie had certainly made the hit of the
evening.
Its great, this" he said bucolical
| ly to the secretary, as they drove
home.
What, sir?"
''Why, making speeches and driv-
ing home in your own carriage.
| hate going aboard ship in q jiggledy
sampan at night. I'll have a string
lof wharves put all along the front
there, so that ships won't have to
| load at their mornings. Just put me
| in mind of that tomorrow
Next day there WAS considerable
diversion on the Newcastle Maid. "The
old mans got the ID. rs" the chief
engineer told the first officer j
locked him in his cabin last night
iwhen they brought him off, and he's
been banging things around there in
IL l,Ofc l,a alnr Nf
Burmah and Sir Gimmel Somebody. ]
| won't let him out till he gets all right
again, for he'd go up to the agents
with this cock-and-bull story. They'd
cable home to the owners and he'd
be taken out of the ship sure"
That's why Sir Lemuel tarried for
a day on the Newcastle Maid. No
body would go near him but the chs.
engineer, who handed him meat and
drink through portfolio and laugh
ed soothingfy at his fancy tales
After chota hazri next morning, the
secretary brought to Captain Larry &
large basket of official papers for his
perusal and signature. That was SiI
Lemuels time for work. His mott.
was business first and afterward more
business. Each paper was careful
~ contained in a cardboard holder Sc
cured by red tape.
THE log, eh, mate Sald Larry
when the secretary brought them into
his room. 1T looks ship-shape, too.
'"rhis file, sir, is the case of Deputy
Commissioner Grant, first grade, OF
Bungaloo. He has memorialiZed the
Government that Coatsworth, second
grade, has been appointed over ms
head to the commissionershlp oS
Bhang. He's senior to CoatsWorth.
you know, sir in the service.
'Well, why has Coatsworth been
made first mate them"
+ Grants afraid it's because he OF
Tended you, sir, when you went to
Rungaloo. He received you in
jahran coat, you remember, and you
were awfully angry about it,
"Oh, | was, was I?' Just shows
what an ass Sir Lemuel can be some4
times. Make Grant commissioners
at once and I'll sign the papers,
"But there's no ommissionership
open, sir, unless you set back Coats
worth"
"Well, I'll set him back. I'll dis
charge him from the service. What
else have you got there? What's that
bundle on the deck"
They're native petitions, sir
Larry took up one. 1t began with
an Oriental profuson ( of gracious
tlDe, bow ~xl ,.1aln fiF