The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-08-31
WHO STOLE THE CAPTAINS Ham?
A Mystery of the Briny Deep Which is
Still Unsolved.

BY r. II. GOSSE.


/ small body, and he was out of place
in q manoeuvre of this kind; K was
obviously a situation where two are
company and three crowd" The best
he could expect was to be regarded as
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 soli-
tary peggy happened to be he was out
numbered by the enemy and helpless.
In addition to a superior force the
strokers and sailors we're either gifted
with 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
ly 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
and the representatives of the fore
castle in the breadroom. He was con-
scious of scrt of electrical excite
ment in the air without seeing any
thing at first glance to warrant IT. He
had just filled 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 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 stollers' peGgies placed their hands
"a their stonacbs ana struck attitudes
Symbollzing appreciation. The poor
trimmer, overcome with emotion, fair
ly drooled at the sight.
Ignoring him, the stokers agreed TO
run quickly around in contrary direc-
lions, 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 pot and the despised trimmer
was going below, very rapidly, with
a soup can in one hand and 90 pounds
OF ham in the ether.
He had just about gotten down the
companionway, by wonderful luck, un-
observed, when the two sailors peg
gies came cautiously out of the bread
room. GIVE us 'alf, would they! va.
The mischief they would" said cne;
grab the pot and cut" With the lid
suil on they took pot and all and sped
for the forecastle.
A moment later stokers' peggy No. 1
got back, and missed the pot. Just
then stokers' peggy No. appeared
"Ye think ye're cute stealin the am
while I'm running like mad around the
ship, don't ye?"
Dent try to get out of it that way,
w'ere's the amp"
you stole it?"
"Ditto!"
In sparrlng for an opening they
turned and saw the chief steward
standing at the door listening to their
dialogue.
Half an hour later, two stokers sit
tig in irons under the main hatch
heard a cry on deck: AYE! me am,
me am; catch inn" There was a
commotion overhead Where two lad
been sitting in irons there were pres
entity three, A sailor. with faraway,
sorrowful look on his face, had been
caught sneaking up the forecastle COM
| panionway with an empty pot. He was
captured in the act of throwing it over
beard.
TOO many clues to this mystery"
said the first officer. First the stokers
stole it, now 1t seems the sailors stole
it; next Wen get evidence against the
| trimmers" But he never did.-New
York Evening Post.