Milford chronicle., 1905-01-13

BeOn breast
''Y' ever been down that wayY in
quired the little man next.
! Wilbur heard the words distinctly
enough. but somehow they refused to
fit into the right places in his brain.
He pulled himself together. frowning
heavily
"What-did-yOu-say?" he asked
with great deliberatiOn. biting of his
words Then he noticed that he and
his companion were no longer in the
barroom. but in a little room back Of
It. His personality divided itself. There
was one Ross Wilbur, who could not
make his hands go where he wanted
them, who said one word when he
thought another and whose legs below
the knee were made of solid lead;
then there was another Ross Wilbur
Ross Wilbur the alert, who was per-
fectly clear headed and who stood off
to one side and watched his twin broth
er making a monkey Of himself, with
out power and without even the desire
Of helping him.
This latter Wilbur heard the rides
cent sweater say:
'Bust me. if y amt squiffy, old man.
Stand by a bit, an Wen have BALL"
"Can't have got-return-exeeptional-
ly-and the round table-pull out hairs
wi tu clamsh'ls." gabbled Wilbur's
stupefied double, and Wilbur the alert
said to himself: You're not drunk,
Ross Wilbur; that's certain. What
could they have put in your cocktail?"
The irldescent sweater stamped twice
upon the floor, and a trapdOor fell
away beneath .Wilburs feet like the
drop of a gallOws. With the eyes Of
his undrugged self Wilbur had
glimpse of water below. His elbow
struck the floor as he went down, and
he fell feet first into a whitehall boat.
He had time to observe two men at the
oars and to look between the piles that
supported the house above him and
catch a glimpse Of the bay and a CLINT
of the Contra Costa shore. He was
not in the least surprised at what had
happened and made up his mind that
it would be good idea to lie down in
the boat and go to sleep.
Suddenly, but how long after his ad-
vent into the boat he could not tell, his
wits began to return and settle them
selves like wild birds focking again
after a scare. Swiftly he took in the
scene.
The blue waters of the bay around
him, the deck of a schooner Or (which
he stood, the whitehall boat alongside
and an enormous man with a face like
a setting moon wrangling with his
friend in the sweater, no longer rides
cent.
"What do you call it," shouted the
red man. Il want able seamen. / don't
fgger on working this boat with dane
ing masters, do L? We amt exactly do
ing quadrilles on my quarter deck. If
we don't look out Wen step on this
thing and break it. 1t amt ought to be
let around loose without its ma"
Rot thatp' vociferated the brown
sweater. Il tell you he's one of the
best sailor men on the front. If he
amt, wen forfeit the money. Come
on, Captain Kitchell; we made show
enough gettin away as it was, and
this daytime business amt our line
D'you sign or not? Here's the advance
note. got to duck my nut or I'll have
the patrol boat after me-"
"I'll sign this once" growled the 9th
er, scrawling his name on the note,
''but if this swab amt up to sample
he'll come back by freight, an I'll drop
in on me dear friend Jim when we
come back and give him a reel nice
time, an you can lay to that, Billy
Trim" The brown sweater pocketed
the note, went over the side and row
ed off.
Wilbur stood in the waist of
schooner anchored in the stream wei
off Fisherman's wharf. In the for
ward part Of the schooner n Chinaman
in brown duck was mixing paint VIII
bur was conscious that he still wore
bis high hat and long coat. but his
stick was gone and one gray glove was
slit to the button. In front Of him
lowered the enormous red faced man
A pungent reek of some kind of rancit
lat or oil assailed his nOstrils. OveI
)y Alcatraz a ferryboat whistled for
is slip as it elbowed its way through
he water.
Wilbur had himself fairly in hand
ly now. His wits were all about him,
,ut the situation was beyond lin as
yet.
"Git ford" commanded the big man
Wilbur drew himself up, angry in
IN instant Look here" he began,
what's the meaning Of this businessi
know I've been drugged and mishan-
He'd. I demand to be put ashore. Dc
-ou understand thatY
'Angel child" whimpered the big
nan. "Oh, you lilee of the vallee, you
right an mornln' start Pm reely
aimed, y know, that your vally can
ONE along, but we'll have your piano
ct up in the lazarette. 1t gives m
,enuine grief, it do, to see you beiI
bliged to put your lilee white feet
bis here vulgar ar diTtee-deck. We
ave the Wilton carpet down by tU-
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