Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-31
CHAPTER XIII.-(Continued).


And the opportunity came the very
next morning, for Mrs. Snow wanted
some clans for dinner and asked him
to dig some for her The best clans
in the vicinity were those in the fat
across the bay near the cable station,
and the captain took his bucket and
hoe and rowed over there. AS he was
digging Ralph came strolling down to
the shore.
Mr.. Hazeltine's Good morning" was
clear and hearty. Captain Jerry's was
hesitating and formal. The talk that
followed was rather one sided Final
~ the captain laid down his hoe and
came splashing over to where his
friend was standing
''Mr. Hazeltine," he said confused
ly, 81 kind Of feel as If 1 ought to beg
your pardon. I'm awful sorry I done
what did; but, as I said to Elsie, I
meant well, and I'm sorry"
Sorry? Sorry for what?"
"Why, for leavin' you and her alone
SO when you come to the house. You
see, I never thought but what you'd
both like it, and 'twa'n't till she raked
me over the Goals so for dom 1t that
realized how things was"
"Raked you over the Goals? I'm
afraid don't understand"
1t is unnecessary to repeat the whole
of the long and tangled conversation
that ensued. The captain tried to ex-
plain, tumbled down. metaphorically
speaking, got up again and started of
on another tack In his anxiety to
make his position perfectly clear he
quoted from Elsie's remarks of the
previous evening and then, thinking
perhaps he had gone too far, tried to
smooth these over by more explana-
tons. Repeating this process several
times got him into such a snarl that
he scarcely knew what he was saying
When the agony was over Ralph had
received the impression that Miss Pres
ton had said his visits were perfect
torture to her, that she objected to be-
Ing left alone with him, that she held
Captain Jerry responsible for these
things and that the latter was sorry
for something or other, though what it
was he (Ralph didn't know or care
particularly. To the captains con-
tfnued apologies he muttered absently
that it was call right and walked
slowly away with his hands in his
pockets. Captain Jerry was relieved
by this expression of forgiveness. He
felt that the situation wasn't what he
would like to have it; but, at any rate
he had done his duty. This was a
great, consolation.
Ralph didn't call that evening or the
next When he did drop in it was
merely to inquire concerning John Bax-
ter's progress and to chat for a mo-
ment with the captains. His next visit
was week later and was just as brief
and formal
If Elsie noticed this sudden change
she said nothing. There might have
been some comment by the others had
not new sensation SO occupied their
minds as to shut out everything else
This sensation was caused by Josiah
Bartlett, who ran away one night with
his belongings tied up in brown pa
per parcel, leaving note saying that
he had gone to enlist in the navy and
wasn't coming back any more.
There were lively times the next
morning when the note was found
Captain Perez was for Harvesting up
Immediately and starting off to find
the lost one, hit or miss. Captain Fri
soon showed him the folly of this pro-
ceeding and instead hurried to the rail
way station and sent a telegram de-
scribing the fugitive to the conductor
of the Boston train. 1t caught the
conductor at Sandwich, and the local
constable at Buzzards Bay caught the
boy. Josiah was luxuriously pulling a
1t was crestfallen and Inundated
prodigal that, accompanied by the
aforementioned constable, returned to
Orham that night
But the stubbornness remained, and
the next day Perez sought Captain Fri
In troubled frame Of mind
ERR" he said dejectedly, 81 don't
know what I'm goin to do with that
boy. He's too many for me, that boy
is. Seems he's been plannin' this run
MIN away business for moren month ;
been dom errands and odd jobs round
town and savin' up his money on pur-
pose. Says he won't go back to school
again no matter what we do to him
and that he's goina to git into the navy
IL it takes ten years
''Humph" exclaimed his friend
"Stuffy as all that, is he? You don't
say! He amt q bad boy-that is, a
reel bad boy, ether
mo. that's jest it. He amt reel bad
-yt. But he.wil be If he amt fetch
ed up pretty sudden. Course l know
what he needs is to be made to mind
fust and then preached to afterwards.
And l know that naturally I'm the one
that ought to do it, but I jest can't
t.ere! If l should start out to give
him the dressin' down he needs I'd
No -, e. I,