Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-10-11
BarnacleS
Who Mutinied For
Good Cause
BY sEwELL FORD
Copyright. 1905. by Charles Serb
ner's Sons
BY sEwELL FORD


S5 Barnacles the most surprising
sksg3 period of more or less use
full career which had been filed witt
unusual equine activities. For Barna
cles was horse, white horse of IN
guessed breed and uncertain age.
Most likely it was not, but 1t may
have been, Barnacles' first intimate
connection with an AFFAIR of the heart
Said affair was between Captain Bias
tabol Bean, owner and occupant OF
Sculpin Point, and Mrs. Stashia Buck.
EFT, the unlamenting relict Of the late
Hosea Bucket.
Mrs. Bucket it was who induced
Captain Bastabol Bean to purchase q
horse. Captain Bean, you will under
stand, had just won the affections OF
the plump Mrs. Bucket. Also he had,
with a sailors ignorance of feminine
ways, presumed to settle offhand the
details Of the coming nuptials.
sI'll sail over in the dory Monday
afternoon" said he, land take you
back to Sculpin Point. You can have
your dunnage sent over later by team.
In the evenin' wei have shore chap
lain come round an make the splice"
captain Beam" replied the rotund
Stashia, 1--WE won't do any of them
things, not one"
"Wha-a-atl'' gasped the captain.
'Have you ever been married, Cap'n
Bean2''
"N-n-no, my dear"
4Well, 1 have, and guess I know
how it ought to be done. You'll have
the minister come here, and here you'll
come to marry me- You went come
in no dory either Catch me putin my
230 pounds into little boat like that.
You'll drive over here with horse,
like a respectable person, and you'll
drive back with me, by land and past
Sarepta fuckers house SOS she can
see."
Now, for more than thirty years Bas-
tabol Bean, as master of coasting
schOoners up and down the Atlantic
seaboard, had given orders. He had
taken none, except the formal diRec-
lions of owners. He did not propose
to begin taking them now, not even
from such an altogether charming per-
son as Stashia Bucket This much he
said. Then he added:
"Stashia, 1 give in about coming here
to marry you; that seems no more than
fair. But I'll come in dory and you'll
go back in dery."
"Then you needn't come at all, Cap'n
Bastabol Beam
Argue and plead as he might, this
was her ultimatum.
"But, Stashia, | amt got a horse,
never owned one an never handled
one, and you know 1t" urged the cap
tain.
'HThen it's high time you had horse
and knew how to drive him. Besides,
If go to Sculpin Point shall want to
come to the village once in awhile. /
shan't sail and / shan't walk. If I
can't ride like lady don't go to the
Point
The inevitable happened. Captain
Bean promised to buy horse next
day; hence his visit to Jed Holden and
his introduction to Barnacles, as the
captain Immediately named him.
As one who inspects an unfamiliar
object Captain Bean looked dazedly at
Barnacles. At the same time Barna-
cles inspected the captain. With head
lowered to knee level, with ears cooked
forward, nostrils shifting and under
Lip twitching almost as if he meant to
laugh, Barnacles eyed his prospective
owner. In common with most intelli-
gent horses, he had an almost human
way of expressing curiosity.
Captain Bean squirmed under the
gaze of Barnacles' big, calm eyes for
a moment and then shifted his position.
"What in time does he want anyway,
JedY' demanded the captain.
wants to git acquainted; that's all,
cap'n. Mighty KNOWN boss, he Is.
Now. some bosses don't take notice of
anything. They're jest naturally dumb.
Then ag'in you'll find bosses that seem
to know every blamed word you say
Them's the kind of bosses that's with
havin'."
"S'pose he knows all the ropes, JedT'
81 should say he did, cap'n. If there's
anything that boss amt done in his
day don't know what It's. Near's ]
can find out, he's tried every kind Of
work, in or out Of traces, that you
could think Of"
"shop' The captain was now look
ing at the old white horse In an inter
esting manner.
eyes, sir, that's a remarkable boss
continued the now enthusiastic Mr..
Holden. Hes been in the cavalry
service, for he knows the bugle calls
like book. He's Travelled with cir
Gus. Amt no more afraid of elephants
than / be. He's run on fire engine.
Know that cause he wants to chase
old Reliance every time she turns out.
He's been a street car boss too. You
Jest ring a door gong behind him twice
an see how quick he'll dig in his toes.
The Teller / got him off'n said he knew