Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13

7 COdSt,
lently for the firm, and-well-retat c'est
| moi. 1 know you condemn me for being
! abominably commercial, but what nearer
way do you think there can an, be to my
| heart than through my pocket?"
| Your heart"' Laura repeated. and
| stared large-eyed at the yellow river that
| swirled past the steamers rusty TANKS.
| An alligator, that looked very much like a
half-submerged log, drifted down with the
| tide and a bird that rode upon him dug
| vigorously between the rows of his plates
/ they passed away down the stream and
| were lost in the glare of the sunshine Il
wonder" she said in a half whisper. IF
your heart wants something which ii Will
| break my heart for you to get?''
Miss Kate o'Nein got up and gave
very healthy laugh. Don't mutter.' she
| said, land don't be ridiculous To begin
with. I'm not of the marrying sort; to go
| on with, your taste (as typified in Mr..
| Carter) and mine don't agree one little
| bit; and to wind up with, Laura dear,
| don't let's pose like n pair of school girls.
don't know whether there's a slight nat
ural antipathy between two red-haired
| people"
| Your hairs not red in the least Kate.
| It's very dark auburn
Il should call 1t warmish. Anyhow. Mr..
| Carriers is red enough. And as you will
| out to you that he's been hardly civil il,
the way he's avoided me. 1 haven't got
| smallpox"
! You're his employer When you call
/ him I'm he's glad enough to talk to
| you about what yon want. But you must
see his position; he wouldn't like to risk
snub by coming up when you might not
happen to want him.
| II The idea that all communications
should be conducted in a cold business foot
! ing. Am 1 to understand that Mr.. Carter
wished you to convey that view to me,
| Laura ~
You know quite well he didn't. Kate.
| we used to be friends. l wish you'd an
| swer me honestly what l asked you just
now"
Don't be tragic and ridiculous. You're
| half sick with the heat. and l really believe
you want to quarrel with me by way of
| safety valve Well my dear, l shant quar-
| rel with you. that's all. l hate quarreling.
| I've been lodging the excellent Captain
| Image all the day. as 1 know he wants to
ease off his temper on me just because his
silly old steamer has stuck her nose on the
| bank and got left by the tide. BY the way,
| I candidly believe the accident happened
| just because he was amusing himself just at
| that precise moment with having turn-up
| with-oh. well, We're getting onto touchy
ground again. And-here is Mr.. Carter.
You seem in a hurry.
| Carter came up the ladder to the bridge
| deck in two strides, and 1t was noteworthy
1 that he addressed his first remark to his
| employer, and not to his fiancee. do you
| mind going below?- There are half dozen
| big Okky war canoes round that point ahead
there. I've been forrad there, and could
see them quite plainly through the man
grove roots
| Have you told the captain?"
| mo. I'll tell him next. But will you go
| below, into one of these deck houses?
| They are probably covering us this minute,
| and it's pot-leg they fire, not bullets. Pot
| leg spreads and can make CHASTITY wounds
II don't like running away.
IF you could do any good staying out in
the open l wouldn't ask you to move.
Laura, will you persuade Miss ONeill to
go into cover, as she won't take any notice
of me?''
.'Thank you," said Kate sharply, but
Laura need not interfere. l am accustomed
to making up my own mind, Mr.. Carter,
without help from any one am much
obliged to you for your care, and as l can't
be of any use at present, and as l have no
insane wish to be shot, 1 shall certainly go
into shelter"
Very good" said Carter; then I'll go
and carry the news to old Image It's a
lucky thing L brought along that Winches-
ter of SHADES. We shall keep them off all
right
1t turned out that Capt. Image already
had tidings of the war canoes, and was red
with wrath at the idea of any qualified
black savages having the unmentionable
impudence to make something naval dem
onstration against a sacred Liverpool oil
tank. His language was quite unprintable,
but his disposition of the steamers forces
was remarkably sound. Tackles squeaked
as a Krooboy gang hoiSted the ladder which
hung alongside. The boatswain loaded the
two brass signal guns on the bridge deck
with their usual noisy charge of blank. and
cut nails down the muzzle of each on the
top of the powder bags The carpenter re-
placed the gangways which are always I'M
shipped when steamers are in the rivers
working cargo. And the winches chartered
they each hove up ponderous palm oil
puncheon to the top of a derrick which was
then swung cupboard SO that the puncheon
could be let 60 by the rum and smash any
canoe made of hands that happened to be
underneath.
When these pious duties had been fulfilled.
the crew lined out along each of the lower
deck rails armed with spanners, firebars,
handspikes. and in fact any other weapon
which modern steamer could provide,
which in lusty hands might be called upon
to break human head.
On the upper bridge Capt. Image oversaw
the only two mates who were not down with
fever as they directed and assisted these
operations and when all was ready he laid
his own hands on the siren string and let
loose a .hoarse throaty blast of defiance
across the creeks and the steamy forest.
There, Carter, me lad said he, that's
to show the blighters we're here and wait
ing. I'm glad you've brought that Win
chester. It's the only gun in the ship since
Oweit slade borrowed my Holland and for
got to bring 1t back. They tell me you're
a mailing fine shot, too"
Couldn't hit haystack with anything
except a scatter gum.
WELL" said Image dryly. "as 1 saw some
Of your patients spread about in the clear
ing outside Smooth River factory. l shall
believe just much of that as l choose.
1t S not my AFFAIR to mention IL, OF course,
but l do know that Miss Kate was very
considerably struck by the way you kept
those niggers off, and if you hadn't been
engaged to SHADES girl"
(Which / am, captain. So, therefore, IT.
no use going into useless possibilities By
the way, isn't that stern wire slacken-
ing?"
by crumbs, me lad, you've got quick
eve The tides coming up underneath her
and she's slipping Off Here, you, Mr.. Third
Mate, ring those engines to full astern, and
try and keep it in your head that you'd be
in your room now if l weren't short of
officers.
With the lift Of the yellow tide beneath
her the M'poso drew out from her muddy
dock as a sword is pulled from its sheath,
hung for a dozen minutes in mid-stream
whilst the stern-warp and its anchor were
got aboard, and then, gathering her boat
and it's crew up to davits, turned stub
bornly up the river.
'I'll show these Okky blighters what
trouble is" declared Capt. Image, IF they
try and stop me. I've had their old king
in my chart house here with Swizzle-Stick
Smith and the other traders a score of
times and If he didn't drink the ship dry |
it was only because / wouldn't let him. |
And now in return for that hospitality he
~ info W. / only |