Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-06-15

Right you are. Let's finish floating
the swindle."
Mr.. Cambel," exclaimed the other
passionately, win you never learn to
moderate your language? There are
hundred clerks within a hundred feet
OF you through that door, and some
times even walls can listen and repeat.
Besides | object altogether to your
phraseology. We engage in no such
things as swindles in the city. Our
operations are all commercial enter
prise"
Very well" said Cambel, Struggling
his shoulders, don't let's squabble
over it. You call your spade what you
like, only l reserve a right to slap on a
palmer brand. We're built differently,
Mr.. Shelf l prefer to be honest in my
dishonesty. And now, as I've said, let's
get TO business, You say the charter
OF this steamer Of yours, the Port Edes.
has expired and she's back on your
hands. She's 1900 tons, built under
Lloyd's survey and Classed 100 Al
She's well engiaed and has just been
drYdockcd. She'il insure for every six
pence oi her value without comment
and there's nothing more natural than
TO send out your specie in such
sound bottom Remains to pick a suit
able complement"
I've got master waiting here now
by appointment His names Kettle. l
have him TO a certain extent under my
thumb, and l fancy he'll prove a reli-
able man. He was once in our firms
employment
owen Kettle, by any chauce?"
Mr.. Shelf referred 10 a paper on his
writing table.
Captain owen Kettle-yes He was
the man who lost the Doge of Venice,
and since then he's never had another
ship
Poor wretch-yes 1 know. That
Doge Of Venice case was an awful
scandal Owners filled up the board of
trade surveyor TO the teeth with
champagne, or she'd never have been
passed TO sea. As II was, she'd such
an unholy reputation that two crews
ran from her before they could get her
manned. She was as rotten as rust
and tumblcd rivets could make her, and
she was sent 20 sea as a coffin ship
10 earn her dividends out of Lloyds
Kettle had been out Of a job for some
time lie was a desperate man, with
family depending on him, and he went
as skipper fully conscious of what was
expected OF him. He did il like a man.
He let the Doge Of Venice founder i'm
North sea gale, and by a marvellous
chance managed 70 save his ships COM
pany At the inquiry, Of course, he
was made scrapegoat, and he didn't
contrive 10 save his ticket They sus-
pended his masters certificate for a
year on the strength of that he ap-
piled for maintenance, putting IL on the
reasonable claims Of service rendered
owners, being upright merchants and
sensible men, naturally repudiated all
knowledge or liability; said he was
bjGckmGilIng sCOundrel as well as an
uuskillful seaman and threatened him
with an gCtiOn for libel. Kettle. not
having a solitary proof to show, did
the only thing left for him to do. and
that was eat dirt or subside. But the
incident and the subsequent starvation
haven't tended 10 sWeeten his temper
Latterly he's been serving as mate on
Pacific ship, and he was just a holy
terror with his men. He simply kept
alive by carrying his fist on revolver
butt. There wasn't man who's ser.
we'd with Red Kettle three weeks that
wouldn't have cheerfully swung for the
enjoyment of numbering him"
You appear 70 know good deal
about this man.
when IL suits my purpose" returned
Cambel dryly Il mostly coutrive 10
know something about anybody. How
ever, it's no use discussing the poor
beggar any longer What's amiss with
having him in here%
Shelf touched one of the electric
buttons which studded the edge OF his
table and a clerk appeared who went
away again and shortly returned. With
him was a sEgiveled up little man of
about 40, with q red head and a peaked
red beard, who made a stiff nervous
salaam TO Mr.. Theodore Shelf and then
turned to stare al Cambel with puck
cred amaZcmeut
Cambel nodded and laughed Been
carrying any more pilgrims from Port
Said to the Morocco coast on iron
deckS2' he said
Il never did that snapped Captain
Kettle.
All ones memory fails at times.
dare say also you forget a water famine
when the condenser broke down. and
a trifling affray with knuCkle busters
ana other toys, and a dash OF cholera,
and nine dead bodies Of Hadjis which
went overheard? Perhaps, too, you
don't remember Judging clean bill Of
health and back-sheeshing certain
officials OF his Shereefian majesty?"
no" said Captain Kettle sourly. Il
don't remember"
I'm going to forget 1t also if youll
prove yourself a sensible man and deal
amicably with Mr.. Shelf and myself
I'm also going TO forget that when you
were shipping rice for Calcutta in 1882
you rented mats you called your own TO
the consignor and made a tidy penny
out of that, and | shall similarly let
of $500 which you made out of a
stevedore in New Orleans before you
let him touch your ship in the fall OF
1887"
You can't make anything out of
those" said Kettle. They're the ordi-
nary customs Of the trade"
ship masters perquisites for which
owners pay Exactly. | know shippers
consider these trifes to be their lawful
right but a court of law might be
ignorant enough to set them down as
robbery"
Il should like to know where've you
got all these things from" Captain
Kettle demanded, facing Cambel with
his lean, scraggy neck thrust forth
nearly a foot from its stepping. Il
should like to know too, how you're
here? ia a fancy you We're dead"
"Other people have labored under
that impression. But I've an awk-
ward knack of keeping alive. You've
the same The faculty may prove use
ful to us both in the course of the next
month IL you're not ass enough to re-
fuse 50O,'
''Ho! That's the game we've got
about, is 1t? What old wind jammer
do you want me to lose now?"
Sir Numbered Shelf, lifting his
voice for the first time. This is pretty
language. / would have you remember
that but short time ago you were in
my employ"
"And a fat lot Of good it did me-" re-
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