The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-06-12

Copyright. 1905. by A. 5. Barnes q Co.


t>Q l4C ldSl uiOR vi LuC QCPPCI tea
provided by Miss Tempy he was in
mood where nothing short of gallon
would have daunted him-and hasten
ed upstairs to put on dry clothes. When
he came down he went through the
motions of eating breakfast and an
swered as best he could the hundred
and one questions regarding the float
ing of the Freedom that the old maids
and Clara asked. He had been up prac-
tically all night, but was too excited to
think Of sleep, and. remembering how
unceremoniously he had deserted Cap
| tain Titcomb, decided to go down to
the postoffice and telephone to the
Point
| The storm was in full blast by this
time. The wind screamed through the
| treetops, and the thick ropes of rain
shot downward with savage force. AS
he entered the postoffice the postmas
ter called to him through the little win
dow in the center of the frame of mail
| boxes.
Hi, Brady' he hailed. rs that you?
| jest sent boy uptown after you.
Cap'n Ez has been keepin' the tele-
phone hot for the last hat hour. He
wants to talk to you the worst way
Bradley was alarmed. Had anything
happened to the Freedom? He entered
| the telephone closet, stood his drench-
ed umbrella in corner and gave the
four rings which made up the Setuckit
Point call
The wire buzzed and hummed like
/ an overturned beehive. The receiver
at his ear walled and screeched like
a banshee. At length faint "Hellov'
! answered his call.
"Hellor' he shouted. '"That you. Cap'n
Knowles? Yes. this is Brad Nickerson
l want to talk with Cap'n Ez. Can you
get him for me?"
The life saver laughed. There were
more buzzing and humming. Then Cap
tain Titcomb's voice rose above the
music Of the storm.
j Hello, partnerr' it called. THAT
i you? You don't say. Well. this is Tit
comb No: the Freedoms all serene.
She'll ride it out as slick as duck in
bucket. But there's Teller here
wants to talk with you. Prick up your
ears now!'
Bradley heard his partner laugh.
Then another voice began-a drawing.
high pitched voice.
rs that you. Bradley?' it droned.
'1This is me talkin'. Do you hear?'
me? Who's me?'
ME. Peleg-P eleg Myrick. Cap'n
! Ez wants t. know what I'd better do
j with the dynamite I've got buried I'M
der my shanty. I'm scarf to death
Of it."
1.-The dynamite? What dynamite?'
1.-THE dynamite took off the Divin'
Belle the day afore she was burned.
Cap'n Ez ordered me to take it all
out. so / done it the next forenoon.
What'll do with it? I've been tryin'
to tell you an the cap'n about it, but
you never give me no chance. Skee-
ticks is the divil to dig. and if he
scratches that stuff up. Why
i Stop Bradley shouted it. "Wait
minute! Pcleg. what are you talkin'
about? Do you mean there was no
dynamite aboard the Diving Belle
when she burnedY'
"Ya-as l took it all out that morn
In What'll"-
Again Bradley shouted. Stop He
wanted to think. If there was no
dynamite aboard the schooner, why
why then the insurance could be col
lected If His heart sank again.
I'm afraid that won't do. Peleg,'
he called. "She certainly blew up. |
heard her and felt the shock under
water. Everybody on the hill heard
the explosion and saw it too. No. Pc
leg. Much obliged, but guess you
must have left some Of it."
The wire whirred and sang. Then
the drawing voice went on. 1t said:
"Cap'n Ez wants to know If the ex-
plosion want pretty small for a dyna-
mite one, now that you come to think
of it. He says what about the gaso.
line tanks?''
The gasoline tanks! The gasoline for
the engine! 1t had been slowed in the
bow Of the schooner.
The receiver fell from Bradley's
hand. He stared at the calendar on
the wall of the telephone booth.
THE END.
Il a /.