Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-08-15
The P1underers
BY c. ). cUTLlFFE HYNE.
BY c. J. curLlFFE Y

hand Inside his shirt bosom, pisto,
grlpped In hat. and peered in through
the open door. The place was t%enanted
by no living thing larger than flies and
~cockroaches. He drew back half scared
by the eeriness of 1t, and hen beckon-
Ing his mates headed them down the
companion ladder. %treading like a stage
conspirator. At the foot. two doors
opened; one in the alleyway. which was
empty. the other into the main cabin,
on the floor Of which Kettle had been
deposited by the donkeyman. But in
the eliminating spasm OF his cramp the
little captain had rolled away out of
sight under the table. and so to all APP
p%enrance this place was deserted also.
The men peered about them and ran
aft. pOkfng their noses in pantry and
gallery and engine room. Coming back
through the aheyway. they searched the
two mates rooms and found them
empty. and going out on the iron fore
deck found the forecastle deserted also.
Then they gathered round that gaping
rent where the forehatch had been in
curious wonder, examining the crum-
pied plates which were yellow with new
rust and pointing out to one another the
twisted stanchions and splintered deb
ris below. n at this they were en-
gagged when the sun took it's final dive
beneath the waters OF the Mexican gulf
to westward, and the tropical darkness
snapped down upon them like the shut
ting of a boX.
Hank. said the one eyed MIN. this
gets me. What in hades a w they been
doing to this blame steamboat. and for
why have they gug-gug-gone off and
left herr"
"Euclid's out Of my line" said Hank
%Oraculary.
oh. you blank putty head!" retorted
his friend. "th-th-ink."
You tire me. II they aren't here.
they aren't. Praps they've gone off
and toted the Doodle to a cache. P'raps
It's left here aboard. and II 1t is l guess
we shall find 1t when we want 1t. What
I'm on for now's grub. l hain't had a
Christian meal for three months. thanks
to this new sheriff busting after US,
and I'm about sick of mullet and s4weet
potatoes. But: please our buck. We'll
raid their storerooms here and fix up Il
regular hotel supper for tonight. That's
me. Now come along, fellers."
The negroes chuckled and crewed.
capering like children. and went off
with the tall a toward the galley. and
Mutt. after an Intellectual attempt to
speak which threw him into a paroxysm
of fury. presently followed them.
The feast was sui generis. They
found grease, baking powder and flour
and made d%oughnuts. they hotted three
tins of Julienne soup, they AXE a
great mass of salt pork on a bedding of
white beans, they made a stew of pre-
served potatoes. Australian mutton and
pate de foie gras. and as a chef d'oeuvre
n Of the negroes turned out some
crisp three %cornered tartlets stuffed
with strawberry jam. Then Hank,
with a lamp in n hand. a cylinder of
plates in the other and a whole armory
OF knives and forks bristling from his
pockets. battered off to the main cabin
to lay the table.
At the doorway he stopped, gaping,
and hoNl1I0n the Instinct Of thu ~~,ob
hunted made his right hand slip round
to a certain back pocket the plates went
to h ground with a crash. In the
swivel chair at the head of the table
was huddJed a mana small man with
a cold cigar bitten tight between his
teeth. a man so grimy with coal dust
that Hank couldn't have sworn whether
the short peaked beard which rested on
his chest was black or red or Prussian
blue.
"Oh. don't you trouble to be polite"
SAID the man in the chair. I'm mighty
pair Of hands" Here he lifted his
nose and snuffed the air like a hound.
rs that supper you're cooking?"
II reckon"
with?"
There were a dozen bottles Of beer.
but we wanted those between whites,
and | guess they're drunk"
There should have been more, but /
suppose my lousy steward has necked
them. However. this is a big night.
and this Is the first time I've seen you
pagneM be good enough for us. There's
a case IN that end room ready a-pur-
pose for this sort of celebration day. |
Perhaps you'll fetch 1t out. I'm weak
still" S
Hank obeyed. wondering, and laid the
1QhIQ and hHnssrht 1~ ~. -
which he was assisted by Mutt and the
blacks. ~
Then Captain Kettle spoke again.
On. look here, friends. I'm not going
20 SIT at table with niggers. I take it
THIS isn't a blessed missionary meeting"
IL seemed as though there would be |
q row. One of the blacks stated his In
tention or taktn no sass from that DO
white trash and another openly drew
q razor and made suggestive motions
with 1t through the air.
course" said Kettle. III you two
and care to feed with those ornaments
you can do 1t. Only I'm a white man
and have my PRIDE"
That's right" said Mutt. "Picnick.
Ing and the ~schooners different, But
this 10 a regular hotel dinner, with nap
thing colored 'ud spoil the tone. snv
s-s-sonnies. you mosey."
:! done cooked most this yer grub"
whined he OF the razor. 'an Lee cwine /.
eat my belly load"
Well. cellar what you want to eat
till you bu~-s-s-s.-
Yes. but wharIl we go?'
Mutt looked at Captain Kettle. The
little man In the swivel chair gave his
African guests full leave to 70 to q
place considerably hotter than the en-
cine hold. suggesting the messroom a
Whittier they betook themseives'
grumbling. and then the three whites
commenced their meal.
Kettle unwired q champagne bottle