Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-09-07
The P1underers
c. j. cuTLFFE HYNE.

! What, buy a steamer together and
| take her trampinS? Wei, hope you'll
I nave all manner Of luck"
"oh, don't you make an error" re-
/ torted the captain. 1t isn't salt wa
1 ter trading we're in for. We aren't
such gulls as that. We know too much
about IL, both OF us. We're going 10
start in farming"
Farming? What does either of you
know about that?"
''Oh, don't you take me for n fool, sir.
| can learn as well as anyone, and so
can the donkeyman We shall get 300
acres OF land granted TO the pair of US
for nothing in northwest Canada. and
even If crops failed altogether we've
enough saved up 70 live on for the first
two years. We can try il anyhow when
you give US our discharge from here.
Ever since 1 worked at sea- " ne added
plaintiyely I've always wished TO be
a farmer"
Il think" said Cambel, Il would dis
suade you from the attempt IL l could,
but l know it's no use trying, SO | will
hold my tongue on that point. As to
when your bargain is up with the Port
Edes. you can put that at half an hour
from now il you ike. Anyway I'm go
ing 10 leave here directly. and / never
intend to return here again"
Captain Kettles jaw dropped
What" he gasped.
Il have changed my mind" he said,
'or had it changed for me. For my
part that gold viii remain where II is.
| am not going 70 touch a sovereign
OF it,"
Look here" said Captain Kettle, "do
you mind telling me? Did you come
against some preacher during the
cyclone and get religion from him?"
1 think I know what you mean. But
you're on the wrong track. I'm not the
sort who announces publicly that he
will cease 10 be sinner just because
he finds himself in physical danger"
No. said Kettle, come to think of
It, ! should have known you were not.
l was fool to ask that question. But
IL settles it in another direction. There's
Il woman got hold of you"
"Or l Of her"
Either way. So that's It, And you
told her all about this racket because
you thought it wrong 10 hold any Sc
crats vi your own, and she soUred on it,
Well, that's woman's way. And the
other lady you spoke about, she who
made you run wild, you've forgotten
her?"
Cambel nodded.
And she's forgotten you?"
Il hope she has, and if she hasn't /
can't help it,
Wei, Mr. Cambel, If this business is
" Gnu III a ANfuA sup dS NbOll as lilt
dOukeyman comes back from his hunt
ing | am ready TO set under way and
be of. But as he isn't here yet, and as
we've still a bit of time TO wait I'd
Ike TO hear what is going TO become Of
that $500 600 and the old ship, after all.
I've been in at the handling of them
both SO long that I'm beginning TO take
quite friendly interest in their move
mcnts. As you know, I've liked them
so well at times that I've been half
inclined to ADOPT them myself"
Il know. and ii is TO your honor
that you didn't"
"Oh, as to honor, don't make any
blessed error about that, sir II was
my cantankcrousnesS II the crew
hadn't been so uppish that night i'm
the gust OF the Florida channel so help
me, neither steamer nor gold would
ever have got SO far as this. But Well
let that pass for the present. And now
I'd like to hear. ii I might, who is to
finger the stun?"
Kettle, I'd tell you II / could but
upon my soul I'm not able. My bargain
with the girl I'm going to marry was
to pocket no share Of the plunder my
self, but as l warned her l was Shelfs
man still and couldn't cease TO serve
him because of scruples of my own
conscience. And 80 | was going to set
off to carry his half to the bank we
had agreed upon when a newspaper
arrived to say that he had gone smash
and was In jail awaiting trial on six
teen heavy charges
Directly afterward a letter came
from Shelf himself which had been
passed by the newspaper cablcgram
telling me to transmit the stuff TO a
place in South America where he could
meet me. Clearly he can't do that now
and being a convict he cannot hold
a fsy.-,
hold myself clear OF al pledge to him"
Then who the devil is 70 get the
money? Hang me II / can see.
The proper owners, whoever they
may ne" said Cambel but they'll
have 60 be found, and at present |
haven't the vaguest notion VINO they
might be, IN fact, as we now are
there's half a million Of English money
and a fine steamer a going a-begging."