Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-09-06
The P1underers
\ BY c.. j. cUTLlFFE HYNE.


know where you VIII mo IL. les SIT,
] viii say that. The Port Edes has a
romping fine medicine chest, and I've
been through it all myself, 50 | ought
to know. The donkeym2n's been most
ways through il, 90, but hes on at
fever mixtures now, and he's going
solid at them. We've three quart bot
tles-A for bilious, Il for malarial and
G for typhoid-and the dOukeyman has
a swig out OF each with q nip Of cholo-
rodyne thrown IN just after his break
last every morning and then a rub with
st. Elmo's rheumatic cure, n il he
isn't as right as a mailboat-well, never
speak 70 me OF drugs again. But it's
making a tough man Of him, Mr. Cam
bel, and that's what / want, because
the donkeyman ana / are going TO
CHIP in partnership"
What, buy a steamer together and
take her tramping? Wei, l hope you'll
nave all Of luck"
ooh, don't o make an error" re-
torted the captain. 1T isn't salt wa
ter trading were in for. We aren't
such gulls as that. We know too much
about it, both Of us. We're going to
start in farming"
Farming? What does either of you
know about that2"
"On, don't you take me for a fool, sir.
/ can earn as well as anyone, and SO
car the d~onkeyman. 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 10 live on for the first
two years. We can try il anyhow when
you give us Or discharge from here.
Ever since L worked at sea" he added
plaintively, I've always wished to De
a farmer"
Il think" said Cambel, Il would dis
suade you from the attempt if I could,
but l know it's no use trying, 50 l will
hold my tongue on hat point. AS to
when your bargain is VI with the Port
Edes, o can put that at half an hour
from now if you like. Anyway I'm go
ing to leave here directly. and l 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 Will remain where it is.
| am not going TO 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?"
Il think | know what you mean. But
you're on the wrong track. I'm not the
- = WIN dliAiOuIlCCS RNDlitly LIltL rs
will cease to be a sinner just because
he finds himself in physical danger"
NO" said Kettle, come to think Of
ii, | should have known you were not.
| was a DOL to ask that question. But
it settles it in another direction. There's
a 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 to hold any Sc
Crets OF 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?"
CamDel nodded.
And she's forgotten your
Il hope h has, and il she hasn't L
can't help it."
Wei, Mr.. Cambel, if this business is
to end in a bout ship. as soon as the
donkeyman comes back from his hunt
ing | am ready to get under way and
be off. But as he isn't here yet, and as
we've still a bit of time to wait, I'd
like to hear what IS going TO become of
that $500. 900 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 "a friendly interest in their move
mentS. AS you know, I've liked them
so well at times that we been half
inclined to adopt them myself"
Il know, and 1t is to your honor
that o didn't"
blessed error about that, sir. 1t was
my cantankerousn2ss. II the crew
hadn't been so uppish hat night in
the gust of the Florida channel, so help
me, neither steamer nor gold would
ever have got so far as this. But Wen
let that pass for the present. And now
I'd like to hear. IL / might. who is to
finger the STUFF"
Kettle, I'd tell you If l could, but
upon my sou Tn not able. My bargain
with the girl I'm going to marry was
to pocket no share Of the plumber my
self. but as l warned her l was Shelf's
mar still n couldn't cease to serve
him because Of scruples of my w
conscience. And so l was going to set
off to carry his half to the bank we
had agreed upon when a
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 cablegram,
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
property. SO, perhaps jesuitically, 1
hold myself clear of all pledge to him."
Then who the devil is to get the
money? Hang me IL ! can see
The proper owners, whoever they
may be-" said Cambel. But they'll
have to be found, and at present /
haven't the vaguest notion who they
might be. In fact, as we now are.
there's half a million OF English money
and a fine steamer a going a-begg!ng."
PTFp yvT