The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-02-15

N'ANNoAf NhN NAAiNAHtuth Udu lul utu lAld
sklpper's head but it's obey orders
aboard ship.
Brig ahoy,' sings out a man on
the steamers bridge, whin she was in
hailing distance, what do you need?'
We've been dismasted in a gale
SEE the skipper. with straight face,
and we've sprung leak We want
you to tow us into Rio Grande.'
Where did you find a gale in this
latitood? shouts the man on the
steamer. I've not seen wind enough
to fill a ry'al for week
"''Twas a sort Of whirlwind.' sez
the skipper; now. whatll you charge
to tow me in?'
well, shouts the captain OF the
steamer. Rio Grande will take us out
of our course a heap but I'll tow you
for a thousand pun
It's an awful price sez our skip
per, AN awful price, but what else
can l do? I'll sind you hawser.'
I'VE lowered a boat and carried a
brand new maniiia hawser to the
steamer which they fastened to the
bits aboard and thin we pulled back
to the brig.
THE steamer towed us all the even
ing, but whin It became dark the skip
per orders birthstone to be put in
buckets, set afire and lowered into the
hold. Glory be. how thin cintlpedes
came a swarming on deck. Ye could
hear 'em a-rustlin' there was so many
of em.
"The mate sint a man forrard and
had thick circle of pitch made
around the bowsprit just beyond the
heel and thin all hands were called
aft. Forrard of the wheel we lay
some sheets of tin reaching clear
across the deck from rail to rail. On
this tin we sprinkled birthstone and
set 1t afire. There was very little
wind and the sinking smoke lay close
to the deck and druv the cintipedes
forrard. Slowly we moved the TIN
plates along driving the insects to.
wards the bow. They were mighty
excited thin cintipedes for they
couldn't go back into the hold as
the birthstone was burning down
there and they couldn't, as they al
ways did when we tried to drown
thin, go out on the bowsprit and
climb the stays. Whin they come to
the circle of pitch they stopped
"At last they found the hawser and
they started along 1t towards the
steamer. We had showed the brim.
stone pretty nigh to the bow and l
was standing on the forecastle whin
the moon come out minute from be-
hind some clouds. Boys, did ye liver
go into a great factory and see the
belts flying in time with the turning
of the wheels? Well, that's the way
that hawser looked with the cintipedes
flying along 1t to the steamer. Glory
be, 1t made my head swim to look at
'em.
Captain sez the mate, the cinti-
pedes are about all on the hawser;
shall cut 1t and let 'em DROWN
"'No,' sez the old man, 1t 'ud be a
sin to drown thin innocent insects
| and besides that there fellow wanted
to charge me a thousand puns to pull
me to Rio Grande. Let him have the
cintipedes'
Just afore morning the mate cut
the hawser.
"Whin morning broke the steamer
was we'll off to leeward but she wore
and come down on us.
"'Ahoy there shouts the captain
of the steamer. your hawser's parted
"'Yis, bad luck to it, hollers back
our old man.
"Tll sind some men aboard wild an
nthnr haWcnr thn OF
tain.
No, I'm obleedged,' calls back our
old man. the leaks stopped and I've
found some spars that I'll make do
Thin the steamer captain spakes
out his mind.
aye dirty Yankee swab, you he
yells, that floating pig sty of yours is
full of bugs and they've come along
the hawser onto my ship. It's fairly
swarming wild EN-
Bugs screams the skipper. it's
entirely crazy ye are. What dye name
by insulting a mariner in distrlss by
telling him his vessel is full of bugs?
If your 'hlthy old tay kettle is full OF
vermin it's no hawser l want from ye
and have the insects coming on my
swate clean brig
"T've a bloody good mind to run ye
down, ye pistillent Yankee hows the
steamer captain. making an angry
slap at his legs.
"Td have ye notice. sez the skip
per, politely, that the Amirican flag is
waving over my brig and it's me that
ud like to see you run her down.
"Thin the steamer captain jerks the
bell to the engine room and away she
wint to the suthard. but the captain
was shaking his fist at the brig as
long as the two crafts were in sight
of each other.
"And, dye know. boys" continued
Cannon, mysteriously. that steamer
was called the Kathleen and though
I've read the shipping news and asked
livery seamen I've met I've niver heard
of her since"