Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-08-10

he P1underers
sY c j.. cuTLlFFE

hand inside his shirt bosom. pistol
gnppsd in that. and peered in through
! the open door. The place was tenanJod
by no living thing larger than files and
cuckroaChes lie drew back half scared
by the eerineSG Of il, and then beckon-
ing his mates beaded them down the
companion ladder treading like a stage
conspiratUE. At the foot, two doors
opened; one in the alleyway, which was
! empty, tho other into the main cabin
or the floor of which Kettle had been
deposited by the dOnkeyman. But In
the eliminating spasm OF his cramp the
! Iittio captain had rolled away out ot
.lght under the table, and SO 70 all ap-
IeaFapce this place was deserted also.
The men poered about them and ran
aft pok ing their uoSas in pantry ana
gallery and engine room. Coming Ddck
through tho alleyway, they searched the
two mates rooms and found them
erqpty, and going out on the iron fore
dock found the forGgaStle deserted also.
Then they gathered round that gaping
rent whore the fCrehatch had been IN
curious wonder examining the cfun-
pied plates which were yellow with ne"
rust and pointing out 10 one another the
twisted stanchions and 5piintercd deb
ris below And at this they were en-
gagged when the sun took It's final dive
beneath the waters OF the Mexican gulf
10 westward, and the tropical darkness
snapped down upon them like the shut
ting OF a box
"Hank,7 said the one eyed man. this
gets ne What IN hades have they been
doing 70 this blame steamboat, and for
why have they gug-gug -gono OF and
left herr"
"Euclids out Of my line" said Hank
rulary.
"oh. you blank putty bead" rotorted
his friend 'th-th-ink
H.gW
they aren't Praps they've gone off
and tOted the doodle to q cache. Praps
it's left here aboard, and If II is guess
we shall find il when We want IL What
I'm on for nOW-'s grub. l haint had
Christian mea! ior three months, thanks
10 this new sheriff bustling after us,
and I'm about sick of mullet and sweet
potatoes. But, please our buck. wen
raid their stororooms here and fix up a
regular hotel supper for tonight. That's
me. Now come along, fellers,
The negroes chuckied and crowed
Cappring like children, and went OF
with the tall man toward the galley and
Mutt after an inetfectual attempt to
speak which threw him into parOXyem
of fury, presently followed them.
The feast was sui generis. They
found grease, baking powder and flour
and made doughnuts they hotted three
tins Of Julienne soup, they baked 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
one of the negroes turned out some
crisp three cOrncrCd tartletS stuffed
with strawberry jam Then Hank.
with a lamp in one hand cylinder Of
plates In the other and a whole armory
of knives and forks brstling from his
pockets, pattered of TO the main cabin
To lay the table.
At the doorway he stopped gaping,
and because the instinct OF the much
hunted made his right hand slip round
TO a certain back pocket the plates went
TO the ground with a crash. In the
swivel chair at the head OF the table
was huddled mana small man with
a cold cigar bitten tight between his
teeth, q 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
glad 20 see any who can talk or use a
pair of hands" Here he lifted his
nose and snuffed the air like a hound.
rs that supper you're cooking
II reckon"
Found anything to wash it down
with ?"
mere ANt-It Il doEcl Dplllt6 VI bftlt
but we wanted those between whites,
and l 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
and you mates, and SO ] guess cham
oagnell be good enough for us. There's
case in that end room ready a-pur-
ose for this sort of celebration day.
Perhaps you'll fetch it out. I'm weak
dlu."
Hank obeyed, wondering, and laid the
able and brought on the viands. in
which he was assisted by Mutt and the
blacks.
Then Captain Kettle spoke again.
"Oh, look here, friends, I'm not going
% Sit at table with niggers. l take it
his isn't a blessed missionary meeting"
Ii seemed as though there would be
a row. One of the blacks stated his in
Ientlon of 'takin no sass from that po'
white trash" and another openly drew
razor and made suggestive motions
Hith IL through the air.
"Of course" said Kettle. IF you two
gentlemen have chucked your color
gEd care to feed with those ornaments
you can do it OnlyAm a white man
and have my pride"
That's right" said Mutt. ''Picnick-
Ing and the schoonePs different But
ihis is a regular hotel dinner with nap
Gins and tablecloth, and l guess any
thing colored ud spoil the tone. Say,
s-s- sonnies, you mosey"
II done cook ed most this yer grub"
whined he of the razor, an lie gwine t
Eat my belly load"
well. collar what you want to eat
I'LL you bu -s-s- s.
Yes, but whar'll we go?"
Mutt looked at Captain Kettle The
little man in the swivel chair gave his
African guests fun leave to go TO a
place considerably hotter than the en-
gine hold suggesting the messroom as
an afterthought and alternative.
Whittier they betook themselves,
grumbling, and then the three whites
commenced their meal.
Kettle unwired a champagne bottle
with fork and poured out three long
tumblers OF dancing froth.
'Winei" said Hank. "Oh. my Jemi-
nal"
"Geg- -geg-got my ice?" queried the
one eyed man.
Ice is Off" replied the captain.
Things have been that hot this trip
Il gave up and melted
You seem 70 get your maners on ice
Mr.. Billy Mutt" said his friend. Now
I see a regular hotel meal in front of
me, and I'm going to make a pig OF
myself and be jolly well thankful l
haln't any use for your high toned sort
of canoosering. See here, stuff your
silly mouth and quit grumbling, right
now Dye hear?"
His guests ate, and Kettle made small
talk for them. st the same time plying
"A good knife and fork himself The
food seemed TO st:aighten his back
and knock the limpness out of him, but
Mr. Mutt and his friend were tapping
their champagne too industriously to
zee any significance In the change
The meal crept steadily through its
| courses, and the empty bottles grew on
| the cabin floor. No one got drunk
| Captain Kettles own libations were
| sparing, and the others had each a high
cocfficient of absorption. Still all We're
| exhilarated and ripe for mischief or
| merriment. as might befall
say, cap" said the long man as he