The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-09

jlcuDCI Ol lu6 GOltlpdHy was Ol Cranton, who lit his cigar with a wind match and watched the proceedings with a heaven-born air of unconcern.
 Following a period of intense activity, the American was secured by numerous bights of the lead-line, and was carried bodily into the captains cabin as an uu- l sympathetic member of & peace confer ence. Lord Cranton was also invited to attend, but the captive's general style of criticism made the august presence quite impossible.
 The earl, who was clearly in the wrong, wrote a note of dgnified apology which the captain read aloud. Joe Rupert, calmer now, but still bound hand and foot, dictated the following dignified reply:
 Sir-For pullin' of you hair I'm mighty sorry. I done it accidental. The kick you give me (not bein' by no means ack of perlite sirsiety) was a insult to the pride an self-respeck of any Twin gent man, an as such demand the chanst of satis- faction now an immediate, in any way what suits yo'self, sir, from fists to rifles.
 Failing me in this, I swear to kick you twiced or more, belo' the eyes of every man, lady an chile on bode, jes, as soon as they gets well enough to come up on deck an see me do 1t. Yours truly,
 JOSEPH RUPERT.
 This challenge, after being read by the lordly principal, was crumpled and tossed with a careless shrug into the sea.
 What shall I tell him?" asked the, waiting messenger.
 ITO go to the devil" suggested Lord Cranton, yawning lazily; 10 the messen- ger returned.
 Now the captains position was both del- toof a nd oxxyl<T ha QhnVR if nobly.
 MT. Rupert" he said, with a shade of sternness in his tone, when once you have crossed my gang plank you may kick your fellow passenger as hard and as often as you choose, but while on board my ship you must give me your word or honor to in no way molest his person; otherwise"
 The captain paused impressively. "Otherwise what?' asked Joe, the light of battle still glittering in his steel-gray eyes.
 'I place you in irons for the bal ance of the voyage and hold you until Lord Cranton is on his way to Canada The Kentuckian thoughtfully considered | this grim alternative. The threat af plac- ! ing him in irons was of little Nnoment; but the thought of not being present on 1 the New York dock when his man landed was dire calamity.
 "All right" he answered, ''Ill promise | you faithfully to keep my fingers off the puppy's neck till We gets to land. An all I ask of you is jes' two things. Firs', | you got to make his lordlets keep on | the starbode side of this here boat. whilst I scuffle along on the pote. The secon' | one is that you give me a equl chanst l with him to bolt acrost you gankplank. Is I that all right?'
 Agreed" sighed the captain, but with l out a smile, and cut the prisoners bonds. l Thus the trouble, for a time, was set | tied, the Englishman remaining on the | Afric's starboard side, while the Amer l ican occupied the port the latter stamp 1 ing up and down in restless eagerness to | land on freedoms shore and likewise on | the point of a certain aristocratic jaw. { Then another accident occurred. l On the third night out the storm in- | creased in violence, driving the steam- | CT out of her usual course and in the | morning there fell a fog so dense that l Joe could scarcely see the bowl of his | corncob pipe. All day long the wheel man groped his cautious way, while the 1 passengers grew to loathe the leads- | mans droning cry and the rumbling
 scream of the Aries warning blasts
 From away off somewhere came an- | other hoarse monition of the deep, now | near, now far, but from what direction
 none might say, and the fog grew i thicker every instant.
 Joe Rupert was leaning against tn e forward rail, watching for glimpse of
 this other ocean wanderer, when sud
 denly his curiosity was more than sat-
 isfled. Like a great white duck a
 United States warship dived from out
 the mist and buried it's beak into the
 Aries big. fat flank. The steamer reeled far over, while the rail on whi.l the Kentuckian leaned was peeled away
 as by some giants carving knife
 Flung headlong into the sea, Joe swan
 with all his speed to avoid the top bling smokestacks, which seemed to De