St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-04-17

4
in quayering tone.
mot less they sends tug arte1
u.s." replied the pessimistic mate.
Hill keep the locker all ready in
case you sight steamer" added the
obliging cook.
WHENEVER you see the skipper
| you look like you wanted to laugh, y
said the cook Indignantly to the mate.
hits no laughin' matter to a mai
what's tryin' to save is neck"
"I'm sort of a humorist, cook" re
torted the mate, land you amt"
The nervous system of the skipper
remained tense during the voyage,
which owing to battling winds was an
unusually long one, and when the brig
entered the harhor of st. Johns the
master reposed in the galley locker
until the cook reported the harbor as
containing only an English barque.
The poor skipper, in a vacillating
way, debated with the mate as to
whether he should remain on the
island and try for a berth on an Eng
lish vessel or-and neither could get
beyond that COR" in fact there was no
! getting beyond it.
The cook came hurriedly from his
galley and called down the cabin
stairs, There's a schooner comm in,
skipper, with the Hamerican flag a
flynn, and I knows that schooner a
mile away. She's the John Gray and
| Cap'n. 'Awker was her master"
The skipper sprang to his feet, "the
dead mans schooner" he calculated.
'They have tracked me- What can
/ do?"
The mate looked pityingly at the
pale-faced man and said: BE easy
captain. I'll fix it all right"
But the skipper, poklng his head
out of the cabin door and seeing that
the crew were in the hold, scuttIed
forward and slipped into the galley
locker. The schooner came in, let go
her sheets and dropped anchor two
cables lengths from the Iris. .Imme-
F.! diately boat was lowered and pulled
for the brig.
When burly bewhiskered man trod
| the deck of the Iris the cook let fall a
pan of hot water over his legs, but
didn't feel the sting of it, staring at
the man.
"Cap'n. 'Awker, Cap'n. 'Awker," he
murmured tc himself.
The mate extended his hand. "Glad
to see you, Cap'n. Hawker," he said.
where's Bob Buzbey?" cried Capt.
HaWker, in the same tone he would
have employed to hail man at the
crosstrees in a gale.
The mate induced him to go into
the cabin and then impaired the good
news to Capt. Buzbey in the galley
locker. That gentleman fastened aft
accompanied by two or three cock
reaches, which chung to his coat.
Hello, bully boy" Numbered Capt.
Hawker, on beholding his friend.
Looked for you next morning, but
you had sailed. Did you think I was
drowned when I fell off the wharf or
were you too drunk to think?"
Capt. Buzbey muttered something
unintelligible.
"Well, l pumped down in a boat
full of junk and it felt SO good and
soft that slept there all night"
To Capt. Hawkers amazement Capt.
Buzbey flung his arms about his neck,
"You see," said the mate to the
cook" one can carry a joke too far.
When I went ashore that morning
after We thought Hawker was
drowned peeped. in the saloon and
saw him drinkin' at the bar. I wanted
to have some fun with the old man
and never told him, but when we got
to sea | was afraid to tell him and SO
it went. If Hawker hadn't come
aboard I might never have told him
If you ever tell anybody about it, cook
I'll be the death of YOU
And the cook never did.