The Springdale news., 1909-02-24

i with a steadiness that disproved my first suspicion of his having been on a drunk He glanced aloft east q spec ulatiye eye on the steyedores trooping across the waist of the ship and IS. ceuded to the quarter deck, where the mate stood leaning over the rail and uttering directed curses from between sweat beaded lips. There the big man roamed aimlessly on what seemed to be a tour of casual inspection. Once i he stopped 10 breathe on the brass pinnacle and to rub it bright with the i dirtiest red bandanna handkerchief l ever want to see.
 His actions amused me The dis erepaney between his personal habits and his partieularity in the matter of i his surroundings was exceedingly iu- l tereStng I have often noticed that such discrepancies seem To indicate eX ceptona characters As I watched 1 him his whole frame stiffened The l long gorilla arms contracted. the hairy head sunk forward iii the tenseness Of q serpent ready to strike. He IT, tered shrill fal>etto shrick that brought to q standstill every steyedore on the job and sprang forward to seize his mate by the shoulder
 Evidently the grasp hurt l can be lieve 1t might from those huge hands. The man wrenched himself about with an oath of inquiry and pain. l could hear one side of what followed. The captains high pitched tones carried l clearly. but the grumbIe and growl of the mate were indistinguishabe at that distance.
 How far is 1t to the side of the ship you hound?9 shreked the cap tain.
 Mumble- surprised-for Ill answer.
 Well. I'll tell you, you swahi It's l just two fathom from where you stand. i Just two fathom, How long would 1 it take you to walk there: How long, Just about six seconds! There and back, Yon.- won't bother with all the epiihets, although by now I know l Captain Selovcr's vocabulary fairly well .And you couldn't take six sec onds off to spit over the side. Couldn't walk two fathom, Had to spit OH my quarter deell, did youE'
 Rumble from the mate
 No. by God. you won't call up any of the crew. Youll get swab and do 1t yourself, You'll get hand swab and get down on your knees, I'll teach you to be lazy"
 The mate said something again.
 "It don't matter if NC ain't under way That has nothing h do with 1t. The quarter deck is clean. if the waist ain't, aud nobody but I son of q sea lawyer would spit on deck anyhow,' From this Captain Selaver went an into good old fashioned deep sea "cussng out to the great joy of the stevedofesz
 The mite stood it pretty well, but there eomes q time when further talk is useless even in regard to q most heinous offenSe tnd of course. IS you know, the mate could hardly consider himself very seriously at fault. Why. the ship was not yet at sea and in all the clutter of charging He began te answer hack. In I moment il WAS q quarrel Abruptly it WIS a fight He mate marked ScloVer beneath the left eye The captain with beautiful sim plicitY crushed his antagonist ill his gorillazlike squeeze. carried him to the side of the vessel and dropped him limp and beaten to the pier. And the mate was a good stout specimen of a seafarer too.
 Then the captain rushed below, emerging after an instant with chest which he flung after his subordinate. It was followed moment later by q stream ef small stuff mingled with language projected through an open porthole This in turn ceased The captain lHaPpeared with pail and brush. scrubbed feyerishly at the of lending spot moPped il dry with that same old red haudaHna handkerchief. gared about him and abruptly became as serene and placid as q noon calm. He took up the direction of the steve dores. II was all most astounding.
 Nobody paid any attention to the mate. He looked toward the ship once or twice. thought better of it and be gan to pick up his effects. muttering savagely. In n moment or so he threw his chest aboard an outgoing truck and departed.
 It Was now nearly noon and 1 was just In the way of going for something to eat when caught sight of another dray laden with boxes and crated af- fairs which I recognized as scientific apparatus It was followed in quick succession hy three others. Ignorant as l was of the requirements of sci enlist, my common sense told me this could be no exploring outfit, l revised my first intention of going to the clut and bought q sandwich or two at the corner coffee house. don't know why. but even then the affair seemed big with mystery, with the portent of tragedy. Perhaps the smell of tar was in my nostrils and the sea called. It has always possessed for me an ex- traordinary allurement
 A little after o'clock cab drove to the after gangplank and stopped From 1t alighted Il young man ol whom l shall later have occasion to tell you more. followed by Dr. Scher. merhorn The young man carried onlg light leather "serviette." such as stu. dents use abroad while the doctor fairly staggered under the weight of a square brass bound chest without han- dies. The singularity of this unequal division of labor struck me at once.
 It struck also one of the dock men. who ran forward, eager for a tip.
 ssI<in I carry th' hoy far ynu hasS fi, he asked. at the same time reaching