Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1909-04-15

"Hal hal" cackies Van, pufilng for
breath. and showing the pig out Of bis
lap. This is the best everl The float.
ing garden of Edenl Or the arkl Say,
Martin; l begin to sympathizs with
Noah"
Noah sent out dove. II remem.
Der right" says Hartley. Wonder II
II would work with n chickenI
Where's our Ararat, skipper?"
was mad clean through. Here was
twice that I'd been made a fool OF on
salt water want used to IL and II
hurt.
"The ark was afloat for 40 odd days;
you want to remember that" says l.
"And this skiff won't float 40 minutes.
loaded the way she Is, II she drifts out
side that point"
Then she mustn't drift there" says
Van. cheerful. II don't want 10 get
wet--not now, with James gone. This
In the only presentable suit I've got
left II this Is wrecked you'll have to
press It. Sol"
My. but I was hopping! Talking
about pressing clothes and us next
door to going to the bottoml
'I'l press nothing" says I. "And
I'll say right now. Mr.. Van Brunt. that
l won't tend TO them gardens. You
hear"
Van waved his hand. Your salary
from now on" he says, will be-"
, mo, II won't. My salarys big
enough. It's me that's short-short
about 20 hours out OF the "a. II
/ was two men might do what's need.
ful, but as tbs can't. like you both
firstrate-when you amt too crazy
but either you'll have to get me
helper or I'll have to quit. That is,
II We get out of this mess alive, which
amt likely"
. All the time I was preaching this
} way l was Juggling ut the 'mldships
thwart. Finally got It loose and
showed It over the stern. l was going
to try to scull with 1t.
The Heavenlles was completely up
set. Not by the fear of drowning
drat EN-. l don't cal'late they was
afraid of anything-but my talk Of
quitting seemed TO knock 'em silly.
by Jove! you know" says Van.
This is serious. skipper. You can't
mean IT,"
You bet I cant" says. sculling like
all possessed with one arm and fght-
Ing pullets with the other.
You're not going" says Van, de.
cided. "You're-slmply-not Ii he,
Martini"
Il should say not" says t'other Twin
SOL, II you want more money--or as.
sistants-or anything. why. all right
But we want you. And we're going to
keep YOU"
That's settled then" says Van
quick. What kind OF help do you
want-and how many?"
Well" / says. cooling down q mite
of course was pleased to ind they
liked me so well. WELL" l says, 81
you could get somebody TO cook ant
help round the house may be T."
"a cook?" says Van. Good We
get a cook-two cooks--ten of 'em. q
you say so. And we get 'em quick"
Let's get ashore first," says 'I'y'
got to make the point there or wei
get"
Our finish, hey?" he says, ending
the sentence for me. "All right; make
the point" Then he got out a cigal
and went TO smoking.
But want by no means sure vi
would make the point. Twas th'
BASTARD end OF Ozone island l wa
aiming for. The tide set in stronI
there and I could see that the skif
would pretty nigh hit the beach. II
had luck.
We zigzagged along. Pretty sooI
-. We got to where the waves was run
~ ming higher. They commenced to sloI
~ into the boat.
She'll go under. sure's you're born,
>. says ]. IF can only keep her up III
we get into shoal water"
10 Il seem to have acquired the cast
a. away habit" says Van. "Once In tina
other boat Of yours. Sol, and now II
ati this one. must swear on. This 1
,o getting monotonous."
Ne Tho swells run bigger az we neare
the point The skin was half full an,
n. the stopping and the motion stirred u
40 the menagerie. Such squealing an
squawking and tapping you neve
or heard nor saw. Them hens was al
over us and the pig underneath.
I'd We riz on a wave and begun to car
size.
~. Here we go!" yelled. STAND by!
ut Over we went. The hens had tn
or best OF US in way-they could
I'd after fashion. l wished / coult
st Lucky the water want more tina
waist deep.
as pIowed through the sand an
ee undertow and got to the beach. Har
ley come next. totlng the pig by on
d, leg. The dear" wrlggled loose an
re headed for the pines, hurrahing like
sawmill. The most OF the hens ha