Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-02-24

room so~mewheres up Oh the hurricane
deck, with brass hunks and plush car
pets and crocheted curtains and cleo
trio lights. l swan there was look
ing glasses in every c~orner-big ones,
mans size. l remember Cap'n Jona-
dab hollering to me that night when
he was getting ready to turn in:
"For the lands sake, Barzilla." says
he, turn u them lights, will you! |
amt over and above bashful. but them
looking glasses make me feel S il |
was undressing along with all hands
and the cook"
The house was full Of comp'ny, and
more kept coming all the time. Swells?
Don't talk! We felt bout us much at
home as a COW in a dory, but we was
there cause EbeneZer had asked us to
be there, SO we kept on the course and
didn't signal for help. Travelling
through the rooms downstairs where
the folks was was a good deal like
lodging icebergs up on the banks. but
Il or two noticed us enough to dip
the colOrs. and one was real sociable.
He was Il kind of slow spoken city
Teller, dressed as if his clothes was
poured over him hot and then left to
cool. His last name had a splice in
the middle Of it-'twas Catesby-Stuart.
called him Phil.
Well, sir, Phil cottoned to Jonadab
and me right away. He'd get us, one
on each wing, and go through that
house asking questions. He pumped
me and Jonadab dry about how we
come to be there and told us more
yarns than a few bout Dillaway and
how rich he was. l remember he said
that he only wished he had the keys
to the cellar so he could show us the
money bins. Said Ebenezer was so
just-well, rotten with money, as you
might say. that he kept it in bins down
cellar. same as poor folks kept coal
| gold in one bin, silver half dollars in
another. quarters in another, and so
on. When he needed any he'd say to a
servant, james. fetch me up a hod of
change" This was only one Of the
fish yarns he told. They sounded kind
of scaly to Jonadab and me, but if we
limited at such a thing he'd pull him
self together and say. Fact, l assure
you" in a way to freeze your vitals.
He seemed like such q good Teller that
we didn't mind his telling a few big
ones. We'd known good fellers afore
that liked to lie-gunners and such like
they were mostly.
Somehow or mother Phil got Cap'n
Jonadab talking boat" and when Jon
adab talks boat there amt no stop
ping him. He's the smartest Teller in
a catboar that eve handled q tiller,
and he's won more races than any
man on the cape, cal'late. Phil asked
him and me it we'd eve sailed on an
iceboat. and when we said we hadn't
he asks if we won't take a sail With
him on the river next morning.
He introduced us to quite a lot of
the c~omp'ny-men mostly. He'd see a
school of 'em in a corner or under a
palm tree or somewheres and steer us
over in that direction and make us
known to all hands. Then he begin to
show us off, so to speak-get Jonadab
telling bout the boats he'd sailed or
something like it-and them fellers
would laugh and boiler, but Phils face
wouldn't shake out a reef. He looked
solemn as a fun'ral all the time. iona
dab and M begun to think we was
making a great hit. Well, we was,
but not the way we thought. I re.
member of the gang gets Phil to
one side after a talk like this and
whispers to him. laughing like fun.
Phil says to him: "My dear boy. I've
been to thousands Of these things
waving his ripper scornful around the
premises-"and upon honor they've all
been alike. Now that I've discovered
something positively original let me
enjoy myself. The entertainment by
the Heavenly Twins is only begun"
l didn't know what he meant then
I do now.
The marrying was done about
o'clock. and done with all the trim.
mings. All hands manned the yards
in the best parlor, and Peter and Belle
~