The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-07-07

Charity--she had 200 tons Of hard
coal. egg sine. In ber-'up at Bayport
she'd be worth tour dollars q ton.
safely, more than here
And I f1ggered wild a pencil that
would come to $500. I had some idea
of goin' to the president and askin'
him what he thought OF sendin' a boat
to Bayport and by that way gettin'
solid wild him. But when II came to
facin' him again after my masquerade
/ gave 1t up. Besides, II was all fool
ishness. He might know more about
Bayport than me; and IL he didn't.
what was to keep him from takin' my
idee and givin' me the bounce at the
same time? SO hat settled that.
But the next mornin' as I was
washin' me face-which is a grand
time for idees to come to you'll was
hit wild a good one. Why net take
the Charity up to Bayport on me own
hook? Could | do it? OF course, for
the Charity amt one OF your common
canal boats that has to be hauled
by a tug or a mule; but she has a lit
tie engine that turns a little splashin',
thumpin' wheel under the stern and
pushes her along about as fast as a
slow man can walk. And could | sell
the coal? Well, II the paper told the
truth the people of Bayport was ready
to buy and I'd be ready to sell.
We'll, the first thing to do was to
get the Charity out from between the
other canal boats and tied up near the
when | got ready. So | paid a visit to
Mrs. Mayer, me next neighbor, and
told her all about the turrible whoop-
In cough me childer had, and the con
tagion, and how | couldn't help fearing
as her childer would catch 1t. Well,
the upshot OF that was the Charity got
a new berth out near the end of the
pier and Captain Mayer helped me a
good deal In maxim the shift.
Shall | tell you how | ran the boat
that night? Upon me word | don't
know. may be a big strong woman.
and fit TO take the measure of McGon-
lyle, as some say, but me heart was in
me mouth more than oncet hat night.
How we got through He'll Gate |
don't know, whether twas by luck or
miracle. The Charity is an unhandy
boat to handle in a current like that;
and what wild me no KNOWN the way
too well, it's a mercy we didn't bring
up against one OF them rocks. But we
got through.
There come a time | nearly give
up. | got colder and colder, and wild
the cold sleeper and sleeper. BY and
by | didn't feel the cold so much and
just fell to sleep all over. | punched
meself and danced. but all the time
I'd be carin' less about doin' It; and
carin' less about savin' the boat and
about McGonigle and childer, and just
wantin' nothing but to go to sleep. I
finally got hold of mesilf and Topped
down into the engine room.
yam | ses, for the mercy Of
heaven let the boat drift for a while.
I'm freezin' to DEATH
And | Jest tumbled down on the
floor. Well, Yam he shook me and
walked me around, and by and by he
made a pot of strong tea. He's a
good soul, Is Yam. And wild the tea
and stickin' to 1t I made out to stand
It till the shore in the east began to
turn black ard the sky above 1t light.
when the childer woke up wasn't
they whoopin' wild the cough and wild
surprise at findin' the Charity u In
the middle OF the sea? But they're
good young ones. Angeline got the
breakfast and the other two took care
Of themselves. And Yam took a trick
at the wheel while I minded the en-
CINE and warmed up me old bones. All
the time, mind we. the Charity was
thumpin' and splutterin' along In great
shape. And about nine o'clock of as
grand a winter morning as ever We see
she sailed into the harbor of Bayport
as fine as an admiral's ship.
where will she land?' ses Yam.
"'Sure. where ye see the ~coalpock-
uts,' ses 1.
las she swung up alongside the coal
dock a Teller come out on the end of 1t.
VIVA boats that?' ses he.
"'Tis a coal boat ses 1: wild coal
in IT,
"'Ye've come to the right place. SEES
he. And he helped us to tie up In a
jify.
THE boss will buy It of We like a
streak SEES the man.
maybe 10 and maybe not SEES I.
Where Is the boss?'
well, he showed himself comm
down the pier like a runaway
Goal SEES he: let me see IT,
HE seen 1t. and then we struck on
a bargain. He'd give me eight dol
lars a ton, and | held out for ten, cash
down. In the course of the argument
he called me a robber.
"'Robber. is it?' SEES I. All right,
there's likely other people In this town
who want to buy coal and who are
more perlite.'
"'You can't sell It except through
me- he SEES. I'm the regular coal
dealer