Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-25

starving Cuban, and yet the sight OF
a knife and fork turns my stomach"
He wheeled suddenly upon Alton
Clyde, whose burst OF shrill laughter
offended him. Don't cry. Your sym.
pathy humans me-"
TELL US about It," urged Cherry.
"What's the user" he demanded,
with glare at Clyde. THAT bone-head
wouldn't understand"
60 ahead" Boyd seconded. with
twftching HIPS. ''You look as IL you had
worked and worked hard"
Hard? I'm the only man In the
world who knows what hard work is
Start at the beginning-when you
were arrested"
well, didn't care nothing about
the sneexe," he took up the tale. ''for
figure 1t out that they can't slough
me without clearing you. SO never
take no sleeping-powders, and, sure
enough, about third drink.time the
bulls spring me. and screw down thu
main stem to the drink and get Jerry
to fade"
Tell 1t straight" interrupted
Cherry. "They don't understand YOU"
We'll, there amt any Pullmans
running to this resort. SO stow away,
on coalburner. but somebody flags
me. Then try to hire out as fisher
man, but amt there with the gang
talk and my stuff drags, so fix 1t for;
a hide-away on The Blessed Isle
that's her name. Can you beat that for
a monaker? This sailor OF mine goes
good to grub me, but he never shows
for forty-eight hours-or years, for
get which. Anyhow, stand 1t az long,
as l can. then dig my way up to g
hatch and NEW like o house-cat. It,
seems they were hep from the start.
and battened me down on purpose.
then made book on how long I'd stay.
hid. Oh, it's a funny joke. and they all
get a stomach laugh when I show.
When offer to pay my way. they're
insulted. Nix! that amt their graft.
They wouldn't take money from a
stranger. Oh, no! They permit me to-
work my way. The scullion has quit.
see? So they promote me to his Job.
It's the only job ever held, and !
held 1t because it wouldn't let go OF
bred men aboard The Blessed Isle, so
all have to do regular, Is to under
study the cooks, carry the grub, wait
on table, wash the dishes, mop the
| floors, make the officers beds, peel six
bushels of potatoes day, and do tho
laundry. Then, OF course, there's some
odd Jobs. When mop sees me coming
now it dances "a hornpipe, and can't
look a dish-rag in the face. All see
in my dreams Is potato parings and
meat rinds. I've got dish water in my
veins, and the whole universe looks
greasy to me. Naturally, 1t was my
luck to pick the slowest ship In the
harbor. We lay three weeks in the ice.
that's all, and nobody worked but me
and the sea-gulls."
4 "You deserted this morning. eh?"
II did l beat the barrier, and now
want bath and some clean clothes
and-a whole lot Of sleep. You don't
need to disturb me till fall"
He showed no interest whatever in
the new plant, refusing even to'look il
over or to express an opinion upoH the
progress Of the work; SO they, tnt
him out to the ship, where for day. he
remained in toad-like lethargy, bask-
ing in the sun, sleeping three-fourths
of the time and spending his waking
hours in repeating the awful tale OF
his disgraceful peonage.
To unload the machinery, particular
ly the heavier pieces, was by no means
simple matter, owing to the furious
tides that set In and out Of the Kalyik
river. The first mishap occurred dur
ing the trip on which the boilers We're
toWed in, and it looked to Boyd less
like an accident than q carefully plan
ned move to cripple him at one stroke.
The other ships were busily discharg-
ing and the roadstead was alive with
small craft Of various kinds, when the
huge boilers were swung over the
side of The Bedford Castle and
blocked into position for the journey
to the shore George and half dozen
, OF his men went with the load whiloi
Emerson remained on the ship. They
!. were Just well under way when.I
either by the merest chance or by ma
licious design, several Of the rival
Company's towboats moored to the
neighboring ships, cast off. The anchor
age was crowded and boiling six
, mile tide made it difficult at best to
avoid collision.
Hearing a confused shouting tot
, shortward, Boyd ran to the rail In time
to see one of the Company tugs at the
head of string of towboats, bearing
down ahead Of the current directly
upon his own slow-moving lighter AL
ready it was so close at hand as to
; make disaster seem inevitable He saw,
Bait wave his arms furiously and
heard him below profane warnings
while the fishermen scurried about ex.
citedly, but still the tug held to its
course. Boyd raised his voice in wild
alarm, but had they heard him there
was nothing they could have done.
Then suddenly the affair altered its
complexion.
The oncoming tug was barely twice
; it's length from the scow when Boyd
saw Big George cease his ciolent an
tics and level revolver directly at the
,, wheel-house of the opposing craft. Two
puffs Of smoke issued from the weapon
!, then out from the glass-encased struc.
ture the steersman plunged. scrambled
down the deck and into the shelter of
the house. Instantly the bow Of the
tug swung Off, and she came on side
wise. striking Bats scow glancing
l.,