Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-08
Me(OURAGE at
Captain Plum
JAMES, OLIVER CURWOODl
u11tU S1RA1lONSs o. hA6Wy GkElINER1
,ooe ~ .poeDs-r1nsa1fLr- co~na4r<~-

old man who displayed gold in such
reckless profusion was anything but
a bachelor. In all probability this
was one of his wives and the cabin
behind him, he concluded, was for
some reason isolated from the harem.
Evidently that little saintess is not
a flirt," he concluded, cor she would
have given me time to speak to her."
The continued absence of Obadiah
Price began to fill Captain Plum with
impatience After an hours wait he
reentered the cabin and made his way
to the little room, where the candle
was still burning dimly. To his as
constituent he beheld the old man
was propped between his hands and
his eyes were closed as if he was
asleep They shot open instantly on
Captain Plum's appearance.
"Ive been waiting for you, Nat" he
cried, Strengthening himself with
spring-like quickness. Waiting for
you a long time, Matt" He rubbed
his hands and chuckled at his own
familiarity Il saw you out there en-
JOyluS yourself. w uctI Olu you
of her, Nat?" He winked with such
audacious glee that, despite his own
establishment, Captain Plum burst
into a laugh. Obadiah Price held up
a warning hand. Tut, tut, not SO
loud!" he admonished. His face was
map of wrinkles. His little black
eyes shone with silent laughter
There was no doubt but that he was
immensely pleased over something.
"Tell me- Nativity did you come to
st. james,"
He leaned forward over the table,
his odd white head almost resting on
it, and twiddled his thumbs with won
derful rapidity. "Eh, Nat?" he urged
why did you Gomez" .
Because it was too hot and unin.
teresting lying cut there in a calm.
dad" replied the master Of the Ty-
ohoon We've been roasting for SO
hours without breath to fill our sails.
l came over to see what you people
are like Any harm done?"
Not bit, not bit-yet," chuckled
the old man. And what's your bust
ness. Nat?"
Salllng-mostly.
J. "Ho, no, no! of course, l might
have known it! Sailing-mostly.
Why, certainly you sail! And why
do you carry pistol on one side of
you and knife on the other, Nat?'
"Troublous times, Dad. Some of
the fsherfolk along the Northern End
aren't very scrupulous. They took a
cargo Of canned stuffs from me a
year back"
"And what use do you make of the
four-pounder that's wrapped uD IN
tarpaulin under your deck, Nat? And
what in the world are you going to do
with five barrels of gunpowder?"
"How in blazes-" began Captain
Plum. +.
20, to be sure, to be sure-they're
for the fisher-folk," interrupted Oba-
diah Price BLOW 'em up, Ell, Nat?
And you seem to be young man Of
education, Nat. How did you happen
to make mistake in your count?
Haven't you IL men aboard your sloop
instead Of eight, Nat? Aren't there
IL instead of eight? Eli, Nat?"
1.-THE devil take you!" cried Captain
Plum. leaping suddenly to his feet,
his face flaming red. Eyes, I have
got IL men and I've got gun in
tarpaulin and I've got five barrels Of
gunpowder! But how in the name of
kingdom-come did you find it out?"
Obadiah Price came around the end
Of the table and stood SO close to
Captain Plum that person ten feet
away could not have heard him when
he spoke.
Il know more than that, Nat" he
whispered Listen! A little while
ago-say two weeks back-you were
becalmed off the head of Beaver Is
land, and one dark night you were
boarded by two boat-loads of men
who made you and your crew prison
ers, robbed you of everything you had
and the next day you went back to
Chicago. Eh?"
Nathaniel stood speechless.
And you made up your mind the
pirates were Mormons, enlisted some
Of your friends, armed your ship
and you're back here to make us set
tie. Isn't it so, Nat?"
The little old man was rubbing his
hands eagerly, excitedly.
you tried to get the revenue cut
ter Michigan to come down with you,
but they wouIdn't-ho, no, they
wouldn't! One of our friends in Chi
cago sent quick word ahead of you
to tell me all about it, and-Strang,
the king, doesn't know"
He spoke the last words in intense
earnestness.
Then, suddenly, he held out his
hand.
Young man, will you shake hands
with me? Will you shake hands,
and then we will go to st. James!"
Captain Plum thrust out hand and
the old man gripped it. The thin
fingers frightened like cold clamps of
steel. For a moment the face of
Obadiah Price underwent a strange
change. The hardness and glitter
went out Of his eyes and in place
there came questioning, almost an
appealing, look. His tense mouth re-
Taxed. 1t was as If he was on the
point of surrendering to some emotion
which he was struggling to stife.
And Nathaniel, meeting those eyes,
felt that somewhere within him had
been struck strange chord of SYM
patty, something that made this lit
Ha old man mora than balfrnod