Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-25


quarter rail- The pumprnan was busy on
a small job forward.
Everybody was too quiet. The passenger
felt that trouble lay ahead, and decided to
take his constitutional on the long gangway
of the main deck. Some of the crew, he
saw, were laying the matches on one of the
tanks aft He paced forward. By the time
he was aft again they were overhauling
large tarpau1in. He watched them while
they stretched tarpaulin over the hatch
covers. The tanks of an empty oilship are
usually left open in fine weather, and he
wondered what they were about.
Presently he heard one of the men say to
another as he stamped about on the tar
paulned hatch, "There-there as good
prize ring as man'd want" And then he
understood.
He went forward after time and stopped
beside the pumpman, who was cutting
thread on a short section of deck piping.
"Do you mind my watching how you do that
trick?" he asked.
The pumpman looked up. "Surely not"
After moment he added, Though there's
nothing much worth watching to it..
Moves noticed how deity the tools were
handled Then he said, $50 you and the
big fellow are going to have it out!'
ayes, during dinner just now we agreed
to settle it."
"But he's a notorious bruiser-likely to
kill you"
"Maybe; but I've trimmed bigger ones"
"Not bigger if they could fight at all.
"Maybe they couldn't; but from be-
meath the grease and SCOT of his face his teeth
and eyes flashed swiftly upward, "they said
they could.
Moves took another turn of the long gang
way. The tarpaulin was now clamped tight
to the hatch combings, rendering it smooth
and firm under foot. Campstools for the
principals were also there, and two buckets
of freshly drawn water in opposite corners.
"Kiernan,' Moves had halted again beside
the pumpman, "what is it the Captains got
against your
"Why," he hesitated, Il don't think he's
got anything against me exactly. His
words came slowly, thoughtfully. "You see,
he can never. get man of my kind to play
his game, and he knows it. What he wants
around here is a lot of poor slobs who will
take the kicks and curses and poor grub, say
Thank you, Sir and come again. Of
course, I'm only a pumpman; but If the
office ever got suspicious of the big bills for
valving and piping and repairing, and called
me in on it, why" He shrugged his Shout
ders.
Moves studied the sea for awhile. By and
by he faced inboard. "Kiernan, I've seen
ships before, even if | do get seasick some
times. Was that an accident today, that
block dropping on you-almost?'
Accident" The recurring smile flashed
anew. That's the third I've sidestepped
in two days. | was in the bottom of tank
Yesterday, when little hammer weighing
about ten pounds happened to fall in. In
the old clipper ship days, Mr.. Moves, great
trick was to send a man out on the end of a
yard and snap him overheard in a gale. On
steamers, of course, there are no yards, and
so little items like spanners and wrenches and
three sheaved blocks have habit of falling
from aloft But that's all right The
pumpman, all the while he was talking, kept
fitting his dies and cutting his threads. give
got no kick coming | came aboard this
Ship with my eyes open; and I'm keeping
'em open," he laughed softly, 80 | won't be
carried ashore with 'em closed
In the Office and from the bridge Moves
had noticed only the careless humor of the
man. Now he saw that, while the trick of
light speech had not left him, while the I'M
conscious manner in speaking OF serious
things was still there, yet this was serious,
purposeful sort of person, who did not take
himself overseriously; more set man,
physically as well as mentally, than he had
thought. There was more beef to him than
he would ever have guessed, and the face