Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-11-26
CHAPTER I.
M Coal.

lou Ildl-IOOIcu 0cucSoAAOidA, cdiu
Mr.. Kettle, the mate. III you drop any
more of that green paint on my decks
I'll make you go down on your knock
knees and lick them clean. don't be-
lieve you've ever seen winch before,
much less painted one. And yet you
have the nerve to sign on here as
A. B."
II always accustomed, sar, to put on
paint wild a brush. don't consider a
wad of waste proper gentleman's
tool" .....
Answer me back, would you, you
plum-colored son of palm-nut? Ia
like to point out just here-that l
don't - allow deck-hands whether
they be white, yellow, snuff and butter
colored-or just plain black-to give
me any back talk--so long as l am
Mr.. Mate of this packet And don't you
forget it," 3D.
The sentence was punctuated with
hard kicks bestowed by a neatly pipe
clayed shoe on any part OF the huge,
vicious-looking negro's anatomy that
the little officer could reach. The man
had drawn the knife from the sheath
at the back of his belt, and was open
ly prepared for murder. But the mate
gave him no chance to use 1t. He
chased him about the decks with such
vigor and venom that the fellow could
not turn round to strike, and when at
last the man tripped over steam
pipe and the knife went flying. Mr..
Kettle instead of pitching 1t overheard
kicked it CONTEMPORARY back to It's
owner.
There's your knife. Put 1t back in
it's sheath, or I'll smash you some
more. And now get back to your
work" ~
Eyes, sar"
Understand how to lay on paint
with a wad Of waste?"
Eyes, sar."
Get ahead then"
+, The negro painted with diligence
and skill, leaving the surface ne
touched fine rasping green, with no
superfluous paint that would supse'
quently run and grow ropy, and cut
ting clean straight lines at his edges.
II is a high art to paint accurately
with wad of cotton waste, and many
men, including the house-painter, have
It not. But steamer tradition says tnat
the African negro when he paints shall
not use a brush, and the sea sumptu-
airy laws are severe. So the negro IS
forced to- learn the skill OF his hands
with the homelier instrument.
"Mr. Kettle?" a
'Sir.' .sN
The mate looked aft to the upper
bridge, and Abeheld there the bloWsy
head and still blowsier tobacco-p1pe OF
Captain Saturday Farnish.
"will you come to the chart house
a minute?" ..7r
"Aye, aye, SIR"
The inside of the S. g. Norman
Towers chart house smelt OF CLONES
and yarnish. It's walls were decorated
with a shelf of professional works; an
oil painting of the Norman Towers IN
impossible colors on an Impossible
sea, from the brush of an eastern
artist; and the cabinet portrait OF
large pleasant faced lady IN bursting
satins, this last being Mrs. Saturday
Farnish.
CAPTAIN Farnish lowered himself
into large red velvet armchair,
which lurched dangerously as it met
his weight.
"That starboard caster off again,
he grumbled. "Chips must have mend
ed It five times this trip alone. :,
1.-THE carpenters inefficient, sir,
said his chief officer stiffly. He needs
keeping up to his job. If you'll let me
take him in hand. I'll undertake lie
does the thing thoroughly this time:
ri make him a good carpenter, sir, If
You'll let me have the handling OF
him, could make the Towers look
like a different boat, sir, by the time
we reach liverpool, If you'd let me
have full use of the carpenter"
"And never have him come near the
old packet again? No, you don't Mr..
Kettle, me man. I've had Chips sailing
with me six years now, and | Ike
him, He's idle, but he understands
the boat, and he's got neat trick
with that whistle"
"He can blow tunes out OF that
whistle" the chief officer admitted
grudgingly, land that's fact. But
az carpenter he's holy fraud. Look
here. sir. if you want smart ship
~ don't. 7 want comfortable one.
WhaI 8 the ClOCh {. FNS anu L"SAAtS "
twelve. Dash my whiskers! But that's
five minutes after the time for my
morning"
He got up, took a whisky bottle and
lumber from inside the folding wash
stand and poured himself out an ac-
curate three fingers, holding the glass
to the light so as to be sure Of the
measure. He added water to within a
fingers breadth of the top, drank a
third of the mixture, and resumed his
seat with sigh. glass in hand.
"That just gets to the spot where
nv old fever left hole. I hope you
will always enjoy good health, Mr..
Kettle. me man, and not want a
morning till you're master of your
own ship and have mate to do the
work for you II you stick to Horner's
Perfect Cure, that Mrs Farnish
brought you up on, you'll have little
to complain Of in the way OF internal
trouble"
THANK you sir, I'm pretty regular.
7 put in my two doses Of Horner's
every week, and reap the benefit. AS
for a morning. a chief officers pay
on tramp simply won't run to it, If
ha takes bottle Of beer with his din