Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-05
boat With a collie crew ana yellow

-
owner"
Night fell on the tawny Mersey, and
the ships lights kindled in the purple
gloom and threaded through It ut .
decorous pace, or swung rhythmically
on a station. A wind from the north
and east blew chill across the face OF
the waters, and the outgoing and In
coming steam trsfiic hooted helm sig
nails in forty keys. The cool, damp.
muddy river-smeil, with It's tinge fof
sewage, came to him like IN, old friend
".Rice, chopsticks, and pigtafls fof
mine" Mr.. Kettle reminded himself
again. "But they say the Chinese
girls are nne." And, then, humping
the dewpocked gunwale with 70 hard
fist;-"No, I'm bowed II Il do" he
swore. THE beastly British board sot
trade shan't run me out Of my spYofes.
sion, simply because I've done my
pleased the Lord to call me. ri win
out in spite Of ali their teeth, and conc
mand British ships for white owners
on the decent seas. AndsI'll marry"
At that, point, apparently from the
parting OF it's halyardb, the lus:sail do.
seconded suddenly and enveloped MI.
The yard also hit him on the head. and
gunwale level. But It took more than
ocean mate out Of time. He wassup'
again on the instant. " Z .'Ff' ~. h.''.'
4"You clumsy swine. he bawled from
beneath his covering to the boatmen.
"Ill teach you to rig . boat: Clear
away this wreck!", $3.50
/, He sat up, and the top Of his head
under the sail showed asa round dome
beneath the moonlight. On 1t, ut thu
full strength Of the steersman's arm,
descended the ,oaken tiller, and Mr.,
Kettle subsidized as a bull does whentit
is ,polea1ed. i. sgsSr
Said Alfred. the shabby man in tho
bows, making no effort to- move or.
help: p" You've done it now, Arthur.
When you signed to me to cut the
halyards, never thought you meant
murder"
= Murder be bowed" retorted His
friend Il doubt II I've put him to
sleep for an hour. You'll see he'll
wake UP again in sixty minutes pune
tual to the clock, and as full of ginger
as he can stick. He's a hard case,
mate this one, II ever saw such 4
fellow, and he'll carry skull like Z
cannon-ball, orr he'd have had It frac-
tured long before this. Now we'll Just
inspect his bank balance. To be tire
to his type he should carry the bulk
Of it in a money belt next the meat.
Let's inspect There. didn'tSI tallrwou.
And I'll just take the liberty Of drop
ping this revolver over into the ditch
i don't fancy myself as marksman.
and if started any fancy shooting
with it should probably bag my dear
old pal Alfred instead OF the bearded
one here y |. old son, here's thirty
bob, and I'll keep the balance as my
share, and. agents commission" ...
''But what are we going to do with
him II we take him ashore he'll lay
complaint"
Don't you believe it. old son. His
nfbs here has kicked over the traces;
killed deck-hand, as likely as not,
and was shy about going on to Liver
pool to meet the police on the pier
head. You can bet he didn't switch
OFF and come with us just on account Of
our looks. And whom he steps
ashore. the only thing he'll ask for viii
be t., slip quietly away and no queE.
lions asked"
Alfred shivered. 81 shall be glad
enough to see. the last Of him. He's
a tough. looking customer. hope he'll
start to run quick '.ef
HE would II he was let. The trou.
bic for him will be that we've got
further. use for him.
Alfred was clearly distressed, ~
~ M rtu IN IN ,sanro ri ar ~
he bcbbled.
"Wait till you're invited. old SON. ~
"But what are you up to? ut isn't
murder? / couldn't stand that III
belie-e I'd inform II You did.
my brave boy, calm your twittefing
nerves. The gentleman is far " more
valuable to us alive than dead. He II
going to ship as fireman ON q voyage
to Valparaiso, and we-or. perhaps, l
should say, as you don't seem inclined
to chip in--1 will draw his advance
pay Twig?"
"But he'll come to before you can
get him to Birkenhead or Liverpool,
AID shipped" %
again, old son, you undervaluo my
skill. Permit me to remind you that
once in my shady past was q doctor
| Tor to be more precise, an unqualified
medi \ student), that being, Of courSo.
in th days before you and met %
comedians Gas think we called our.
selyes) on the music-hall stage. which
was before the period when we found
tit convenient to 20 foreign In a stoke
hold, which again was before We
started picking up livelihood IN this
present boat on the MerSey estuary"
"Oh, do get on, and don't drivel."
"As relic Of one OF my earlier PRO.
LESSONS I invariably carry q hypodSr-
mic syringe and small but carefully
selected collection Of drugs. Two
tubes in the waistcoat pocket contain
all the lot. It always jars my nerves
to read tho rot that ignorant novelists
churn out about doping an unwilling
hand by putting laudanum in his beer.
when probably the beggar has - dis
taste for beer. and wouldn't drink. itfat
yolr hands, anyway. Now q little lab
from hypodermic needle, and your
patient gets his dose whether he likes