Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-12
was dine tn his rank


1t would be pity for him to get into
trouble If it could be avoided"
Whats the trouble? Is he drunk
He's that sir, and Scotch, and he's
preaching lecture to the other pas
sengers in his compartment on the
peculiarities of the English nose, as IL.
Illustrated by themselves, and won't
let them read their papers. 1t would
be a charity. CAPTAIN, If you could do
something. only"--the guard looked
pointedly at his watch--"only you'll
have to be quick about it."
'Tll go-look.see" said Captain Ket-
tie, and jumped briskly out on to the
platform.
The noise Of argument came billow.
ing out Of carriage window. and Ket-
tie made for it, and put in his head.
GOSH" said disheveled man In.
side, "it's the pirate. Mr.. Mate. Mr..
Picaroon. I've mislaid your name. but
you're the very fellow I've come back
to England to see. Yell ken prom
lsed !e a yarn"
81 know you did. and that's what
I've come for, but don't want to share
it. Come along forward. I've got a
"And yon's very wise obsairve.
The yarns full of humor. an these
looms here wad no. omen their lips by
way O. smile. though Nestor swore the
jest were laughable Ye can tell their
seriousness by the cut O. their nebs.
The quotation, by the ways. from
Shakespeare or George r. Sims, but
I forget which. Ye see"
Come along, man, or the train Will
pull out"
"And the railroad company would
be the gamer sby half my fare. I'll
no crafty them. Aweel. ma friend. We
may enjoy your disgraceful nebs In
peace--if We can-till We meet me next.
Mr.. Mate, I'll take your arm, Just to
show ma friendly feeling toward
yerseP."
Now to be saddled with laxative
drunken man is embarrassing to any
one; but when you are seafarer. with
a good deal of ignorance Of. and dis
trust for, English shore ways. and
when, moreover, you are iourneying to
join your first command as captain,
the situation approaches the tragic.
Captain Kettle had a large expert
ence Of DRINKS, few men had more;
and his usual treatment OF them might
be described as drastic but curative.
But here he found himself face to
face with the very engineer. Mcleod,
who had in plain truth saved the lives
Of himself and his boats crew out there
in the Sargasso Sea land incidentally
one supposes saved the Norman
Towers and her complement). and the
ordinary treatment Of tongue, foot. and
fist seemed inappropriate. So he
listened to Mr.. McTodd's garrulous
tale Of how he sailed with the outraged
Rhein into Tampico: how every on
Ger on board OF her wanted to eat"
him. but daren't; how (as q great
triumph) he had been called on to
translate the Spanish pilots English
into English the eye-glassed German
captain could understand, when they
drove in, between Tampico pier heads;
and how the Germans threw him into
Jail in that city. and how the British
consul, stirred into activity by his
tongue, reluctantly got him out. It
was a great epic.
"And where are you bound for now"
Man." said McTodd, I'm out to
seek nv fortune. My father was Free
Kirk meenister at Ballindrochiter.
though there's many that's met his
son have never guessed It, and fine
education was all the capital he could
give me. The worlds nv oyster, as
Alfred Tennyson has neatly put the
situation. and here"-he waved dis
colored thumb-there is my knife
wherewith shall open It. Now
you're looking PROSPEROUS yourself.
Maybe you know of q billet?"
Captain Kettle was torn between
gratitude and duty. you're certifl-
Gated. of course?"
"Id scorn to deceive you. But in the
academic sense Of the word. I'm not.
know more of my craft than half the
ducks that carry chiefs ticket will
ever learn all their black lives through
but the board of trade will no. believe
it, We see-in your carat times my
spelling's phonetic. and that's fair
ruin in an examination room"
"Well, that makes # difficult. I'm
in want OF a chief engineer. Bnt the
owner, I'm sure would insist on his
being fully qualified"
Mr.. McTodd regarded hts companion
with an offensive eve. Dye you
mean to tell me some philanthropists
been fool enough to put you In COM
mend of ship of your own? Well.
we'll. there was humorist once said
it takes all sorts to make world"
The newly-made captain was grow
ing more and more FESTIVE under all
this, and there were moments when
his fingers itched to take their accus-
toned course: but each time with an
effort he called his new dignity to his
aid and gripped his teeth into the
butt Of his cigar. and sat grimly non
interferant in his corner.
'sAnd who did you say was your
owner"
81 didn't say He wishes TO keep in
the background. Nor can tell you
what's our real port Of destination We
clear for Falmouth and bevond. but
really we sail with seale1 orders
"Oho! More piracy may I ask" That
seems to be your taste. and must say
you've a pretty knack for it. For
myself like to keep my skirts clear
of this sort of thing. coming. as I've
telled We, from respectable stock. But
for Won of course. being without. a