Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-02
copyrighted 1911 BY Harper & Bros)

keeping the glass clean AS there cvadng 1t,
go: used to these gruesome mcmenoes OF his
fights and could handle them without nausea
1t was I who ministered to the Frenchman and,
though | could replace his teeth, | assuaged his
pain and cured the swollen gums He grateful
and gave inc much Of his history asked for. He
was sailor, but musician who had been en-
ploycd in dive next to Glasgow Mikes boarding.
house. whom Mike had drugged and shanshaed when
Captain Bclchiors gathered. His specially
in music was the piano. he explained, and his long
practice had developed his wonderful strength of fingers
and forearms which had almost given him the victory
over the big skipper But he was endowed by nature
with further exaggeration OF feature. his teeth had
noticed them before the two were Knocked out. lhey
were huge white as clean snow, and perfect in forma-
ton The lower teeth, still intact. nearly as large
as the upper and, with his powerful hands would have
rendered him dangerous antagonist in his combat with
the skipper had he not been incapaciatcd by excrucat-
ing g,pI pain ,.. COM. ,n. s,.,,rdv he r,umb1ed
through the vacancies in his upper jaw. Il feel when
aim half asheep That | yet have my teeth, and teel
that have heem by zhe throat weezh my teeth whsh
Forget it." said. reprovngy. And don't run
oh run foul'' he answered. MY hands, whsh
are shtrong, zhey be sirong enough; but my
teeh-ah, even with my teeth whish are LETT Will
get heen.' g.,
What he had in his mind could not guess and did
not see fit to warn the skipper what did say though
and which brought results fully as disastrous to the
Frenchman that he was musician who had ac-
quired his strength of finger by piano practice ms
seemed to me an idle piece OF news which threw
off as the captain slipped his coffee and IN response TO
his joking reference to the Fenchmans proves. But
it reused him to fury he delivered himself of round
of curses, and when his store of profanity was ex-
hausted he said:
Musician; is he: knew he was no sailor. Well
Eye as much use for musicians as hell has tor nalos
know what dreamed last night: Can you guess: |
dreamed that the little rat had his teeth--not his
fingers but his teethat my throat and was sinking
them in. Gawd. what sensation!'
/ remembered the Frenchmans idle threat, but fore,
bore speaking of the coincidence ] had already said
too much, l learned day or two after when the
captain again. and for fault whatever, struck the
Frenchtnan with all his might and knocked out more
teeth-three this time, which must needs gather up
when the Frenchnan spat them out to prepare for the
museum The poor wretch was almost carried for,
by the usual rf-raf of the seapors and Differed by
men OF the captains own stripe, yet there were open
mutterings among the men and black disapprova in
the faces OF the mates. And from this on the French
man, though useless on deck or aloft as a spare
pump was treated with kindness and consideration by
for few days with his red eyes unusually bright with
internal excitement and look OF seeming cheerful
smile. Once ! heard him mutterng fierce oahs mixed
with the words French musician and on the
day learned the cause of his anmus. ! found two
newspaper clippings on his desk and read them There
fraycd by handling He had evidently withdrawn them
from some secret place to re-read and forgotten to
them One said this:
William Bilker sentenced to-day two years
in the for bruhy assdds his wife
he had brought ashore from his last ship for her benefit
II is to be regretted that for such ruans as Bilker
be enacted by the legislature that may prove
deterrent We understand that the unfortunate wife
and victim is still in the hospital, while the child who
also received injuries, is in the OF friends"
The other clipping ran as follows
William Bilker, after serving two in the pen
entary for wife:beatng returned to town yesterday
looking for his wife and young son. 1t is known that
beth mother and son disappeared shortly after Mrs
where she went Blker however on learning this and
that Professor lie Fevre, the musc-teacher who had
given lessons to the child had gone home to France
about the time, coupled their names together in
most unjust and unworthy manner and proceeded to
get drunk He locked up before becoming danger
suspended condition that he leave town, not
turn rn.r It is hoped that we are i'd Of him" =,
he n muisd s that MS rs real ha name and DID
1t seems plausible" ! laid the clippings down in the
same position in which had found them and barely
got out of his room in time to escape his criticism
| met him in the forward companion
hsf stiwa,d" h: SID 0eD'ry h0w many teeth are
81 cannot say Captain" answered. II never
counted. Twenty-six twentyeight. thirty, thirty
well wen get them a-every I'm tired of
How Captain Belchor could lessen his bad dreams
by increasing his bad conscience beyond nv I'M
Outstanding Yet he certainly meant to get the rest
of the Frenchman's teeth evidenced BY his
chest and seeking an early pretext for using them it
soon. "Frenchy" as called him. with five
teeth gone could not speak distinctly.
1t would appear strange that Captain Belchior bent
upon getting" the rest of his victims teeth should
have hesitated to knock them with his fists were
it for the mysterious force called public sentiment
which works as powerfully upon captain at sea as
upon statesman ashore. Not aboard that ship
from the first mate down to my cabin boy had else
than sympathy for Frenchy and resentment toward the
captain. He must have felt it, though perhaps. he
would have admitted it. He stood alone; his two
mates would never speak to him except in the way of
work or duty; the man at the wheel would always
answer respectfully, but Just second later than a
cheerful, friendly man would speak The crew as a
whole, while not ready for muny would fix their
eyes upon him and look soberly and starinely until
he turned away or succeeded himself in staring down
their stares All in all it worked upon his nerves and
believe he feared to assault the Frcnchman again
without cause, and Frency under my advice and that
of others, careful to give him none But the
exgences of seafaring life brought about cause sui.
fcen unto Captain Belchior and he quick to seize
upon it,
Frenchy, as have said, was no sailor: yet by the
time we had reached the stormy latiudes Of Cape
Horn he had learned to steer and took his trick at the
wheel with the rest Excepting for his hands and