Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-03

.Cl1AI 1 EN- Nv (SOhIIAuCuJ'
"And now" said Mr.. Kettle, ad-
dressing the rest OF the crew within
reach. docs any one dispute that
owing to the lamentable detection and
incapability of other officers, am in
full command of this junk?"
There was no answer.
Carried" said Mr.. Kettle. Very
good, then. don't allow my decks to
be used as an alameda. Watch below,
get below Mr.. jenkins, you're mate.
Get hold of your deck-hands on duty.
and set them to washing this filthy
paint I like clean ship. You, quarter
master, my compliments to the second
engineer, and I'd be glad If he'd come
and report to me how long 1t will be
before he can have the ship under
way again."
Some men are born to command,
and Mr.. Owen Kettle, the mate Of the
Norman Towers, was one Of them. He
had the knack of the words, and ma
ture and practice had given him the
clear, crisp carrying voice in which to
deliver them. Men instictively jumped
to carry out orders when he gave
them. E.
Miss Violet Chesterman, who came
from military stock herself, noticed
this with keen appreciation. So much
depends on the imbre of voice.
Miss Chesterman, 1t CHANGED, had
been the first Of all on board the
Rhein to see the life boat. She had
been sitting under the shade of an
awning reading novel which luckily
for Kettle) bored her She had looked
up. and there, on the edge of the blue
desert of sea, spied the boat. She
shaded her eyes, and saw men In 1t
waving frantically. What woman
would not have been thrilled?
She had jumped to her feet and run
to the bridge ladder and given ner
alarm. Captain Engelberg, In his most
stiff and pompous manner, had init
mated that he intended to conduct the
affairs CT his ship without the un-
asked-for, assistance of passengers.
And then, when she saw that no at
tempt was going to be made to pick
up the life boat. she had taken steps
to have the passage of the Rhein rude
ly interrupted.
All this of course, Mr.. Kettle did not
know. But his eyes told him that the
lady in white muslin who came up
from aft was extremely good looking,
and he returned her greeting with
cordially, and mentioned his surprise
at finding an Englishwoman on Ger
man tramp cargo boat. & LAKE, *
| The lady shrugged al had my rea-
sons" And then she laughed. "But I'll
| freely own at / didn't travel by the
Rhein for comfort To be frank with
you, I've found both the ship and her
German officers more detestable than
imagined could be possible. l heard
Captain Engelberg call you pirate
just now" She laughed again. II don't
know If you are that or what you are.
but anyway, I'm sure your regime will
! be an improvement"
"Your comfort. MISS will be a thing
that shall look after most narrowly
| You give me word the first time a
steward neglects you or your room or
the cook doesn't dish up to your taste.
and then stand by to see me make
that man hop. AS regards being a
pirate there are extenuatng circum-
stances about the way l had to come
aboard here which even a stipendiary
magistrate couldn't overlook and any
way, as chief officer of the Norman
Towers have to bring back coal to
my own captain, let the opposition he
what it may. AS regards personal mat
ters I've pretty we'll squared them up
already, except that I've still got to at
tend to that man who stood beside you
near the poop staff and Knocked at my
boat when she was being left behind.
You must understand, miss. that I
don't allow any man living to laugh
at me- ~ ASH
But I'm not man. So you will let
me laugh, won't you? Your mistake Is
so funny II it wasn't for the man
you're speaking of you wouldn't be on
board here at all. and the Rhein would
be some considerable number Of miles
farther along her way"
"1'm afraid don't understand"
"Well, he is Scot-a Mr.. McTodd
and he and I are the only non-Ger.
mans on board I'm afraid we are
neither of us popular, but gather he
is pretty actively disliked. You see,
he's In the stoke-hold, and according
to his own account), he undertook to
teach the ships company boxing"
Him." said Mr.. Kettle, bristling.
''Fancieo himself with his hands, does
he? AHd the engine-room officers
didn't know how to keep discipline?
1t was about time I came to teach
them"
"You might take into account the
small item that in all probability he
saved your life the lady suggested.
Tim afraid I'm no engineer, but per
haps you can tell me If there Is thing
called thrush"
[ Thrust blocks, yes, miss"
well Mr.. McTodd left me with de-
signs that we're connected with the
thrust, and shovel full Of ashes and
'nutting her up tight. Frankly, the
technicalities we're quite beyond me,
and very likely I've reported them in
accurately. Also there are moments
when McTodd's best Pollokshields &C.
cent is completely outside my grasp"
Speaks as If he had no roof to his
MOUTH"
Precisely And SO beyond the fact
that his scheme was calculated TO give
pain to the engineer staff, and to
bring the machinery to a standstill,
| ID