Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-05
II his own chiefs certificate.

ocean, and he was too blind to care.
Yes, and can bring witnesses to prove
It. You can bet the hands hate the
mate enough to swear to anything he
dislikes. after the way he's driven
them" s EE S .
,AMr. Kettle recognized the soundness
OF the argument There remained
then the alternative Of professional
ruin for either Captain Furnish or him
self, and what his superior of1cer ex-
pected Of him was clear enough.
&c. !. II you want to slip ashore
before we dock, that'l be all right.
It was frankly selfish, OF course, but
then, after all, self preservation is the
first law Of mercantile marine officers,
las 1t is Of nature), especially II the
oficers are married and have families
and no means. AS "a clenching argli.
ment, Mrs. Farnish's last words to Mr..
Kettle as he left the home where he
had been brought UP, leaked back to
his memory: 4, VIA n m u
owen, boy, you'll look after my old
man." %@& 's.t,%<St.
:of course, there was Miss Chester
man. Once professional ruin overlook
him., he was quite Of opinion that his
little romance with her would come TO
an undignified end. /, She was certainly
very much in love with Him sat that
period. and though he tried to per
suade himself that he was In love with
her. I do not think that his feeling
ever amounted'to that. He was . good
deal dazzled by her charm. and heewas
certainly battered by her preferences,
and lin his turn imagined that she
was attracted BY his rapid rise In his
own profession. and the prospect that
he would, with luck. be- presently stand
ing on the upper bridge OF a steamer as
full ned9ed shipmaster Mr.. Kettle,
the mate, had fill idea of the import
|ance OF the Captain Kettle that was to
Il; In the future. -
So, If he made himself scapegoat,
lit must. be an understood thing that all
hi, pretensionsS to the hand Of Miss
Violet Chesterman must vanish at
Gee. And all CHS demon suggested
to him), for the sake OF an injunction
laid on him by. that .uninteresting old
woman. Mrs. Saturday Parrish. Mr..
Kettle laughed grimly to himself: THE
old dear has. it easily, OF course"
Thereafter he, made rapid prepare.
lions. His clothes, and the poor con-
tents of his room, he packed into a
tin trunk and an antique !portmanteau
and addressed care Of Mrs. 8. Farnish
at an Questionable terrace in ;Birken-
head He strapped on "a money belt,
and In it slowed the bulk OF his capital
namely, three pound ten in gold, dis:
|tributing what remained Of sixteen and
|twopence in his waistcoat pockets; : he
slipped the German captains revolver
that spolia opima-into back peck
ct. where it nestled very kindlyr-and,
after. an effort in arithmetic, he in
closed nine and sixpence in an en-
|velope addressed to the chief steward
in payment, Of his beer and tobacco
account for the voyage.
His method OF getting into shore
boat was mastery In Its simplicity. He
went into the wheel anginehouse,
waited his opportunity, and then clap.
ned a heavy spanner in between the
|helical cogs Of the drive, The sturdy
little engines hicconghed and stopped.
and the helm (Which was hard over at
the time) caused the Norman Towers
to make q! most alarming sheer across
the fairway.
On the upper bridge the Point
Lynas pilot in panic rang his main
engines to "full speed astern," and the
Norman Towers shivered and l"rched
herself to a sudden standstill in the
middle OF p lakelet|of muddy foam.
TO her shot up a small open boat. I'M
der lug-sail and lib. attracted by an
arm wave from the mate. The two
shabby men in her looked up keenly.
Mr.. Kettle. the mate, with q rope In
his hand. clapped his feet against the
ship's side. and. ran down 1t nimbly to
the boat, jumping on to her g,,nwale
exactly as she rounded UP alongside.
you're ninpy." said the shabby
man at the ttller as he shot the boat
into the wind. ta -.
II am. Now, away with you ashore.
my lad. and drop me At the nearest
telegraph once" "
"Got the price Of your passage on
your"
"You can put it down to the firm.
r guess it's for their benefit 1 hailed
YOU"
Seems to me there's trouble on
hoard. The old junk don't steer.
EuOIc lie Ol0t AoA al thO wy oSSAA
laying down the time o. day to the
rilot. and that bit Of skirt on the poop's
holdin, out beseechin' arms to some one
in this boat that don't thinks me.
Mister, by your leave, I'm going to run
alongside again to see II the Arm
ashore will really o.. K. your bus fare
to that telegraph ONCE, or II there's
some one who'll give q bit more to
have YOU nut back on board. Hi, mis-
ter. put that down"
MI. Kettle, armed with stretcher,
was standing up in the boat. Said he:
III either Of you two ducks don't carry
out my orders exactly as they're given,
ri knock one or both Of You over
board. and sail your rotten old tub
myself. Dye hear me?"s
]. II suppose lido"
"say, sir when you're speaking to
in onicer. Dye know your course, or
sh. III I set 1t for you?"
. "The Gibbs making pretty hard still,
but it'll be slack water before we're
across mum le-mumble-"so I'd
better take you on to Foston, SIR
0vT,a,, ~ ov,o ~ ~ }an'f fh<s r1oareef - 4