Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-14
N6 ThE MARRIAGE Or
|lRCApIAINKLT1LE -
HEN III II RomaDce0f he Sea FE
f4 gx @ Ut hYNE @'
Il Romance Mhe Sea



bridge. ~.
The little steamer, from her size,
could at the utmost afford only two
mates. But Kettle had picked from
the crew steady man who had signed
on as A. B., had added ten shillings
a month out II his own pockets to his
wages, and given him brevet rank as
third mate from sheer delight at hav-
ing an aide-de-camp at moments like
these, when the mate was on the fore
deck, and the second mate on the
poop, as by seat rubric ordained.
III you can get that chatterlng
baboon's boat underneath" continued
Kettle, "let 60 your ladder my the
run and stove him in. I'll let the son
of a dog know what's the tariff for
bringing of letters to me from ladies
don't know" -@
AYE, aye, SIR" said Smith. and ran
briskly down off the narrow bridge,
while Captain Kettle ached to think
that in spite of all his care and IN
structions the kangaroo might have
been brought up more smartly to her
mornings. And then, with his spruce
uniform fairly straining with pride, he
descended to do the honors Of his own
chart house to the port officials, and
for the first time to write 20. Kettle,
Master" at the foot Of documents.
There was one unpleasant interlude.
The Parsee managed to make his way
on board, and again proffered his "let-
ter from lady" to the new-dedged
skipper. Spanish port doctor and
Spanish port captain grinned know
ingly, and Kettle arose in his wrath
and kicked his fellow subject down
over the side.
"Quartermaster," said he, III that
man or anything else that's escaped
out. of the monkey house gets on
board again I'll disrate YOU"
The advent of the coaling company's
agent handicapped his further re-
marks, and for the next hour Captain
Kettle was immersed in the intri.
cacies of the ships business in for
eign port. And then came other
trades people and touts innumerable.
The entry of Miss Dubbs was a
marvel of quietness and discretion.
Captain Kettle gulped and collected
himself. my James," he said, you
here, miss! Whatever's gone wrong?"
Nothing, captain. Is this your
private cabin?"
ITS the chart house-yes."
and are you at liberty at any
time soon?" 49, ha. N.
'Yes-now. Here, you clear out.
My dear there must be something
gone wrong"
2 She laughed a little nervously. 81
tell you nothing has happened, except
that I've changed my job. All, there's
Sir Georges retriever Good old dog,
Rex. But haven't you got my letter?
| sent one by native In a boat ~,
"My conscience! That'll have been
what that unbaptized Parsee was jab-
bering about. No. my dear, I never
got. But If you're in trouble, OF
course you've come to the right place"
II tell you, dear, there was no real
trouble. For long time-in fact, all
the time since I've known you, captain,
I've been a good deal dissatisfied with
business in the public line, and when
pa got bit fresh with me the other
night about not serving gentleman
with another glass when I said he'd
had enough, thought it was good
opportunity to quit, and handed in my
resignation there and then on the
spot. I may tell you I'd had it in mind
ever since Sir George spoke to me-"
"My dear, you'd better tell me the
whole thing at once. What's Sir
George to do with it," ~
Hasn't he told you? Well, how
ever, 1 suppose he thought we were
too much in one another's confidence
to have any secrets. Anyway, all he
said was this, and mind, 1t was after
you had left Foston. and were working
on the Kangaroo at South Shields. as
you wrote me- He comes In one day
to the Mason's Arms, and says: Miss
Dubbs, do you know any reliable lady
who'd go out on our little steamer as
sort Of maid-companion-tew to
look after my sister? l don't want q
maid altogether, because she's got one
already who's no good for this sort OF
trip; I want something more than. a
stewardess; and want something a
bit less than the ordinary useless COM
panon.' I laughs and says / didn't
think there were many ladies yet born
who were up to all those require.
ments, and he laughs and says he
supposed they could be made. He's
always a very merry manner with
him, has Sir George, but he knows
where to stop. He's always quite the
gentleman"
"I've found that myself"
well, I said that If came across
any lady who would fulfil all his re-
quirements 1 would let him know"
"'That won't do, Miss Dubbs,' said
he. 4 sail tomorrow, and, according
to Captain Kettles calculations, our
boats going to take most pleasantly
long time to reach Grand Canary,
which Is to be our first port Of call.
My sisters got the date out of me, and
declares she's going to follow by the
mail boat, and Join at Las Palmas i
don't think she will; it's score to one
she changes her mind between now
and then; but II she doesn't, she sails
by the cape mail boat from South.
ampton today week. Now, don't
want her to go unless she has the
escort I have been describing to you,
so II you see your way to providing
the young person, just drop her line
to this address, and I shall be Infinite
ly obliged to YOU"
"Ah," said Captain Kettle, but