, 1913-06-26

part owner or berands,- nneiaou IN
terrupted.
$50 she said" the irate skipper dash
ed on. But she had no papers to
show for it. How was 1 to know7
And then she's hired them drunken
loafers, three of the worst scoundrels
10 quid a month each-what dye
think Of that? And sailed away with
them too! Phew! You might give me
a drink. The missionary won't mind
I've been on his teetotai hooker four
days now, and I'm ~perishing."
DIR. Welshmere nodded in reply to
Sheldon's look of inquiry, and viabur1
was dispatched for the whisky and 3D.
phons.
at is evident, Captain Oleson." Shell
don remarked to that refreshed mari
ner, 'that Miss Lakeland has run away
with your boat. Now please give q
plain statement Of what occurred"
Fright o. Here DEF I'd just come
In on the Flibberty. She was IN board
before I dropped the hook-in that
whaleboat Of hers with her gang of
Tahiti heathens, that big Adamu
Adam and the rest. Don't drop
the anchor, Captain Oleson,' she sang
out. 4 want you to get under way for
Poonga-Poonga.' I says, Excuse me,
Miss Lakeland and yells for'ard Let
gor
sand then we had It out. / didn't be-
lieve her. 1 didn't think you'd take
her on as a partner. and / told her as
-,S,ol nnl xuaptal rrNnf Che mot hforh
and mighty, n 1 told her i WIS old
enough to be her grandfather and that
1 wouldn't take CANNON from a chit
like her. And then I ordered her Off
the Flibberty. Captain Oleson,' she
says, sweet as you please, Nv a few
minutes to spare on you, and I've got
some good whisky over on the Emily.
Come on along. Besides, / want your
advice about this wreckng business.
Everybody says you're a c~rackerjack
sailorman'-that's what she said
'crackerjack.' And 1 went in her whale
boat, Adamu Adam steering and look
ing as solemn as a funeral.
ION the way she told me about the
Martha and how she'd bought her
and was going to float her. She said
shed chartered the Emily and was
sailing as o On as l could get the Flib-
berty under way. 1 was to sail direct
for Poonga-Poonga and II / couldn't
TAKE her word that she was your part
ner she'd get along without me and
the Flibberty. And right there's where
she fooled me.
Down in the Emily's cabin was
than fhrnn snnEc- lynaw fha~-
Fowler n Curtis n that Brahms
chap. Have n drink says she. 1
thought they looked surprised when
she unlocked the whisky locker and
sent a niger for the glasses and wa
ter monkey. But she must have tip
ped them of u~nbeknownst to me, and
they knew just what to do. Excuse
me- she says; I'm going on deck a
minute Now. that minute was half
an hour. l hadn't had a drink in ten
days.
well, anyway. at the end of the
half hOur down she came again and
tOok a good suuint at me. 'That'n do
nicely ! remembered her saying, and
with that she tool the whisky bottles
and hove them oversize through the
companionway. That's the last she
said to the three soaks, till the Mar
tina floats and you're back in Guvutu.
It'll be a long time between drinks
And h she laughed.
"She looked at me and said-not to
me, mind you, but to the soaks: It's
time this worthy man went ashore
me! Worthy man! Fowler she said,
just tell Adamu Adam to man the
whaleboat, and while he's taking Cap
tain OlesOn ashore have your boat put
me on h Flibberty. The three of
you sail with me. so pack your dun
mage. All hands got me over the side,
and 1t seems to me I went to sleep sit
ting In the stern sheets and watching
that Adamu steer. Then l saw the
Flibberty's mainsail hoisting and
heard the clank Of her chain coming
in, and ! woke up. Here, put me on
the Flibberty.' / said to Adamu. Il
put you on the beach, said he. missile
Lackalanna say beach plenty good for
you And now I've come to find out
whether I'm skipper of the Flibberty
or that chit of yours with her pirating,
heather boats crew."
Never mind, skipper. You "A take
a vacation on pay" Sheldon spoke
with more assurance than he felt. eff
Miss Lakeland, who is my partner.
has seen fit to take charge Of the Flib-
berry Gibbet, why, it is all right. As
you will agree, there was no time to
be lost If the Martha was to be got of.
1t is a bad reef, and any considerable
sea would knock her bottom out. You
settle down here, skipper, and rest up
and get the fever out of your bones.
When the Flibberty Gibbet comes
back you'll take charge again, of
course"