Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-29


reading aloud from the column %
Social lettings" in the Ounce Harbor
Weekly Echo.
Our genial neiGhbor, Captain Bar
nabas Fish, spent Thursday in the
great metropolis. ! read at last.
Trash snorted Maria. popping a
pan of cookies into the oven and flying
back to the table to grease another
pan.
Its true" / remarked mildly, for l
found the Echo fascinating in the
extreme. for it carelessly tossed halo
Of adventure or romance about the
most trivial facts of daily life in the
little Long Island village.
That's as il may be-" retorted Maria
grimly, "but faint no news to nobody
that the cap'n went to the city. Every
Tom. Dick and Harry in town saw
him go of on the stage. and those that
didn't was up to the station loating
around when the train went"
True" l murmnred, but it does
sound SO impressive when one reads
that Captain Barnabas went to the
great metropolis Its much more
suggestive than plain New York or
the city"
You air romantic. Miss Telham."
Maria wagged her head severely at
me- You can see romance in almost
nothing. Mebbe you can find a speck
of rosy color in the fact that Rarpabas
met that old scamp, Ananias Slime, in
| New York and has invited him down
TO Ounce Harbor for SPELL"
"Ananias Sline-here"' / cried joy
fully. "Oh, Maria. isn't that too splen-
did! Just think of hearing his yarns
at first hand instead of having the
captain relating them!'
More lies, Miss Telham. don't
encourage Barnabas in repeating those
old yarns of his shipmate"
HAS Mr.. Slime any relatives? ask.
ed. with interest.
Has a sister somewhere who dress
makes for living and l reckon pro-
vides home for him when he's ashore
He was married once and had a wife
but hear she ran away and left him
because he was SO mortal mean and
stingy. don't blame the woman
Most any human being would get tired
of living with google eyed Goldfish"
"A google eyed Goldfish. Oh, Maria
is be as homely as that?" gasped.
Judge for yourself. Here be comes!'
said Maria simplify as she threw of
her gingham apron and marched int
the front hail. Come along. Miss Tel
ham. You'll have to talk to him Will
I'm getting dinner"
Maria's bark was always worse thai
her bite. So it proved in this particu
lar instance when she greeted the dap
per little man whom her husband in
troduced.
Maria, let me interduce my oil
shipmate. Ananias Slime. Ananias
shake hands with my wife. Ha. hum!
The captain smiled delghtedy as Ma
ria gave pleasant greeting to the iitt
man, who did bear a striking resem
blance to the google eyed Goldfish tina
Maria had so graphically described.
PLEASED to meet you." grunted Ana
MAS. bobbing his long head first at Ma
: ria and then at me. At last. with
great effort. as if-the mere formalitie
of conversation caused him agony, b
muttered. Nice day"
Pretty fair, considering that th
winds in the east" retorted Maria. ''
guess I'll leave you to talk to Miss Tel
ham, Mr. Slime, while / tend to din
, ner. Captain, can you clean then
! I fish nOw:'
Course" assented the captain cheer
lily as he picked up Mr.. Shines shin,
black bag and left 1t at the foot o
the stairs. Make yourself comforts
t BILE. Ananias, Smoke If you want to
Miss TeIham don't mind"
Really, don't object" said.
"I'ye given up smoking" he said so
EMMY.
, Indeed? Since when?"
, About an hour ago. I've taken
a position in the bank" said Anania:
!. turning a 6shy eye toward me, "a pc
4 sitiou of trust"
g How very nice. You mean In th
Ounce Harbor bapk:"
4 "Yes'm."
r pondered carefully what positio
a of trust might he unified in the yillag
a bank.
At that moment Captain Barnaba
drifted on to the porch and sat dow
in his old hickory chair.
|. "Ananias been telling you about b
s good iub:" he asked.
Yes. isn't it spleDdid:"
!. Fine Rollins has been talkin
g about taking on janitor there-sai
he could act as night Waterman. too
4 and | thought to myself that Ananif
was the man for the job. and be &,
It too
Ananias shot a sly glance at m
y Thanks to the captain be mu
a INJURED
"Oh. ! happen to be one of the stoc
\. holders" explained the captain.
I Then Mr.. Slime will live in Quinn
n. Harbor." remarked
Hes going 10 board with the WI
ow RoweIl. She'll make him almigh
comfortable" chuckled the captain.
}, Dinners ready" interrupted Mari
n. appearing in the doorway to lead US
he dining room.
II was directly after dinner tn
d Ananias Slime disappeared For thr
a hours We searched high ana low l