Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-09-12

ANF " NAtAOA~.
Presently the windIass crcaked and
shrilled, and the blobby links. much III need
of tar paint. red a. fi~h giIs. clatiered
down into the bow. Sometimes they
painted the chain a it came over: but
paint was costly, and this was done only
when the anchor threatened to stay on the
bottom.
There was a sailor among this crew. and
he went by the name 90 Steve Blossom
and hew rs one Of his KIM. 4 grimv dime
novel protruded rakishly from his hin
pocket, and his right cheek was swollen
a. with the ~toothache, due. probably. ~
q generous "chaw" Of Seaman's Delight.
Tie was a real tobacco chewcr. for H.
rarely spat. Tie was as peaceful a ba-x-
water In summer: non-argumentativc and
passive. he stood his watch in fair weather
and foul.
No one gave the anchor any more ~
~tention after it come to rest. The great
city over the way wa fairy like in ~
haziness and transparity. II was the
poetry of angles, of shafts and spars of
stone: and Steve Blossom, having a mo-
ment To himself. leaned against the rail
and stared regretfully. He had been gen
erously drunk the night before, and il was
a pleasant recollection. Chance led hiS
glance 10 trail Town the cutwater. His
neck stretched from his collar like a tur-
ties from is she'll.
"Wcll, III be horn,wogclcdr NJ mur-
.uprrnI Ehtftsn3w L.. - g. LII
port.
Caught on the fluke of the anchor was
the strangeSt looking box he had ever laid
eyes on. There was leather and steel
bands and diamond shaped ivory and
mother Of pearl, and it hung i~auntilv on
the point Of the rusty fiukc. Anybody
would be hornswoggled to glimpse such n
droll jest of fate. On the fluke of the
old mndhook. by u hair, YOU might say. I'm
all the wild sea yarns he had ever read
or heard there wa nothing 10 match this.
TREASURED
And Steve was destined never Ia D.
passive again. His first impulse was 20
call his companions: his second impulS.
was to say nothing al all, and wait for nm
opportunity to get the box TO his bunk
without being detected. TREASURED Dia-
mond~ and ruhic~ and pearls and old
Spanish gold; all hanging 10 the fluke of
tie anchor.
"liornswogglcdr" in - kind of aweSo,n.
whisper TIM time. "An' we a-headin' frr
tn Bahama~r' For under his feet ~
could hear the rhythm Of the engines.
"Nhat1l do. II ! leave 1t, some one el-c
will see H." lie scratched his chin pei-
plexedly: and the cud went back to star
board. 81 got it,
He took off his coat and carefully
dropped Il down over the mysterious, box.
Y wa growing darker and darker All the
time. and shortly neither coat nor anchor
would be visible without close scrutiny.
Treasure. greed. cupidity. crime. Steve
saw only the treasure and not its camp
followers. What did they call them?
douhloon~ and pieces of-cight7
"" ate his supper with hi me>smates.
and he ate heartily ~ usual. II would
have taken something more vital than mere
treasure to disturb Steve Blossoms an
petite. He was one Of those enviable IN
diridual~ whose imaginafions and gastric
Juices work M the same time. And while
ate he planned. In the first place. he
would buy that home al Bedford: Their he
would take over the old Gibson house and
live like a lord. II he wanted a drink: all
ne would have 10 do would be 10 turn the
>Pigot or TN a bottle; and more than that.
he'd have a bartender 10 ID II. Onions,
tie swore he would not have an onion
within a mile Of the ellison house.
Onions. Quite unconsciousiy he spoke
this word aloud.
"Huh Well, if We don't like onions.
imd a hooker thatp ackS violets in her
hold" was the cheerful advice ~ the man
ia Stoves elbow.
Who's talkin' TO yous" grunted Steve.
"Wha' did | sayf"
Onions. " lubhcrl Don't We know
N hut onions IS. Amt we smell '.m -
that Ne could stick YER nose IN tn
~iarboard light an never smell no kern
senef Onions! Pass tn cavity"
Steve helped himself first. The man
who spoke bunked over hun. and they
were not ON the best Of terms. There wa
=" real reason for thi~ frank a-ntagonism;
SIMPLY. they did not splice rnv more ~.
l'ctualiy than cotton rope and hpmn
~riire. Sailors are moody and >upcr>t,tions
81 least they generally are on the hook.
err Of the captain Manner breed.
Steve wa Supcr~titiou> and Jim Dunker~
moody and had no thumb On his left
Steve hated the sight ~ that red
nuhbin. tie wa quite certain that II had
'een q whole thumb once. on the way 10
souge out somebody's eye. and had mad