Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-04-07
S Game
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915, by the McCkre
Newspaper Syndicate.

When Captain Jabez Bebee Of Mar
blehead launched his new brig he
named her the Jane Bebee after his
wife, who had sailed with him for
many a voyage and was almost as good
sailor as he was. The first voyage
of the new brig was to a certain South
American country, ruled by dictator,
who carried things with high hand
for five or six years and got away with
lump of money just in time to avoid
| the revolution that his corrupt prac-
tees had evoked. The craft arrived
after a fine run and was waiting to
haul into the wharf when an official
came aboard and demanded a bonus of
! $1,000 for permission to land the cargo.
This was in addition to customs dues
and port charges and was directly from
Don Castro. 1t was blackmail pure
and simple, and Aunt Jane, as the cap
tain's wife was generally called, said
to her husband:
"Jabez Bebee, we won't pay it, and
you tell him so straight from the
shoulder. No, not blessed penny
The captain braced up and became
defiant and Don CastrOs messenger
was sent away with a flea in his ear.
1t was the general opinion that the die
tator would wilt. But the brig was
held in the harbor for forty eight
hours on one pretenSe or another and
was forbidden to haul into the wharf
or set sail for another port. Then
Jabez Bebee went ashore prepared to
assert and maintain that the govern
ment represented by the eagle would
stand no triHing with one Of it's rep
resentatives from Marblehead and in
command Of a new brig which had
logged off seven knots an hour with
her yards checked in. He had his
| thunder duly prepared and his light
ming handy by, but he struck snag
almost at once. Don Castro was a man
, who would not stop to bluff the COM
bined powers of the world if there had
+ been $500 in sight for him. The willy
= old rascal also thoroughly understood
: statecraft and the number of years
0 that would slip by while the offended
e government was making an official in
: vestigation into one of his acts, official
: Or private.
: "Pay me a thousand dollars and you
can land your cargo" was his answer
Q to Captain Bebee.
t Captain Bebee came aboard with a
4 long face, and in reply to his wifes
d query he explained what had taken
place ashore. The matter was talked
over for an hour, and it was finally
decided that the captain should 60
ochn fysVy f, 1Y1r1 Hoc
tro off for a smaller sum. If he plead
ed poverty and INDUCED in no further
] bluffs it was hoped that the dictators
heart might be softened into accepting
about 5000. 1t was about o'clock
when he was pulled ashore again, and
two hours later word was sent us by
Don Castro that Captain Bebee was in
jail on the very serious charge of try
ing to bride the very highest officials
Of the country. When Aunt Jane had
got the situation straight in her mind
she promenaded up and down with he1
- lips puckered up. At the end of about
ten minutes she walked up to the mate
with her face as hard as stone and
, said
, "Look here Samuel Davis Smithers
are you a man or scarecrOW"
4 "I'll stand by you in any plan you've
= got" replied the mate.
/ "And how about the rest of emp"
t They'll follow me to a man.
= The crew was called aft, and Aun
= Jane detailed her plan. AS result
3 they lifted anchor and sailed out OF
= the harbor about an hour before sun
Y down. The brig ran down the coas
= fourteen miles and came to anchor IL
bay resorted to by the dye craft, ant
{ all that night every man of the crew
k was kept hard at work. While thu
o carpenter cut gun ports in the bul
s warks for four guns on a side mel
e went ashore and brought off eight log
: to represent cannons. These wer
e stripped Of their bark, painted blacl
I and rudely mounted, and, though th
e sailors were bunglers at the business
IT they gave the Jane Bebee a man-o1
IS war look to make you thrill. We've
20 from a distance of half a mile til
n Quaker guns looked ready to spOU
:, flame and smoke and round shot a
big as beer kegs, and Aunt Jane rul
s bed her hands and smiled and sai(
IS ''Now for the rest of it,
S. One of the crew had a drum anG al
70 other a fife and third cOncertin;
r. and they were tOlled off as the ban'
m From the Stop chest and fOcastle the
got enough garments to rig up a doze
dummies and make them fast to IL
ga bulWarks here and there, and they 81
sail on their return to the pOr
Straight up the harbor sailed the JaI
WV Bebee an hour after sunrise, but 81
", was barely broadside to the town al
her anchor down before boat pullC
in, off from the mob with a flag Of tru;
TO flying In that boat sat Captain Bebe