American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-03-11

The Master Wills
enemies. he saw an enemy even In hi
shadow.
At four o'clock he turned In an,
slept like a log.
In the morning he found his oppor
tunity. Fol half an hour the forecast,
/ was empty OF all saw himself. Fever
ishly he pried back the boards, fount
the brace beam, and gently laid tn,
box there. II was a mighty curiou,
looking box. Once he had stocked III
the Chinese coast from the Philip
pines, and he judged it to be Chinese
In origin. He tried to pry open the
cover and feast his eyes upon the
treasure; but under the leather ant
ivory and mother OF pearl was imper
vious steel. 1t would take an az OF
a crowbar to stir that lid. He sighed
He replaced the boards, and became
to all appearances his stolid sell
again.
But all the way down to the BAHIA.
mas he was moody, and when he an.
swered any questions It was with
words spoken testify and jerkily.
Il know whut's tn natter said
Dunkers. Hes in love-"
Shut your mouth"
Didn't ! tell yuh?" laughed the tan.
t%alizer. dancing toward the compan
ionway. "Steve's in love, r he didn't
git drunk enough on shore t. satisfy
his whales belly!"
A boot thudded spitefully against
the door jamb.
You fellahs let me alone, r I'll bash
In a couple o. heads!"
%. yuh will, will yuh?" cried Dunk.
ers from the deck. "If yuh want a
little exercise, yuh can begin on me,
yuh moonsick swab! Whut's tn matter
with yuh. anyhow? Where'd yuh git
this crouch? Whut've we done T. yuh?
HUH"
You keep out o. my way, that's all.
I'm mindin' my watches, an don't ask
no odds of you buffers. What If I have
a crouch? Is 1t any o. your business?
All right. When we step ashore at
tn Bahams. Mister Jim Dunkers.
I'll tear the ropes put o. your pulley
blocks. But till we git there, you t.
tn upper bunk an me T. mine"
Leave tn oil crouch alone, Jim.
Tn mate won't stand for no scrappin'
aboard. Wen have tn thing done
right IN tn custom sheds. Wen have
a finish fight, Queensberry rules, an
may tn best man win"
I'm willin'," said Jim.
Som l." agreed Steve. But his in.
tentions were not honorable. He pro-
posed to desert before any fight took
place. Not that he was physically
afraid; no; he wanted to dig his
hands deep into those doubloons and
pie~ces-of-eight.
So the four days down passed other
wise u~neventfully. amid paint pots and
ron rust and three meals a day of
pork, onion soup. potatoes. and strong,
bitter coffee. The winds became light
and balmy and the sea blue and gem
tie, The men went about In their
undershirts and dungarees, barefooted.
or course the coming fight was the
main topic OF conversation. 1t prom
ised to be a rafting good scrap, for
both men were evenly matched, and
both had kick" In either hand. Even
the captain took a mild interest in the
AFFAIR. He was an old sailor. He knew
that there was no such word as arbi-
tration In a sailors vocabulary; his
disputes could be settled only in one
manner. by his calloused fists.
When the old mudhook land some
day Steve was going to buy IL and
hang 1t over the entrance of the Gil
son house) slithered down into the
smiling waters OF the bay. Steve con-
cluded that discretion was the better
part of valor. He would steal ashore
on the quarantine tug which lay along
side. He was willing to fight under
ordinary circumstances, but he mus
get his treasure in safety first. They
could call him a welcher II they
wanted to; devil a bit did he care. So
he pried back the boards OF his bunk
wall. took out the box. eyed IL fondly,
and noted for the first time the let.
tering on Il:
STANLEY HARGREAvE.
He wrinkled his brow In the effort
to recall a pirate by this name. but
was unsuccessful. No matter. He
Rugged the box under his coat and
made for the gsngway, and lnadyer
tently ran into his enemy.
bunker caught a bit OF the box
neeping from under the. coat