The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-25

lars and nifty cents a. week.!
AS a result of these conversations
Orlando began keeping count Of the
bottles Of Shagbark Oh he filed, with
the result that his imagination was
greatly inflamed. He did not arrive ct
any very definite conclusion, for he was
no hand at arithmetic and his method
of accounting was sketchy. 1t vas
hard to add: six dozen and half.
and eighty-f four. and that lot 1 made
at Meotock. and seventy two, and two
patches at Bain's Landing, and seven
Dozen" and so on. and arrive at any
precise amount, when 1t is remembered
| that Orlando's adding ran something
like seven and nine is eighteen-put
down the one and carry the eight"
but as Black Pete said. IT'S a heap of
money, JUS the same."
So they struck. They banded togeth-
or and approached Shagbark as the
boat was leaving Meotock-Black Pete
having worked it out into the current
and Orlando having the potatoes frying
in the skillet-and presented an ulti-
matum
Boss" said Black Pete. me an
'Lando, we BEEN fgurin' up. an fgger
you made about a millium dollars this
season, whilst 'Lando. he fggers you
made How much you flgger It.
'Landor
Two mines and a six and a four ana
a five in a row. startin' at the nines,"
said Orlando.
Yes, bout that much" said Black
Pete AN you don't pay us but four
dollars a week We amt goin' to stand
it no longer!"
"Aint, hey ?" asked Shagbarh. YEARLY
mo. boss, we amt" said Black Pete
I'VE aint satisfied to git four dollars,
o,,tf dn1l ~ NoII al
after week. right along"
It's gittin' too Man-u-el J. Monot-
onous," squeaked Orlando.
'Monotonous, In ft?' drawled Shay
| bark. We'll, dod wink it! maybe It Is.
I'd ought to have thought of that, II
wasn't so dod-whillixed lazy. TIL
tend to that after this After this
you'll git three dollars and seventy
five cents a week. Now git out Of
| here"
But boss cried Black Pete
cit out! I've broke the monotony.
| amt II"
| But we didn't want our pay lessen
| ed down." squeaked Orlando. I'VE
| wanted It lessened up-increased up,
| mean. Why. We'll be worse on than
| ever"
You don't know when you're well
of, anyway, so 1t don't matter" yawn-
| ed Shagbarlx, and he rolled over on the
sofa and closed his eyes. They stood
| looking at him minute or two and
then stole out of the cabin
Mice sort Of business, you am your
strikes!" said Black Pete resentfuIly
when they were outside. Mice kind of
strike you NJ up! I thought a man ret
! more money when he struck. an we
amt goin' to git SO much Next time
| I aint goin' to go into no strike with
| nobody. I'm Jus goin' TO ask for more
| payi'
| As It happened. ShagbarIz did not
bother to keep his word, and the
| wages Of his cook and his crew remain
ed at four dollars. but they reached
Muscatine in an unpleasant mood. They
had visions Of huge piles of greenbacks
stored away by the mercenary Shay
bark at their expense. and when Shay
bark decided to shore up the Euripides
and remain at Muscatine all winter
they set about the work unhappi1y
l While Shagbark was aware of their
| feelings, he did not worry about them
| Four dollars was what he paid. and if
| they did not like 1t they could quit
He would not need them until spring
| anyway. He and Alice could get along
well enough during the idle season.
Snoring up the Euripides was nc
small job. although Black Pete and
Orlando took several weeks to do it
1t was never safe to leave houseboat
/ or shanty- boat IN the river unless in
some protected slough. and heavy tim
bers had to be found and the boat
drawn up on the shore and raised on
a Temporary structure Of the criss-
| crossed timbers, beyond the danger OF
| the Irresistible sweep of the outgoing
ice in the spring season.
During the better weather following
the first storm, Shagbark occasionally
gave his Grand Musical Entertainment
and Anatomical Lecture. but the eve
nings were chilly and few came to the
bleak levee and the sales of OIL were
small. Not until the boat was well
shored up and a real snow had faller
did anything that could be counted q
mystery suitable for Shasbark to solve
occur. and it was then too late in the
season to attract an outdoor crowd
The problem brought him by old Bar
ney Wisdom. II noised about town
would have suff1ced to crowd the ieve,
during several summer nights. 1t wa:
, a case OF the kind In which Shagbari
would be at his best When it came
down to facts, old Barney had no proc
that Jimmy had stolen the money. al
though he had no doubt his son hat
taken it. The money was gone: there
: was nothing to pin the theft to Jimmy
. or any other person; and to find the rea
thief and the money would be to solv'
. a real mystery.
But it was too late in the season t.
profit by it, and Shagbark would hav,
, excused himself on a plea that, like g
bear, he was alternating for the win
ter, had not old Barney offered him
a fee of two hundred dollars for find
ing the stolen money. Grown mercen
airy. Shagbark could not resist this. l
would nearly pay his winter expenses