The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-12-08
The Green Pea Pirates
 By Peter B. kyne

You do what Glib says" McGuffey, Jrdered threateningly.F"R I got half interest in any judgment he sits agin us-an' what's more, l ob- .ect to them codfish clutterin' up my nalf interest,"
 You bullied me on the old Mag sie," Scraggs screeched, "but I won't De bullied no more. If you want to tow that barge. Mac, you buy me out lock, stock and barrel. An the price for my half interest is five thousand dol lars"
 You've sold something, scraggy," MT. McGuffey flashed back at him. obeying a wink from MT. Gibney. An here's a hundred dollars to bind the bargain. Balance on delivery of proper bill-o'-sale."
 While Scraggs was counting the money Mir -Gibney was writing re ceipt in his note book. Scraggs, still furious, signed the receipt.
 Now, then, Scraggsy,' said MT. Gibney affa bly, hustle up to the GUS tom house, get formal bill-o'-sale blank, fill her in, an hustle back again for your check. An see to it you don change your mind, because it won't do you any good. If you don't come through now I can sue you an force you to-"
 "Oh! So you're buyin my interest, eh?"
 "WelI, I'm lending Mac the money, an I got a hunch he'll sell the interest to me an Neils without figgerin on a profit You're jarrin note in the syndicate, Scraggsy, an I've come to that time O life where I want peace An there won't be no peace on the Victor unless skipper her"
 Captain scraggs departed to draw up the formal bill of sale and MT. Glib Guffey to him, favored each with a searching glance and said:
 'sGentlemen, did it ever occur to you that there's money in the chicken business?"
 It had, Both McGuffey and Neils admitted it. There are few men in this world who have not, at some period of their lives, held the same view, albeit the majority of those who have endeavored to demonstrate that fact have subsequently changed their minds.
 "I thought as much,'' the commo- dore grinned. ''If I was to let you two out O my sight for day you'd both be flat busted the day after. So we won't buy no farm an go in for chick ens We'll sell the Victor an buy little trasin' schooner. Then we'll go back to the South Seas an learn legitimate livin'."
 "But why'n we sell the Victor?" Mo Guffey demanded. "Gib, she's love of 6, boat"
  an they, knowin' me to be chummy with you an Scraggsy, give me the tip to tell you two that you could have your choice O two propositions = rate war or a sale O the Victor for ten thousand dollars That gets you out clean an saves your original cap1- tal an it gifts Scraggsy uot the same way, while nettin me an Nells hVe hundred each"
 "A rate war would ruin us," Me Guffey agreed. "In addition to sourin' Scraggsy's disposition until he wouldn't be fit to live with. Gib. you're
 q know it." MT. Gibney replied.
 Within two hours Captain Scraggs' half interest had passed into the hands of McGuffey, and half an hour later the Victor had passed into the hands of the opposition lines to be op- erated for the joint profit of the lat ter. Later in the day all four mem bers of the syndicate met in the Bow head saloon, where MT. Gibney ex- plained the deal to Captain Scraggs. The latter was dumfounded.
 You'll run without me, Gib, scraggs declared emphatically; I've had a-plenty O the dark blue for mine I got a little stake now, so I Trh going to look around an invest in
 "A chicken ranch McGuffey inter
 'Rfght-O, Bert. How'd you guess it?"
 Imagination" quoth McGuffey. tap ping his forehead, imagination, Scraggsy."
 Three weeks later MT. Gibney had purchased, for account of his now ab- breviated syndicate the kind of pow CT schooner he desired, and the in spectors gave him a ticket master. With The Squarehead as mate and MT. McGuffey as engineer and general utility man, the little schooner cleared for Pago Pago on a day when Captain Scraggs was too busy buying incuba- tors to come down to the dock and see them off
 And for aught the chronicler of this tale knows to the contrary, the syndi- cate may be sailing in that self-same schooner to this very day.
 (THE END.)