The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-11-05
CHAPTER NV.

The crews of the Aphrodite and the Bodega slept late, for they were weary and. fortunately, no calls for a tug came into the office of the Red Stack company all morning. About len o'clock Dan Hicks and Jack Fla herty breakfasted and about ten thirty both met in the office. Appar- ently they were two souls with but 8 single though. for the right hand of each sought the shelf whereon re- posed the blue volume entitled s'Lloyd's Register" Dan Hicks reached it first, carried it to the coun- ter, wet his tarry index finger and started gurning the pages in vain l search for the American steamer Yankee Prince. Presently he looked up at Jack F1aherty. "Flaherty.' he said, 'I think you're 8 lar.'
 ''The same to you and many of them," Flaherty replied, not a bit abashed. You said she was an eight thpusand-ton tramp"
 1T never went so far as to say I'd been aboard her on trial trip, though and did cut down her tonnage, showin l got the fragments of a con- science left" Hicks defended himself
 -He-clcsed the book with a sigh and placed it back on the shelf, jusS as the door opened to admit no less a parsonage thah Bartholomew McGuf- fey. late chief engineer. first assist art. second assistant. third assistant, wiper, oiler, water-tender and stoker of the s. s. Maggie. With a brief nod to Jack FIaherty, MT. McGuffey ap preached Dan Hicks.
 T been lookin' for you, captain" he announced. Say, I hear the chief O the AphrodiGe's goin' to take a three months layoff to get shet of his rheumatism. Is that straight ?"
 ''I believe it is. McGuffey.'
 Well. say, I'd like to have a chance to substitoot for him. You know my capabilities, Hicks, an if it would be -cr lIn fn to chief your recommendation would go a long way toward landin' me the job. I'd sure make them engines be-
 What vessel have you been on lately?" Hicks demanded cautiously for the knew MT. McGuffey's repusa- tion for non-reliability around pay day.
 T been with that freshwater scav- engerA Scraggs, in the Maggie for Did you quit or did Scraggs fire you? ?"
 He fired me- McGuffey replied honestly. 'If he hadn't I'd have quit. so it's a toss-up. Comin' in from Halfmoon bay last night we got in below the Cliff house.
 This is interesting" Jack Flaherty rnurmured. You say she walked ashore on you, McGuffed? Well, I'll
 ''she did. scraggs blamed it on me, Flaherty. He said I didn't obey the signals from the bridge. one word mad an ordered me off his ship. 1 We'll, it's his shfp-or 1t was his ship | for I'll bet a dollar she ground to tpnwder by now-so all I could do was obey; I hoped overheard an | waded ashore. I suppose all my | clothes an things is gone by now. | left everything aboard an had to bor- row this outfit from Scab Johnny" I !, you understand, Captain Hicks, just how bad I need that job I spoke about a minute ago."
 "I think 1t over. Mac, an let you know" Hicks replied evasively.
 MT. McGuffey, sensing his defeat retired forthwith to hide his embar- l rassment and distress as the door closed behind him, Hicks and Flaher- | ty faced each other.
 l Jack" quoth Dan Hicks, "can two toWboat men, holdin' down S200 jobs
 an presumed to have been out O their swaddin' clothes for at least 30 years, afford to be laughed off the San Francisco waterfront ?" l "I know one of them that can't Dan. At the same time, can rat like Phineas P. Scraggs and a beach, comber like his mate Gibney make 8 pair of star-spangled monkeys out of said two towboat men and get away | with it ?''
 They did that last night Still. I've
 known monkeys that would fight sn
 was human enough to settle grudse Follow me. Jack
 Together they repaired to Jackson street bulkhead. Sure enough, there lay the Maggie, rubbing her bIistered sides against the bulkhead. Captain
 Scraggs was nowhere in sight, but | Mir. Gibney was at the winch, swing l ing ashore the crates of vegetable: | which The Squarehead and three
 longsh bremen loaded into the cargo net.
 We're outnumbered." Jack Fla herty whispered Lets wait unti
 she's unloaded an G3bney an Scragg
 are aboard alone"
 They retired, without having at
 tracted the attention of MT. Gibney.
 Promptly at ~12 o'clock the long
 shoremen knocked off work for tn drifted across the street to cool hi
 parched throat with steam beer While waiting for Sccaggs to come LII out of the engine room, and take hin to lunchean, MT. Gibney sauntered af and was standing gazing refiectivel. . upon a spot on the Maggie'S sterl where the hawsers had chafed ava, the paint, when suddenly his fore bodings of evil returned to him thousand fold stronger than they hat | been since ScraggS' return to the lit
 tie ship. He glanced up and behel, gazing down upon him Captains Jacl F'laherty and Daniel Hicks. Battl knew it; wherefore he determined . Instantly to meet it lake a man. s "Howdy. me-" he saluted them {. Glad to have you aboard the yacht and he stepped backward to giv :. himself fighting room.
 } tContinued Monday.) , 7 Wheat crop of inc 2e 1eadne ubea