The Owosso times., 1922-04-14

feebly for the benefit Of the lone ad.
venturer who sat muffied In great
coat In the stern of small boat rOwed
by two men. There was very slight
sea running, and presently the men In
the small boat, watching their oppor.
tunity by the ghostly light of the Ian.
terms, ran their frail craft In under
; the lee Of the Maggie. The figure In
| the stern sheets leaped on the instant
caught the Jacobs ladder, climbed
nimbly over the side and swore heart
| lily in very good English as his feet
. struck the deck.
whats the name of this floating
coffin? ?" he demanded in a chain-locker
voice. 1t was quite evident that even
In the darkness, where her many de
fects were mercifully hidden, the Mag
gle did not suit the special envoy Of
the Mexican insurrectos.
America steamer Maggie" said
the skipper frigidly. "Scraggs is my
name, sir. And If you don't like my
vessel"
"Scraggsy roared the special en-.
voy. "Scraggsy, for a thousand And
the old Maggie Of all boats! Scraggsy
old tarpot, your fin Duke me, you
dOggoned old salamander"
"Gib, my dear boy!" shrieked Cap
tain Scraggs and cast himself into Mr..
Gibnet's arms in a transport of Joy.
Mr.. Gitney, for 1t was indeed he,
pounded Captain Scraggs on the back
with one great hand while with the
other he crushed the shippers fingers
to a pulp, the while he called on all
the powers Of darkness to witness that
never in all his life mad he received
such pleasant surprise.
1t was indeed a happy moment. All
the old animosities and differences
we're swallowed up in the glad hand.
clasp with which Mr.. Gibney greeted
his old shipmate of the green-pea
trade. Scraggs took him below at once
and they pledged each others health.
well, I'll be keel-hauled and skull.
dragged" !" said Captain Scraggs, pro-
ducing a box of two-for-a-quarteY
cigars and handing 1t to Mr.. Gibney.
"Gib, my dear boy. wherever have yUu
been these last Dree yearsT
Everywhere replied Mr.. Gjoney.
~ have been all Cver mostly ip ?8na.
ma and the Gold coast. For two years
I've been navigat,n' officer on the Co.
lombian gunboat Bogota. When WAS
young feller I'D bitch in the navy
and become fi,st-clasS gunner, and
then l went to sea in the merchant ma-
rine, and got nv mates license, ana
when / flashed my credentials on the
president Of the United States Of Co
loInbia he give me job at "dos cient,
two hundred bucks to'd month. I've
been through two wars and got O.
medal for sinkin' flshin' smack. I
talk Spanish just like native, I don't
drink no more to speak of, and I've
been savin' my money. Some dag
when l get tho price together I'm gclsi
back to San Francisco, buy me nice
little schooner and go tradin' in the
South seas. How they been comm
with you, Scraggsy old kiddo?"
Lovely" repliea Scraggs. Jus,
simply grand. I'll pull ten thousand
out of this job"
Mr.. Gibney whistled shrilly through
his teeth.
That's the ticket for SOUP" he said
admiringly. 81 tell you, Scraggs, this
soldier Of fortune business may be all
right, but it don't amount to D1ucb
compared to being sailor Of fortune
eh, Scraggsy? Jusr as soon as heard
there was a revolution in Mexico quit
my job in the Colombian navy and
come north for the pickin's. ,.
No. amt been in their rotten ntts
army. Dye think l want to
go around KILN people? There
amt no pleasure settin' killed in the
mere shank Of bright and prosper
Gus life dead hero don't
gather no moss, Scraggsy. Reads all
none to me. I'm for peace every time,
SO right away as soon as l heard OF
the trouble, says I 10 myself: Thingt
has been pretty quiet In Mexico fol
twenty years, and they're due to shift
things around pretty much. Wha,
them poems need Is a man with an
imagination to help 'em out, and Il
they've got the money, Adelbert p. Glib
ney can supply the Brains So I comes
north to Los Angeles, shows the In
surrecto junta my Ioedal and my hon
orable discharges from every ship re
ever been In, includin' the gunboat BO
gotta, and talked big and swelleo
around and told 'cm to run in soms
arms and get busy. framed II all uf
for this filibuster trip you're on
Scraggsy, only J never did hear that
they'd picked on y"r. / told that cof
fee-colored rat Of Lopez man t.
hunt up Scab Johnny and he'd set hin
right, but II anybody had told me yo'
had the nerve to run the Maggie In or
this deal, Scraggsy. I'd a-called him
liar. Scraggs, you're mucho-bueno-
that is, you're ali right. I'm so used
to talkin' Spanish I forget myself
Still, there's one end of this little deaf
that I amt exactly explained to all
hands. If I'd a-known they was char
term the Maggie, I'd have blocked the
game"