The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-01-20

nounceu. YET can opener, GlD, my
boy"
Ginseng, for thousand" mourned
Mr.. Gibney. "Scraggsy, you're FIVE
dollars of my money to the good. Gin
seng always comes packed in alright
boxes"
He produced can opener from the
cabin locker and fell to his work on a
corner of the Theoretically sealed box.
AS he drove in the point of the can
opener. he paused, hammer in hand,
and gazed solemnly at Scraggs and
McGuffey.
/ Gentlemen (again McGufey
nodded approyingly) "do you know
what vacuum ISL"
II know" replied the imperturbable
McGuffey. "a vacuum is an empty
hole that amt got nothin' in it."
! Correct" said Mr.. Chimney. "My
head is vacuum. Me ta1kin' about
ginseng root! Why, ] must have wa
goned It's opium!"
Captain Scraggs was forced to grab
the seat of his chair in order to keep
himself from jumping up and clasp
ing Mr.. Gibney around the neck.
/ Forty dollars a pound" he gasped.
"Gib-Gib, my dear boy-you've made
us wealthy
Quickly Mr.. Gibney ran the can
opener around the edges of one corner
of the zinc box, inserted the claws of
the hammer into the opening, and
with quick, melodramatic twist, bent
back the angle thus formed.
Mr.. Gibney was the first to get a
peep inside.
Great snakes" he yelled, and fell
back against the cabin wall. A hoarse
scream of rage and horror broke from
Captain Scraggs. In his eagerness he
had driven his head so deep into the
box that he came within an inch of
kissing what the box contained--which
happened to be nothing more nor less
than dead Chinaman! Mr. McGuf-
fey, always slow and unimaginative,
shouldered the skipper aside, and
4 calmly surveyed the CHASTITY appari-
ton.
"Twig the yellow beggar, will you,
Gib?' said MeGuffey; zone eye half
open for all the world like he was
winkin' at us an enjoyin' tn joke"
Not a muscle twitched in McGuf-
fey's Hibernian countenance. He
scratched his head for moment, as
sort Of first aid to memory, then
turned and handed Mr.. Gibney ten dol
lars.
you win, Glib. It's Oriental goods,
sure enough"
"Robber!" shrieked Captain Scraggs
and flew at Mr. Gibney's throat. The
sight reminded McGuffey of a terrier
worrying a mastiff. Nevertheless, Mr.
Gibney was still so unnerved at the
discovery of the horrible contents of
the box that, despite his gigantic pro-
portions. he was well-nigh helpless.
''McGuffey, you swab," he yelled.
"Pluck this maritime outlaw off my
neck He's tearin' my windpipe out
by tn roots"
| McGuffey choked Captain Scraggs
until ne reluctantly let go Mr.. Gibney
whereupon all three fled from the cab
/ in as from pestilence, and gathered
an angry and disappointed group, out
on deck.
"opium!'' jeered Captain Scraggs,
with tears of rage in his voice Gin
seng! You and your Imagination, you
swine, you'll Get off my ship. you lout,
or I'll murder you"
/ MIR. Gibney hung his head.
/ "Scraggsy- you, too, McGufey-
/ got to admit that this here is one on
Adelbert p. Gibnev. IL"
/ "Oh, hear him. shrilled Captain
Scraggs zone on him! It's two on
you, you bloody-handed ragpicker. /
suppose that other case contains
opium, tool If there amt another
dead corpse in No. case hope my
teeth may drop overheard
"Shut upr' beloved Mr.. Gibney. in
towering rage. what howl have
YOU got comm? They're my China
men, amt they? / paid for 'em like
man, didn't I? All right, then. TIL
keen them two Cinnamon. You two
amt out a cent yet, an as for this
five wins off you, Scraggs, it's blood
money that's what it is. an I hereby
| gives it back to you. Now, quit yer
whinin', or by the tail o. the Great
Sacred Bull, TIL lock you up all night
in tn cabin along.o' them two defunct
Celestials."
I Captain Scraggs shut up" prompt
". and contented himself with glover
ing ar Mr.. Gibney. The mate sat
down on the hatch coanling, lit his
pipe, and gave himself UP to medita-
ton for fully FIVE minutes, at the end
( of which time McGuffey was aware
that his Imagination was about 70
come to the front once more.
well, gentlemen" (again McGuf-
few nodded approvingly) Il bet l get
s. my twenty bucks back outer them two
d Chinks." he announced presently.
"How'll yer do it?" inquired McGuf-
fey POLITELY.
How'll i do It? Easy as fallin'
through an open hatch. Pm a-goin'
T. keep them two stiffs in tn boxes
until dark. an then I'm a-goin' to take
em out, bend rope around their
middle, drop 'em overheard an anchor
Fem there all night. / see tn Lad we
opens up in No. case has had a beau.
|, tiful job of embalmin' done on him,
but if let them soak all night, like
. | a mackerel, they'll timber mp an look
, kinder fresh. Then first thing In TIL
i morniD' I'll telephone tn, coroner an
I tell hun / found two fioaters out in
, tn bay an for him to come an gel