The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-27

within the hour was aboard the
schooner Rose Of Sharon. Two hours
later they tOwed out with the tide.
Poor McGuffey was stunned when
he heard the news that night from
Scab johnny. When he retailed the
information to Scraggs next morning,
Scraggs was equally perturbed. He
guessed that McGuffey and Gibney
had quarreled and he had the. poor
judgment to ask McGuffey the cause of
the row., Instantly, McGuffey informed
him that that was none Of his dad
fetched business-and the incident was
closed. -~--.,-7---.
The three months that followed were
the most narrowing of McGuffey's life.
Captain Scraggs knew his engineer
would not resign while he, Scraggs,
owed him three hundred dollars ;;
wherefore he was not too particular
to put bride on his tongue when
things appeared to 80 wrong. McGuf-
fey longed to kill him, but dared not.
When, eventually, the railroad had
been extended sufficiently far down
the coast to enable the farmers to
haul their goods to the railroad in
trucks, the Maggie automatically
went out Of the green-pea trade;
simultaneously, Captain Scraggs' note
to McGuffey fell due and the engineer
demanded payment. Scraggs de-
INJURED, pleading poverty, but Mr.. Nc
Guffey assumed such a threatening at
titude that reluctantly Scraggs paid
him hundred and fifty dollars on ac-
count, and McGuffey extended the bal
ance one year-and quit.
"See that you got that hundred and
fifty an the interest in your jeans
the next time we meet" he warned
Scraggs as he went oversize.
Time passed. For month the Mag
gle piled regularly between Bodega
bay and San Francisco in an endeavor
to work up some business in, farm and
dairy produce, but gasoline schooner
cut in on the run and declared rate
war, whereupOn the Maggie turned her
blunt nose riverward and for a brief
period essayed some towing and gener-
al freighting on the Sacramento and
San Joaquin. 1t was Improbable,
however, and at last Captain Scraggs
was forced to lay his darling little
Maggie up and take job as chief
officer Of the ferry steamer EncinaI,
plying between San Francisco and Oak
land. In the meantime, Mr.. McGuf-
fey, after two barren months ION the
beach," landed job as second assist
ant on Standard Oil tanker running
to the west coast, while thrifty Neils
Halvorsen invested the savings Of ten
years in bay scow known as the Will
lie and Annie, arrogated to himself
the title Of captain, and proceeded to
freight hay, grain and paving stones
from Petaluma.
The old joyous days Of the green
pea trade were gone forever, and many
night, as Captain Scraggs paced
the deck Of the ferryboat, watching
the ferry tower loom into view, or the
scattered lights along the Alameda
shore, he thought longingly of the odd
Maggie, Laid sway, perhaps forever, and
slowly rotting in the, muddy waters, of
the Sacramento. And he thought Of
Mr.. Gibney, too, away off under the
tropic stars, leading the care-free life
Of real sailor at last. and Of Bar
tholomew McGuffey. imbibing "pulque"
in the "cantina" of some disreputable
cafe. Captain Scraggs never knew
how badly he was going to miss them
both until they were gone, and he had
nobody to fight with except Mrs.
Scraggs and when Mrs. Scraggs Ito
quote Captain Scraggs) slipped her
cable" in her fortythird year Captain
Scraggs felt singularly lonesome and
in u mood to accelt eagerly any
deviltry that hight offer. :.
Upon a night. which happened to
be Scraggs' night off. and when he
was particularly lonely and inclined
to drown his sorrows in the BOwllead
saloon, he was approached by Scab
Johnny. and invited to repair to the
latter's dingy Office for the purpose of
discussing what Scab Johnny guard
eddy referred to as proposition"
Upon arrival at the Office, Captain
Scraggs was introduced to small.
tierce-looking gentleman of tropical ap-
pearance, who owned to the name Of
Don Manuel Garcia Lopez. Scab John
ny first pledged Captain Scraggs to
absolute secrecy, and made him swear
by the honor of his mother and the
bones Of his father not to divulge a
word Of what he was about to tell him.
Scab Johnny was short and to the
point. He stated that, as Captain
Scraggs was doubtless aware, II he
perused the daily papers at all, there
was a revolution raging in Mexico.
His friend, Senior Lopez, represented
the under-dogs In the disturbance. and
was anxious to secure ship and n
nervy sea captain to land shipment
of arms in Lower California. 1t APP
peareG that at sale of condemned
army goods held at the arsenal at
Benicia. Senior Lopez had, through
Scab Johnny, purchased two thousand
single-shot' Springfield rifles that hud
been retired when the militia regiments
took up the Kras. The krag in turn