Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-03-24

during Mr.. Gibney's absence on his
nllDustering trip the Colombian revolu-
uonlsts had risen and struck their
blow. After the fashion of a hot
headed and impetuous people, they had
entered the contest absolutely un-
trained. As a result, the war had last
ed Just two weeks, the leaders had
been incontinently shot, and the white
winged dove of peace had once more
spread her pinions along the borders
| Of the Gold coast.
Commodore Gibney was disguised be-
| yond measure, and at a special meet
Ing Of the syndicate, called In the
cabin of the Maggie II that same eve
ming, 1t was finally decided that they
should embark on an indefinite trad
ing cruise in the South seas, or until
such time as it seemed their services
must be required to free downtrod-
den people from a tyrant's yoke.
Captain Scraggs and McGuffey had
never been in the South seas, but they
had heard that a fair margin of profit
was to be wrung from trade in copra,
shell, coconuts, and kindred tropical
products. They so expressed them
Selves. To this suggestion. however,
Commodore Gibney waved a deprecat-
ing paw.
Legitimate tradin', boys" he said,
rs nice, sane, healthy business, but
the profits is slow. What we want is
quick profits, and while It amt set
down in black and white, one of the
principal objects of this syndicate is
to lead life of Wild adventure. In
tradin', there amt no adventure to
speak Of We ought to do q little
black-birdin', or raid some Of those
Jap pearl fisheries of the northern
coast Of Formosa."
"But Wen be chased by real gun
boats If we do that" objected Captain
Scraggs. "Those Jap gunboats shoot
to kill. Can't you think of somethin'
else, Gib?"
well" said Mr.. Gibney, "for a
starter, can. Suppose we Just head
straight for Kandavu island in the FL
ifs, and scheme around for a cargo Of
black coral? It's only worth about If
ty dollars a pound Kandavu lays
somewhere in latitude % south, longi-
tude 178 west, and when l was there
last it was fair reekin' with cannibal
savages. But there's tons of black
coral there, and nobodys ever been
able to sneak In and get away with
It, Every time boat used to land at
Kandavu, the native niggers would
have a white-man stew down on the
beach, and it's got so that shippers
give the island a wide berth"
"Gib, my dear boy" chartered Cap
tain Scraggs, I'm man Of peace
and Il"
"Scraggsy, old stick-in-the-mud,"
said Mr.. Gibney, laying an affectionate
hand on the shippers shoulder, you're
nothin' of the sort. You're a fghtin'
terantula, and nobody knows it bet
tern Adelbert P. Gibney I've seen
you In action, Scraggsy. Remember
that. It's all right for you to say
you're a man Of peace and advise me
and McGuffey to keep out Of the track
Of trouble, but we know that away
down low you're goin' around lookin'
for blood, and that once you're up agin
the enemy, you never bat an eyelash.
Eli, McGuffey?"
McGuffey nodded; whereupon, Cap
tain Scraggs, making but poor ef-
fort to conceal the pleasure which Mr..
Gibney's rude compliment afforded
him, turned TO the rail, glanced sea-
ward, and started to walk away to at
tend to some trifing detail connected
with the boat falls
"All right, Glib, my lad" he said,
affecting to resign himself to the inev-
liable, "have it your own way. You're
a commodore and I'm only a plain
captain, bur I'll follow wherever you
lead. I'll go as far as the next man
and wen glom that black coral If we
have to slaughter every man, woman
and child on the island. Only, when
we're sizzlin' in a pot don't you up
and say | never warned you, because
did. How dye propose intimidatin'
the natives. Glb7"
"Scraggsy," said the commodore,
solemnly, we've waged a private war
agjn a friendly nation, licked 'em
and helped ourselves to their ship.
We've changed her name and rig and
her official number and letters and
we're sailin' under bogus papers. That
makes us pirates, and that old Maggie
burgee floatin' at the fore sin't moth
in more nor less than the jolly Roger.
All right Let's be pirates. Who
! cares? When We E4s into Mgalao
harbor we'll invite the king and his
head men aboard for dinner. Wen
get EN- drunk, clap EN- In double
irons, and surrender 'em to their weep.
in subjects when they've filed the
hold Of the Maggie II with black
coral. II they refuse to come aboard
wen shell the bush with that long
gun and the Maxim rapld-fre guns
we've got below decks. Thatll scare
EN- so they'll leave US alone and we
can help ourselves to the coral"