The Ordway new era., 1922-06-02

he looked up at Jack Flaherty.
"F'laherty," he said. ~ think you're
liar
THE same TO you and many OF
them," F1aherty replied. not bit
abashed. you said she was an eight
thousand ton tramp"
81 never went so far as to say I'd
been aboard her on trial trip, though
and did cut down her tonnage, show
in I got the fragments of con
science left" Hicks defended himself.
He closed the book with a sigh and
placed 1t back on the shelf. just as
the door opened to admit no less
parsonage than Bartholomew McGuf-
fey, late chief engineer, first assist
ant, second assistant, third assistant.
wiper, oiler. water-tender and stoker
Of the s. s. Maggie. With brief nod
to Jack F'laherty Mr.. McGuffey ap-
preached Dan Hicks.
II been lookin' for you, captain" he
announced. "Say, l hear the chief O.
the Aphrodite's goin' to take a three
months layoff to get shet of his rheu-
matism. Is that straight"
81 believe it is, McGuffey"
"Well, say, I'd like to have a chance
to substitoot for him. You know my
capabilities, Hicks. an if 1t would be
agreeable to you TO have ME for your
chief your recommendation would go
a long way toward landin' me the Job.
I'd sure make them engines behave"
what vessel have you been on late
Typ" Hicks demanded cautiously. for
he knew Mr.. AlcGuffey's reputation for
non-reIiabiIity around pay day.
'I been with that freshwater scnven-
ger. Scraggs, in the Maggie for most
a year"
Did you quit or did scraggs fire
you?"
He fred me-" McGuffey replied
honestly. "If he hadn't I'd have quit,
so ITS q toss-up. Comm in from
Halfmoon bay last night we got in the
fog an piled up on the beach iu,
below the Cliff house"
This is interesting" Jack Flaherty
murmured. You say she walked
ashore on you, McGuffey? Well, I'll
be shot !"
"She did. Scraggs blamed 1t on me,
Flaherty. He said l didn't obey the
signals from the bridge. one word led
to another, an he went dancin' mad
an ordered me off his ship. Well, it's
his ship-or 1t was his ship, for I'll
bet a dollar she's ground TO powder
by now--so all l could do was obey.
l hoped overheard an waded ashore.
suppose all my clothes an things is
gone by now. I left everything aboard
an had to borrow this outfit from
Scsb Johnny" He grinned. pathetical-
ly $50 l guess you understand, Cap
tain Hicks. just how bad I need that
sob 1 spoke about minute ago"
"Tll think it over, Mac, an let you
know" Hicks replied evasively.
Mr.. McGuffey, sensing his defeat.
retired forthwith to hide his embar-
rassment and distress; as the door
closed behind him, Hicks and Flaherty
faced each other.
Jack" quoth Dan Hicks, "can two
towbOat men, holdin' down two hun
dred-doIar jobs an presumed to have
been out O. their swaddlin' clothes for
at least thirty years. afford to be
laughed off the San Francisco water
frontr
81 knop one of them that can't,
Dan. A. the same time, can rat like
Phiness P. Scraggs and a beachcomb-
er Ike his mate Gibney make 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 an
was human enough to settle a grudge.
Follow me, Jack"
Together they repaired to Jackson
street bulkhead. Sure enough, there
lay the Maggie rubbing her blistered
sides against the bulkhead Captain
Scraggs was nowhere in sight. but Mr..
Gibney was at the winch, swinging
ashore the crates of vegetables which
The Squarehead and three longshore-
men loaded into the cargo net.
''We're outnumbered," Jack Flaherty
whispered. Lets wait until she's un-
loaded an Gibney an Scraggs are
aboard alone"
They retired without having at
tidN'cu the atteitioii vi MI. piDney.
Promptly at twelve o'clock the long
shoremen knocked off work for the
lunch hour and Neils Halvorsen
drifted across the street to cool his
parched throat with steam beer.
While waiting for Scraggs to come up
out of the engine room, and take him
to luncheon, Mr.. Gibney sauntered aft
and was standing gazing ref1ectively
upon a spot on the Maggie's stern
where the hawsers had chafed away
the paint, when suddenly his fore
bodings of evil returned to him a thou
sand fold stronger than they had been
since Scraggs' return to the little ship.
He glanced up and beheld gazing
down upon him Captains Jack Fla