The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-15

| L Huc pISScu. cuuuculy uA' NAbn~S
thrilled electrically to shrill zip from
! Captain Scragss.
| "What's that?" Mr.. C4hney bawled.
II dunno. Sounds like the surf,
Glib"
| "Ain't you been on this run long
sound like nothin' else in life but
breakers?" Gibney retorted wrathfully.
! II amt certain, Glib"
| Instantly Gibney signaled McGufey
for half speed ahead.
| "Breakers on the starboard bow"
yelled Captain Scragss. "
"Port bow" The Squarehead cor
rected him.
| ooh, my great patience!" Mr.. Glib
ney groaned "They're on both bows
an we're headed straight for the
beach. Here's where we all go to the
devil together" and he yanked wildly
at the signal wire that led to the
engine room. with the intention OF
giving McGuffey four bells-the signal
aboard the Maggie for full speed
| astern. At the second jerk the wire
| broke. but not until two bells had
sounded in the engine roOm-the signal
for full speed ahead. The efficient
McGuffey promptly kicked her wide
| open, and the Fates decreed that,
having done So Mr. McGuffey should
forthwith climb the ladder and thrust
his head out on deck for a breath OF
| fresh air. Instantly chorus OF
| shrieks up on the fo'castle head at
tracted his attention to such degree
that he failed to hear the engine room
bowler as Mr.. Gibney blew frantically
| into it.
Presently, out of the hubbub for
ward, Mr.. McGuffey heard Captain
Scraggs vail franticalty: "Stop her!
For the love of heaven, stop her." In
stantly the engineer dropped back into
the engine room and set the Maggie
full speed astcrn; then he grasped the
bowler and held it to his ear.
"Stor her." he heard Gibney shrek.
"Why in bazes don't you stop her?"
, ashes set nstern, Glib. She'll ease
up In n minute"
"You know it," Gibney answered
significantly.
The Maggie climbed laZily to the
crest of long oily roller, slid reck-
lessly down the other side, and took
the following sea over her taffrail.
She still had some head on, but very
little-not quite sufficient to give her
decent steerage way, as Mr.. Gibney
discovered when. having at length CON-
municated his desires to McGuffey.
he spun the VIII eel frantically in be-
lated effort to s wing the Maggie's dirty
nose out to seal :;
Nothing doi,a'," he snarled. "She'll
have to come to complete stop before
she begins to walk backward and get
steerage way jon again. She'll bump
as sure as death an taxes"
She did-With a crack that shook
the rigging anil caused it to rattle like
buckshots in Z, pan. A terrible cry
such Il crN indeed, as might burst
from the lips; Of 4 mother seeing her
only child run down by the Limited
burst from POOR Captain Scraggs. my
ship! My ship" he llowled. my
darling little Maggie! They've killed
you, they've Killed You! The dirty
lubbcrs!"
The 'succee ding wave lifted the Mag
gle OF the b. bach, carried her In some
fifty feet fu rther, and deposited her
gently on tire sand. She heeled over
to port a li'1le and rested there as II
she was very, very weary, nor could
ali the thr eshing Of her screw In re-
verse haul her Off again. The surf,
dashing in under her fantail, had more
power th:M McGuffey's engines, and.
! foot by DOT, the Maggie proceeded to
dig hers elf in. Mr.. Gibney listened
for five. minutes to the uproar that
rose from the bowels OF the little
! steamAr before he whistled up Mr..
McGuAey. RI
"Krl her, kill her." he ordered.
"YoUr wheel will bite into the sand
first thing you know, and tear the
stern Off her. You're shukin' the old
gir5, to PIECES"
iMcGufrey killed his engine, banked
ltks fires, and came up on deck. wiping
MS anxious face with a fearfrlly filthy
sweat rag At the SAME time Scraggs
and N,cls HalNprsen came crawling
! aft o1' or the dccklOad and when they
reached the clear space around the
pilot house. Captain Scrasgs threw his
brown derby on the deck and leaped
upou It until, 0his rage aknting uIti:
matcly, no power on earth, In the air,
or under the sea. conld possibly have
rels,bilitate,l it and rendered it fit. for
further wear, even by Captain ,Scrnggs,
This petulsnt practice of jumping on
his hat vas haiht with Scraggs
whenever anything annoyed him par
ticularly and was always infallible evil
dence that n simple declarative SEN
tence had stuck in HIS threat. -
"well. old whirlin = dervish," Mr.
Gibney demanded calmly when Scraggs
paused for lack Of breath to continue
his da,Gce. t"what about it? We're up
Salt Geek without paddle; the devil
,ar AZ,