The Owosso times., 1922-03-17


show you I'm sport I'll treat to a
French dinner an motion picture
show afterward. Further. l shall re-
gard a refusal of said invite as a
pers'nal affront."
"By gOlly, you're gittin' sporty in
your old age" the engineer declared.
"Fll go you, Scraggs. How about you,
Gib?
81 accept with thanks, Scraggsy, old
tarpot. Personally, l maintain that
seamen should leave their troubles
aboard ship"
That's the sperrit I appreciate
boys. Come to the cabin an I'll pay
you off. Then wait a coupler min
utes till shift into my glad rags an
away We'll go, like Paddy Ford's goat
on our own hook"
"Old Scraggsy's as cunnin' as a pet
fox, amt he?" the new navigating Off
Ger whispered as Scraggs departed
for his other suit. "He's goin' to blow
himself on us tonight, thinkin' to soften
our hard resolution. Well fool him.
Take all he gives us, but stand pat,
Bart"
Bart nodded His was one of those
sturdy natures that could always be
depended upon to play the game, win,
lose or draw.
AS preliminary move, Captain
Scraggs declared in favor of couple
of cocktails to whet their appettes
tn,
ly the trio repaired to an adjacent
saloon and tucked three each under
their belts-all at Captain Scraggs'
expense. When he proposed fourth,
Mr.. Gibney's perfect craftsmanship
caused him to protest, and reluctantly
buy. Scraggs decided to have cigar,
however, instead Of another Martini.
The ethics of the situation then indi-
Gated that McGuffey should "set 'em
up" which he did over Captain
Scraggs' prOtest-and again the wary
Scraggs called for cigar, alleging as
an excuse for his weakness that for
years three cocktails before dinner had
been his absolute limit. A fourth cock
tail on an empty stomach, he declared,
would kill the evening for him.
But why descend to sordid and vul-
gar details? Suffice that when the
artful Scraggs. pretending to be over
come by his potations and very i'll into
the bargain, begged to be delivered
back aboard the Maggie, Messrs. Nc
Guffey and Gibney loaded him into q
taXicab and sent him there, while they
continued their search for excite
ment. Where and how they found
it requires no elucidatiOn here |:
it is sufficient to state that 1t was ex-
pensive, for when men of the Gibney
and McGuffey type have once gotten a
fair start naught but financial dissolu-
tion can stop them.
On Monday morning, Messrs. Glib
ney and McGuffey awoke in Scab
JOhnny's boarding house. Mr. Gibney
awoke first. by reason of the fact that
his stomach hammered at the door of
his soul and bade him be up and do
ing. While his head ached slightly
from the fiery usquebaugh Of the Bow
head saloon, he craved return to
solid diet, so for several minutes he
lay supne, cOniuring in his agile brain
ways and means Of supplying this
need in the absence of ready cash.
"Tll have TO hook my seXtant,"
was the conclusion at which he pres
emily arrived. Ten minutes later he
took his sextant under his arm and de-
parted for pawnshOp in lower Mar
ket street. From the pawnshop he re-
turned to Scab Johnny's with eight
dollars In his pocket, routed out the
contrite McGuffey, and carried the lat
ter off to ham and eggs.
They felt better after breakfast and
for the space Of an hour lolled at the
table, discussing their adventures Of
the past forty-eight hours. "Well.
there's one thing certain" McGuffey
concluded "an' that thing is sure a
cinch. Our strike has petered ont.
Let's mosey along down TO the Mag
gie's dock am see how Scraggsy's get
tin along"
Forthwith they set out to interview
Captain Scraggs. The owner Of the
Maggie greeted them cheerily, but aft
er discussing generalities for half an
hour, Scraggs failed to make over
lures, whereupon Mr.. Gibney an
'ounced casually that he guessed he
and Mac would be on their way.
"Same here, boys" Captain Scraggs
piped breezily. 81 got new mate an
a new engineer comm aboard at ten
o'clock an we sail at twelve"
"Well, we1l see you occasionally"
Mr. Gibney said Mt parting.
"Oh, sure. Don't be strangers.
You're always welcome aboard the old
Maggie" came the careless rejoinder.
Somewhat crestfallen, the striking
pair repaired to the Bowhead saloon
to discuss the situation over glass of
beer. However, Mr.. Gibney's spirits
never dropped below zero while he
had one nickel to rub against another
hence such slight depression as he
felt was due to feeling that Captain
Scraggs had basely swindled him and
McGuffny. He was disappointed in
Scraggs and said as much. SLOW
ever, Bart" he concluded, "well
never say die while our money holds