The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-26

IOol DtlNeeH you. ~ you yet IL, yOt
chuckleheaded son Of Irish potato
Gin Seng, ia Dupont street. Ginseng
/ "a root or herb that medicine is
made out Of. The dictionary says it's
Chinese panacea for exhaustion, an
happen to know that it's worth five
dollars pound an that them two
|crates weighs q hundred and fifty
pounds each if they weighs an ounce"
His auditors stared at Mr.. Gibney
much as might pair Of baseball fans
at the hero Of home run with two
strikes and the bases full. =,
"Gawd" muttered McGuffey.
:, "Great grief, Glib! Can this be pos
sible?" gasped Captain Scraggs.,
. For answer Mr. Gibney took out his
fifty-dOllar bill and handed it Toto
;McGuffey. He never trusted Captain
Scraggs with anything more valuable
than Il ppeful Of tobacco.
"ScrGggsy," he said s0lemnly, 'Im
willin' to back my imagination with
my cash. You an McGuffey hurry
right over to the warehouse an butt
In Oil the sale when they come to them
two boxes. The safe is just about
startin' now. Go as high as you thfS;
you can in order to get the ginseng at
n profitable tigger, an nay IT," auc-
tiOneer fifty dollars down to hold the
sale; that will give you boys time to
rush around to dig up the balance O
! the money. Tack right along now,
lads, while l go down the street an
get ME some breakfast. l don't want
Blllnenthal to see me around that sale.
He might get suspicious. After eat
I'll meet you here aboard tn Maggie;
an we'll divide the loot"
With a fervent handshake all
around, the three shipmates parted.
After diSpOsing Of 4 hearty break
fast of devilled lambs kidneys and
coffee Mr.. Gibney invested in ten
cent Sailors Delight and strolled down
to the Maggie. Nel:s HalvOrsen, the
lone deckhand, was aboard, and the
moment Mr.. Gibney trod the Maggie's
deck once more as mate, he
exercised his prerogative to order
Neils ashore for the remainder
of the day. Since Halvorsen was not
in on the ginseng deal, Mr.. Gibney
concluded that it would be just as we'll
to have him out of the way should
Scraggs and McGuffey appear unex-
pectedly with the two cases of gin
senS
For an hour Mr.. Gibney sat on the
stern bits and rulEinated over few
advantageous plans that had occurred
to him for the investment of his share
of the deal should Scraggs and Nc
Guffey succeed in landing what Mr.
Gibney termed "the loot" About eleven
o'clock an express wagon drove III on
the dock, and the mates dreams were
pleasantly interrupted by gleeful
shout from Captain Scraggs, on the
lookout forward with the driver Nc
Guffey sat on top of the two cases
with his legs dangling over the end
Of the wagon. He was the picture of
contentment.
Mr.. Gibney hurried forward. threw
out The gangplank, and assisted Nc
Guffey in carrying both crates aboard
the Maggie and into her little cabin.
Captain Scraggs thereupon dismissed
the Cxpressnan, and all three part
ners gathered around the dining room
table. upon which the boxes rested.
well, Scraggsy, old pal. old scout,
old socks, I see you've delivered the
GOODS said Mr.. Gibney, batting the
skipper across the cabin with an affec-
tionate slap on the shoulder.
II did," said Scraggs-and cursed
Mr.. Gbney's dem0nstrativeness.
"Here's the bill o sale all regular.
McGuffey has the change. That bunch
O Israelites run tn price up to $1,000
each or these two crates o ginseng,
but when they see we're determined
to have 'em an amt interested in
nOthin' else, they let's 'em go to us.
McGufrey, my dear boy. whatever are
you a-doin' there-standn' around
with your teeth in your mouth? Skip
down into tn engine room and bring
up n hammer an Il COP chise. Well
open her up an inspect tn swas."
Upon McGutfey's return, Mr.. Gibney
took charge. He drove the chisel I'M
! der the lid Of the nearest crate. and
prepared to pry IT. loose. Suddenly
he paused. A thought had occurred
to him.
"GeEtlemen," he said (McGuffey
nodded his head approvingly), this
world is full O sorrcrs an disappoint-
ments, an it may we'll be that these
two cases don't contain even so much
as a smell O ginseng after all. 1t
may be that they are really Oriental
goods. What l want distinctly under
stood is this: no matter what's inside,
we share equally in the profits. even
If they turn out to be losses. That's
understood an agreed to, amt it,"
Captain Scraggs. and McGuffey indi-
Gated that it was.
'There's a element o. mystery about
these two boxes" continued Mr.. Glib
ney, that fascinates me. They sets
my imagination a-workin' an joggles
up all my sportln' instincts. Now,
just to make it interestin' an add
spice t. tn grand openin'. I'm willin'
to bet again my own best judgment
an lay you even money, Scraggsy,