The Kevin review., 1926-09-09


nj be for long
nj says the chief in disgust, and he comes
- - along to my room and opens the door.
III Here, mister he says, I've to go
III ashore on a matter OF urgent business with
= can. just get her warmed through
and ready for me to take a turn out Of
+ her, VIII yer The seconds none so sober
{ He'll be all right sOon, said. III get
}. her ready, mister
:. "They were going ashore, him and the
n Old Man, when the second stops them at
the gangway and tells the Old Man he
p wants leave next day. Capt. Mccall was
q in hurry, and shOves him out of the road
2 certainly notF says he. We sail at
5 noon, and there's no leave tomorrow at ALL >
e when Jack comes down to the stoke
t hold where was setting the fires away, he
was In mood to fight the whole crew.
7 took no notice of him and let him range
I round, tipping the men off to keep out
OF his road. And presently he went off up
stairs again. started the eirculator,
J cracked open the main stOy valves, gave
her some oil, and attended to one or two
other matters, and so the morning passed
But at one O'Clock the chief wasn't back
1ou see, not having a certificate myself,
didn't want to move the engines without
authority, so l just did as I'd been told
The engine drains were open and she was
pretty hot when / saw the chief on the top
grating, whipping off his collar and tie
land singing out for Jack. / told him Jack
was up top and the engines hadn't been
/ -
see what he wanted.
HE was standing at Jacks door, giving
him calling down for not having her
ready. Jack was lying on his settee with
! his arms under his head, looking at Mr..
MacBrayne as though he was something
the cat had brought in. Suddenly he
sprang up, and the chief stepped back,
thinking he was going to get one on the
jaw. But Jack plunged past both of us.
lie turned at the engine room door and
shouted to the chief:
" is lt turn out of her Won Want2 III
take turn out of her. by Jimmy, l will!
we looked at each other. Then l caught
sight of an empty bottle under Jacks settee
and showed It to the chief. We heard the
standby bell go.
Go and stop him 2 shouted the chief
flinging off his coat and pushing me down
the ladder We fell over each other as
we went down. We saw Jack give a whirl
to the telegraph to answer it, and then
he opened the maneuvering valve about
four turns and the engines started to
move. The chief, takes a good run along
the platform, hits Jack one good one
under the ear, and sends him spinning
against the bulkhead, and shuts the valves
But he was too late. The high press
crank came down on the bottom center
almost and stuck there. Steam was roar
ing out of the bottom cover. The chief
turned to me and threw up his hands. 1t
was mess for him, can tell you.
Jack had done it, all right. The bot
tom cover of the high pressure cylinder
was cracked in several plaes when the
piston came down on the water that was
still there. We had to shut off the main
stops, draw the fires and report upstairs
that we'd had smash and couldn't move.
The chief says to Jack Get out of my
engine room, you drunken fool and chases
him out. So l did the work, as usual
Mister says Jack to me when l came
up, 1 rechon this ends my career. I've
just missed me vocation, that's all haven't
the temperament to cooperate with the class
Of people you meet on ships. Well it's
good job, I'm leavin' the ship anyway.
frofn ftrok frly he r~5e
manp
"You see, he was in what you might can
a state of suspended animation. He wasn't
drunk and he wasn't sober. The clout
the chief gave him had just pushed him
over the border line Of sanity, and he went
round talking to himself and to me, and
only partly realizing he was going on the
carpet for smashing up the engines 1t took
the repair shop three weeks to patch that
cylinder and fit the spare piston rod, and
when we got home we had q new cylinder
complete. About fifteen thousand pounds
from the first to the last and add another
fifteen thousand for the Black sea chart
we missed. The skipper bought a house
when we got home, he having need of one,
as I'm going to tell you. The chief, Mr..
MacBrayne, had bit of job proving he
was on board and tried to prevent the ac-
cident, and / was called and asked if the
chief was sober. And he had pickings,
too, can tell you.
"But it was the next morning Jack had
a jolt that must have started all his gask-
ashore The chief went to his room and
told him he'd have to wait till the Old
Man came aboard with information about
the court being held next day
I'm not worryin' about what any court
can do to me, says Jack, putting on
clean collar. i may as we'll tell ye, Mr..
to pay me off here in any case
80, dear me, is that so 2 says the chief,
rery sarcastically. And what might you
be doing ashore here, may l ask2'
'You may, Mr.. AacBrayne, you may
says Jack, with great dignity, and putting
IN his vest There's no harm in telling
you that I'm about to be married, Mr..
IacBrayne.. Such being the case, and
working ashore, what the inquiry does or
'ays don't matter much to me-
1.-THE chief looking at him pretty
hard, l can tell you. Then he says See
lere, Mr.. Crosbie, let's have it straight.
Who is it? I've got to see you don't make
In absolute fool of yourself
"'Thank ye for your kindly considera-
ion,' says Jack, but it is not required. The
ady's name is Johnson. Miss Valeria
Johnson. Her father does not appove,
'Eh 7 says the chief, and he stares some
hing awful at Jack, who's brushing his
air very carefully. There was the noise
4 a launch coming alongside, and the
hief steps across to the settee and takes
look through Jacks portfolio. Then
e steps down and says, have look who's
"'It's a matter of absolute indifference
} me who's in the launch, says Jack,
rushing his hat ON his sleeve. IN have
launch of me own soon
"'Will ye, thought? says the chief
his head and grinning. Take
look now. There's lady with the old
lan.'
"The second kneels down on the settee.
-anes his neck bit, with a sneer on his
ICE, and looks down, and sees in the
lunch with the skipper his Miss Johnson,
lis Miss Johnson The old mans got his
IN around her steadying her to stand up!
.Heyr calls out Jack, and then he looks
the chief, who's laughing with his hand
his mouth. What's this, game ye're
layin with the Old ManT says Jack.
he must have come down to see me-
"'I'll bet you fifty quid she hasn't says
e chief. Because she's Mrs. MacCaH
)w, the Old Mans wife
fNawp bellows Jack dashing his hat
the floor and jumping on 1t.
+" sAyer says the chief i ought to know,
e being the best man yesterday. And
wv you've smashed the job and laid US
D, they're going to have their honey
DON in Cairo, ye blethering washout'
(Copyight, 1926: by william McFee3