Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 31, Number 344, 13 January 1907 — Page 7

The Richmond Palladium, Sunday, January 13, 1907.

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By . . JOSEPH C. LINCOLN, 0 So r Author ! "CuV E.i" . - .. Copyright. 1903. (Continued From Last Sunday.) Mr. Williams and the captain had a long conversation in the cabin,, and after It was over the skipper was a Lit out of temper, and his orders were unusually crisp and sharp. On one memorable evening the captain." having previously whispered to Bradley to put on his "Sunday togs, sent the boy on an errand to a cigar store near the wharf and told him to wait' there "for further orders." In a little while he himself came into the itore. commanded Bradley to "lay p:,lr walked briskly across 'the city to! the elevated railway . station. Then thejr rode uptown, had a , six course ; dinner in a marvelous restaurant, ' where an orchestra played while yen ate, and then went to the theater to pee a play called "The Great Metrop' nils." It was all real to Bradley, and ! he thrilled, : wept .and laughed alternately. On the way down In the elevated he Mid. with a whimsical smile, "Brad, I cal'late if the old maids knew I took yon to the theater they'd think you was slldln' a greased pole to perdition, wouldn't they?" . ) Bradley smiled also as he answered: 'No, sir. I guess they'd think If yon did it 'twas all right." j Captain Titcomb grinned, but he j made no comment on the reply. All 1 lie said was: Well, Orbam's Orham, find New York's New York, and the j iway things looks depends consider'ble on which end of the spyglass you nqulnt through. Anyhow, p'r'aps you'd better not put this cruise down In the ; log." But Bradley did. put It down in the log-that is to say. he wrote a full account OI una uie greatest eve-mug ui i his life. In his next letter to the sis ters. His habit of scrupulous honesty ttlll clung to him, and he did not evade or cover up. If he did a thing it was done because be thought It right, and other considerations counted for little. Occasions like the theater trip were few and far apart. "For the most part Captain Titcomb was skipper and Bradley was the "hand." With every voyage, sometimes to Portland, to Portsmouth, to Boston, and, of course, to New York, the boy learned new things about his chief officer and to understand him better. He learned why It was that the captain received so many presents and was considered such a "slick article." His acquaintance among seafaring men and shipowners was large, and lie was always ready to do "little favors." Sometimes a captain Just In freni a foreign cruise had hidden away two or three pieces of silk or jewelry or even. In one case, a piano, that were Intended for gifts to the folks at home and to the cost of which the custom house duty would be an uncomfortable j addition. Then Captain Titcomb visit- j cd that ship, purely as a social func- j tlon, and when he came away the J jewelry or silk came with him. In the j piano affair it was bribery pure and simple, with the addition of a little bullying of an inspector who had made a few slips before that the captain knew of. Petty smuggling like this Captain Titcomb did not consider a sin worth worrying about. Tberewas a smack of adventure in It and the fun of "taking chances." Then, as a. bargainer and a driver of sharp trades with shipping merchants and others the captain was an expert. He liked, as he 6ld, to "dicker," and, besides, he was always on the lookout to further the interests of his owners. I-ooking out for the owners was his liobby and explained In a measure why Williams Bros, were willing to pay lilm more thjin they paid their other skippers. He was a "driver" with his crews, and every particle that was In the rickety Thomas Doane he got out of her. He was .easy so long as a man obeyed orders, but at the slightest bint cf mutiny things happened. The Thomas Doane passed and repassed Cape Cod on her short voyages, and Bradley, with every trip, learned more of the sea and the seaman's life. At the end of his three months he went fcome for n week's stay, but he had already made up his mind to return to the schooner again. Captain Titcomb had said that he was pleased with him and hinted at a steady rise in wages and promotion later on. He was earning his living now it cost little to live and he sent home a few dollars to the old maids every now and then. His first home coming was a great vent. The supper that first night was almost equal In the amount of food on the table to bis dinner with the captain at the New York restaurant. In fact, Bradley, released from salt junk and fo'castle grub, ate so much that he suffered with the nightmare and groaned so dismally that the alarmed sisterpounded on his chamber door, and Mis?? Tempy insisted that what he needed was a dose of "Old Dr. Thomas Discovery" her newest patent medicine and a "nice hot cup of pepper tea." There was no music during the meal, but. the old maids talked continuously. The hemming and the shawl industry were bringing in some money, though not yet what Miss Tempy anticipated, and they had had a windfall in the shape of a contribution from the Sampeon fund! "We're all the children father had." raid the older sister. "The letter said that there was money due us from the fund and that we was entitled to so much every year, most a hundred dollars. Now, I knew about the Sampson thing, but I thought 'twas charity for poor people, and Tempy and me have got to llvin on-charity not yet, I hope. But it seems, 'eordln' to the letters I had from 'em, that the money b'longed to us, so" "So we get a check every once in awhile," cried Miss Tempy. "And how they knew and wrote jest at this time! Jt's miraculous, that's what it is mi-

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.utile by A. S. Barn Co. 4t Bradley thougnt or ma convetsatioa With Captain Titcomb and the affair did not seem so miraculous, but he knew the captain would not wish him to explain and so said nothing. CHAPTER VII. T TIE Thomas Doane was at her dock in New York, and Bradley, now twenty years old and a. "sure enough" second mate, was on her deck watching the foremast j hands clearing up the coal dust that be- j grimed everything. The schooner had carried coal for over a year now, and ,hpr late9t occupation had not improved her annparance. She was old enouzh be - for nnl natched and mended enoueh. and to turn her Into a collier seemed a final humiliation. Captain Titcomb had felt it keenly, and his disgust was outspoken. "Well, by crimustee!" he had ejaculated when his flatfooted rebellion had been smothered by another raise in salary. I used to dream about coiumaudin' a Australian clipper some day or 'nother. but I never dreamed that I'd come to be skipper of a coal hod, and a secondhand, rusted out coal hod at that. Blessed if it ain't enough to make the old man dad, I mean turn over In his grave! Come on. Brad. Let's go to the theater. I want to forgit it." The captain had another project in his mind, a sort of secret hobby he hinted at every little while, but never j told. These hints usually followed a j particularly disagreeable trip or when I the rickety Thomas Doane behaved even more like a cantankerous old maid i than was her wont. Then, when he one. Rr.-f1-v ne ntnn the onntain wak; from dream . . . morft . . of this bein somebody else's errand boy every minute. Some of these days I'm goin to take a whack at soinethin' dlff'rent and I have a notion .what 'twill be too. I guess likely I may ask you to come In with me. I b'lieve It's a good notion. Tell you 'bout it some day." But he never did. Bradley had grown tall and broad during" his term of cruising. ; He had learned self reliance, and his voice had a masterful ring. When he went back to Orham nowadays the t-ld maids took special delight in having him escort them to church, and Miss Teuipy's eyes during the sermon were oftener fixed upon him than upon the minister. The money that he sent the" sisters amounted to something now, and he had 'an account in the savings bunk. Now, as he stood by the rail, with his hands In his pockets, he heard a step on the wharf behind him and turned j to see Captain Titcomb jump from the j strlHiri(ve. catch the shroud and swirg ubt?rd. The captain's usually gocd ntiturod face had a scowl on it, ! 1 T. - .,!t.,tr knnnTr ! T?r !, hi. ,. ..rr.-, ,.. thin--; going tip at the office?" he asked. "Plumb to the devil," was the short reply. Then, glancing up at the young man's face and looking hurriedly away again, he added: "Come aft. I want to talk to you." Seated in the dingy cabin, the captain took a cigar from his pocket, bit off the end with a jerk and smoked in great puffs. Bradley waited for him to speak. The skipper's 111 humor and obvious discontent had come upon him the afternoon of the day the Thomas Doane reached port and had grown steadily worse. Each morning Captain Titcomb had spent at the office of Williams Bros., and when he returned to the schooner he had done little but smoke, scowl and pace the deck. The second mate was worried, but he asked no questions. "Brad," said the captain, looking at the shabby carpet on the cabin floor, "we're goin to have a new mate." Bradley was surprised. "Is Mr. Bailey going to leave?" he asked.- The old first mate had been as much a part of the Thomas Doane as her mainmast. "They've given him the Arrow, the new schooner. He's goin' to run her." "Why. why. Cap'n Ezra, I thought she was promised to you." "i t nougat so, too, DUt i missea my t?cknln, it seems. Williams he ain't fia'f the man his brother was he wants me to wait till the other one, the four master, is off the ways. Then I can have her if I want her." "But she won't be ready for six months, though I guess from what I hear she'll be worth waiting for. Who'll have the old Doane then?" Captain Titcomb crossed his legs, but didn't answer. Instead he asked: "Brad, how would you like to sail under Bailey? You and him got 'long first rate. I wouldn't wonder if 1 could git you the second mate's berth on the Arrow. She's bran new and clean, not like this hencoop." And he kicked a stateroom door with emphasis. Bradley did not hesitate. "I guess if you can stand the hencoop I can," he said decisively. "I'd rather wait with you, thank you." "I don't kuow's you'd better. Look here." And for the first time the captain raised his eyes. "You know I wouldn't try to Influence you if 'twan't for your own good. I honestly think 'twould be better for you if you sailed on the Arrow." "But why?" . "Oh, because! Bailey's a good man and an Al sailor." "He isn't half the sailor yon are nor half the man either." "Much obliged. I'll stand for the sailor part, but I ain't so sure about the rest. Brad, sometimes I wish I hadn't stuck so close to 'owners orders' and had took a few observations on my own hook. Maybe then But ' it's hard for an old dog to learn new, tricks. I s'pose I'm a fool to worry. Money's 'bout all there is la this world.

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"A good many forks seems to tmni It is." "And other folks don't think any the less of 'era for it. Well, I've laid my course, and I'll stick to it till all's blue. Brad, will you, as a favor to me, chuck up your berth here and ship 'board the Arrow?" "Cap'n Ez, if you want me to quit this packet you'll have to heave me overboard; that's all!" The skipper looked at the clear eyes and the firm jaw of the young sir footer opposite. That goes, does it? he asked. "That goes. Cap'n Ez, you've been the bst friend I've ever had, except the old maids and maybe one more. I don't , want you to think I'm not ambitious, because I am. I'm just as anxious to make something of myself as you can be to have me. but I've

made up my mind, and, for the present, anj'way, while you sail a vessel I sail with you unless you really order me to quit." The older man hesitated. "Well," he said after two or three puffs at the cigar. "I ought to order it p'r'aps, but I'll be hanged If I can. Brad Niekerson, I think as much of j-ou as I would of a son. and your good opinion Is wuth I don't b'lieve you know how much It's wuth to me. But Shake ; hands, will you?" Puzzled and troubled, Bradley extended his hand, and the captain clasped it firmly in his own. For a moment it seemed that he was about to eay something more, but be did not. Giving the second mate's hand a squeeze, he dropped it and settled back In his chair, smoking and apparentiy tnmKing nam. as ne uiougm nis Hps tightened, and the scowl settled more firmly between his brows. Five minutes of silence, and then the skipper threw the half finished cfgar Into a corner and rose to his feet. His tone wds sharp, and there was no trace of thevfeeling so recently manifested We sail tomorrer morninV he said, stepping to the companion ladder. The new first mate'Il be here tonight. His name's Burke." . , - Bradley did not move. "Just a minute, Cap'n Ez,"be faltered. "You yon I know it's none of my business, but Well, you understand, I guess You re In trouble anybody can see that. Won't you let me help you out?" The captain paused with his foot on the ladder.- "My troubles are my awn," he answered, without looking "Brad, tce're goin' to have a new mate." back. "You be thankful you ain't got UV. AUU ilCie. lUtf IUU WUS UJXUUBl a t l au .!..-. . l .-. savage. "You take my advice and obey orders, and don t ask questions ! jtie went on uecK immediately ana. after a moment, Bradley followed him The rebuff was so unexpected and so undeserved, the , circumstances con 6idered, that it hurt the young man keenly. His pride was touched, and he made up his mind that Captain Tit comb should have no further cause for complaint so far as Interference by his second officer was concerned. As for the captain, he kept to himself and said little to any one during the afternoon. The new first mate came on board that evening. He was a thick set. heavy man, who talked a great deal, wore profusely anu" laugliea Touary at his own jokes. He seemed to know his business and, as the captain would have said, "caught hold" at once. They sailed the next morning, and, by the time the tug left them. Bradley fancied that he noticed a difference in the state of affairs aboard the schooner. The usual rigid discipline seemed to be lacking. There was no rebellion or sign of mutiny, but merely a general shiftlessness that Mr. Burke did not seem to notice. Strange to say. Captain Titcomb did not notice it either, or, if he did, said nothing. Bradley did not Interfere. He had not forgotten the advice to "obey orders and ask no questions." There was a good wind and a smooth sea, and the captain drove the Thomas Doane for all she was worth. By the afternoon of the following day they were in Vineyard sound. Bradley's suspicions had by this time come to be almost certainties. For two or three sailors to show signs of drunkenness on the first morning out of port was nothing strange, but to have those symptoms more pronounced the even ing of the second day was proof that there were bottles in the fo'castle. But Captain Titcomb, usually the first to scent the presence of these abomina tions and to punish their owners, now, apparently, was unaware of their presence. And the first mate, too, either did not see or did not care. Bradley was standing by the fo'castle just at dusk that evening when a sailor bumped violently Into him In passing. The second mate spoke sharply to the offender, and the answer he received was impudent and surly. "Here you," exclaimed Bradley, seizing the man by the shoulder and whirling him violently around, "do you know who you're talking to? Speak to me again like that, and I'll break you in two." The-man he was a new hand mumbled a reply to the effect that he "hadn't meant to say nothin'.""Well. don't say it again. Stand up. You're drunk. Now, where did you get your liquor?" "Ain't got none, sir." "You're a liar. Stand up or you'll lie down for a good while. Anybody with a nose could smell rum if you passed a mile to wind'ard. Where did you get It?"'" The sailor began a further protestation, but Bradley choked it off and heok his aktjul. -TLc Ciat mate.

Hearing tlie scuiile, came nurrymg up. "What's the row, Mr. Nickerson?" he asked. "This man's drunk, and I want to know where the rum came from." Mr. Burke scowled fiercely. -Look here," he shouted, ."is that so? Are you drunk?" . "No, sir." " "You're mighty close to it. Why' and here the first mate swore steadily for a full minute. "Do you know what I'd do to a man that brought rum aboard t vessel of mine ? I'd use hiai blankety-blanked hide for a spare

auu I- -. x,,3 nuwi to the dogfish. Git out of here, and remember I'm watchin you sharp." 1 ., 1 , - V. I ue gave me ieuow a kick mat sent him fljing, and, turning to Bradley, t jli i . : ial whisper: "Ain't it queer how a shore drunk'U stick to a ; full that they stayed so for a week "I think they've got the liquor down! for'ard here." "I guess not. If I thought so, I'd kill the whole" half dozen descriptive adjectives "lot. They can't play with me, blank, blank 'em!" But in spite of Mr. Burke's fierceness Bradley wasn't satisfied. He believed that if the first mate had' let him alone he would have found the liquor. However, he thought If neither the skipper nor Mr. Burke cared it was none of his business. But he was uneasy nevertheless. ' By 9 o'clock the signs of drunkenness were so plain that even the first mate had "to admit the fact. Only a very few of the men were strictly sober. One of these was the big Swede, Swensen. Oddly enough, this man had stuck to Captain Titcomb's schooner every voyage since one trip on which the skipper had knocked the fight out of him. The novelty of a good sound thrashing was, apparently, Just what the giant had needed, and for tbe man who had "licked" him he entertained tremendous respect and almost love. ' "Cap'n Ez, he knock the tar out of me," said Swensen. "He stand no foolin'. He's a man. Hey?" He liked Bradley, too, and had presented the latter with a miniature model of a three masted schooner In a bottle, beautifully done and such "put tering"- work that it was a wonder how his big, clumsy fingers could have mafde it But though Swensen and the Portu guese cook and one or two more were sober, the rest of the crew were not. Mr. Burke confessed as much to Brad ley. "They've got rum with 'em, all right," he whispered. "But we'll be to Boston tomorrer, and there ain't no use startin' a row till daylight. Then some of these smart Alecs '11 find out who's who in a hurry or my fist don't weigh what it used to. Better not say nothin to the skipper," he added. "No use to worry him." It was odd advice from a mate, but, as Bradley could see, to his astonish ment, there was no need of telling Cap tain Titcomb. It was plain enough that the latter knew his crew's condi tion and deliberately ignored it. Men stumbled past him, and he looked the other way. Simple orders were bun gled, and he did not reprove. Only once that evening did his wrath blaze out in the old manner. A sailor was ordered by him to do something and Instead of the dutiful "Aye, aye, sir,' he replied with a muttered curse. The next Instant Captain Ezra's fist was between his eyes, and he fell, to oe jersea to nis reet again ana uai to the rail with the skipper's hand twisted in his shirt collar. "Hang you!" said the captain be tween his teeth. "I'll I swear I'll Mr. Burke came running and whis pered eagerly in his commander's ear. Captain Titcomb's arm straightened and the sailor was thrown across the deck. "Go forard," roared the skipper, "and if you want to live you keep out of my sight! I can't help it. Burke. I've got some self respect left yit." That was all, and Bradley wondered. Under such circumstances accidents were bound to occur. But the one that did occur was serious." Bradley was below when it happened. He usually took the first watch, but tonight Cap tain Titcomb said he would take it, and Mr. Burke would stay up with him for awhile. So the second mate turn ed in. He was awakened by a racket on deck and the sound of voices and footsteps on the companion ladder. Opening his stateroom door, he saw four men descending the ladder, carrying a fifth in their arms. "What's the matter?" asked Bradley. "Who's hurt?" "It's the skipper," replied one of the men in a frightened voice. "He fell and hurt his head. He" Bradley sprang into the cabin and saw Captain Titcomb unconscious and with the blood running from an ugly cut on his forehead. "For God s sake" he began, but was interrupted by Burke, who, with a very white face, was descending the ladder. "Hush up. commanded the first mate. "Don't make a row. 'Tain't nothin serious. I guess. Jest cussed foolishness.. Put him on the locker there, you." This is what had happened: The schooner was passing out of the sound, and, as the night was black and hazy, they were using the lead frequently. Tbe Thomas Doane had a high after deck, And to reach the waist one must descend a five foot ladder. A sailor, not too sober, had thrown the lead and in passing aft with the line had fouled it at the lad der. Captain Titcomb. losinr hia tem per at the man's clumsiness, had run toward him, tripped in the line and pitched head first over the fellow's shoulder to the main deck- The sailor's body had broken the fall somewhat, and the skull was not fractured, but it was bad enough. The cook, who had helped bring the captain into the cabin, lingered after the first mate had gone. Bradley questioned him about the accident. "Thoma, he done it," said the cook. "The line, she git mess tin bv the" "He was drunk." broke in Bradley. He's been drunk all the afternoon. Isn't that so?" The cook looked hasttflv at the lad der, then at the captain. Then, nod ding emphatically, he whisnered: "Ya-as, sir. They most all drunk. I never seen so much drink on schooner not on Can'n Tit-mr."i- .-i.rnanyway, and I sail with him for flvei

Hat Bradley would not go to bed. ne wp.s worried about the captain and even more worried about the schooner, ne did not like Mr. Burke, and he was by no means sure judsring by what he had seon that the mate knew how to handle a crew. About 2 o'clock he decided to go on deck. . Bradley loaned on the rail and looked over the water "toward where the shore should l. A he stood there the haze, blew aside for a moment, and he saw not more than two miles away and ahead of the schooner the twinkle of a lijrht. Then It disappeared asniu.

' 1 IIe wa!ke(1 aft. 0ne of the new hands at tbe wheoI anJ thfre WM a du. tinct S!lien of rum in the Tfcjnitv Who j-3Te you that coum?v. s M r.,rkp Rf i r? . shrouds, looking over the side. He started when Bradley touched his arm. t u Excuse nie, Mr. Burke." said the secorifi mate. "Wiiere are we "Turned the liin an hour or so n-n " Burke's tone was distinctly unpleasant. '"What are you doin here?" "I couldn't sleep, so I came on deck a minute. Isn't she pretty close in? I thought I saw the Skakit light just now." "Saw nothin'! Skakit light's away off yonder. Water enough here to float a Cunarder. What's the matter with you? '1-raid I a in t on to my lob-? j j want yo,-r hclp ask" for lt I've sailed these waters when you was a kid." "Well, I didn't mean to" "Then shut up! You go below and 'tend to the skipper." Bradley bit his lip and turned away. If Burke was right, he had no business to interfere; if he wasn't right, the Thomas Doane was shaving the shoals Altogether too close. He went below, found Captain Titcomb sleeping quietly and a little later came on deck again to lean on the rail amidships and once more stare at the foggy darkness. A big figure loomed close beside him. It was Swensen, and he obviously wanted to speak. "Well. Swensen," said Bradley, J "what is it?" The Swede leaned forward and, shading his mouth with his hand, whispered hoarsely: "Mr. Neekerson, you know 'bout the fust mate? He all right? What?" , Bradley had been brought up to discourage familiarity with men before the mast. "What are you talking about?" ha asked sharply. "Nawthin sir. Only he know this course? Ah see Skakit liarbt twice yust now and only a mile 'n half off. That not 'nough not here." "Are you sure you saw it?" "Yas. sir." Bradley turned away. He hated to risk another snub from the mate, and e fully realized the danger of interfering with a superior officer, but Captain Titcomb was not in command, and here was Swenscr.'s testimony to back his own that the schooner was running too close to the dangerous Cape Cod beaches. The course she was on was taking her still closer in, and the fog was growing thicker. This time Burke was standing by the" man' at 'the wheel. He swore when the second mate approached and snarled, "Well, what's the matter now?" "Mr. Burke, are you sure that wasn't the Skakit light I saw? Swensen says he's seen It twice and not more than a mile and a half away. If that's so, we are running into shoal water. Hadn't I better try soundings?" In a blast of profanity Burke consigned both Bradley and Swensen to the lowest level in the brimstone future. "Go below!" he yelled. "Go below and stay bejow, or I'll find out why!" Then, as If he realized that he was showing too much temper, he added in a milder tone: "It's all right, Nickerson. We're three mile offshore, and "Thonui. na.88 me a. Tiandtvikc." OKaKii s astern or us. to oeiow. Ain't the skipper enough to make me nervous without you shovin your oar in?" , And then from somewhere forward came a frightened yell and the sound of some one running. Swensen came bounding up the ladder from the main deck. "Breakers ahead V he shouted. "Breakers ahead! Put her over! Keep her off, quick!"1 Burke s face went white and then crimson. "Breakers be hanged!" he cried "Keep her as she is!" But the Swede was dancing up and down. There were confused cries forward, and other men came running. "Starboard your helm!" bellowed Swensen. "Put her over! You can hear 'em! . Listen!" He held up both hands to enforce silence, and for a moment every soul on deck stood listening. The waves clucked along the schooner's side, the wind ' sang in the rigging, and the masts creaked. And then another sound grew, as It were, into Bradley's ears a low, steady murmur, now rising, now sinking. He sprang toward the wheel. . "Put her over!" he shouted. "There are breakers! Starboard your helm! Starboard." "Keep ; her as she is r' bellowed Burke, bending forward with his fists clinched. "Don't turn a SDoke!" ! "But, for heaven's sake, Mr. Burke, are you crazy? We'll be ashore in ten minutes!" - The first mate's eyes shone in the dim light. . His teeth showed white between his. opened. Una- -

"liy glory.- he gasped cnokingly, "I'll show you who's running this craft! Keep her as she Is!" Bradley forgot his duty as second officer, forgot that half the crew were watching him. forgot everything except that his bet friend lay helpless in a berth below, v. hile his schooner was being run into certain destruction. He leaied to the wheel, and the mate leaped to meet Iiini. , Bradley sUHcd as he sprang forward, and it was lucky for him that be did so. Burke's fist whizzed past his ear, nnd tho next moment the two mates were clinched and struzgHug in the little space ltetween the deck house and the after rail. Bradley did uot attempt to strike; his sole idea was to get to the wheel. Therefore he merely warded ofT the furious blows aimed at his head and struggled siient-

j ly, but the one sided fisrht could not last long. Burke gradually backed his opponent to the rail, and then without turning his head he shouted: "Thouia, pas me a handspike. Lively, you" . The man Thoma he was half drunk and naturally 'stupid obediently placed the handspike iu the first mate's hand. "Now then!" panted Bnrke. "By" And then Bradley struck a half arm uppercut right under the ugly, protruding chin. Burke's teeth clicked together; he seemed to rise from the deck and fell backward at full length almost under the feet of Swensen. Bradley shoved the sailor from the wheel and gave the latter n whirl. The schooner shivered, turned slowly, the booms swept across her deck, and she heeled over on the other tack, with her nose pointing well away from the beach aud toward the open sea. Burke lay still for an instant, spreadeagled on the deck; then he rose to his feet. Bradley stooped and picked up the handspike. The first mate glared at the man who had knocked him down. Also he looked respectfully at the handspike. But if he had been angry before he was crazy now. "You mutineer!" he shouted, with an oath between every word, ".lust wait a minute! I'll show you how I treat mutineers!" He ran to the cabin companion and jumped down. . Bradley, trying to appear calm before the crew, glanced at the sails and then out over the sidt Suddenly, so close that their eardrum, throbbed with it, there boomed out of tbe dark a thuttering, shaking roar, that swelled to a shriek and died away the voice of the great steam foghorn of the Skakit light. "Ugh!" muttered Swensen. "We tos that near!" Burke came bounding up the companion ladder. Something bright and shiny gleamed in his hand. "Now, then," he cried, "we'll see what" But two mammoth paws clasped his wrists, the hand with the revolver was turned backward till the barrel pointed at the end of the gaff and big Swensen's voice said calmly: "Yah, I guess not. Yust valt a minute, Mr. Burke. Mr. Neekerson, vat I do vit him, hey?" It was mutiny, of course, mutiny pure and simple, but Bradley had gone too far to back out now. "Take him below and lock him In his stateroom," he said. "Tell the doctor to see that he doesn't break out Then come back to me. Yes, you may give me the revolver." Swensen twisted the pistol from the first mate's hnnd and then, picking him up as he would a teu-year-oia uoy, started for the cabin. Burke struggled furiously and swore like a wild man, but he couldn't break away. The shouts grew fainter and then were muffled almost entirely by the closing of the stateroom door. Bradley put the revolver Jn his pocket. "Now, then, men," he said, "I'm skipper of this schooner for the rest of this voyage. Is there anybody here that doesn't understand lt? No? AH right. O'Leary, go for'ard on lookout. Peterson, heave the lead. Swensen," as the big Swede came up the ladder, "take the wheel and keep her as 6he is." All that morning until daybreak sent the fog rolling to the north in tumbled clouds the lead was going, and the crew were busy on the Thomas Doane. Bradley stood close at Swensen's elbow and edged her out, feeling his way with the lead and listening to the calls of the fog horns. The schooner's own foot power horn was kept tooting, and by and by, as they got out into the ship channel, it was answered by other horns and bells, some close aboard, some distant. ! But by breakfast time it was clear and fine, and, before a cracking wind, the schooner walked along as if she realized her escape and was trying to show her gratitude. Through that day Bradley stood by the wheel, only leaving to eat a mouthful and to inquire after Captain Titcomb, who was much improved and beginning to ask questions. And just at dusk the gilt dome of the Boston statehouse shone dimly in tbe dvine lirht and the Thomas 14l.rf - l - t WDfir,

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DOS tie, TTjrt-'tt" ' ;a baT. easily behind the tug up to her dock. She had made splendid time, but Bradley was far from happy. There was trouble coming, and he knew it. He sent word to the cook ordering the latter to unlock the stateroom door and release the imprisoned first mate. A minute later the cook came on deck, his eyes shining with excitement. "Mr. Burke, he go right luto the skipper's loom aud shut the door," whislered the Portuguese. "And now they talk. talk. talk. And Mr. Burke he swear all the time." When the first mate apieared he did not -pek to any one-, but Jumped t the wharf and hurried away. "A doctor was sent for and Captain Titcomb's wound was dressed. The physician said the injury was not serious. There was no concussion of the brain, and the patient would le all right in a couple of days. ( Bradley diJn't leep much that night. Next morning the captain sent for him. When the second mate entered the stateroom be found the skipper sittiu ou the edge of the berth with a big bandage ou his bead, but looking very bright and like himself. He seemed oddly embarrassed when Bradley came In. For a moment or two be did not speak. The second mate, who had expected a scorching rebuke and was prepared to meet it, was surprised at the mildness of the first remark. "Now, then. Brad," said Captain Titcomb, "set down.-. What's this about you and the mate? Tell the whota yarn, first and last." So Bradley told lt just as it happenedthe crew's behavior, his suspicious, the sighting of the light and what followed. "Humph!" Captain Ezra nodded. "Yup, that's about what Burke said.

Now, JJrad, I s poso you kuetv that Mr. Burke was your sujerior officer and that what be said was law for you. didn't your "Yes. sir; but" "Never mind the 'buts' now. Taking command by force is serious mighty serious." "I did what I thought was right. Cap'n Ezra what I b'lleved you'd think was right. The schooner would have been aground in ten minutes if I hadn't." "Well, s'pose she would. Tuere'd have been no lives lost Pleuty of boats and a smooth sea." But Mr. Burke knew she was headed for the shoals. He must have known It The owners would have" "What do you know about the owners and their affairs?" "But the schooner T' "She's a hulk, that's all and Inured." The reply wa$ an odd one, but the tone In which It was made was odder still. Strange things had happened during the past week; Captain Titcomb's silent ill humor, the interview the day before leaving New York, the sudden change-of mates, the skipper's studied Indiffereuce to tbe demoralization among the crew, Burke's frantic determination to keep on the course set by him even after the proximity to tbe shoals bad been proved beyond a doubt all these were fingers pointing in one direction. Bradley, however, bad not looked in that direction. But now the last wisp of fog blew away and he saw clearly. "Cap'n Ez!" he gasped. "Cap'n Ei! Were you going to wreck her on purpose?" The captain shifted In his seat but did uot loqk at bis companion. , "Orders ore orders," he said. "Mr. Burke was your skipper with me out of the way and you ought to have minded him. Just as I should my owners." "Wreck a vessel for her Insurance!" groaned Bradley. "I didn't think you'd do it, Cap'n Ez. I didn't think you'd do it!" Tbe dismay, the grieveu disappointment and horror in bis friend's tone, seemed to hurt Captain Titcomb sorely. He glanced at Bradley and then looked away again. "I've beard all sorts of yams about you in Orham," weut on Bradley. They say you're too smart and that you'll bear watching and all that I've called those tbnt said it liars, and I've stood by you through thick pad thin. But now What do you think they'd say if they fcnew of this? What do you think Miss Prissy and Miss Tempy would say? Why, they b'lieve you'ro the Trt (To be Continued Next Sunday.) How much of your life is spent trying to get well. It requires but a month or less to put the average man or woman on their feet with Hollister's Rocky Mountain Tea. S5 centsTea or Tablets. A. G. Lukcn. Now Is the time to start a Savings Account with Dickinson Trust Company. Begin with the New Year. 31-tf Palladium Want Ads Pay. - l - l - - tl - il - i - . - l Of o. Eleventh and r.lsin DEUKEft. studio $th a Main Marie.

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