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WIMIPII;--WMMMMIMM I U ' MMW
feX PETER B.KYN&j
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTHR 1. Captain Phlnns P.
Scraps has Krown "P around the docks
of Ban l-'riinelMro, and from mens duy on
ii river sleutner, risen to (ho owi ei-shlp
of the steamer MiikkI". Since each an
nual Inspection promised to be ti e lusi
of tho oll weatlierbeuicn vessel, K rraiKs
naturally ruin notnp (lilhcully In bi curin ;
a crow. When tin stnry npenR, A.lolbert
P. liibnpy, likable but eiTiitlc, il man
whom nobody but Hitiikkk would hlru, Is
the Hklbper, Nells ilulvormn, a solemn
Swede, constitutes the fu'rnstle IiiiiiUi:.
and Hart McUufley. a wastrel of the Gib
ney type, reigns In tl(e enfrluc room.
CIIAPTlOlt Il.-Wlih (his motley crew
and IiIh ancient vessel, Cuplaln tvTaKK
Is enKHKed In frclKliiliiK garden trucU
from llalfmoon bay lo Ban KrnnclHco.
The Inevitable tiappuns, the MaKglc goln-;
anhore.Jn a fo.
CHAPTKIl III. -A n.isslnR vessel hall
Ing- the wreck. Mr. (;!biiey Kots word to
a towlliff company In San Kriinclsi o that
the ship ashore Is the Yankee Prince,
with promise of a rich salvage. Twit
tugs succeed In pulling the MaKgle lnt'
deep water, and she slips her tow llnea
and gets away In the tutf.
CHAPTKK IV. Furious at the decep
tion practised on them, luptuins HlekM
and Flaherty, rommnnillnfc the two tut
boats, ascertain the hlentl'.y of the "Yan
kee Prince" and, fciirliiR ridicule should
the facts become. kiuwn along the water
front, determine on personal vengeance
Their hostile vlsll to the Muugle i-esulM
In 1'nptiiln RrrnuKH promlnlm; to get a
new holler and inako needed rep ilm to
the steamer.
("IIAPTKn V Rirarius refuses o fill
fill hrs premises and Cibney and MeCluf
fey "strike." Willi' marvelous lucl .
Hcrnims ships a fresh crew. At Ilie en I
of a few days of wild conviviality cllinc-.-tind
MedulTey nre stranded and see';
their old posliions on the MnKido. They
are liostllely received, but renial.l. (In
their way to Knn Francisco they slglil
a derelict and tiilinev and MelJuffcy swim
to It.
CHAPTKIt VI.-The derelict prcves t j
he the Chesapeake, richly laden, its en-
tire crew stricken with scurvy. 1'cragu i
ntletupt'i to tow her In, hut the Muggi"
Is unciual to the tusk and (ilhn-y ami
Medultcy, abine, sail the ship to Ha:i
Kiunclseo, th'dr salvage money limount
Ing to Jl.doo apiece.
OH.M'TIOII VII - Indcpendi ntly r'rh, our
two adventurers still have a klnd:y feel
ing for the Mugglc, and, his ere v hav
ing deserted him, t'uplaln S4,ra-gs In
duces them to return. At an "old hoi-He"'
sale the three iiurchue. two my:-lcrlou4
boves whli'h ttiey believe to contain
smuggled "Oriental goods." They llnil.
Instead, two dead Chinamen.
llo Mi-tit IIi-kI to the SiMilnmi I (Inn;
Httirt', wlit'iv lu (Hilzy.ocl (lip dniK'Kl.'f
fur flvo nilhiili'H, nfliT which lie oon
'lulled Ms cnilse. I'hm rciicli ni; th.
MiiKKli', In1 priicci'ili'il to ri'lnte III (If
tit 1J. and with iiilillllniuil clclnlls sup
piled ly his own liiingliiHtliili, Hip story
(if Ills nioi'hliiK iiilvciittirp.
"(llli," siilil McCunVy enviously,
"you're n fool for luck."
"I.ncl,," said Mr. (illini'.v, lii'glnnlii :
(o i-xpiinil, "Is wluit the feller culls a
n'liitlvp proposition- "
"You're wrong, tilli," Intirposrl
Ctiplnln Scnius. "liilnlhes Ih hi.
ItieUy mi' expensive. TiiLe, fr In
sin nee, Mis. Scruggs' uiollier - "
"I iiieitn, you lunklienil," Mr.
(i biicv, "thnl lucl; Ik founil v hci
lire Ins grow. No lirtilll, no luck. No
1'icl, no hiiilns. l.eiiiinp lllusi rule. A
tlilcvln' Inml slmrk ninlies me u pi esei 1
o' lifi.v clulJi.rs not in hint In on llicci
nni boxes I'm tcllin' you iilioiil. Iln i
nil' his I'lini; wmitM ilictii two lioxe .
i'ulr i rii y to Ki't "in. Now, don't Ii
stand In reason Hurt tin in li'Uci
i.nows ulial's In llii'in linxes, or ihev
"iiilliln'1 rlie ine lll'ly iIoIIiiik In li.i.'!
ship7 ( course. It docs. Ilnwwi,
in order to earn Dial flfly ddlai-. I
go to buck wi:er It wouldn't
pluvlh' fa!r II I ilbli 't. ltiit Ihal d.... '
:uiciil Ine I'nmi .utlln' Iw.i J,..'
""',..'. o" iniuc lucre .Vir. ii iuie
i I . I Scrimps imd .McCullex w 1 1 1 ,i
.n ni I'.irli) ne to i lie secrel u hi. I. I
discovers, no' If llieie's iiuuii ;n II
'or old Hooky Unit Inns ine ol. it
-iilluls to reason Hint there's ni"i c
In It lor us lliris'. Wlnit's to pn , :
on mii' Met iulVe.v from goin' : 1 1 I
:ils old horse sale an' bliblln' In llin .
iwo lioxcH for Ilie use ami Iiciielii ..f
Jibney. SeniitgN nn' M.iittnV). ail
liniv nn' shnre iiJil.pl Yon inn bid
is high us u bundled dollars if ne, cs
t 'try, an' Mill conic mil a thousand
dollars to Hie j;o,.d I'm tcllin wui
lids because I I. now hnl' In II. mi
1 a o boxes."
Alcilutley was sl.irlnt; (as. inaii .1 ul
Mr. (illniey. Ciipluln Kciui'gs elnii I d
ola male i Nriu In u ireinelt'il clasj.
"Vlm(?" tliey ho(h InterroKtiled.
"You two lioys," eoiitlniied Mr. (Jlli
ney with nKsravntlng (li'lilierntioii.
"ain't what nobody 'would cull diini
mlea. You're siniirt men. I tut the
(rnnlile with both o' you boys Is you
nln't got ho ImaKlmition. Wilbout
Iniiig-lmitlon nobody Rets nowhere, im
less It's out th' Ninnll end o' Ih' born.
Maybe you boys ain't noueed it, hut
my liiuiRlnatlon Is nlJ that keeps me
rrom jroln' to Jail. Now, If you two
hud read the address on them two
boxes, It wouldn't 'a meant nolhln' to
you. Absolutely nothln'. Hut w ith mo
it's different. I'm blessed with litiiicl
nntlon enough to see right through
t hem Chinaman tricks. Theui two
boxes Is marked 'Oriental Goods' nn'
consigned (here Mr. (ilbney raised n
rlmy forefinger, and Seraggs and Me.
iJtifl'ey eyed It very much as if tiny
cxpeclnl It to go oh" at liny moment)
them two boxes is consigned to the
mIii Seng eompnny, 714 ruponl street,
'an Francisco."
"Well, that's up In Chlnnto.vn, ad
v'glit," admitted Captain Scrugrs, "bur
;iow about what's Inside the two
rates?"
"Oriental goods, of course," s:ild Mi.'-
nufrpy. "Tliey are consigned to n
('hinniiinii. an' besides, that's what it
says on the eases, don't It, !ih? Ori
ental goods, Scruggs, Is silks an' satins,
rice, chop suey, punk, nr.' idols an'
fan tan layouts."
"If there ain't Swiss cheese move
ments in i lint head Mock of yours,
Mac, you and Scrnggsy emi tliv de my
.share o' these two boxes o" jdnseir,'
root between you. I to you get it, you
chiicklchcndcil sou of a Irish potato?
(iil Sent;, 711 I 'lipoid street, (iinseng
a root or a herb that medicine' Is
nil lt out of. The dictionary says It's
a Chinese panacea for exhaustion, an'
T happen to know that It's worth live
dollars il pound an' that theni two
crales weighs a hundred and It fly
pounds each If (hey weighs an ounce."
Ills auditors stared at Mr. Cibncy
much as might a pair of baseball fans
til the hero of a home run wilh two
strikes and (he bases lull.
"Ouwd!" miitlcred McllulTey.
"!reul grief, (!ib! Can (his be pos
sible?" gashed I'aplani Seraggs.
D'or answer Mr. Olhney took out his
lll'ty dollar hill and handed II to lo
McOulTvy. lie never (rusted Captain
Scruggs wilh anything more valuable
I ban a pipeful of tobacco.
"Scn.ggsy," he said solemnly, "l'nr
x 1 1 1 i 1 1 ' to back my liuagiuallon with
my cash. You an' Mctlullcy hurry
right oer (o the warehouse an' bull
In on Hie sale when they come lo Ilictii
(wo boxes. The sale Is jusl about
slartln' now. (in as high as you tlilj
you can In order lo get the ginseng al
H pioliinbJe I'lLger, an' pay Hie auc
tioneer lll'ly dollars down lo hold (lie
sale; (lull will give you boys (line to
rush Mound lo dig up Hie balance o
(he money. Ta. l, rl: lit nloin. now
lads, while I go down Ilie sweet an
get ine some brea'.l'asl. I don'l Ham
1 1 1 il ll lei 1 1 1 ul I to see ine ni'otinn thai sale
lie might ge suspicious. All el 1 eal
I'll meet you la-re aboard Hi' Maggie
an' w e'll illx hie the loot."
With n IViNeiit handshake all
around, the three shipmates palled.
After disposing of a hearly break
I'll si of dclllcd lamb's klduevs and
coffee. Mr ilil.ney lin.sied in a lee
cent Sailor's PHudii and sirolJed dowi
to Hie Maggie. Neils ll 'hor-.li, l!n
lone deckhand, was aboard, and the
luoiiienl Mr Oil (rod the Maggie's
-leek niev more as mate In
exercised his prerogative to onlei
Veils ashore i.e- ihe remain. !ei
of the day Since 1 1 a ! ol'sen i::s no!
in on (he ginseng dial. Mr 1 1 . 1 1 1 1
eollclbdeil llial il would be just lis well
to have him 'out id lb,' way -lauili)
Scrags and MillulVcy appear ui.ex
pe.iedly with the two cases of gin
selig.
l'nr mi hour Mr. Cibiict sal on Hie
Klcrn bins and ruiiilnaied over a !
ad iiiitcgeoiis ph. ns ihal bud o.aiirrcd
In him for Ilie luM stn.ent of his liare
of tin (Jcul khould Scru -'gii met Me
Onffey sucppprl In landlne "erhaf Mr.
Olhney termed "the loot." About eleven
'clock an express wagon drove In on
the dock, tnd the mate's dreams were
plensantly Interrupted hy a gleeful
shout from Captain Scrag'gs, on the
lookout forward with the driver. Mc
GufTey sat on top of the two cases
with his legs dangling over the end
of the wason. He wns the picture of
contentment.
Mr. Glbney hurried forward, threw
out (he gangplank, and assisted Mc
Guffev In carrying both crates aboard
(he Maggie and Into her little cabin.
Captain Seraggs thereupon dismissed
(he expressman, and all three part
ners gathered around the dining room
tntde, upon which the boxes rested.
"Well, Scrnggsy, old pnJ, old scout,
old socks, I see you've delivered the
(foods," said Mr. Olhney, batting the
skipper across the cabin with nn affec
tionate ship on the shoulder.
"I did." snld Scrnggs and cursed
Mr. Oibney's demonsirativeness.
"Here's the hill o' sale all regular.
McOnlTey has the change. That hunch
o' Israelites run th' price up to $10.00
each op these two crates o' ginseng,
but when they see we're determined
to hnMe 'em an' nln't Interested In
nolhln' else, they lets 'em go (o'us.
McOuffey, my dear boy, whatever nre
you a-doln' there stnndin' around
with your teeth In your mouth? Skip
down Into th' engine room and bring
up a l:ii miner nn' a col' chisel. We'll
open her up an' Inspect th' swag."
Upon MoGuffey's return, Mr. Oibney
took charge. Ih; drove -(he chisel un
der the lid of (he nearest crate, and
prepared to pry It loose. Suddenly
he paused. A thought had occurred
to him.
"Gentlemen," he said McGuffey
nodded .his head approvingly), "this
world Is full o' stirrers nn' disappoint
ments, an' If may well be that these
two cases don't contain even so much
as a smell o' ginseng after all. It
may he that they are really Oriental
goods. What I want distinctly under
stood Is this: no matter what's Inside,
we share equally In the profits, even
if they turn out to he losses. That's
understood in agreed to. nln't 11?"
Capdiln Seraggs and McGull'ey Indi
cated that It was.
"There's a element o' mystery about
these two boxes," continued Mr Glb
ney, "that fascinates me. They sets
my Imagination n-workln' an' joggles
up all my sport In' instincts. Now,
Just to make it iutereslin' an' add n
spice t' th' grand oponln', I'm wlllin'
to bet agnln, my own best judgment
nn' lay you even money, Scrnggsy,
that it ain't ginseng, but Oriental
goods." '
"I'll go you five doll.irs, just fr
ducks," responded Caplaln Scruggs
heartily. ".MeGulTey (o hold Hie stakes
nn' decide the bet."
"Done," replied .Mr. Olhney. The
money was placed In Mwdufley's
hands, arid n moment later, v.itli a
mighty effort, Mr. Glbney pried off
the lid of the crate. Captain S T.'iggs
lind his head Inside the box a lil'ih of a
second later.
"Sealed zinc hox Inside," I.e u::
nounced. "del u can opener, Cib, u ;.
hoy."
"(iinseng, for a thousand." iilourni
Mr. (iiluiey. "Scrnggsy, you'ie liu
dollars of my money to Hie good. Gin
seng always comes packed in uir-llght
boxes."
He produced n can opener from the
cabin locker ami fell to his work on a
corner of the liermetteully sealed box.
As he drove in the point of Ilie can
opener, he paused, hammer In hauii.
and gazed solemnly at Scrag; s ami
McGulVey.
"Gentlemen," (ngnln Mcliufley
nodded approvingly) "do you know
what a vacuum is?"
"I know," replied (he Impei'tnt'lmb'!'
MeGulTey. "A vacuum Is an empty
hole that ain't got nothln' in l(."
"Coned," said Mr. Glbney. "My
head is u aciiuui. Me isiIMn' aboi.i
ginseng root ! Why, I must have wa
ter on Hie brain I Ginseng be doi.
(foiled ! It's opium !"
Cuplaln Seraggs was forced lo grab
Hie seal of bis chair in order lo keep
himself from jumping up and clasp
lug Mr. Gihney around (he neck.
"Forty dollars a pound," he gasped.
"Glh Gili, my dear boy you've made
us wealthy "
Quickly Mr. Glbney inn (he can
o oner around (he edges of one corner
of (he zinc box, inserted (lie claws of
(he hammer Into the opeuiug. ami
wilh a quick, melodi'iimatic lulsl, hem
back Hie angle thus formed.
Mr. Glbney was the 11 est (o get n
peep inside.
"(ileal snakes!" he yelled, and fell
hack ugliiiisi the cabin wall. A hoarse
si r. ani of rage and horror broke from
Captain Seraggs. In his eagerness he
bad dt hen Ills head so deep Into Ilie
box that he came wlthlji an Inch ol'
kissing what Hie box contained which
happened lo he nothing more, nor less
than n dead Chinaman ! Mr. McGip'
I'ey, always slow and tinlniaginiit i e,
.shouldered (he skipper aside, and
calmly surveyed (lie ghastly appnrl
I ion.
"Twig Hie yellow heggnr, will you.
(lib?" said MeGulTey; "one eye tiaif
open for nil Ilie world like he was
wlnkln' n( ns an' eii.loyln' Hi' joke."
.Not a muscle twitched In MeGin"
lev's I l b. -i n ah countenance. lie
scratched h's head lor u moment, ns
a sort ol' brsi aid (o memory, then
liirued ami l anded Mr. Gihney ten dol
la rs.
"You win. Gib. It's Oriental goods,
sure enough."
"liobber!" slHlekeil Captain Scruggs,
and lieu at Mr. Gibaey's throat. 'Ilie
slghl reminded M.GulTcy ol' a leir.e.
worrying' a masiltf. Ne er' helcss M
Gihney was stdl so linn. i,,l al the
disc, cry of ilie horrible commits of
the box licit, despite his gigaulie pro.
portions, ho was welt-iiigh helpless
"McGuhiy. t swab." he yelled,
"l'luck this muni hue outlaw oil' my
neck. He's leann' my windpipe out
by Ih' reels."
M.;utte choked Caplaln S uiggs
iiulll be rcJu.-lai.lU lei go Mr. loiibey,
when upon all tluvc lied fioni Ibe cab
in as from a p. si . I , - i , and
an angry mid i . -: 1 1 ! 1 1 I g
on deck.
led.
en
up
"Opium!" Ice
with (ears ol ra
sclig ' Sou a o.l
sw Inc. pm' ( i. I
'd Cuptaii
in his in
our 1 1 . i ; i g : i
V my ship
Seraggs.
ce. "(idi
:Mlon. !:
Joll lout.
or I'll 1 1 1 it i ! i
Ml Clhll. l.llhg h'.K hea l
"Scrnj;g. an' you. loo McUurtey
I got lo lojiull ' 1 1 ;i I tblt heir la on oil
Adelhert P. Glbney. I I"
"Oh, hear him," shrilled Captain
Scrugrs. "One on liinit It's two on
Jron, jou bloody-handed ragpicker. I
suppose that other case contains
opium, too! If there ain't another
dead corpse In No. 2 case I hope my
teeth may drop overborn d."
."Shut np!" bellowed Mr. Olhney, In
towering rage. "What howl have
you got comln.'? They're my China
men, ain't they? I paid for 'em like
mnn, didn't I? All right, then. I'll
keep them two Chinamen. You two
ain't out a cent yet, an ns for this
five I wins off you, Scrnggs, It's blood
money; that's whnt It Is, in' I hereby
gives It hnck to you. Noiv, quit yer
whlnln', or by the tall o' the Great
Sacred Hull, I'll lock yon up all night
In th' cabin nlontr o' them two defunct
Celestltils."
Caplaln Scrngns "shut up" prompt
ly, and contented himself with glower
ing at Mr. Gihney. The mate sat
down on the hatch coaming, lit his
pipe, and gave himself up to medita
tion for fully five minutes, nt the end
of which time MeGulTey was aware
that his Imagination was about to
come to the front once more.
"Well, gentlemen," (again McGuf
fey nodded approvingly) "I bet I get
my twenty bucks back outer them two
Chinks," he announced presently.
"How'll yer do it?" inquired McOuf
fey politely.
"How'll I do It? Knsy as falJin'
through an open hatch. I'm a-goin'
t' keep them two stiffs In th' boxes
until dark, an' then I'm a-goin' to take
'em out, bend a rope around their
middle, drop 'em overboard an' anchor
'em there all night. I see th' lad we
opens up in No. 1-cnse has hnd a beau
tiful Job of emhiilmln' done on him,
hut If I let them soak all night, like
a mackerel, they'll limber up an' look
kinder fresh. Then first thing In th
mornin' I'll telephone th' coroner on'
tell him I found two floaters out In
th' hay an' for him to come an' get
'em. I been along the waterfront long
enough t' know that th' lad that picks
up a Hunter gets a reward o' ten dol
lars from th' 'city. You can bet thnt
Adelhert V. Glbney breaks even on th'
deul, nil right."
"Glh, my dear hoy," said Captain
Scruggs admiringly. "I apologize for
my actions of a few minutes ago. I
was unstrung. You're still mate o' th'
American steamer Maggie, an' n- svtch
velcotne to th' snip. All T
you nail up your property, Gib, an'
remove it from th' dinin' room table.
I wiint to remind you, however, Gib.
thnt us shipmates me an' AIcGufley
don't stand for you shoiilderin' any
loss on them two cases o' Oriental
goods. We was t' share th' gains, if
any. an' likewise lb' losses."
"That's right," said MeGulTey, "fair
an' square. No thcllynchln' between
Shipmates. Me an' Scrnggs each owns
one-third o' them diseased Chinks, nn'
we each stands one-third o' th' loss,
If any."
"Hill there won't he no loss," pro
tested Mr. Gihney.
. "Iiiiyiige charges, Gib, drnynge
charges. We give a mnn a dollar to
tow 'em down t' tlf ship."
"Forget It," answered Mr. Glbney
mngnniiiiuiiusly, "nn" let's go over an'
get n drink. I'm all shook up."
. ,. CHAPTER VIII.
Had either Mr. Gihney or McGufToy
been watching Captain Seraggs nftoi
he had left them they would have
been much puzzled to account for thn'
worthy's actions. First he (lodge!
around the block Into Prunun stive'-,
and then ran' down Driinnu to Culifoi
nin, where he cjiinbed aboard a cnbl '
car and rode up into Chinatown. Ar
riving at I'upont street he alighte 1
and walked up that interesting thoi
otiglifiiie ii ii I il lie came to No. 71'
He glanced at a sign over the door an !
was aware that he stood before th"
entrance to the ollices of (he Chines
Six Companies, so he climbed upstair
and inquired for Gin Seng, who pres
pntly made his appearance.
Gin Seng, a very nice, fat Clilnr
man. arrayed In a flowing silk gown,
begged, In pidgin Kngllsh, to know i;i
what manner he could he of service,
"Me heap big captain, nilee same
ship." began Captain Seraggs. "Oil
board ship two China boys have got."
(Here Caplaln Scruggs winked know
ingly.) "China hoy no speak Kng
llsh "
"That being the case," interposed
Gin Seng. "I presume that you and 1
understiim! each other, so let's cut
out the pidgin Knglish. Po I under
stand that you nre engaged In evading
the Immigration laws?"
"Kxnctly," Captain Scrnggs ninnaged
to gasp, us soon as he could recover
from his astonishment. "They showed
ine your name an' address, an' they
won't have th' ship, where I got 'em
locked up in my cabin, until you come
an' take tin nwav. Couple o' rela
tives of yours, I should imagine."
(iin Seng smiled his bland Chinese
smile, lie had frequent dealings with
ship musters engaged 1n the danger
ous, though lucrative, trade of smug
gling Chinese Into (he I'liiled Slates,
and while lie had not received advice
of lids j hi rl i .ill ii r shipment, he decided
to go wilh Caplnin Scruggs to Jackson'
street bulkhead and see If he could
not be of some Use lo his countrymen.
As Captain Scragiis and his Chinese
companloM approached (he wharf (he
skipper glanced warily nboiil. lie had
small fear Hint either Glbney or Me
GulTey would show up for in hour, for
lie knew Hint Mr. (iiluiey had money
In his possession. However, he decided
lo lake l l clian.es, and scouted the
validly tlioioii.;liJy before venturing
lib oar. I the Maggie. These actions
servoi' but to increase Hie respect of
Gin Seng for Hie funster of the Maggie
and i.nttriccl I im In hl belief Unit!
Ibe Magg'e was a smu-ggler. ,
I'iii ::i n sj-raggs took his visitor In
side Hie I. tile cabin, carefully locked
an. I boiled Hie door, lilted the Ine
Ikip back fr. tn ibe lop of the crale of '
"Oriental goisls" and d'siiliiyed the'
face .. the dead Chinaman Also he
pointed t 1 Hie Chinese characters on
the w . o don lid of ll.e i t ate.
"Wl it does ihese be.i scratches '
n:e::n'" d 'luanded Seraggs I
'"I'los man is named Ah (Show and
be leloiigs to Ibe Hop Sing Ion;."
'"I ' :.! out ids pal here':''
"11 it man is ei.ieiiih- Ng- Chonit ,
V " He N als. a llo p Sin,' num."
c i t on S. hills wrole ll down. "A!J
i'lgl I," he a!. ibeenly; "UlUct) !
obliged. Now,' what I want to know
Is what the Hop Sing tong means hy
shipping the departed brethren by
freight? They go to work an' fix 'em
op nice no's they'll keep, packs 'em
away In a zinc coffin. Inside a nice
plain wood hox, Inhels 'em 'Orlentnl
goods,' an' consigns 'em to the Gin
Seng company, 714 Pupont street, Snn
Frnnclsco. Now, why are these two
countrymen o' yours shipped by freight
where, by the way, they goes astray,
for some reason that I .don't know
nothln about, an' I buys 'em up at a
old korse sale?"
Gin Seng shmgged his shoulders and
replied thnt he didn't understand.
"Y'oti lie," snarled Cnptnln Scrnggs.
"You savey all right, you fat old Idol,
you 1 It's because If the rnllrond com
pany knew these two boxes contained
dead corpses they'd a-soaked the rela
tives, which Is yon, one full fnre each
from wherever these two dead ones
comes from, just the snme as though
they wns alive an' well. But you hns
'em shipped by freight, an' alms fo
spend a dollar an' thirty cents each
on 'em, by mnrkln' 'em 'Orlentnl
goods.' Helluva way to treat u rela
tion. Now, looky here, you bloody
hen then. It'll cost you Just five hun
dred dollars to recover these two
stiffs, nn' close my mouth. If you
don't come through I'll ninke a belch
t' th' newspapers an' they'll keel haul
an' skulldrag th' Chinese Six Compa
nies an' the Hop Sing tong through the
courts for evadln' th' laws o' th' Inter
state commerce commission, an' make
'em look like monkeys generally. An'
Ihen th' police'll get wind of It. Savey,
pollcee-tnnn, you fat old murderer?
Th' price I'm askln' Is cheap, Charley
How do I know but whnt these twe,
' poor boys has been murdered In cold
i blood? There's somethln' rot.Mi It
I vnmnrk. my bully boy, an' you'li
lave time nn trouble an' money hy
liggin' up five hundred dollars."
Gin Seng snld he would go back to
CTiinntown and consult with Ids eom
pnny. For reasons of his own he was
oadly frightened.
Scarce had he departed before the
watchful eye of Cnptuln Seraggs ob
"erved Mr. Glbney nnd McGuffey lii
the offing, a block away. When they
came aboard they found Cnptuln
Scruggs on fop of the house, seated on
an upturned fire bucket, smoking pen
sively and gnzlng across the bay with
an assumption of lamblike Innocence
on his fox face.
He soon departed, but Mr. Gibney
wns suspicious. "He's got his lines
fast somewhere you can bank on
that," was his comment. "While we
wns nwny he rigged up some kind of
a deal. Hart. It stands to renson It
wns a mighty profitable deal, too.
My Imagination may be a bit off the
course nt times, Bart, but In general,
If there's a (lend whale lloatin' around
the ship I enn smell It."
"What do you make out o' thnt fat
Chinaman crulsln' down the bulkhead
In nn express wagon an' another Chinn
man settln' up on the bridge with
him?" McGuffey demanded. "Seems
to me they're comln', bows on, for the
Maggie."
"They tell me to deduct somethln',
Bart. Wnlt a minute till we see if
they're comln' aboard. If they nre "
"They're goln' to . make n landin',
Gib."
" then I deduct that this body-
snntchin' Scrnggs "
"They're bonrdin' us, Gib."
" has arranged with yon fat Chlnn
innn to relieve us o' the unwelcome
presence of his defunct friends!. He's
gone tin' hunted up the relatives an'
made 'em come across that's what
he's done. The dirty, low, schemln'
grnnddaddy of nil the foxes In Chris
tendom ! I'll fish nround nn' see whal
ffgger Scrnggs chnrged him," and Mr.
Gihney stepped to the rail to meet
Gin Seng, for it was indeed he.
"Sow-see, sow-see, hun-gay," Mr.
Glbney saluted the Chinaman In n
facetious attempt to tnlk the Intter's
language. "Hello, there, John Chinn
rnan. How's your liver? Captnln he
nlle same get tired ; he no wnltee.
Willi's mullah, John. Too long time
jou no come. You henp lazy all time."
Gin Seng smiled his bland, Inscruta
ble Chinese smile. "You ketehtnu two
Chi nu boy In box?" he queried.
"We hnve," boomed McGuffey, "an'
beautiful specimens they be."
"No money, no China boy," Olhney
lidded firmly.
"Money hnve got. Too mnchee mon
ey you wnntee. No can do. Me pay
two hundred dollnh. Five hundred dol
lnh henp muchee. No have got."
"Nothln' doln', John. Fix-e hundred
dollars nn' not a penny less. Put up
the dough or bent it."
Gin Seng expostulated, lied, evaded,
and all hut wept, but Mr. Gihney wns
obdurate nnd eventually the Chlnn
mnn paid over the money and departed
with the remains of his countrymen,
"I knew he'd come through, Bart,"
Mr. Gibney declnred. "They got to
ship them stiffs to China to rest along
side their ancestors or he In Putch
with the sperrlts o' the departed for
ever after."
"Po we hnve to split this swag with
that dirty Seraggs?" McGuffey wanted
to know. "Seeln' ns how he tried to
Vive us the double cross "
"We'll fix Scrnggsy all shlp-shnpe
nn' !egul so's he won't huve no eome
onck." They had not long to wait. Upon
his arrival nt Gin Seng's place of busi
ness Cnptnln Scruggs hud been In
formed that Gin Senu had gone out
twenty minutes before, mid further In
quiry revealed that he had departed
hi an express wagon. Consumed with
misgivings of disaster, Seraggs re
turned to the Maggie ns fast as the
cable car and his Jegs could carry him.
In the cabin he found Mr. Glbney and
McGuffey playing cribhage. They laid
down their hands as Seraggs entered.
Mr. Gibney began at once: "To
show you whnt n funny world this is,
while me an' Hart's setHn' on deck
n-waltin' for you to come back, along
breezes a fat old Chinaman In nn ex
press wagon nn' offers to buy them two
cases of Oriental givxls. He makes me
tin' Mac what we considers a fair
ffer. I.emtue gee, now," he continued,
and got out stub of lead pencil with
which he commenced figuring on the'
white oilcloth table cover. "We paid
twenty dollars for them two derellcti
nn' a dollar towage. That's twenty
one dollar, an1 a third o' twenty -one
is aeveu, an' aevrn dollars from twvn-ty-Qva
leavaa l-hteD dollars com In'
U tau. Ur'a lour aUhtaoa duiiara.
Pcrnggsy, you lucky old vagabond all
Clear profit on a neat dny'a work, no
expense, no Investment, no back-hreak-ln'
Interest charges or overhead, an'
sold out at your own flgger."
Captnln Scrnggs' face was a study
tn conflicting emotions as he raked In
the eighteen dollnrs. "Thanks. Gib,"
tie snld frigidly.
"Me an' Gib's goin' ashore for lunch
t the Marigold cafe," McGuffey an
nounced presently, In order to break
the horrible silence that followed
sJcrnggsy's crushing defeat. "I'm will
In to spend some o' my profits on the
denl nn' blow you to a lunch with a
small bottle o "Pngo Bed thrown in.
How about It, Scrnggs?"
"I'm on." Seraggs sought to throw
off his. gloom and appear sprightly.
"Whnt'd yon peddle them two cadaverf
for, Gib?"
Mr. Glbney grinned broadly, but did.
not answer. In effect, his grin In
formed Scrnggs that thnt was none of
die Intter's business nud Scrnggs as
'tftrillated the hint. "Well, at any rnte
Gib, whatever you soaked him, It wnt
o mighty good sale nn' I congrnlulnU
on. I think I lebbe I might hn' done
a little bette myself, but then 1;
lo't every, day a feller can turn an
elghteen-dollnr trick on a corpse."
"Coniin' to lunch with us?" McGuf
fey uemunded.
"Sure. -Wait a minute till I run
forward an' see if the lines Is all fnsj."
He stepped out of the cnbln and
presently Glbney nnd McGuffey were
conscious of a rapid succession of
thuds on the deck. Gibney winked at
McGuffey.
"Nother new lint gone to h 1," mur
mured McGuffey.
CHAPTER IX.
Even after nllowlng for the expendi
tures on the engine weighing heavily
on Captnln Scruggs, that lndMdual
continued morose nnd more than ever
Inclined to be sarcastic. Mr. Gibney
commented on the fact to Mr. McGuf
fey. "He's troubled flnnnelnlly. Gib."
"Well, you know who troubled him.
don't you, Bart?"
"I mean about the cost o' them re
pairs in the engine room. Unless he cun
come through In thirty days with the
balunce he owes, the boiler people are
goln' to libel the Maggie to protect
their claim."
Mr. Gibney -arched his bushy eye
brows. "How do you know?" lie de
manded. "He wns a-tellln' me," Mr. McGuffey
admitted weakly.
"Well, he wasn't a-tellln' me." Mr.
GIbney's tones were ominous; he
glared at his friend suspiciously as
from the Maggie's cabin Issued forth
Scrnggsy's voice rnised in song.
"Hello! The old boy's thermome
ter's gone up, Bart. Listen at him.
'Ever o' thee he's fondly drenmln'.'
Somethin's busted the spell an' I'll
bet a cooky it wns ready cash." He
"Bart," He Demanded, "Did You Loan
Scraggsy Some Money?"
menaced Mr. McGuffey with a rigid
index finger. "Iinrt," he demanded,
"did you loan Scraggsy some money?"
The honest McGuffey hung his head.
"A little bit," he replied childishly.
"What d'ye call a little tilt?"
"Three hundred dollars, Gib."
"Secured?"
"He gimme his note at eight per
cent. The savin's hunk ouly paya
four."
"Is the note secured by endorse
ment or collateral?"
"No."
"lluin-m-iu ! Strange you didn't say
liothin' to me about this till I hnd
to pry It out o' you, Bnrt."
"Well, Scrnggsy was feelln' so dog
goned blue "
"The truth," Mr. Gihney Insisted
firmly, "the truth, Burt."
"Well. Scraggsy nsked me not to say
anythln to you about it."
"Sure. Il knew I'd kill the deal.
Ue knew hetter'n to try to nick me for
t tins' hundred bucks on his (hinged,
worthies note. Bart, wliy'd you do
it?"
"Oh. h 11. Gib, be a good feller,"
poor McGuffey pleaded. "Don't be
too hard on ol' Scraggsy."
"We're dlscussin' you, Bart. Tears
lo mo you've sort o lost confidence
In your old shipmate, nln't you?
Tears that way to me when you act
ineaky like."
McGuffey bridled. "I uln't a sneak."
"A rose by any other name'd be
just as sweet," Mr. Gihney quoted.
"You poor, misguided simp. If you
ever see that three hundred dollars
again you'll be n lot older'n you are
now However, that ain't none o' my
business. The fact remains, Bart, that
you conspired with Scraggsy to ketp
things away from me. which shows
you nin't the mnn I thought you were,
so from now on you go your wny an'
I'll go mine."
"I got n right to do in 1 blasted
lilease with toy money," McGuffey de
fended boil). "I nln't im child to be
lectured lo."
"Cwuldcrlu' the fact Uial 101)
ouldn't hnve had the money to lend
If It hadn't been for me, I allow I'm ft
suited when you uaa the snld money
to give aid an' comfort to my enemy.
I'm through."
McGuffey, smothered In ful't, felt
nevertheless that he had to stand by
his guns, so to apeak. "Stay through.
If you feel like It," he retorted. Wher
d'ye get that chntter? Ain't I free,
white, nn' twenty-one year old?"
Mr. Glbney waa really hurt. Too
poor boob," he murmured. "It'a th
old game o' seftln' a beggar on horse
back an' seeln' him ride to the devil,
jt sllppln' n gold ring in a pig's nosw.
4n' I figured you was my friend I"
"Well, nln't I?" '
"Fooeyl Fooeyl Don't talk to me.
You'd sell out your own mother."
"Glh, you trylu' to pick a fight with
me?"
"No, but I woutd If I thought I
wouldn't git a footrnce instend," Glb
ney rejoined scnlhlngly. "Crlpea,
whnt a double-crossln' I been handed I
Honest, Bart, when It comes to that
sort o' work Scrnggs Is In his lufancy.
You sure take the cake."
"I nln't got the heart to clout yott
an' make you eat them words," Mr.
McGuffey declnred, sorrowfully.
"You mean you ain't got the guts,"
Mr. Glbney corrected htm. "Bart, I
got your number. Goodbye."
Mr. McGuffey hnd a wild Impulse to
cast himself upon the Gibney neck
and weep, but his honor forbade any
such weakness. So he invited Mr.
Glbney to betake himself to a region
severol degrees hotter than the Mag
gie's engine room ; then, hecnuse he
fenred Jo linger nnd develop a senti
mental weakness, he turned his back
abruptly and descended to the aald
engine room.
On his part, Adelhert P. Gibney en
tered the cabin and glared long and
mennclngly at Captain Scruggs. "I'll
have my time," he growled presently.
"Give it to me an' give it quick."
The very Intonntlon of his voice
warned Seraggs that the present was
not a time for argument or trifling.
Silently he paid Mr. Glbney the money
due him ; in equal silence the navi
gating officer went to the pilot house,
unscrewed his framed certificate from
the wall, packed It with his few be
longings, nnd departed for Scab John
ny's boarding house.
"Hello," Scab Johnny saluted him at
his entrance. "Quit the Maggie?"
Mr. Glbney nodded. ;
"Want a trip to the dark blue?" '
"Lead me to it," mumbled Mr. Glb
ney. "It'll cost you twenty dollars, Gib.
Chief mate on the Rose of Sharon,
bound for the Galapagos Islands seal
ing." "I'll take It, Johnny." Mr. Gibney
threw over a twenty-dollar bill, went
to his room, packed all of his belong
ings, paid his bill to Scab Johnny, and
within the hour was aboard the
schooner Rose of Sharon. Two hour
later they towed out with the tide.
Poor McGuffey was stunned when
he heard the news that night from
Scab Johnny. When he retailed the
information to Seraggs next morning,
Seraggs was equally perturbed. He
guessed that McGuffey and Glbney
had quarreled nnd he had the poor
Judgment to ask McGuffey the cause of
the row. Instantly, McGuffey informed
him that that was none of bis dad
fetched business and the Incident was
closed.
The three months that followed were
the most hnrrowing of McGuffey's life.
Captain Seraggs knew his .engineer
would not resign while he, ' Scragga,
owed htm three hundred dollars;
wherefore he was not too particular
to put a bridle on his tongue when
things appenred to go wrong. McGuf
fey longed to kill him, but dared not.
When, eventually, the railroad had
been . extended sufficiently far down
the coast to enable the farmers to
haul their goods to the railroad In
trucks, the Maggie automatically
went out of the green-pea ' trade ;
simultaneously,. Captain Seraggs' note
to McGuffey fell due and the engineer
demanded payment. Seraggs de
murred, pleading poverty, but Mr. Mc
Guffey assumed such a threatening at
titude thai reluctantly Seraggs paid
him a hundred and fifty dollars on ac
count, nnd McGuffey extended the bal
ance one year and quit.
"See that you got that hundred a&4
fifty an' the interest in your Jean
the next time we meet," he warob4
Scruggs as he went overside.
Time passed. For a month the Mag
gie plied regularly between Bodega
bay and San Francisco In an endeavor
to work up some business in farm and
dulry produce, but a gasoline schooner
cut in on the run and declared a rate
war, whereupon the Maggie turned her
blunt nose rlverword and for a brief
period essayed some towing and gener
al freighting on the Sacramento and
San Jouquln. It was 'unprofitable,
however, and at last Cuplaln Seraggs
was forced to lay his darling little
Mngglc up and take a Job as chief
olticer of the ferry steamer Encinal,
plying between Sun Francisco and Oak
land. In the meantime, Mr. McGuf
fey, after two barren months "on the
beach," landed a Job as second assist-,
aut on a Standard Oil tanker running
to the west coast, while thrifty Neils
Ualvorsen Invested the savings of tea
years In a bay scow known as the Wil
lie and Annie, arrogated to himself
the title of captain, and proceeded te
freight hay, grain and paving stones
frgin Petaluina.
(To be continued next week.)
Vegetable Bulletin Out
The value of garden vegetables
grown' in the state exclusively for
sale amounts annually to approxi
mately S 1.500.1X10. A. nuuu.n
crops in the farm home garden the
same or these products exceeds
2,750,0u0 yearly, according to a
bulletin on Vegetable Gardening in
Oregon, by A. G. B. Bouquet, pro
fessor of ve&etllhlo frnrdtminc of tho
college. Recommendations offered
in this publication are based on in
vestigational duta and general ob
servations of crops in the field,
greenhouse, and frame.
Ue no potatoes for seed that
bhow brown discolorations near the
kurfuce when cut across the stem
end. Such potatoes often have wilt,
a distase that seriously reduces the
yield of potatoes in many sections
of Oregon. O. A. C. Experiment
Slulloli.
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