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Show THE QREEN PEA PIRATES By PETER B. KYNE oAuthor of "WEBSTER MAN'S MAN," "THE VALLEY OF THE GIANTS," ETC Copyrififit, by Peter B. Kyne gating officer. "I don't see any distress signals flyln' an yet she's got an anchor out while her canvas Is hangtn' so-so." "If she had any hands abonrd, you'd think they'd have sense enough to clew up her courses," the mate answered. an-swered. At this juncture, Mr. Gibney and McGuffey, unable to restrain their curiosity, cu-riosity, and forgetful of the fact that they were pirates with very sore feet, came running over the deckload and Invaded the pilot house. "Gimme that glass, you sock-eyed salmon, you," Gibney Gib-ney ordered Scraggs, and tore the telescope tele-scope from the owner's hands. "Hum m m! American bark Chesapeake. Chesa-peake. Starboard anchor out ; yards braced a-box; royal an to'-gallan'-s'ls clewed up ; courses hangin' in the buntllnes an' clew garnets, Stars-an'-Strlpes upside down." He lowered the glass and roared at Neils Halvorsen, who was at the wheel, "Starboard your helm, Square- around and try to locate some kind of a job ; then when them new employees o' Scraggsy quit or get fired whlch'll be after about two voyages an' the old man comes around holdin' out the olive branch o' peace, we'll give him the horselaugh." Three days of diligent search failed to uncover the coveted Job for either, however, and on the morning of the fourth day Mr. Gibney announced that it would be necessary to "raise the wind," If -the pair would breakfast. They retired to the sidewalk to hold a caucus and Mr. McGuffey located a dime which had dropped down inside the lining of his coat. "That settles it," Gibney declared. "We've skipped two meals but Til be durned If we skip another. We'll ride out to the San Mateo county line on the trolley with that dime an' then hoof It over the hills to Halfmoon bay. Scraggs won't git away from the dock here until un-til after twelve o'clock, so we know he'll lie at Halfmoon bay all night If we start now we'll connect with him In time for supper. Eh, Bart?" "A twenty-mile hike on a tee-totally empty stomach, with a battle royal on our hands the minute we arrive, weak an' destltoote, ain't quite my idea ' enjoyment, Gib, but I'll go you If It kills me. Let's up hook an' away. I'm for glttin' back to work an' usin' moral persuasion to git that new boiler." They took a hitch in their belts and started. From the point at which they left the trolley to their journey's end was a stiff six-hour jaunt, up hill and down dale, and long before the march was half completed the unaccustomed exercise had developed sundry galls and blisters on the Gibney heels, while the soles of poor McGuffey's feet were so hot he voiced the apprehension that they might burn to a crisp at any moment mo-ment and drop off by the wayside. The crew of the Maggie had ceased working cargo for the day and Captain Cap-tain Scraggs was busy cooking supper in the galley when the two prodigals, exhausted, crippled and repentant, came to the door and coughed propitiously, propi-tiously, but Captain Scraggs pretended not to hear, and went on with his task of turning fried eggs with an artistic flip of the frying pan. So Mr. Gibney Gib-ney spoke, struggling bravely to appear ap-pear nonchalant. With his eyes' on the fried eggs and his mouth threatening threaten-ing to slaver at the glorious sight, he said : "Hello, there, Scraggsy, old tarpot. How goes it with the owner o' the fast an' commodious steamer Maggie? Git that consignment e' post-holes aboard yet?" Mr. Gibney's honest face beamed expectantly, ex-pectantly, for he was particularly partial par-tial to fried eggs. As for his companion com-panion in distress, anything edible and which would serve to nullify the gnawing gnaw-ing at his Internal economy would be welcome. Inasmuch as Captain Scraggs did not readily reply to Mr. Gibney's salutation, McGuffey decided to be more emphatic and to the point, albeit in a joking way. "Hurry up with them eggs, Scraggs," he rumbled. "Me an' Gib's walked down from the city an' we're hungry. ECRAGGS IS ONE LUCKY SEA DOG. Synopsis. Captain Phlneas P. Scraggs has grown up around the docks of San Francisco, and from mess boy on a river jteamer, risen to the ownership of the steamer Maggie. Since each annual Inspection In-spection promised to be the last of the old weatherbeaton vessel, Scraggs naturally has some difficulty In securing a crew. When the atory opens, Adelbert P. Gibney! likable, but erratic, a man whom nobody' but Scraggs would hire, Is the skipper, Nells Halvorsen, a solemn Swede, constitutes consti-tutes the forcastle hands, and Bart McGuffey, Mc-Guffey, a wastrel of the Gibney type, reigns In the engine room. "With this motley crew and his ancient vessel. Captain Cap-tain Scraggs Is engaged In freighting garden gar-den truck from Halfmoon bay to San Francisco. The Inevitable happens, the Maggie going ashore In a fog. A passing vessel hailing the wreck, Mr. Gibney gets word to a towing company in San Francisco that the ship ashore is the Yankee Prince, with promise of a rich salvage. Two tugs succeed In pulling the Maggie Into deep water, and she slips her tow lines and gets away In the fog. Furious at the deception practised on them, Captains Hicks and Flaherty, commanding com-manding the two tugboats, ascertain the Identity of the "Yankee Prince" and, fearing fear-ing ridicule should the facts become known along the water front, determine on personal vengeance. Their hostile visit to the Maggie results In Captain Scraggs promising to get a new boiler and make needed repairs to the steamer. CHAPTER V. 4 A week had elapsed and nothing of an eventful nature had transpired to disturb the routine of life aboard the Maggie, until Bartholomew McGuffey, having heard certain waterfront whispers, whis-pers, considered It the part of prudence pru-dence to lay his Information before Scraggs and Mr. Gibney. "Look here, Scraggs," he began briskly. "It's ail fine an' dandy to promise me a new boiler, but when do I git it?" "Why, jes' as soon as we can get this lut o' freight behind us, Bart, my boy. You've managed with the old boiler this long, so it 'pears to me you might be patient an' bear with It a mite longer, Bart." "Oh, I ain't tryin' to be disagreeable, Scraggs, only it sort o' worries me to have to go along without bein' able to use our whistle." "We'll fix it when business slacks up," Scraggs decided with finality. He glanced at his watch. "Sufferin' sailor!" he cried in simulated distress. dis-tress. "Here it's one o'clock an' I ain't collected a dollar o' the freight money from the last voyage. I must bent it." When Captain Scraggs had "beaten It," Gibney and McGuffey exchanged expressive glances. "He's runnin' out on us," McGuffey complained. "Even so, Bart, even so. Therefore, the thing for us to do Is to run out on him. In other words, we'll work a month, save our money, an' then, without with-out a word o' complaint or argyment, we'll walk out." "Oh, I ain't exactly broke, Gib. I got eighty-five dollars." "Then," quoth Gibney decisively, "we'll go on strike tonight. Scraggsy'll be stuck in port a week before he can get another engineer an' another navi-gatln' navi-gatln' officer, me an' you bein' the only two natural-born fools in San Francisco an' ports adjacent, an' before be-fore three days have passed he'll be huntin' us up to compromise." "I don't want no compromise. What I want is a new boiler." "You'll git It. We'll make him order the paint an' the boiler an' pay for both in advance before we'll agree to go back to work." The engineer nodded his approval and after sealing their pact with a hearty handshake, they turned to and commenced discharging the Maggie. When Captain Scraggs returned to the little steamer shortly after five o'clock, to his great amazement, he discovered Mr. Gibney and McGuffey dressed In their other suits including celluloid collars and cuffs. "The cargo's out, Scraggsy, my son, the decks has been washed down an' everything In my department is shipshape." ship-shape." Thus Mr. Gibney. "Likewise in mine," McGuffey added. "Consequently," Mr. Gibney concluded, con-cluded, "we're qulttln' the Maggie an' if it's nil the same to you we'll have our time." "My dear Gib. Why, whatever's come over you two buys?" "Stow your chatter, Scruggs. Shell out the cash. You've fooled us once In the mntter o' that new boiler an' the palnttn', an' we're not goln' to give you a secfwid chance. Come through or take the consequences. We'll sail no more with a liar an' a fraud." "Them's hard words. Mr. Gibney." "The truth Is alters bitter," McGuffey McGuf-fey opined. Captain Scraggs paused to consider Hie serious predicament which confronted con-fronted him. It was Saturday night. Ie knew Mr. McGuffey to be the is-sessor is-sessor of mere money than usual and If he could assure himself that this reserve should be dissipated before Monday morning he was aware, from experience, that the strike would be broken by Tuesday at the latest. And he could nfford that delay, lie resolved, re-solved, therefore, on diplomacy. "Well, I'm sorry," he answered with very appearance of contrition. "You fellers got rae In the nine hole an' I can't help myself. At the. same time, I appreciate fully your p'int of view, while realizin' that I can't convince you o' mine. So we won't have no hard feelin's at partln', boys, an' to show you I'm a sport I'll treat to a French dinner an' a motion picture show afterward. Further. I shall regard re-gard a refusal of said invite as a pers'nal affront." "By golly, you're gittln' sporty in your old age," the engineer declared. "I'll go you, Scraggs. How about you, Gib?" "I accept with thanks, Scraggsy, old tarpot Personally, I maintain that seamen should leave their troubles aboard ship." "That's the sperrlt I appreciate, boys. Come to the cabin an' Til pay you off. Then wait a coupler minutes min-utes till I 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, ain't he?" the new navigating officer offi-cer whispered as Scraggs departed for his other suit. "He's goln' to blow himself on us tonight, thlnkln' to soften our hard resolution. We'll 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 a preliminary move. Captain Scraggs declared In favor of a couple of cocktails to whet their appetites for the French dinner, and accordingly according-ly the trio repaired to an adjacent saloon and tucked three each under their belts all at Captain Scraggs' expense. When he proposed a fourth, Mr. Gibney's perfect sportsmanship caused him to protest, and reluctantly Captain Scraggs permitted Gibney to buy. Scraggs decided to have a cigar, however, instead of another Martini. The ethics of the situation then indicated indi-cated that McGuffey should "set 'em up," which he did over Captain Scraggs' protest and again the wary Scraggs called for a cigar, alleging as an excuse for his weakness that for years three cocktails before dinner had been his absolute limit. A fourth cock-tall cock-tall on an empty stomach, he declared, would kill the evening for him. But why descend to sordid and vulgar vul-gar details? Suffice that when the artful Scraggs, pretending to be overcome over-come by his potations and very ill Into the bargain, begged to be delivered back aboard the Maggie, Messrs. McGuffey Mc-Guffey and Gibney loaded him into a taxicab and sent him there, while they continued their search for excitement. excite-ment. Where and how they found it requires no elucidation here; it is sufficient to state that it was expensive, ex-pensive, for when men of the Gibney and McGuffey type have once gotten a fair start naught but financial dissolution dissolu-tion can stop them. On Monday morning, Messrs. Gibney Gib-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 doing. do-ing. While his head ached slightly from the fiery usquebaugh of the Bow-head Bow-head saloon, he craved a return to a solid diet, so for several minutes he lay supine, conjuring In his agile brain ways and means of supplying this need In the absence of ready cash. "I'll have to hock ' my sextant," was the conclusion at which he presently pres-ently arrived. Ten minutes later he took his sextant under his arm and departed de-parted for a pawnshop In lower Market Mar-ket street. From the pawnshop he returned re-turned to Scab Johnny's with eight dollars In his pocket, routed out the contrite McGuffey, and carried the latter 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 post forty-eight hours. "Well, there's one thing certain," McGuffey concluded, "an' that thing is sure a cinch. Our strike has petered out. Let's mosey along down to the Mag-, gie's dock an' see how Scraggsy's get-tin' get-tin' along." Forthwith they set out to Interview Captain Scraggs. The owner of the Maggie greeted them cheerily, but after aft-er discussing generalities for half an hour, Scraggs failed to make overtures, over-tures, whereupon Mr. Gibney announced an-nounced casually that he guessed he and Mac would be on their way. "Same here, hoys," Captain Scraggs piped breezily. "I got a new mate an' a new engineer comin' aboard at ten o'clock an' we sail at twelve." "Well, we'll see you occasionally," Mr. Gibney said at 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 a glass of beer. However, Mr. Gibney's spirits never dropped below zero while he had one nickel V rub against another: hence such slight depression as he felt was due to a feeling that Captain Scraggs had basely swindled him and McGuffey. lie was disappointed in Scrnggs and said as much. "flow-ever, "flow-ever, Bart," he concluded, "we'll never say 'die' while our money holds out, and In the meantime our luck-may luck-may have changed. Let's scatter "The eggs, Scraggsy," boomed Mr. Gibney, "the eggs." Half an hour later, as the pirates, replete with provender, sat dangling their damaged underpinning over the stern railing where the gentle wavelets wave-lets laved and cooled them, Captain Scraggs, accompanied by the new navigating navi-gating officer, the new engineer, and The Squarehead, came aft. The cripples crip-ples looked up, surveyed their successors succes-sors in office, and found the sight far from reassuring. "I've already ordered yon two tramps offn my ship," Seraggs began formally, "an' I hereby, in the presence pres-ence -o' reliable witnesses, repeats the invitation. You ain't wanted ; your room's preferred to your comp'ny, an' by stayln' a minute longer, in defiance o' my orders, you're layin' yourselves liable to a charge o' piracy." Mr. Gibney carefully laid his pipe aside and stood up. He was quite an Imposing spectacle in his bare feet, with his trousers rolled up to his great knees, thereby revealing his scarlet flannel underdrawers. With a stifled groan, McGuffey rose and stood beside his partner, and Mr. Gibney spoke: "Scraggs, be reasonable. We ain't lookin' for trouble; not because we don't relish it, for we do where a couple o' scabs Is concerned, but for the simple reason that we ain't in the best o' condition to receive it, although al-though if you force it on us we'll do our best. If you chuck us off the Maggie Mag-gie an' force us to walk back to San Francisco, we're goln' to be reported as missln'. Honest, now, Scraggsy, old side-winder, you ain't goln' to maroon us here, alone with the vegetables, vege-tables, are you?" "You done me dirt. You quit me cold. Git out. Two can play at a dirty game an every dog must have his day. This is my day, Gib. Scat!" "Pers'nally," McGuffey announced quietly, "I prefer to die aboard the Maggie, If I havte to. This ain't mov-in' mov-in' day with B. McGuffey, Esquire." "Them's my sentiments, too, Scraggsy." "Then defend yourselves. Come on, lads. Bear a hand an' we'll bounce these muckers overboard." The Squarehead hung back, having no intention in-tention of waging war upon his late comrades, but the engineer and the new navigating officer stepped briskly forward, for they were about to 'fight for their jobs. Mr. Gibney halted the advance by lifting both great hands in a deprecatory manner. "For . heaven's sake, Scraggsy, have a heart. Don't force us to murder you. If we're peaceable, what's to prevent you from givin' us a passage back to San Francisco, where we're known an' where we'll have at least a flghtin' chance to git somethln' to eat occasionally?" "You know mighty well what's' to prevent me, Gib. I ain't got no passenger pas-senger license, an' I'll be keel-hauled an' skull-dragged if I fall for your cute little gome, my son. I ain't layin' myself liable to a fine from the inspectors inspec-tors an' maybe have my ticket book took away to boot." "Enough of this gab," Mr. Gibney roared. "My patience is exhausted. I'm dog-tired an' I'm goln' to have peace if I have to fight for It Me an' Bart stays aboard the steamer Maggie until she gets back to Frisco town or until we're hove overboard in the Interim In-terim by the weight of numbers. An' If any man, or set o' male bipeds that calls thelrselves men, Is so foolish as to try to evict us from this packet, then all I got to say Is that they're trlflln' with death. I got my arms left, even If my feet is on the fritz, Scraggs," he continued, "an' If you start anything I'll hug you an' your crew to death. I'm a rlp-roarln' grizzly griz-zly bear once I'm started an' there's such a thing as drlvin' a man to desperation." des-peration." The bluff worked I Captain Scraggs turned to his retainers and with a condescending and paternal smile, said : "Boys, let's give the dumb fools their own way. If they Insist upon takin' forcible possession d' my ship on the high seas, there's only one name for the crime an' that's -piracy, punishable by hangin' from the yard-arm. yard-arm. We'll just let 'em stay aboard an' turn 'em over to the police when we git back to the city." He started for his cabin and the crew, vastly relieved, followed him. The pirates once more sat down and permitted their hot feet to loll overboard. over-board. About ten o'clock next morning tlie little vessel completed taking on her cargo, the lines were cast off, and the homeward unage was begun. Messrs. Gibney nnd McGuffey were seated on the stern bltts as the Maggie came abreast the Point Montara fog signal station, when Mr. Gibney observed a long telescope poking out the side window win-dow of the pilot house, nnd following the direction In which the telescope was pointing he made out a large bark standing In dangerously close to the bench. In fact, the breakers were tumbling tum-bling In a long white streak over the reefs less than a quarter of a mile from ber. In an Instant all was excitement aboard the Maggie. "That looks like an elegant little pick-up. She's plumb deserted," Scraggs shouted tc bis navl- "I'll Hug You and Your Crew to Death." head. Don't be afraid of her. We're goin' over there an' hook on to her. I should say she Is a pick-up I" Mr. Gibney had abdicated as a pirate pi-rate and assumed command of the S. S. Maggie. With the memory of a scant breakfast upon him, however, Captain Scraggs was still harsh and bitter. "Git out o' my pilot house an' aft where the police can find you when they come lookin' for you," he screeched. "Don't you give no orders to my deckhand." "Stow It, you ass. Yonder's a prize, but It'll require imagination to win it; consequently you need Adelbert P. Gibney in your business, if you're con-templatln' con-templatln' hookln' on to that bark, snakln' her into San Francisco bay, an' llbelln' her "for ten thousand dollars' salvage. You an' Mac an' The Squarehead Square-head here have sailed this strip o' coast too long together to quarrel over the first good piece o' salvage we ever run into. Come, Scraggsy. Be decent, forget the past, an' let's dig In together." to-gether." The new navigating officer drew Captain Scraggs aside and whispered In his ear: "Make it up with these Smart Alecks, Scraggs. They got it on us, but If we can send you an' Halvorsen, Hal-vorsen, McGuffey and Gibney over to the bark, you cun get some sail on her an' what with the wind helpln' us along, the Maggie can tow her all right." Mr. Gibney snw by the hopeful, even cunning, look thnt leaped to Scraggs' eyes that the problem was about to be solved without recourse to the Gibney Imagination, so he resolved to be alert and not permit himself to be caught out on the end of a limb. "Well, Scraggsy?" he demanded. "I guess I need you In my business, Gib. You're right an' I'm always wrong. It's a fact. I ain't got no more Imagination thnn a chicken." "My imagination's better'n my reputation, Saraggy, an' I ain1 working for noliaio'l" (TO EE CONTINUED.) Mr. MvGuffey Located a Dime Which Had Dropped Down Inside the Lining Lin-ing of His Coat. Jawn D. Rockerfeller'd give a million dollars for my appetite. Fry mine hard, Scraggsy. I want sometln' solid." "Get off my ship, you murderin' pirates," pi-rates," Scraggs screamed. "Xot till we've et," the practical-minded practical-minded engineer retorted. "Even then we won't get off. Me an' Gib ain't got any feet left, Scraggs. If we had to walk another step we'd be crippled for life. Fry my eggs hard, I tell yen." "This Is plrncy, men. It's robbery on the high seas, an' I can put you over the road for It," f'craggs warned them. "What's more, I'll do It" |