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54 TAE MARINE: REVIEW "IN THE MERCHANT SERVICE" *Twas eventime of the first day out from port, and James B. Horrigan, with vivid recollections of an appalling same- ness in the bill of fare of the previous trip, had gone on deck to meet the "cooks" coming for'ard with the supper. James B. was no invalid, and the look of anxi- ety on his face changed to one of pro- found disgust as he eyed the contents of the kids. His remarks, also, were more forcible than polite. "Stoo again," he added, "well, ain't that the limit!' Nevertheless he hovered around the WY 8 AO IN NYO SSX Ss SS Ss SOY hy! tne "What about the men I saw sitting on the hatch this morning?" asked the Third. "They were making hash and seemed to have plenty of beef and vegetables on hand." "An' don't you know where they get that meat?" said Horrigan. "Why, all them fellers give the cook a dol- lar a trip for the priv lige." "Why dont you do it?' said the Third, getting interested. "Me," responded the indignant fire- man. "Why; Id see the cook an' his mate in hell before I'd pay for A AMM f! : bs iS nn LV (i) tases uses -- ------ [= cer Hi = a(crek i MCU yy i AO THE CRITICISMS ON THE FOOD WER E MORE FORCIBLE THAN POLITE. kid bearers till they had placed the stew and other victuals on the fo'castle table, when he "rushed into the battle, and, foremost fighting--"' managed to secure a liberal share of the spoils: . Brute strength may be no argument, but in a fo'castle it is a mighty valuable asset, and where it is up to each man to see to his own interests in the food line, the weakling is apt to get left. On the midnight watch, when James B. had cleaned his fire and got the job well in hand, he approached the third engi- neer. His face wore the expression of the chronic kicker, and the Third knew him of old. "Say, Mr. Dunn," he whined, "ain't there no chanst of a man gettin' some meat on this packet any more? Last trip we had stoo nigh all the time, an' to- night we started in on stoo agin." "Well," said the third, "isn't the stew any good?" "Sure," answered the injured one, "but a feller wants a change some time in the 'Tip.' grub I'm supposed to get as part of iy pay. |. "You're not the man I thought you were, Horrigan," said the engineer reproachfully as he signed to James B. to. proceed @with his work. "To think that you can't find some way of getting eveh on the food ques- tion." The following night the engineer came on the fireman as the latter was inspecting the progress of a mess of "hoodle" cooking in an ash pan. The Savory odor drifted: across the boiler room, and the face of the fireman beamed in anticipation. "So you changed your mind about that dollar deal, Horrigan," said the engineer, freproachfully. "I'm sur- prised at you. Don't you know that so long as you fellows are willing to pay these cooks for better food any old thing will do for those that don't?" But Horrigan answered not at all and for the remainder of the voyage waxed fat on the titbits from the sa- loon tables. In due time the ship arrived in the home port, and the members of the crew gathered in the office to sign off and receive their hard-earned sal- aries. Horrigan was near the head of the line and was one of the first to get paid off. As he stepped away from the window and hoisted his bag on his shoulder he carefully ignored an individual--the cook--who was passing ce:tain mystic signs in his direction from a corner of the pay- office. "Hey,' whispered the cook stepping to his side, "don't forget me before you go." "Forget you,' answered the ful James: "Lord, 1 couldn't that face-o yourn if 1 tried." "Quit yer kiddin',' urged the chef, his voice hoarse with emotion, "an' let's have that dollar." "Let ye have a dollar," yelled the fireman, attracting the attention of the whole community, "you don't want much, do you?" "Didn't you promise me a_ dollar for the grub I gave you?" asked the cook in a last appeal. James B. turned to face his amused cheer- forget shipmates. OWell) ave "thie the "Hite? he asked. 'Here's a man who wants us to pay him for the grub we eats, an' our grub is part o' our pay. I like yer nerve," he added, as he swung his kit on his shoulder and swaggered out on .the street. "He's only kiddin'," said the per- turbed chef with a sickly smite to the men around, "he'll be back next trip." "You won't," jeered another fireman as the line filed out of the pay office. "We've got you fired." Ffonesty is at times the best policy. Breakfast was late at Mrs. Sulla- van's, and the boarders had sat at the tables some little time 'before the table maid had informed them of the cause of the delay. "Tt's the stove, gen'lemen," she said. "We've got a new cook--Hannah havin' left us last night--an' she can't get the fire to burn nohow." "Can't get the fire to burn," repeat- ed one of the hungry ones, who, by the way, was attached to the engine department of a mail steamer then in port, "I guess you must have got in a load of bad coal." \ "No, it ain't that, Mr. Smith," an- swered the dining room goddess, "the coal we're tryin' to burn is the coal we've been burnin' right along. We