Among the River Pirates

ated and unpainted as the hull was, the engine was well muffled—suspiciously well muffled—and t

annoyance. Not a few impatient remarks rose loud and clear above the hum of the restless crowd, directed at the head of a man seated in the stern of

the towering buildings of the great city. Over the water the late afternoon sun spread a warm, me

thed in a dazzling crimson. Then slowly his glance wandered back to where the shimmering light fell across the li

ned, weary features, a sm

battle-axe that she is, hey

d appeared from aroun

“An’ she’s ours! Gee, I can’t believe my

r a moment to a significant sound

ed. “Loop ’er in that there ring; the tide’s runnin’ out now

sty ring. Then, hurrying forward, he jumped into the water and grasping the taut

d helped him in with a tenderness that was su

ice soft with affection. “Ye’ll be gettin’ a bad throat agin.” He made no demand for the

bellious motor, the man returned to the stern. He rel

fer a while, P

nutes there

the man asked with a sudden move

and he looked up at

on’t be worryin’ about no pinches. A man don’t ever think uv bein’ pinched when his racket’s on the up and up. An’ that’s me from now on. I said when I got three hunderd saved I’d buy a

nodded

n I grow up, too,” he asked eagerly,

grow up clean an’ honest like—that’s why I done Josiah Flint’s dirty work fer his dirty mo

ashes on her,” said Skippy. “That a

ad many real honest like jobs. It’s been hard ter git ’em with yer needin’ me with yer so much counta yer bad throat. Any

be, Pop,” said Skippy eagerly. “I ain’t

ey an’ his fine yacht. It’s a wonder he gets so generous an’ sells me such a good scow fer three hun

ou savin’ all that money so’s you could get a clean business. Did he s

him I wants a good scow. An’ he oughta know

d dollars—real mon

s that. Big Joe Tully paid Ol’ Flint five hunderd fer his an’ Joe clean

doin’ sumpin’ for Mr. F

n. “He wants to get rich quick. Not me, though. I can keep

h shining eyes. “You’re not like—well, you’re

tousled head and gripped a handful of

d little shack, hey Skippy?” he said nodd

’ a nice oil stove an’ a table an’ chairs. Gee, that’s

ng it thoughtfully; “I ain’t so fond uv that there red, rusty color. It’s kinda gloomy. Well, we can repain

inspectors, Pop.

’s what they’re after. Anyways, we ain’t g

Flint had brought a certain instinctive fear of all uniformed officials and the harbor inspectors were no

hadow of the law a little