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Chief Engineer Colin Glencannon showed a broad streak of humanity in his general rascality. The point is admirably shown in this chronicle of the generously imaginative and at times courageous spirit in which he undertook to brighten the lonely Christmas of his brother officers of the SS lnchcliffe Castle. Glencannon, a mythic character wor1hy of the heritage of Ulysses, was born of the sea culture of his time at the hand of Guy Gilpatrick, a story-teller, ad man
APTAIN BALL smiled paternally as he watched his officers take their places at the supper table, but the smile was a trifle tremulous at the edges. In his throat-he ker-huffed, unresultfully - he could feel the same lump that was always there when he came down the lane to Kozey Kottage after. a long voyage and saw Missus B. standing in the doorway beneath the mail-order trumpet vine, which they loved just as much as though it hadn't turned out to be a peculiarly repulsive sort of warty climbing squash. Ten years, Captain Ball was thinking. Yes, tomorrow'll make the tenth Christmas this very same crowd of us has been together in the Inchclijf e Castle M'm-well, all of us is older now than we was then, but particularly me. Yes, most damned particularly me. He reminded himself that this was only because he'd had a head start of years on the rest of them, but there was scant consolation in the thought. The steward brought in a covered di sh and placed it on the table before him. "Ker-hem!" Captain Ball recalled himself brusquely, "Good evening, gentlemen, good evening!" He shook the crumbs and fragments of the noontime curry from his napkin. "Well, I spose we might as well learn the worst!" With the air of a coroner lifting a coffin lid at an overdue exhumation, he uncovered the dish and peered within. "Bwah !" he recoiled. "Curry! Again!" He sat back shuddering, and from the depths of his considerable paunch came murmurs and complaints, like the voices of a rebellious mob heard dimly in the distance. For some seconds he and the company hearkened to this ventriloquial tour df} force; then, when the
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and stunt flyer (he set the U.S. world altitude record, 4,665 feet, al age 16), who was born in New York in 1896 and died in 1950. Anton Otto Fischer illustrated the Glencannon stories with suitable compassion and outrage. This story originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, January 14, 1939, and appears in "The Second Glencannon Omnibus"published by Dodd, Mead & Co. Š 1939, 1940, 1941 by Guy, Gilpatrick. Copyright reserved.
tumult and the shouting died, "Well, to celebrate it, our very constitutions there you are, and I won't say 'pardon is roaring riot and rebellion!" me'!" Captain Ball spread his hands. "Yus !" agreed Mr. Montgomery, "You heard it, gentleman, you heard sourly. "And or! on account of the my innermost sentiments, and I'm not curry. Curry, curry, curry, day in, ashamed to state I stand behind my day out, and the narsty stuff is only sto mach exactly one hundred per a sort of low-grade dandruff they cent!" comb out of 'orses anyway! Welp, I "Bravvio !"applauded Mr. Glencan- wish a very curry Christmas to the non, the chief engineer. "Yere spirit rest of yer ! Myself, I'll eat my dinner o' solidarity does ye proud, sir-e'en ashore tomorrer or my name's not though I suspect ye're feeling as hol- Chauncey Montgomery!" low as the rest o' us." He dragged the "Eh? Ah, now, see here! You don't dish toward him, spooned out a heap- really mean that, do you?" demanded ing portion of curried rice and codfish, Captain Ball in dismay. "Oh, come, and fell to stowing it away in the come, Mr. Montgomery; surely you hatchlike orifice beneath his walrus wouldn't, you couldn't, break up our mustache. regular Christmas family party on "Hollow?" repeated Captain Ball. our tenth anniversary, will you? May" Indeed, Mr. Glencannon, my stom- be I'm silly, maybe I'm superstitious, ach's as hollow as a cargo of bass but it-it's so unusual for the same drums! But my heart-ah, my heart old crowd to stick together so long in is full to overflowing, both with joy one ship and always get along so free and with sadness!" He paused lamely from friction!" and smiled that same tremulous smile. "Per'aps," grunted Mr. Montgom"Maybe you'll say I'm a sentimental ery. "Ori I know is that I've got barnold fool, gentlemen, but, you see, I acles on my stomach from the fodder, was just now figuring that this is the . and blisters on my soul from the friceve of our tenth Christmas together. tion." He glanced sidewise at Mr. Well, here we ought to be gloating Glencannon, who, from the shelter of over the bang-up dinner we ought to his napkin, thumbed his nose in return. be having tomorrow and singing car- "No, captain, I've choked down all the ols about good cheer and yew logs and curry and the hinsults I can stand ! what not and et cetera and so on- I'm going ashore tonight, I'm going instead of which-ker-huff-where are to arsk Shapiro, the ship chandler, we? Well"-he turned to the mate- for the name of the least worst 'otel "literally, of course, I spose such in Aden, and then I'm going to order sticklers for accuracy as you, Mr. a dinner for myself for tomorrer. I Montgomery, would say we was right know I won't get turkey, I 'ope I won't here in Aden harbor, anchored in five get potomaine poisoning, but damned fathoms and a little over, and the if I'll get curry!" chart would back you up. But what I "No, no, of course you won't!" really mean to say is-er-er-well, sighed Captain Ball. "I spose it was here it is the tenth anniversary of our really pretty selfish of me to try to happy family, as it were, but instead dissuade you. But-ha-ha !-there's no of looking forward to a fine old feed fool like an old fool, eh? H'm'm. Ten
SEA HISTORY, FALL 1977