He walked into the store with the proud and manly consciousness of having done his duty, he made his returns of every cent of money that had come into his hands, and, like all other faithful stewards, received the cordial commendation of his master.
But August Wehle the striker, just when he was to be made an engineer, when he thought he had smooth sailing, suddenly and provokingly found himself fast aground, with no spar or capstan by which he might help himself off, with no friendly craft alongside to throw him a hawser and pull him off.
It seems that when the captain promised him promotion, he did not know anything of August's interference with the gamblers.

But when Parkins filed his complaint, it touched the captain.

It was generally believed among the _employes_ of the boat that a percentage of gamblers' gains was one of the "old man's" perquisites, and he was not the only steamboat captain who profited by the nice little games in the cabin upon which he closed both eyes.

And this retrieved nine hundred and fifty dollars was a dead loss of--well, it does not matter how much, to the virtuous and highly honorable captain.

His proportion would have been large enough at least to pay his wife's pew-rent in St.James's Church, with a little something over for charitable purposes.