The Brotherly Brawl That Stopped the Boat

Josh and Bill are brothers, and they have been having a tough time of it lately. They have been reaching to set the world well together, though poor attorney wearing all the evidences on his face of having had a rough time of it. 'Bill and I have had a fall,' he explained. 'We just rolled over the floor of the cabin, and finally Bill's wife separated us. The row occurred on account of a dispute over some work on the Sound. Bill has got the best of me, however, because I am barred out of the house now, and I find that I cannot get in. I want to bring a suit against Bill.' On the day fixed for the hearing, and a short time before the departure of the boat for Olympia, the door of the attorney's office swung open and there was the brother Bill, wearing on his face, also, the strong evidences of a fight where quarters had neither been asked nor given. 'Josh and I have had a free fight,' he said, 'and Josh has gone and sued me and I want you to go down and try the case.' The attorney saw his opportunity, and told Bill that it was impossible, and began to deprecate the idea of two brothers going to law. With this evidence of a willingness to compromise, Bill was detained in conversation while a messenger was dispatched to the boat at the docks, which was found to be just preparing to move away. Josh was discovered on the deck and summoned to shore. He was conducted to the attorney's office, where the two brothers were permitted to confront each other over a wide table. After glowering at each other for some time, the counsel of the attorney and the satisfaction that each seemed to gather in surveying the black eyes and the generally used up appearance of the other finally effected a reconciliation.