| Show A taw STORY RIAL RE A MIN THE LOYS V L A Y J A R L A by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL WE LL copyright copy right 1300 dobbs co SYNOPSIS at 14 years roarn of ngo admiral sir poter peter nephew no low fell deeply in love at first might wt etli it lady arabella stor mont abo spurned ills his attentions alio rh gitil nn 01 plum was given ix it berth as aa mid on oil tile ajax by hla his uncle ollea vernon of u sir vernon behanic tho the boys libys pal they at t ended ft theater where nephew maw briw baily arabella vernon met inet mill philllp fernow overton n net in line for sir thomas Vcr a state th aliey ey arted tit a luel duel was ln in 1 Vc Vcr tion rilon overton 11 ll a 8 nephew round found themselves ves attracted e d by pretty lady arabella chapter CHAPTER ll II in a week possibly not for two weeks anti and tho the surgeon do parted As AB soon as aa lio lie was out of tho the room giles sent for pen and and with tho the most painful effort guiding ills its right hand by ills his loft left managed to inello tho following epistle to capt overton Ov orton pheanix inn portsmouth friday dear sir i this la is to inform you that I 1 let met with a most axer dent white coming down on oil the coach my aly friend and messmate s tile tho infant admiral which you s saw with me had read nad the he story of gehu aw in tho the ruble bible or ilonia homor I 1 forget corset which a and na aspired to drive four horses which ho li 3 did with tho result that my right aroa arm was rent elied out of place and tho the rascal ly IV doctor who sett it says I 1 cannot use it for some days tills this Is 19 most moat as it delays tile the pleasure wo we in our ine etIng you will liere hero from me as soon na as I 1 am recovered the only tit thing ng witch disturbs nie la Is that it if wo we both go to davy jones jonea atwil please that old cu cur budgin sir bar thomas vernon bad luck to iam him belleba belleva rne me sir yourn your much obliged and most obedient servant GILES mid on 11 ar q max ajax giles gave me this f read and I 1 pointed out several mistakes lie he had biado ado in spelling although tho the tono ot of tile tho letter was gentlemanlike e r everything was that giles ald aith avith great vexation and sonio some difficulty jig added a postscript P S please excia as my arm to Is very maneul pa neul G 7 11 at that moment a marine from tho the ajax bounced breathless and la in great excitement into tho the room wo we aro are to sail with tho the tide tonight girl air ho he said tho the admiral passed tho the messenger on the road tile the jib Is loose and tho the blue peter flying and out he ran to notify the other absentees giles seized the paper and added laboriously P 9 no 2 1 I ani am just en enforced formed ormed that the blue peter Is flying from the lie ajax and that my dear sir signifies that wo we are about to sail our meeting must be postponed dos t boned tor for god cod knose enose when we will ea eat t frosh arc sh butter again but you shall hear from me ine G V 11 and ana that night wo we sailed with tho the tide CHAPTER ill II 11 wo we were ordered to join sir john jervis fleet in tile tho mediterranean without tho the loss of a day and when tho the tide served at nine that night sir peter hawkshaw was ready for it the off officers leers who knew sir peters capacity for picking up his anchors at short notice gotico were generally prepared and were but little surprised at tile the sudden departure of the ship the men however are never prepared to y jr and tho the ship was besieged from 1 the aie time she showed the blue peter until she set her to topsails top sails by the usual crowd of buin boat women sailors wives tavern keepers shop dealers and all the people with whom jack trades and who are loath to part with him tor for reasons of love or money although all of the stores wore were on oil board thoro therel were market supplies to get and the midshipmen were in the tha boats constantly until the last boat beat was hoisted in just ns as the music called the men to tho the capstan bars it was a brilliant moonlight night a good breeze was blowing and the ajax got under way with an unusual spread of sail As we passed out the narrow entrance into tho the roads the wind freshened and the great ship took her majestic way through tho the fleet a mountain of can vas showing from rail to truck 11 the first few days I 1 was overcome as it were with my now life lite and its duties two other midshipmen junior to in my y self pelf had joined so I 1 was no longer the ci exclusive elusive butt of the cockpit wo we spent most of our spare time expressing the greatest longing for a meeting with the french although for my own part even while I 1 wits was bragging the most I 1 felt a stel mess at the heart when I 1 imagined a round shot entering my vitals giles vernon was still the dearest object of my admiration and affections always excepting that divinely beautiful lady arabella but this was rather tho the admiration of a glowworm tor or a star I 1 had no one else to lovo love except giles and even a midshipman must love something I 1 did not much trouble myself about amt meeting so far in tho future 10 bo tween kweon flics and overton youth h bag as no future ai as it lias fias no past naturally I 1 did not see BOO much of my great uncle tile tho admiral ile ho was waa a very strict disciplinarian probably lie bo cauto ho he was used to discipline at homo home and bu busied sled himself more with the conduct of the blila than the captain llyod d tho the other midshipmen amen al lebed that thoro there was no lovo love lost be tween capt guilford and tho the admiral and tho the captain had been heard cosay to say that hat having an admiral on board was liko like having it mother in law in the house nevertheless sir peter was a fine seaman soa maii and tho the sunroom jolio joko was waa that lie he knew hoy bov to command from having lon learned rilei how to obey under lady lion iron rule ono one day tho admirals steward brought mo me a message the admirals compliments and would I 1 line in tho groat great cabin at five that day I 1 was frightened out of a years growth by the invitation but of course I 1 i responded that I 1 should bo be most happy this like ilka my iny professed anxiety to meet tho the french fionch was a great llo lie at five 0 clock I 1 presented myself trembling in every limb tho the first thing i I 1 noted in the cabin was a large portrait of lady hawkshaw as a young woman she must havo have been very handsome sir peter gave me two fingers and turning to the st steward eVard said bald soup soup was brought brou glit we were mostly out of fresh vegetables then and it was pea soup such as wo we had bad in tho the cockpit sir poter Pater grumbled a little at it and it was soon removed and a leg of pork bi ought on a pig had been teen killed that day ahat ahal sniffed sir peter delightedly this Is fine nephew yov yoi havo have no pig in tho the sunroom t today to day which was true and sir peter helped me liberally and proceeded to do the same by himself the att stew W ard however said respectfully Ct fully excuse me sir peter but in the I 1 interview n I 1 had the honor to have with lady before sailing sir I 1 she particularly desir desired edine no to request you not to eat pork as it always disagreed with you f wil wh wh what roared sir peter 1 I am only repeating lady hawk shaws message sir humbly responded the man maii but I 1 thought I 1 saw under all ills his humility a sly kind of clenance ile tie nance flance sir peter hall had no 0 fear ot either round grape or double headed shot and waa indifferent to musketry otry fire alre likewise it was commonly said of him in tile the service that it lie he were ordered to attack hell bell itself lie ho would M a 1 VISE he turned his back every time sir peter his glass stand on until his jib caught fire but neither time nor distance weakened the authority over him of lady hawkshaw I 1 sti sir r peter glared at the steward and then at the leg of pork and suddenly jumping up seized the dish and threw it pork and all out of the stern window As I 1 had secure secured amy my portion I 1 could view this with equanimity tile tho next dish was spareribs sparer spare ribs lbs the steward said nothing but sir peter let it pass with a groan it seemed to me that everything appetizing in the dinner was passed by sir Si peter in responds to a peculiar kind of warning glance from the steward this man I 1 heard afterward had sailed with him many years and a nd was waa understood to bo be an emissary af pf of lady Hawk hawkshawe shaws awls we had besides tho the pea soup anti and roast pork spare spareribs ribs potatoes turnips anchovy with sauce and a custard sir peter however dined off on pea sou potatoes j but I 1 observed that lie ho was his own master as far as is the decanters were concerned and it occurred to roo me that lie he had made a trade with tho the steward by which ho he was allowed this indulgence as I 1 noticed the man turn his lif a back every time sir peter filled his glass dinner being over the cloth removed and the steward gone sir peter appeared to be in a somewhat better humor his first remark was so you arc fond of the play sir I 1 replied that I 1 had bad been but once the time you went with giles vernon I 1 it if the coach had broken down beaw between een london and portsmouth we should havo have sailed without either one of you I 1 did not mention that the coach had upset but merely said that we thought there was no danger of any detention and that giles vernon was in no way responsible for my going to london as he knew nothing about it until we wa met the coach door I 1 was revolving vini in my mind whether I 1 could venture to ask of the welfare of the divine arabella arabelia and suddenly a direct inspiration came to me I 1 remarked with blushes and tremors I 1 must admits admit how very like lady arabella stor mont must lady hawkshaw have been x A 14 1 yat MII i at her r ag agel 0 I 1 and lady ladr arabella 11 d very beautiful young lady sit ieter grinned like a 0 rattrap rat trap at hl awkward t and remarked pia rhad yos yea yes Arn arabella bella Is III alko co my lady except not half so BO handsomer handsome 1 egad when I 1 married lady hawkshaw ji lad had to cut my way literally with wy iny 1 sword 8 W ord through tile tho bodyguard body guard of gen lemon flomen who wanted hr and as tot fol hor her relations well she aho defied em M lill all I 1 tried with all al alio lie little art I 1 possessed to got get some Inform information atlo n concerning arabella out of sir peter but beyond telling me what I 1 now mew before wt sho she was wag his groat blede an the other side of 0 the house and first cousin to daphne and that her I 1 father ather now lead dead was a scamp and a pauper in spite spile of being an earl lie he told me nothing but oven that seemed to show the great gulf between us would she with her beauty and her title con descend to a midshipman somewhat younger than lier herself and penniless I 1 doubted it though I 1 was in general of a sanguine nature I 1 found sir peter unbent as aa the de cantors grow grew empty alt although lough I 1 would not for a moment imply that ho he was wag excessive in his drinking only the mellow glow which pervades an english gentleman after a few glasses of good port enveloped him ho he asked me it if I 1 was glad I 1 had joined the service to ic which I 1 could say yes yea with great sincerity impressed upon me my good fortune in getting in a ship of the alln line in the beginning and gave aavo roe me some admirable advice I 1 left him with a feeling that I 1 had a friend in that excellent seaman honest gentleman and odd fish admiral sir peter hawkshaw when I 1 went below I 1 told my mess mates matea all that had occurred rather exaggerating sir peters attentions to me as midshipmen me n will then privately I 1 confided to giles vernon I 1 told what little I 1 had found out concerning the star of my squi soul as aa I 1 called arabella to which giles responded by a long drawn out phew ph ew I 1 implored him if ho he knew any ally officer in the ship who would be likely to be acquainted with lady arabella to pump him for me this ho he promised and the very next day as 1 I sat eat on a lo loeker elcer my theorems giles camo 11 up Di dickey chey said he amr mr buxton knows w the divine arabella she has ha a fortune of and so has the th love dove eyed little Dap daphue lime all inherited from their granddad giand dad a rich bombay merchant it seems that lady ara bellas mother bought a coronet with her aler money aind and it turned outa out a poor pool bargain however the earl did no nc live long enough to ruin his big father in law and little daphnes parents too lied died young so the old bombay mar left the girls his fortune and made sir peter their guardian and that thai means of course that polly hawk shaw Is 49 their guardian mr buxton button says he would like to see eee the fortune hunter bunter who can rob polly of those two jarusel da rusel for polly says say rank mutt and lineage are not everything she herself 1 you know dates back to the saxon though she did marry the son ot of your dry salting great Frand grandfather father and she wants those girls to marry men and what polly says on that score Is to be respected considering that she married into a family to please herself or 01 to displease her relations I 1 dont inov which I 1 should say though if yr aro are honest and dep deserving erving and ml m your hook book and ge gel a good word fr al the chaplain you will probably c u c day be the husband of little IF but not of lady arabella no ras nis shall marry her while I 1 live that yo may be sure of but when I 1 matry malry bell bei you may be side boy at my wedding I 1 thought this speech very cruel of 0 giles vernon and believed that he did not know what true love was else lie be dpuia not so trifle with my feelings although there was w as an echo of earnestness in his intimation that lie ho would kill any roan man who aspired to marry lady arabella we were three weeks in the bay of biscay thrashing to windward und under er topgallant sails sail q and expecting dally daily and hourly to run across a frenchman we were wera hoping for it because wo found the ajax to be a very orly ship and fant fait fa it for her class and both capt guilford Gull foid and sir peter who had sailed in her before knew exactly how to handle her and we were to have our wish for one ev evening toward sundset sun we sighted a french ship of the line oft off our beam and by tho the time we had made her out a light french frigate was coming down the wind and in an hour we wore were at it hammer and tongs with both of them k TO BE CONTINUED |
