Show E rt I 1 A L STORY n tylnn rom lou ad of f the LADY 4 L ARABELLA by M MOLLY OLLY ELI ELLIOT SEAWELL coper 1908 bobbs merrill SYNOPSIS at U 14 years of age admiral sir peter hawkshaw Hawk a nepi ew er fell deeply in love at fl it st at B gl gi it N th lady arabella stor mont who spurned his attentions the lad an orphan was given en a berth as m d shipman ship raan on the ajax b by y hi his s uncle G es heinon nepi ew ol 01 sir thomas vernon became the bo s pal they attended a theater where hawkshawe Hawk shaws s nephew cepl ew saw lady aral e la a V ernon met philip over ton next in I 1 ne tor for S r thomas vernon s estate they started a duel which was in vernon overton and hawk shaw shaws s nepi ew found themselves hem selves attract ed by pretty lady arabella arabelia CHAPTER 11 ll cont continued aued in a week perhaps possibly not for avi two 0 weeks and the surgeon lie ue paned parted As soon as he was out ot of the room giles sent for pen and paper and with the most painful effort guiding his right hand by his left managed to the following epistle to capt overton PI elenix inn portsmouth friday dear S r I 1 his Is to inform you that I 1 met with a most axer dent while coming down on the coach my friend and mess mate the infant admiral which you saw with me had read the story of gehu in the E B hie ble or homar I 1 forget which and aspired to drive drine four horses ahbel he d d with the result that my right arm was rent ched out of place and the rascal ly doctor who sett it says I 1 cannot use it for some days this Is most as it delans dela s tl ti e pleasure N e in our meeting you will here from me as soon as I 1 am reco ered tl TI e only thing witch d stubbs me is that it if we boti boil go to davy jones avdi please that old cur budgin S r tl omas vernon bad luck to h in bel eve me sir your much obliged and most obed ent servant GILES VERNON mid on II 11 M S ajax giles gave me this ti t i read and I 1 pointed out several mistakes he had made in spelling although the tone of the letter was gentlemanlike eiery everything thing was nas that giles did with great vexation and some difficulty he added a postscript P S please excuse as my arm Is very baneful G V at that moment a marine from the ajax bounced breathless and in great excitement into the room we are to sail with the tide tonight sir he said the admiral passed the messenger on the road the jib is loose and the blue peter fly ing and out he ran to notify the other absentees giles seized the paper I 1 and added laboriously P S no 2 1 I am just en formed that the blue peter Is flying from the ajax and that my dear s r signifies that we arg are about to sa I 1 our meeting must be postponed tor for god knose when we will eat fresh butter again but 3 iou ou shall hear from me G V and that night we sailed with the tide CHAPTER III we were ordered to join sir john jervis fleet in the mediterranean without the loss of a day and when the tide served at nine 0 clock that night sir peter hawkshaw was ready for it the officers who knew sir peter a capacity for picking up his anchors at short notice more ere general ly prepared and were but little sur at the sudden departure of the ship the men however are never prepared to go and the ship was be from the time she showed the blue peter until she set her topsail top sailo bv the usual crowd of bumboat v omen sailors wives tavern keepers shop sho lideal deal ers era and all the people with whom jack trades and who are loath to part with him for reasons of love or money al though all of the stores were on board there were market supplies to get and the midshipmen were mere in the boats con scantly until the last boat was hoisted in just as the music called the men to the capstan bars it was a brill ant moonlight night a good breeze was blowing and the ajax got under way with an uli unusual usual spread ot of sail As we passed out the narrow entrance into the roads the wind nond freshened and the great ship took tool her majestic way through the fleet a mountain of can vas showing from rail to truck the first few days I 1 was overcome as it were with my new life and its duties two other midshipmen junior to my self had joined so I 1 was no longer the exclusive butt of the cockpit we spent most of our spare time express ing the greatest longing tor for a meeting with the french although tor for my own part even while I 1 was bragging the most I 1 felt a sickness at the heart when I 1 imagined a round shot enter ing my vitals giles vernon was still the dearest object of my m admiration and affections always excepting that divinely beautiful lady arabella but this was rather the admiration of a glowworm tor for a star I 1 had no one else to love except giles and even a midshipman must love something I 1 did not much trouble self about that tha meeting so far in the future be tween giles and overton youth has no future as it has no past naturally I 1 did not see much of my grea great uncle the admiral he was a very strict d probably be cause he was used to discipline at home and bus ed himself more with the conduct of the ship than the cap tain ill ed the other midshipmen al lebed that there was no love lost be tw tv een capt G allf allford ord and the admiral and the captain had been heard to say that having an admiral on board was ill e having a mother in law in the house nevertheless sir peter was a fine seaman and the sunroom joke oke was that he knew how to command from having learned how to obey un der lady hawl shaw a s iron rule one day the admirals steward brought me a message the admiral admirals compliments and would I 1 dine in the great cabin at five clock that day I 1 was frightened out of a year a growth by the invitation but of course I 1 responded that I 1 should be most hap 13 this like my professed anai anxiety ty to meet the french was a great lie at five clock I 1 presented myself trembling in every eiery limb the first thing I 1 noted in the cabin was a large portrait of lady hawkshaw as a young woman she must have been ver handsome sir peter petr gave me two fingers and turning to the steward said soup soup was brought ate e were mostly out of fresh vegetables then and it was pea soup such as we had in the cockpit sir peter grumbled a little at it and it was soon removed and a leg of pork brought on a pig had been killed that day aha sniffed sir peter delighted ly this is fine nephew you have no pig in the sunroom to day which was true and sir peter helped me liberally and proceeded to do the same by himself the stew ard however said respects respectfully ully excy me sir peter but in the in I 1 had the honor to have with lady hawkshaw before sailing sir she part desired me to request you not to eat pat pork as it always dis its agreed with 3 ou oil wh m h what roared sir peter I 1 am only repeating lep eating lady hawk shaw a message sir humbly re spondee the man but I 1 thought I 1 saw under all his humility a sly I 1 ind of defiance sir peter had no fear of 0 either round grape or double headed shot and was indifferent to musketry fire likewise it was commonly said of him bun in the service that if he were ordered to attack hell itself he would P R www he turned his back every time S r peter filled his glass stand on until his jib caught fire but neither time nor distance weak ened the authority over him of lady Hawke hawkshaw haw sir peter glared at the steward and then at the leg of pork and suddenly jumping up seized the dish and threw it port and all out of the stern win dow As I 1 had secured my portion I 1 could view this with equanimity the next dish was spareribs the steward said qaid nothing but sir peter let it pass with a groan it seemed to me that everything appetizing in the dinner was passed by sir peter in re to a peculiar klad of warning glance from the steward this man I 1 heard afterward had sailed with him many years and was understood to be an emissary of lady hawkshaw a we had besides the pea soup and roast pork spareribs potatoes tur nips anchovy with sauce and a cus tard sir peter however dined off pea soup and potatoes but I 1 observed that he was bis his own master as far as the decanters were concerned and it occurred to me that he had made a trade with the st steward elard by which he was allowed this indulgence as I 1 no the man turn his back every time sir peter filled his glass dinner being over the cloth re moved and the steward gone sir peter appeared to be in a somewhat better humor his first remark was mas so you are fond of the play sira I 1 replied that I 1 had been but once rhe time you went with giles ver non it if the coach had broken down between london and portsmouth we should have sailed without either one of you I 1 d d not mention that the chach 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 met the coach door I 1 was revolving in my mind whether I 1 could venture to ask of the welfare of the divine arabella and suddenly d t direct inspiration came to me I 1 re marked with blushes and tremors I 1 must admit how very like lady arabella stor mont must lady hawkshaw have been at hei bet aget age and lady arabella it I 1 a very beautiful oung young lady sir peter grini ed like a rat trap at this awkward compliment and re marked yes yes arabella Arabel lt Is like my lady except not halt so handsome egad when I 1 married lady hawkshaw I 1 had to cut my m way may literally with my sword through the body guard of igen gen tiemen who wanted her and as toi fol her relations well she defied em that a all I 1 tried with all the little art I 1 possessed to get iet some information concerning arabella out of sir peter but beyond telling me what I 1 knew before that she was his greal grea niece on the other side of the house and first cousin to daphne and that her father now dead was a scamp and a pauper in spite of being an earl he told me nothing but een cien 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 herself and penniless 7 9 I 1 doubted it though I 1 was in general of a sanguine nature I 1 found sir peter unbent as the decanters grew empty although I 1 would not lor for a moment imply that he was excessive in his drinking only the mellow glow which pervades an eng aish gentleman after a few glasses of good port enveloped him he asked me if I 1 was as glad I 1 had joined the service to which I 1 could say yes with great sincerity impressed upon me my good coltune in get getting ting in a ship of the line in the beginning and gave me some admirable advice I 1 left him with a feeling that I 1 had a friend in that excellent seaman honest gentle man and odd fish admiral sir peter hawkshaw wl WI en I 1 went below I 1 told my mess mates all that had occurred rather exaggerating sir peter peters s attentions to me as midshipmen will then private ly I 1 confided to giles N vernon ernon I 1 told what little I 1 had found out concern ing the star of my soul as I 1 called arabella to which giles responded by a long drawn out phew ph ew I 1 implored him it he knew any of aicer in the ship who would be likely to be acquainted with lady arabella to pump him for me this he promised and the very next day as I 1 sat on a locker studying my theorems giles came up dickey said he mr buxton knows the divine arabella she has a fortune of ze 30 and 10 has the dove eyed little daphue all inherited from their granddad a rich bombay merchant it tt seems that lady ara bella belia a mother bought a coronet with her money and it turned out a poor bargain however the earl did tl n I 1 ve long eno agh to ruin his father in la v and little daphne a parents too died young so the old bombay mar left the girls his fortune and made sir peter their guardian and thai that means of course that polly hawk shaw Is their guardian mr air burtan sas says he would like to see the fortune hunter hanter who can rob polly of those two II 11 daramus daBi sels for polla says rank and a t caa ere in I 1 our hat |