| Show aftem an 0 w R IAL 1 W 0 STOR T TE LO IT 0 oaf if the me A aft Y L L A by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL copyright RK 1906 bobb merrill co SYNOPSIS at 14 years of age admiral sir peter hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew fell deeply in lovo love at first sig sight hLady wit arabella stormont who spurned his attentions the lad ad 1 was given a berth as midshipman on in the ajax by hla his uncle giles vernon nephew of sir thomas thomaa vernon became the boys pat pal they attended a theater where hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew saw bady arabella vernon met philip overton next in line for sir thomas vernons Ver estate they started a duel which was in vernon overton and hawk shaws chaws nephew found themselves attracted Y by pretty lady arabella il CHAPTER ll II Contin continued tied in a weeks week perhaps possibly not for two weeks and the surgeon surgeon de ak parted A As s soon as he was out dut of the io room om giles lilies sent for tor pen and paper a and w v with the afi most ot daiil painful fu leffort effort guiding chis bs right hand by his left managed to the following epistle to capt overton I 1 4 pheanix Phe enix inn nn portsmouth friday dear sir this is to inform you iliac I 1 met with a most woerden nerden i tj while coming coining down on the coach my friend and messmate the infant admiral which you saw with me had bad read the story of gehu in the bible or homar idomar I 1 forget which and aspired to drive four horses which he did with the result that my right arni arm was rent ched out of place and the rascally doctor who sett it says I 1 cannot us use e it for soni some e days this is most as it delays the pleasure we in our meeting you will nill liere here from me as soon as I 1 am recovered the only thing w witch itch disturbs me ine I 1 is 4 that if ye we both go mo to davy jones atwil please that old cur budgin sir thomas vernon bad luck jo fo him believe me sir 4 jl your much oJ obliged lIged and most alost obed obedient lent servant GILES VERNON mid on 11 11 S ajax giles gave me this to read and I 1 pol pointed cited out several mistakes he had made in spelling although the tone of the letter was gentlemanlike as everything was that giles did with great vexation and some difficulty lie he added a postscript P S please excuse as my arm Is very baneful pane ful G V at that moment a marine from the ajax bounced breathless and in great excitement infertile room we are to sail with the tide tonight 0 sir he said the admiral passed the messenger on the road the jib is loose and the blue peter flying and out he ran to notify the othor othe absentees giles seized the paper and added laboriously po S no 2 1 I am just en formed that th the blue peter is flying from the ajax 1 and that my dear sir signifies that w we are arc about to sall sail our meeting must be postponed for god knose when wb we will eat fresh butter again but you shall hear from m me e G V and that night we sailed with the tide J i CHAPTER HI gewere 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 that ni night bt sir pe peter ter hawkshaw Hawks baw was ready nr it th the e officers who knew sir 1 peters capacity for picking up lip his anchors at short notice were generally prepared and were but tittle little surprised at the sudden departure of the ship the men however are never prepared to go and the ship was wait besieged siegel from the time she showed the blue peter until she set bet h her or topsails top sails by the usual crowd of bumboat women sa sailors flors wives tavern keepers shop dealers and till all the people with whom jack trades and who are loath to part with him for reasons of love oy OF money although all of the stores were on board there were market supplies supply es to get and the midshipmen were in the boats constantly until the last boat avas was hoisted in just as the music called the men to the capstan bars it was a brilli brilliant dut moonlight night a good breeze was blowing and the ilie ajax got under r way with an unusual spread of sail As wo passed out the narrow entrance into the roads the wind freshened and the great ship took her majestic way through thi the e fleet a t m mountain 6 5 6 of f canvas showing from rail to lo truck the first few days I 1 iwas was overcome as it iffy my new life arid and its duties two other midshipmen junior to myself had joined so I 1 was no longer the exclusive butt of the cockpit we spent most of our spare ing the greatest longing for a meeting with the french although 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 mund shot entering my vitals giles vernon was still the de dearest arest object of my admiration and affect affections ion s al always ways excepting that ca he turned his back every time sir peter filled his glass I 1 divinely beautiful lady Ae arabella abella but this was rather the admiration of a glowworm for a star I 1 had no one else to love except giles and even a midshipman apman must love something I 1 did not much trouble myself about fht meeting so far in the future between giles and overton youth has no future as it has no post past naturally I 1 lid did not see much of my great uncle the admiral he was a very strict disciplinarian probably because lie was used to discipline at home and bilsted himself more with the conduct of the ship than the captain liked the other midshipmen alleged that there was no love lost between capt guilford and the admiral and the captain had been heard to say that having an admiral on board was like having a mother in law lu in the house nev nevertheless sir peter waa a fine seaman and the sunroom jolke joke was that he knew how to command from bavin having learned how to 0 obey bey under lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws iron rule one day the admirals steward brought me a message the admirals compliments and would I 1 dine in the great cabin at five that day I 1 was frightened out of a years growth by the invitation but of course I 1 responded that I 1 should bo be most happy this like my professed anxiety to meet the french was a great lie at five I 1 presented myself trembling in every limb the first thing I 1 noted in the cabin was a large portrait of lady hawkshaw a as a young woman she must have been very handsome sir peter gave me two fingers and turning to the steward said soup soupy soup was brought ye we were mostly out of fresh vegetables then and it IL was pea soup such as we had in the cockpit sir peter grumbled a little at it anait and it was soon removed and a leg of pork brought on a pig had been killed that day alwn aha sniffed sir peter delightedly this is fine nephew you have no pig in the sunroom today to day which was true and sir peter helped me liberally and proceeded to td do the ole same saime by himself the afie steward ho however homeer weer aad respectfully excuse x cuse mo me sir pete Peter adt butin in the interview t ervi ew I 1 had the honor to have with lady hawkshaw before sail sailing hig sir she particularly desired me to request you not to eat eaf pork aorl a as s it always disagreed with you u wh wh whasil what roared sir peter 1 I am only repeating lady hawk shaws message sir humbly responded the man but I 1 thought I 1 saw under all his humility a sly kind of defiance sir peter had no fear of either round grape or double headed shot and was indifferent to musketry fire likewise it was commonly said of him in the service that it if he were ordered to attack hell itself he be would stand on until his jib caught fire but neither time nor distance weakened the authority over him of lady hawkshaw sir peter glared at the steward and then at th 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 secured my portion I 1 could view this with equanimity the next dish was spareribs sparer spare lbs ribs the steward said nothing but sir peter let it pass with a groan it seemed to me that everything appetizing in the dinner ainner was passed by sir peter in response to A a peculiar kind 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 hawkshawe Hawk Hah shaws we had besides the pea soup and roast rolt spareribs spare ribs potatoes turnips anchovy with sauce and a custard sir peter however dined off pea soup and potatoes but I 1 observed that he was his own master as far as the decanters were concerned and it occurred to me that lie he had made a trade with the steward by which lie was allowed this indulgence as I 1 noticed the man turn his back every time sir peter filled his blass lass 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 are fond of the play sir I 1 replied that I 1 had been but once the time you went with giles vernon if the coach had bad broken down between abond london i on and portsmouth we should 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 w ay 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 sudden suddenly a direct inspiration came to me I 1 remarked with blushes and tremors how very like lady arabella stormont must lady hawkshaw have been bee at her age and lady arabella is a very ery v beautiful young lady sir peter grinned like a rattrap rat trap at this awkward compliment and remarked yes yes arabella is like my lady except not half so handsome egad B gad when I 1 married lady hawkshaw I 1 had to cut my way literally with my sword through the bodyguard body guard of gentlemen who wanted her and as for her relations well she defied lem em all I 1 tried with all the little art I 1 possessed to get some information concerning arabella out of sir peter but beyond telling me what I 1 knew A before that th at she was his great niece on the other side ot of the house and farol cou cousin cousinso sinto to daphne and that thai her father now dead was a scamp lind and a pauper in spite of being an earl he told rot mg nothing but oven even that seemed tr show the great gulf guff beaw between een us boull she with her beauty and her title condescend dc to a midshipman somewhat younger than herself and penniless S t L doubted it though I 1 was in general of a sanguine nature I 1 found sir peter unbent t as the de cantors canto s grow empty although I 1 would pot not for a moment imply that he was wap excessive excess e in lils his drinking only jhb mellow ine how glow which pervades an eng bsh gentleman after a few glasses of t port enveloped him he asked me if I 1 was glad I 1 had joined the service to which I 1 could say yes with great sincerity impressed pressed inT upon me my good fortune in getting in ill a ship othe odthe line in the beg beginning annin g and gave me some admirable advice I 1 left him with a feeling that I 1 had a friet friend d in ift that excellent seaman honest gentleman and odd fish admiral sir peter hawkshaw when I 1 went below I 1 told lold my mess mates all that had occurred rather exaggerating sir peters attentions to me as midshipmen will avill then privately I 1 confided to giles vernon I 1 told what little I 1 had bad found out concerning concer the star of my soul as I 1 called arabella to which giles respond responded da by a long drawn out phew ph ew I 1 implored him if he knew any of acer in the ship who would be likely to be acquainted with lady arabella to pump him for me this lie he promised and the very next day as I 1 sat on a locker studying my theorems giles came up lip dickey said he mr buxton knows the divine arabella she ijas has a fortune of and so has tho the love dove eyed little Dap daphue lime all inherited from their granddad grand flad a rich bombay merchant it seems that lady ara bellas mother bought a coronet with her money and it turned out a poor bargain I 1 however lo wever the earl did no not t live long enough to ruin his father in law and little daphnes parents too toa lied died young so the old bombay man left the girls its his fortune fortun e and made sir peter their guardian and that r means of course that polly hawkshaw is their guardian mr buxton Bux torii says lie ho would like to see ee the hunter who can rob polly of tyghe two damsels for polly says rank and lineage are not everything shaher her self you know dates back to tle the saxon though she did i marry the son hon of your dry salting great grandfather and an she wants those girls to marry men and what polly says on oil that score is to be respected considering that she married into a dry Try salting family faintly to please herself or to displease her relations I 1 dont know wl which i 1 ch I 1 should say though if you are honest and deserving and mind t your book and get a t good word from the chaplain you yon will probably one day be the husband of little daphne but not of lady arabella no man shall marry her while I 1 live that you may be sure of but when I 1 marry her you may be side boy at my wedding I 1 thought this speech very cruel of giles vernon and believed that lie ho did not know what true love was else lie he co could uld not so trifle with my feelings 4 J although thore there was an echo of earnest ness in his intimation that he would kill any man who aspired to marry lady arabella we were three weeks in the bay of biscay thrashing to windward under topgallant sails and expecting daily and hourly to run across a french man we were hoping for it because we found the ajax to be a very weavil erly ship and fast for her class and both capt guilford and sir peter who had sailed in her before knew ex acely how to handle her and wo we were to have our wish for one evening in toward sundset sun we sighted a french ship of the line off our beam and by the time we had made her out a light french frigate was coming down the wind and in an hour wo we were at it hammer and tongs tong with 4 0 both of th them in TO BE CONTINUED |
