Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-06-17
evening STAR,
A YANKEE MAN-TRAP.

anu using eScianatory e4pletiVeS 10 90 IL with.
1t was August the 18th, 1913, and Mr.. Balch
was walking slowly homcward from the sea
shore of New London county, Connecticut; !;
and as he went, he whitfield. Tho precise ex
pressions in which he indulged were these:
"Consarn them darned BritisherS to darna-
ton Blame their everlastin' picters / hope
to gracious the plaguy old boat'Il go slam
da0wn with EN-, sarse and all 20
Then, after pause, he added:
"Jest as eff mightn't "a knoan they'd a
done it 1! Eff I'd only KEEP her hum till night,
and crep raound, could q gone strate into
New London jest as Easy, Near abaout two
hundred dollars gone slap-dab for nothin
Oh, good thunder !" cried the mourning young
Yankee, in the bitterness Of his soul as this
crOwning misery rose afresh in his mind
1t is no wonder that he was seriously dis
pleased for the British, then maintaining
strict blockade upon Commodore Decatur, who,
with the frigatos United States and Macedo.
nian, and the brig-of-war Hornet, had run up
the river Thames, had that day made prize of
n certain small craft, in which, together with
her cargo, was invested full moicty Of his
private worldly estate.
Nevertheless, with continuous whiting and
many quaint execrations, home went Ethan,
and told his sad t.Ie tn his parents, who SYM
pathized with him, and were grieved
"WhO wuz there in the boat, Ethan ?" ask
cd Mr.. Balch, senior.
- That's the wust on father" said the ju-
| nior gentleman, Two got to 60 n tell Marthy
Robbins; and what on arth she IL say, do
no. They wuz Peleg and Zack Robbins, and
them darned everlastin' rotted pizen cusses
got 'em, and the boat besides, and sarse enough
to keep the acot week
oval, my son, said the old gentleman, "I
ruther guess you'd better 90 right Oyer'n' tell
her, and hev it done with. She'll take on
some at fust, that's sartin; but the boys Ill
come back some time anuther, and she m
Misses Robbins kin come n stay with US eff
they're mind to. l guess We could tend
up to that ere little farm, while"
For Mrs. Robbins, the widowed mother of
'Marthy,' and Peleg, and Zachariah, owned
and occupied, with her children, small farm
near by, and carried on the same; and the
capture Of her two sons had of course, left the
farm quite bare Of men.
Ethan walked moodily over to Mrs Robbins
house. He was welcomed warmly by the two
wemen, but received their greeting with so
much embarrassment, that they perceived
that something was wrong.
What on arth's the matter with ye,
Ethan ?" asked the old lady, cooking back her
head so that she could peer at him through
the spectacles which usually abode some ways
down her nose you're shorter n pie e-crust,
seems to me-
perhaps" said Miss Robbins, with small
smirk, I" he didn't want to come. 'Taint ne
necessary to come here unless you enjoy it,
Mister Balch "
well, we'll 90 expostulated the disconso-
late Yankee, don't 60 to plaguin a man
when he's in trouble a'ready. didn't want
to come, and it's the fust time; and you know
it, Marthy. But 'twasn't cos wasn't glad to
see y0H."
II S pose might jest as we'll out with it.
Them darned British has ketchcd the boat,
and Peleg and Zack along with it.
An Outburst Of lamentatiOn from the women
interrupted the further progress Of the tale,
which Ethan's awkward attempts at consola.
tion did not avail toquench. They gradually
recovered themselves, however, and proceeded
to inquire how it happened.
at was, Ethan said, " by means Of we'll
known row-galley belonging to Admiral Har-
dy's fag-ship, the Families, seventy four,
which had already captured many small
coasting crafts, and which had secured its
booty, in the present instance, by snakin'
out, as he described it, with joint use of sails
and oars, the fair breeze with which the Mar
tha (as Ethan's boat was named,O had set
sail, having unexpectedly died away nearly
to a calm "
Miss Martha Robbins having cried a good
deal, did now, as womankind arc often apt to
do, experience sudden and not very reason
able reaction in anger, and chose to insinuate,
any personal risk to himself by sending her
brothers off alono with the boat and, second
ly, that anybody who hadn't brains enough to
keep him from such losses as that was hardly
likely to make a thrifty or prosperous help
mate.
These aspersiOn Ethan vigorously repelled,
asserting that tho boys had chosen to go to-
gether, both desiring to visit New London
and that, as three were not necessary for
managing the boat or selling thecargo, be had
given them their own way; and SO to the lat
ter part IF the accusation he inquired
~ want 10 know If you think a man Ort to
hev brains enough to know exactly when its
agoin' to fall calm out on the Sound ten hours
ahead ?"
But Miss Robbins being, as we have insin-
uated, a womanly woman, vOuchsafed no an
swer to these considerations, which were
urged by way of argument-argument being
a thing totally unknown and unintelligible to
the majority of the female sex-and of the
male, too, for that matter. And she accord
ingly said over again what she had said be-
fore, rather moro loudly and earnestly; and
having thus refutcd Ethan in the discussion,
she informed him that unless he could get her
brothers out of the captivity into which he
had been tho means Of their falling, he need
not look upon her face again.
Ethan demonstrated, and even Mrs. Robbins
ventured few mild expOstulatiOns, but all in
vain; the Yankee damSel's blood was up, and
the diScOmftted lover, not considering that il
was highly complimentary to him that his
lady-lOve should take it for granted that he
was simply able to rescue prisoners from tho
whole British fleet, pursued lis homeward
way in much detection Of mind.
Il wish to gracious they'd ben fifty men in
her 2" he exclaimed; :. twould ben farst
rate fun to jump up and gin 'em yolley,
clust in?'
Then, his keen Yankee intellect, pursuing
the train of thought thus started, a scheme
suggested itself to him which seemed to pro-
mise him both fair revenge, and the means
Of liberating the two brethren of his Obdurate
mistress.
fastening homeward, ne consulted with
his father, and after some difficulty succeeded |
in gaining his cooperation. Early next morn |
ing, the two men; harnessing up the farm |
horse, drove speedily over TO New London,
and procuring intrOductions from one or two |
gentlemen of standing in that city, who bore |
witness to the trustworthiness and abilities OF |
tho bearers, they proceeded up the river to |
Norwich, near which place the American war |
vessels were moored.