Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-06-05

ssA'N PSAS' "~, "AS'S J 70 SOA :. w wv siAS
way that little chap held his head up,
and looked about him, you'd hr', thought
the whole ship belonged to him. The
mate was great, halkin', black-bearded
fellow, with a look It'd ha' frightened a
horse: and voice ut I'd fhake one jump
thro' q key hole; bit the young TN
warn't bit aEeafed-he st6oa straight
up and looked Hin full III the face with
those bright, clear eyes y his'n, for all
the world as if he was Prince Alferd
himself: Fold did say afterwards,
Covering his voice to Whisper, as
how he coined O better blood nor what
he eughts and for nay part, I'm rayther
iosthat way o. thinkin' MYSELF; for
never yet seed a common street Harab,
Gas they call EN- now carry it off like
him: You might ha' hesrd pin drop,
as the mate spoke:
"Well, you young wheip," says he in
his grimmest voice, "what's brought
you here!"
at was my step father as done it,
says the boy in a weak little voice, but
as steady as could be. "Father's dead,
and mother married again, and my new
father says as how he won't have NO
brats about eaten up his wages; and
slowed me away when nobody warn't
lookin', and guy some grub to keep me
goin' for day OF two, till I got to sea.
He says I'm to 20 to Aunt Jane at
Halifax and here's her address"
And with that he slips his hand into
the breast Of his shirt, and out with a
scrap o paper awful dirty and
crumpled tip, but with the address on
it, right enough.
We all believed every word ont,
even without the paper; for his voice,
and the way he spoke, was enough to
show that there warn't ha' porth o lyin'
in his whole skin. But the mate didn't
seem to swaller the yarn at all; he only
shrugged his shoulders with kind o
grin, as much as to say: '1'm too old
a bird to be be caught with that kind
O thaff and then he says to him,
'Look here, my lad; that's all very
fine, but it wont ds here-some OF
these men O tiiihe are In the secret, and
l mean to have 1t out of EN-. Now,
you just point out the iiian as slowed
you away and fed you, this very minute;
if you don't it'll be the worse for you y
The boy looked up iii his bright,
fearless way lit did my heart good to
look at him, the brave little chap y
and says quite quietly ''I've told you
the truth ; l amt got any more to say.
The mate says nothin', but looks at
him for minute, as if he'd see clean
through him; and then he faced round
to the men, lookin' blacker then ever.
''Reeve rope to the yard!' he sings
out loud enough to raise the dead
smart, new!"
The men all looked at each other, al
much as to say, "What on earth's a
comm now7" But aboard ship; o course
when you're told to do thing, you've
got to do 1t, 50 the rope was rove in a
jiffy.
"Now, my lad" says the mate, in a
hard, square kind o voice that made
every word. seem like fiften' stone into
well, "you see that ere rope. Well
Ill give you ten minutes to confess, he
took out his watch and held in his hand
and if you don't tell the truth afore the
times up, I'll hang you like dog!"
The crew all started at one another
as if the couldn't believe their ears q
didn't believe mine, can tell ye), and
then a low growl went among EN-, like
wild beast awakin' out of nap.
Silence there shouts the mate, in a
voice like fierce nor'easter. "Stand
by the run for ardl" and with his own
hand he puts the moose round the boys
neck. The little teller never flinched a
bit; but there were some among the
sailors, big strong chaps as could ha'
felled a OK, as shook like leaves in the
wind. As for me, I bethought myself
q my little Curly haired lad at home,
and how it nd be if any o1e was to go
for to hang him and at the very tho't
ont I tiugled all over, and my fingers
clinched themselves as if they were a
grippin' somebody's throat. I clutched
hold O a handspike, and held it behind
my back, all ready. ia Gm 1aLs
''Tom" whispers the chief engineer to
me, "d'ye think he really means to do
it?" Il don't know" says l through my
teeth but if he does, he shall go first,
if I swings for i'll" FL ~
I've been in many an ugly scrape in
my time; but l never felt arr as bad as
| did then. Every minute seemed as
long as dozen ! and the tick O. the
mates watch regular pricked my ears
like a pin. The men were very quiet,
but there was precious ugly look on
some o their faces; and l noticed that
three or four on EN- KEEP edjin for ard