Huntington independent. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1871-1874, 1873-06-12

bonnie little face o bis own, II
: hadn't been so woful thin and pale
But, bless yer soul to see the wa
that little chap held his head up, an
looked about him, you'd ha' though
the whole ship belonged to him. Th
mate was a great hulkiu' black bear
ded fellow, with a look that d ha
frightened horse, and a voice fit II
make one jump through a key-hole
but the young un war Mt bit afear
ed--he stood strsight up. and looked
him full in the face with them bright
clear eyes O. his'D, for all, the world
as if he was Prince Hatred himself
Folk did say MISUNDERSTANDING
his voice to a whisper-as he coined
o better blood nor what he ought
and, for my part, I'm rsyther O. that
way O. thinkin' myself; for | never
yet seed a common street. Harab-as
they calls them now-carry it off like
him. You might ha' heerd pin drop,
as the mate spoke:
"Well, young whelp," says he, in
his grimmest voice, what brought
you here?'
at was my step-father as done it,
says the boy, in a weak little voice,
but as steady aa could be. Fathers
dead, and mothers married again,
and my new father says as how he
won't have any brats about, eatin' up
his wages, and he slowed Inc away
when nobody war MT lookin, and guv
me some grub to keep me goin' for
a day or two till | got to sea. He
saws I'm to 90 to Aunt Jane at Hall
fax; and here's her address" And
with that be slips his hand into the
breast of his shirt, and out with a
scrap O. paper, awful dirty and crum-
pied up, but with the address on it,
right enough.
We all believed every word on 7,
even without the paper; for bis look
and his voice, and the way he spoke,
was enough to show that there war
Mt ha'porth o'lyin' in his whole
skin. But mate didn't seem to swal-
low the yarn at all, be only shrugged
his shoulders with a kind o er'u, as
much as to say, "l'm too old lid t.
be caught with that kind O. chaff;"
and then he says to him, "Look here,
my lad; that's all very fne, but then
it won't do-some O. these men
O. mine are in the secret, and | near
to have it out O. em. Now you just
point out the man as slowed you
away and fed you, this very minute;
if you don't it II be the worse for
you!'
TIE boy looked up in his bright,
fearless way CT did my heart good to
look at hin, the brave little chap!)
and says, quite quietly, l've told
you the truth; | amt got no more to
say"
The mate says nothin,' but looks
at him for a minute, as if he'd see
clean through him; and then be faced
round to the men, lookin' blackcr
than ever. Reeve a rope to the
yardl" he sings out, loud enough to
raise the dead; "smart, now!
The men all looked at each other,
as much'as to say, "What on earth
IS a coming now?' But aboard ship,
O. course, when you're told to do a
thing, you've got to do it; so the rope
was rove in jIffy
Now, my lad" says the mate, in
hard, square, kind o voice, that
made every word seem like fttln' a
stone into a wall, you see thatere
rope? Well, III give you ten minutes
to confess; and if you don't tell the
truth afore the times up, III hang
you like dog"
The crowd oil stared at one anoth,
er as if they couldn't believe their
ears, q didn't believe mine, | can
tell ye,) and then low growl went
among 'em, like wild beast aWakin
out of a pap.
"Silence there!' shouts the mate
in a voice like the roar of a nor'esst'
er. Stand by to run for'ard!' as be
held the moose ready to put it round
the boys neck. The little feller Dev
er fincbed a bit; but there we're some
among the sailors (big strong chap:
as could ha' f.llcd an ox) as shook
like leaves in the wind. As for me,
bethought myself of my little curly
haired lad at home, and how it 'ud bt
if any one was to 90 for to hang him
and at the very thought on t l tin
gled all over, and my fingers clincbec
themselves as if they was a-grippin
some ebodys throat. ! clutched holc
O. hand.spike, and held 1t behinc
NY back, all ready
Tom" whispers the chlef enSln
eer to me, dye really think h'
means to do i,?'
Il don't know" says | through
my teeth; "but if he does, he shall g
first, If swing for itl'
I've been in many an ugly serap'
in my time, but / never felt 'arf a
bad as did then. Every minute
seemed as long as dozen; and TIT
tick O. the mates watch reg'lar
pricked my cars like a pin. Th'
men were quiet, but there was pre-
cious ugly look on some G their ia ces
aud | noticed that three or four oil
'em KEEP edgin' for'ard to where tn
mate was in a way that meant mis-
chief. AS for me, i'd made up ID.
mind that ifte did go for to hans
tho li,tle chan I'd kill him on tn