Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-05-08


The wonder was that her father did not strike
the words out OF her mouth. The Captain sat
in tense expectancy, awaiting the first blow,
"You can bully ma, but you can't bully me.
I'm not a rabbit, to take cabbage-leaf or a
kick, whichever you choose. You've give me
Her courage was something so fine In the face
OF her fathers fury-Ba,len was a powerful
man, too-that the Captains blood tingled in
every admiring vein.
"she could front a mutinied foksl, she could,n
ne tnought, and eagerly watched to see what
.How d-dare you stand there a-a-daring me,
Molly Ballen!' The man fairly Suffered with
astonishment and rage.
u amt a,dartng you. I'm Approaching my
sen that's all And"-with sudden access of
breath.n 0 ~~
," You've been Off, nobody knows where since
Every body ken know where, If they want.
I've been to Jenny Gregg's II you don't believe
me. ask her.
you've been a-neslecting your work, an,
leaving your ma to peg at it all alone"
Much you care for ma! !" Molly began con-
temptuous!y, when her mother, thinking to
soften her husband by siding with him, piped
up In whining tone:
the livelong day." But She got no thanks. Bal
len promptly and furiously told her not to put
You're only child" he said, turning to
II You lay yourself out for fioggfng you'll gft
It, She's bare thirteen. Cap,n he Explained, LOOK
ing toward Misgill, with some hint at an apology
I'm near fourteen" returned Molly, steadily,
"and am bigger than sixteen"
The Captain was thunderstruck. He could
every day of sixteen, and finely developed for
that. He stared harder, and wished he had
more eyes. What splendid girl she was to be
sure, with her noble curves and dauntlesS car
hnr thcr,s
p1nched features in hers Her hair was red but
not her fathers eolor-paler, and glorIously soft
and abundant.
"Well, Well; III see to you by an by" said
Fallen, with sort of deprecatory growl. This
amt being very polite to the Cap'n."
You should have Thought OF that before, :"
cried Molly, with Saucy laugh.
But III see that you don't go a-maunderng
Off ag1n."
The scene ended as unexpectedly as it had be-
gun. Captain Misgill resumed his knife and
FORK, finding opportunity to convey secret
glanceS OF appreciation across the table to
molly. By the dancing OF her eyes she enjoyed
ner triumph immensely, and she dreaded no
later reckoning.
Tue Captain and Ballen Lit their pipes, and
took stroll to the top of the hin together
That gal thinks shes gitttn' too much for
good whacking ii it hadn't been you was
strange"
cry it on While I'm round" muttered the
your bones"
The bed-chamber Of those days was print
tive affair. The Captains was hardly larger
than his snug cabin on the Barnacle; and as the
wind tore furiouSly all night across the bleak
hill. the cloth partitions beloved and shook like
spread sails In his dreams Misgill was at sea:
and waking with start in the dead OF night, he
had some difficulty. owing to the rocking AID
creaking OF the rude shanty, to dispel the illu-
sion. He soon became aware OF a flashing and
failing OF light, not unlike beacon fire on
windy headIand, but in reality a aickering
candle-flame in the next room.
Gathering his wits together painfully, as Ii
each mad been on separate cruise, he listened
OF some rhythmical movement. The floor 0uiy-
cred as II to unheard music. He rolled over
On his side and stared hard at the frail partl-
ticn separating his room from the next Who
ever was stirring there was unconSciouSly CIV
ing the Captain the benefit OF a sort Of magic
lantern representation. a shadow, now eiOn-
gated, now dwarfed now silently posing, now
dancing, qutyered up and over the cloth parti-
ton LII fantastic play. That shape could be-
long to none other than Molly. What was she
up TO? With nautical OATH tremendous In
quality, IL SubdueG in tone, the Captain resolved
TO find out. Crawling cautiously On all fourS to
the partition, his vision was cheated by spread
Ing wh1teneSS, through which the candle gloWed
nke ne lame IN an opal In an agony OF eau
ton M1sgill possessed himself OF his Jack knife
and with it punctured small hole, to which
he fastened an Investigating eye. Molly, sure
enough-in white night gear. with large red
bandanna fastened about her waist, and sIrang-
Cling odds and ends of color Enthusiastically knot
Ted mere and there; her bright hair flying ike a
shining mare and her. graceful ankles white
and bare. Now she took an attitude OF mock
suppiication. now OF command now OF scorn-
now polkaed softly, now sank down on one
knee. as in the "cachucha. waving imaginary
castanets over her head. So ,childlike, so alb
So1bed, who could believe her the same girl who
had flashed out such splendid defiance of her
fathers brutality? The old Captain knelt spell
bound. His palms ftched TO applaud. Suddenly
Molly's steps, light as they were, stepping on
an 1ll-ftting board, made a small earthquake,
and preliminary grunt announced that old
Ballen was Wak1sg Instantly the candle went
out, and the play was ended.
The following afternoon. Misgill climbed the
hill earlier than before. He went around the
back way, as he had been taught, and found
Moliy ana her mother ple.mak1ng on an extern
slye Scae. The disposal OF these dyspeptic con-
triyarces to miners restaurant was the fami-
iy'S Chief source OF income Dozens of shining,
empty tins stood In pile; other dozens had oeen
filed, and with pale doughty resignation waited
their turn in the oven, whence issued spicy
cdors OF bubbling fnSideS and delicately brown
ing crusts- Huge earthen bowls of dried apples
ana peacheS-flesh fruit was out OF the question
then for such pUrposes-and another OF soaked
cracker yaWned near, the latter so d0ctored
with lemon extract, sugar, and nutmeg as TO
meet the palate with deceptive flavor OF green
apple.
Invited by Molly's eyes, the Captain sat down
and tilted his chair back against the Wall. The
kitchen was hot as furnace; he per5pired pro-
fuSely, but still seemed bent On studying pie
making processes. Perhaps the rolling and neat
fitting OF the under crust; the delicious!y pulpy
sound, as the SteWed 1ruft was la1led in the
persuasive pat. pat, pat OF the spoon, smoothing
down the little hillock to d level round the deit
Whirl with which the upper crust was cast like
pail over plate and contents, revived forgot IN
memories of far off home, and OF DAYS before
the boy had become an ocean rover; but GER
tainly the display OF Molly'S fine arms barred to
the shoulder, as she poised the plate in air TO
cut away the surplus drapery OF dough, had a
charm peculiar 10 the moment.
hirGin nd
Mrs. Balien was kept busy tending tue oven
and pleniShiDg the fire with bruShHOod-their
only 1ueL True, the old lady relieved from the
cl0gg1Gg elect or her husbands presence, made
ceaseless complaints In whining way, but
neither Molly nor the Captain seemed to care
one whit. They Kept up rattliDg gossip. The
captain told his best stories In q Characteristic
vein or humor; OF shrewd tricks played at
smuggling; of scrapes he had gotten into ashore
III a dozen ports, and he wound up with a ban
teT1ng description OF a burial at sea, where he
had O1llciated, TO his own infinite jest and pro.
fame use OF sacred text Molly laughed at every
thing up TO this last. Then she flew into tenn
per, ana called Misgill a miserable, worthless
old heather, which so delighted him that he
could scarcely speak.
Preparations for dinner having superseded
the general baking, Misgill went away to his
room. He laid the great coat he had taken of
In the kitchen on its back across the bed bring
ing into view an inner pocket, bullying with
something done up In thick wrapper. This.
unrolled, revealed to his adniring eyes, as Ii
for the first time, China Grape shawl OF vivid
yGll Qrph rnii in