The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-03-04
One Christmas Night.
A STORY IN TWO CHAPTERS.
CHAPTER II.


1t was never known who fired the shot that
killed Dan Pearce but the lieutenant naturally
guessed that the man who fired it was the muir
derer of Porter. Old Van der Meulen came in
the next morning, apparently unconscious of
what had taken place, and expressed great sur
prise and horror when he was told of it.
"Vell," he said, "dey are rough lot here, and
have seen enough of dem to know dat dey tink
no more of killing man than of drinking a cup
of spirits"
"The man who did it," said Charlwood look
ing the old man full in the face, "knows some
thing about poor Porter, and if I stay here
twenty years I'll find it out"
The Dutchman puffed great cloud of smoke
out and said, Dat you never will"
Christmas approached, and nothing happened
to break the monotony of life on Tregannion
Cliffs. The lieutenant thought Of. the joyial
party assembled in the old family hall far away
in Kent, but however much he longed to be with
them, his sense of duty was too strong to allow
him to apply even for few days leave of
absence
"At any rate" he thought, "I'll have a little
celebration here On my own account" So he
sent notes to the parson, the doctor, and old Van
der Meulen, requesting their company to dinner
on Christmas Day. OF course all three accepted
cordially, and what gave him the greatest pleasure
was that the old Dutchman actually asked to be
allowed to bring Dolly.
Since the death of Pearce, the lieutenant had
seen much more of his sweetheart, and the old
Dutchman, far from discouraging the meeting
of the lovers seemed anxious that they should
be together as much as possible So the lieu
tenant, intending to be polite as well as
hospitable, resolved to ask the old man formally
for the hand of his daughter after the Christmas
dinner
About week before Christmas Logsdail the
boatswain came into the lieutenant's quarters
with serious face
"Well, Logsdail, what is it?" asked the
lieutenant.
"Well, sir" said the man, we've been keepin'
a sharp lookout on the Cliff House as you Or
dered and we aint seed nothing, till last night.
/ was asleep in my bunk about quarter afore
twelve, when Tom Hoadley, what I'd put on
watch, wakes me up and tells me there's some
thing goin' on at the Cliff House. So l goes
out. All was dark, so dark you couldn't hardly
see your hand. All of sudden we sees light
is very unusual at that time onight. Then we
gets nearer and we sees the old mounseer go out
with lantern in his hand. We follows him,
keepin' well behind the bushes, as far as Quel-
lev Bay. There he meets other men with Ian
terms and they all keep talkin' together about
half an hour. Then mounseer goes back to the
Cliff House, and a man rides off on the Fowey
Road Then all was dark again, and nothing
more was to be SEEN"
"Very well, Logsdal," said the lieutenant
post off to Fowey. No, 90 by sea. Take the
cutter, and tell the lieutenant in command with
my compliments to send twenty men-a few
every day-by Christmas Day. If anythings to
be done, they'll do it then. All Tregannion
knows about my dinner, and they think they'll
catch us mapping"
Christmas Day came in a violent snOwstorm
The line between sea and sky was barely distin-
guishable, but the roar of the breakers upon the
rocks below was audible above the sweep of the
storm. The wild barren country looked doubly
weired in its white shroud, and the only conso-
lation that the poor blue-jackets on guard had,
was that there would be good dinner at mid