The Opelousas courier., 1884-11-29
THE DRY MAN.

GLORIOUS country cried Frank Sea-
grave. as the outward bound steamer
fst Brazil glided into tho smooth estu-
..ly of the Tagus, and on either side OF
her arose the green, sunny hills and
waving woods of beautiful Portugal.
"And glorious weather. too" added
Harry Fitzgerald. "Englishman
though l am, I'm not as patriotic as
Marryat's sailor. who, getting back to
England in the thick of a Channel fog
after a twelve months cruise in the
Mediterranean, growled a%pprovingly,
'Ah! this is what / calls weather!
None O. yer lubberly blue skies here!' -
Eyes. / think the poor Bay of
Biscay's been sadly maligned,' said his
cousin Jack. "We'ye been right across
it from side to side. and yet
Not u spray
All the day
In the Bay OF Biscay, Or"
We've been mighty lucky SO far,
sure enough put in Cecil Vane, land
the only thing warnings a fow young
ladies'"
"lFell, if that's your complaint. Mr..
Vane," said the captains deep voice
from behind, 'youM soon be cured, for
we're just going to take aboard as nice
a girl as you ever set eyes on. She's
an old friend Of mine, too; the daughter
of my cd chum, Fred Forester, who's
coffee-growing in Brazil now, and she's
going to him from Lisbon. Thers'll
be a pretty stir among you young fel-
lows when Miss Lucy comes. ]
shouldn't wonder if she even put Mr..
Clitheroe out of his course just a little
bit"
At this there was a general laugh.
for Winthrop Clitheroe, the only Amer
lean among the jovial party Of five ad
dressed by Captain Barclay, had al
ready, young as he was, seen and done
SO much that to surprise or startle him
appeared simply impossible. In any
real danger he was the boldest of the
bold; but the moment it was oyer he
relapsed into the cool, "don't-care-a-
cent" composure which had already
earned him the nickname of 'the dry
man.
Miss Forester proved quite as charm
ing as the captain had said, and the
effect of her presence was 500 appar-
ent.
Jack Fitzgerald, hitherto as careless
of his dress as any Cossack, suddenly
bioomed into an amazing dandy. His
cousin Harry, whose first appearance
was usually after the second breakfast
bell, took to getting up surprisingly
early, and pacing the deck like senti
mel till LuUy's pretty face was seen
ising through the companion way.
Frank Seagraye took to getting u
appropriate scraps Of poetry on the 81
and bringing them in on all occasions
sometimes mixing them up in a very
striking fashion; while Cecil Vane
who had somehow mistaken himsel
for in artist. plumed himself upon hi
cleverness in cutting out the rest by
/ getting leave to take Miss Forrester's
portrait, till, just as he was about to
present it to the charming original, he
discovered with rage and despair that
while his back was turned for a mo
ment, wicked Jack had sketched ashort
pipe between her cherry lips, pouring
out & volume of smoke worthy o
Vesuvius.
Bus although the captains prophecy
was csrrect thus far, he seemed quit
at fault 5 to Clitheroe. The adr
man. went on his own dry way just a
usual, seeming to trouble himself very
little about Lucy u her admirers
True, be appeared to be always on
hand when q seat was to be placed for
her. q shawl arranged, OF d book
fetched from the saloon; but he rarely
stayed to be thanked. and had seemingly
much less taste for her society than for
thai of the sailors, with whom he was
immensely popular.
So matters stood when q morning
CIitheroe, to escape the .'deck wash
ing which was cleaning of che Crime.
Of the Goals taken in at the Cape Verd
island, climbed up into the foretop.
and. stretching himself at full length