Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-12-12
TIE OCTQROON'
4 STORT OK SLAVERY DATS.

gss open at the waist, and isl tho unSefs ,ein giImmcr of the morning light laul Lisinon caught sight of tho butt end oi pistol thrust into q leather bet Iae strangers face had once been a hand. some one. but it bore upon it the tracea | O many a debauof, as well as the hroaG seer of n cutlass wound. which had left | q deep welt from check to chiE. II know not who you are, said Pnnl, after looking long and earnestly at this man, nor by what right you have inter- esSd yourself in my fate; but it Is cvi- dent to me that you have had some hand in my miraculous escape of tonight" ''Never mind that, comrade," answered the stranger, linking his arm in that of Paul LiSimon. and walking slowly to-
 ward the qHay. ''You're free and wei come, as far as that goes; but l don | think, after an old friend had taken a good bit of trosble to get you out of that laundering jail yonder-I don't think it
 was quite fair to go and try to chuck 'ourself into the water "Eou then, were my de1iverer?"
 "Never you mind whether l was or
 whether I wasn't. Do you know what it cost to get you out of prison?' "No"
 Well, near upon a thousand dollars,
 my lad"
 And you paid this money! You, an utter stranger to me, bribed my jailers "
 Never you mind about that, I say
 again; those that paid the money for you ing a stranger, perhaps I'm not quite that"
 "You know me, thcn?" "Fiftccn years ago I knew a little.
 curly-haitcd, black-e eyed chap. who used
 to play about the gardens of a white
 walled villa on the banks of the Amazon,
 and 1 fancy that you and he are pretty near relations"
 You knew me in my childhood; you
 knew mo in the lifetime of my earliest and dearest benefactOr.' II did. It was only last night that l came ashore, and the first thing heard in New Orleans was, that Mr. Paul I.isi- mon had been arrested for the robbery of his employer, one of the land sharks your gentecl folks call lawyers. Now,
 we scamen arc not fond of that breed, so l wasn't sorry 10 hear that for once r lawyer had been robbed himself instead of rohhing other people. so l asked who this MT Paul LlsimOu was that had been too many guns for his employer, and they | told me that he was a young Mexican, who had been brought up by Don Juan MoraQuitos. Now l happen to know a | good deal of Don Juan Mcraquitos, and | had never heard before Of Paul Lisi- mon but 1 had heard of a little curly | haired lad that was once a great favurito | with Don Tomaso Crivclli, and Don To rnaso had been good friend to me. So | that's why your iailer was bribed, and | why you stand q free man in the streets | of New Orleans this morning." My generous frend," exclaimed | Paul, ''this is all much a mystery to 1 nc that l know not how to thank you 1 for your goodness.
 And tell you that l want no thanks,
 so lets talk of business. In the first | place what made you so anxious tu get 1 tu he water just now? ttsoA:Sht there was blood in your veins that never vet | Ian in those of a coward ''A coWaru:'
 "Ah. youngster: the man who has no | better resource when he'>, down in the | worlI than t, make away with himself | tsn worthy of any other name.' And what right ha you 10 suppose | that l contemplated suicide:" The right o; a good sharp pair of l syCs, my tai But come. onco more to l business. Do you see SOndcr clatt at
 anchOr there, to the right of the har- | yuy!"
 Paul locked in the direction to which
 the stranger point"d and perceived the
 trim ma~ts of 6 liGhtly-buitt schooner. 1 II dO-'
 l | pers hat ever sailed. No rotten timber | n.it green oak a,li locust from stem to | stern. with pOt &ii .nch of canvas that | isn't meant fOr speed. Don't talk to me | about your steam vessels; lumheriuG | oli Noah's artl-. that cant go a good l pace without bursting up and sending | every soul to tarnatlun smash. See the 1 Amazon fly before tue wind and then | you Il know what fat $,lIl,ns is. If We l ft h., | the North, let the Yankees look out for l 7q@a!ls when the Amazon is ailoat on the | blue water.
 l And you, my friend. arc you one of l her crew?' asked Paul. | I'm her captain. mate, Captain Pren-
 dcrgi,ls--a sailor by profession, and a
 rover by choice, and a privateer for l plundcr."
 A privateer?'
 Yes You don't think the word an | ugly one, do you? Now listen to me
 you cant go back to Villa Moraquitos, | can you?'
 l No"
 And you and Don Juan have parted | mpuny for a long spell?' l I've have"
 '.Nery well, then. why not join us? l | may have more reasons than one for | taking an interest ill you. You cant
 stay in New Orleans, for by eight o'clock 1 this morning your escape will be dis
 covered. Two a fancy that you'd make
 n smart mate on board yonder vessel | Wi!i you come?'
 T will, answered Paul, grasping his
 new friend by the hand. You at least
 ust mc-you do not fear to take me on
 board your vessel, though tho hand of | SUI 7picion is upon me, and men have
 called mo thief. Providence seems to
 ave raised you up, as if by miracle, to | reserve me from disgrace. despair, and | death. 1 am yours for good or evil; in
 veal or woe 1 will serve you faithfully. '