Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-03-07
A TURN OF THE KEY,

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goodness you had lot mo chuck tn
whole thing over when Ispokc about
it this morning; l hate leaving you all
by yourself. Woll, at any rate,
shan't be lntc.'
So spoke B:rtio Hepburn, Coo owner
of tho yacht Cormoraa', as smart a
schooner az ever flew the white ensign,
to his wife, who was standing rather
discons olatc!y at the door of the main
cabin, where her hus blad struggles into u
hugo oilskin ovcrcoat, prcpar, tory 10
going ashore.
Il was wild night, dark NJ pitch.
tho rain wns falling in torrents, aud an
icy wind, blowing straight from the
Aponnincs, did MT make matters more
comfortable. Tic CJrmnrar. hal hccn
weather. bound i'll the harb}r of Port
Erco!c, an unimportaa. town, about 80
miles north of Civita Vccchia, FOR nearly
a week; there was absolutely nothing
10 he seen there; but the harbor was Il
good one, and tho weather outside wa,
decidedly 'diriy."
They had been cruising for about
three months in tho Mediterranean. m |
meant 10 prolong the cruise till spriug
Berthe Hepburn was nun. who, happy
and contcntcd every where. was never
so happy as Oh board his own yacht,
and he wa' more fortunate than many
yacht owner, IN one respect, iuasmuch
as his wife, pretty, charming Madgc
Hepburn, vas us devoted to sca!ar-
ing life as ho was himself.
Shc had not even gramblcd over
their forccl detention Il. Por. Ercolc,
a. SO many women wou.d hayo done,
and it was sho who had insisted on
/ BERTHE keeping his en- gagement to dine
with the Wee. Consul. That UNI
fortunate gentleman, whose life. passed.
among a people with whom ho had
nothing i'll common, was one round OF
dull routine. was dcligh.o1 to welcome
the owner OF any stray yacht driven by
stress OF weather into tho 5nuS haven of
Port Ercoc, and, ON the arrival of tho
Cormorant had come OH board in state,
to b d them TO a dinner Il. the shabby
htus, d:gniiicd by tho name Of Vice
Con ulaie. NJ idgc had sent an excuse,
n pei fcctly true one, that bad cold
prevented her coming ashore in such
weather; bit she would not hear of her
husband also throwing over his engage
mcnt.
Il shall bo all right. Bertio,' she
said. IL have no end of letters to
write. and you wont DO late"
There was m utter absence OF j,vialty
abcu. the meal, an she go. through it
a. quickly as possible. much to tho
secret 10; o; the steward. who had Ills
own plans for his evening", amusement
on hand.
'Hf you plea'e, Mtam," sail hc as he
c'enrcl the things away. al should like
to so ashore tnis evening. il you have
no objection"
'OA, no, certainly you are welcome
to 60"
az you care, ma'am.' said her maid
five minutes aitcrward, ''thc captain
says there are great doings in the
cathedral tonight. and he will take me
ashore to have look at them, if you
don't want me-
mo. you can so by all means,
Dunno" said her mis- r.s,; "but In,
afraid you'll get vc-y wet landing.'
Their departure in the dinghcy iiv,
minutes af.er seemed to lsava The zach
wonderfully quiet. There wa, not {
sound to be hcarl but the drip of tho
rain on deck and tho moaning Of Tho
wind in the rigging. The sailors were
oil snug in the ocsio, but no sound o
voices came from thence, and the goot
ship Cormorant might have bceu
derolic. o, far as any lifo on board wa
concerned.
Madgc Hepburn, who was both i'm
questionable and mag native. was i'm
pressed by the stiffness in spilo of her
SELF "Wc must keep each other com
pany, Cheviot," said she to the bi,
black and tan sheep dog who lay aslcc
on the cabin floor, but lie rcfu,cd alb
solutely to enter into conversation; hi
manner showed decidedly TINT ho di,
not wish to BIO disturbed, and, as hi
mistress would not desist, he &c
up sulkily, stretched himself half
dozen times, and slowly aud hcavil
lurched out of the cabin, and up tn
companion, while a thump overhead
minute later told AfrI. Hepburn he pr
ferrod the cold and wet on deck to hi