The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-12-30
WHAT DEFELS AT THE QUEENS FERRY.


mn oven by great fire Of coal. At
table hard by the chimney tall, dark,
sober locking man sat writing. In spite
of the heat Of the room he wore thick
sea jacket, buttoned to the neck, and
tall, hairy cap drawn down over his
ears, yet never saw any man, not even
a judge upon the bench, look cooler or
more studious and self possessed than
this ship captain.
He got to his feet at once, and coming
forward offered his large hand to Eben-
ezer. 81 am proud to see you, Mr.. Bal
four" said he in fine deep voice, "and
glad that we are here in time. The
winds fair and the tide upon the turn.
Well see the old coal bucket burning on
the Isle of May before tonight"
Captain Hoseason," returned my I'M
Gle, "you keep your room unco' let."
"It's a habit l have, Mr.. Balfour,"
said the skipper. "I'm cold rife man
by my nature; have a cold blood, sir.
There's neither fur, nor fannel--no, sir
nor hot rum will warm up what they
call the temperature. Sir, it's the same
with most men that have been carbona-
doed, as they call it, in the tropic seas"
"Well, well, captain" replied my I'M
Gle, 1--WE must all be the way we're
made"
But it CHANGED that this fancy of the
captains had a great share in ny mis-
fortunes. For though l had promised
myself not to let my kinsman out of
sight, l was both so impatient for
nearer look of the sea and so sickened
by the closeness of tho room that when
he told me to run down stairs and play
myself awhile | was fool enough to
take him at his word.
Away | went therefore, leaving the
two men sitting down to bottle and
great mass Of papers; and crossing the
road in front of the. inn, walked down
upon the beach.
Ransome soon came out of the inn
and ran to me, crying for a bowl of
punch. l told him would give him no
such thing. for neither he nor was of
age for such indulgences. "But glass
of ale you may have, and welcome"
said /. He mopped and moved at me,
to get the ale for all that; and presently
we were set down at table in the front
room of the inn, and both eating and
drinking with good appetite.
Here it occurred to me that, as the
landlord was man of that country, l
might do well to make friend of him.
| offered him q share, as was much the
custom in these days; but he was far
too great man to sit with such poor
customers as Ransome and myself, and
he was leaving the room, when l called
him back to ask if he knew Mr.. Ran
keillor.
"Hoot, ave." says he, land very hon
est man. And oh, by the bye" says he,
twas it you that came in with Eben-
ezer?" And when had told him yes,
"Yell be no friend Of his?" he asked,
meaning, in the Scotch way, that l
would be no relative.
l told him no, none.
81 thought not" said he; "and We have
kind of Cliff Hook of Mr.. Alexander
1 said it seemed that Ebenezer was i'll
seen in the country.
"Nae doubt" said the landlord
Giles wicked auld man, and there's
many would like to see him girning in a
tow. Jennet Clouston and mony mair
that he has harried out of house and
hame. And yet he was ance q fine young
fellow too. But that was before tie
sough gaed abroad about Mr.. Alexander;
that was like the death of him."
"And what was it?' I asked.
sou, just that he had killed him." said
the landlord. "Did we never hear that?"
"And what did he kill him for?" said ].
"And what for but just to get the
place." said he.
"The placer" said L. ''The Shaw.s?"
"Nae other place that KEN" said he.
"Aye, mani" said 1. "ISthat so? Was
my-was Alexander the eldest son?'
"'Deed was he," said the landlord.
"What else would he have killed him
for?"
, And with that he went away, as he
had been impatient to do from the be-
ginning.
OF course had guessed it a long
while ago, but it is one thing to guess,
another to know, and l sat stunned
with my good fortune, and could scarce
grow to believe that the same poor lad
who had trudged in the dust from Et-
trick forest not two days ago was now
one of the rich of the earth, and had
house and broad lands, and if he but
knew how to ride might mount his
horse tomorrow. All these pleasan.
things, and thousand others, crowded
into my mind as l sat staring before me
out of the inn window and paying no
heed to what l saw; only remember
that my eye lighted on Captain Hoseason
down on the pier among his seamen and
speaking with some authority. And pres
emily he came marching back toward the
house, with no mark of sailors clumsi-
ness, but carrying his fine, tall figure
with manly bearing, and still with the
same sober, grave expression on his face.
wondered il 1t was possible that Ran
some's stories could be true, and half
disbelieved them; they fitted so i'll with
the mans looks. But indeed he was
neither SO good as supposed him. nor
n