The morning call., 1893-01-15

q
Yes" he answered. "and fine ship
she is"
There's no finer ship than the Childe
| Harold out Of the Thames" said Captain
Butler.
"And her captain is a very good sort of
man we are told" said my aunt
g! have heard him well spoken of. !
| don't know him." said Captain Butler.
when does VIII sail?" asked.
| "a fortnight to-day" answered my uncle.
You remember our compact" l said.
My uncle smiled slowly and shook his
| head.
But say yes" 1 cried, standing up in
my impetuous way. Aunt you know it
was settled. win was my playmate as
| child. love him as a brother and claim
| the right of giving him his outfit"
''She is a sailors child" said my uncle to
| CAPTAIN Butler.
They told ME Will was out he would re-
| turn before supper. In short time | dis
| covered that CAPTAIN Butler had been two
wears absent on a trading voyage IN the
| Pacific, that be was without a ship at pres
! emf, but was looking for the command of a
/ new bark OF about $50 tons called the Arab
| Chief, in which he was thinking of pur-
| chasing a share / admired him so much
| that could not help feeling a sort O. in-
| quisitiveness, and asked him q number of
| questions about his voyage and the sea life
] indeed | went further, l asked him where he
| lived and If he had any relatives. There was
! a bOldDesS in NE that was bred of many
| years of independence and Of fearless
| indifference TO peoples opinion. l was by
| nature downright and offhand, and when
ever | had a question to ask l asked it
/ without ever troubling my head as TO the
sort of tsste | was exhibiting. All this
| might have been partly owing to my lonely
| independent life. TO my being unlOved and
/ having nobody to love. TO my having been
/ as much an orphan when my father died as
! though l had lost my mother at the same
| time.
| And yet, though some of my sex might
| have turned up their noses at my plain, bold
| questioning of Captain Butler, there was
! no man, | vow, who would have disliked
| my manner in me. Captain Butler warmed
up. fresh life came into his face with his
| frequent laugh, and he could not take his
| eyes of ne. My uncle nursed his knee and
watched us with composed counter ance;
my aunt, who was simple soul, foil owed
the conversation as one would HhO hears
and sees nothing beyond what is said
captain Butler" said my uncle pres
entity, task Miss Marian why it is she goes
on living in the East when she has fortune
enough TO set uD as a fine lady in the
West?"
81 was born in Stepney," said L "MY
house is there; my father and mother lie
buried there. III not leave H."
who's the wiz, exclaimed Captain But
ler who says that the farther he goes
west the more convinced he is that the wise
men came from the East"
pray, what is a fine lady?" asked my
aunt
ASK the dressmaker." said Mr.. John
! stone.
II hone my dear Marian will never
change" said my aunt, looking fondly at
| me; she is fine enough. [ am sure. If she
| goes West she'll be falling into company
who'll make her ashamed Of her poor East
end relatives"
We ratified on in some such fashion as
| this. 1t was because | was not blind, and
not because | was vain, that | speedily saw
Captain Butler admire me greatly. If l
stepped across the room his eyes followed
tile motions Of my figure, II spoke his
gaze oweiC upon my Ups. Lgen inv poor,
dear, SlOw-eYed aunt noticed the impression
l had made as | gathered by her occasional
looks at her husband. My uncle asked me
10 sing and l went to the piano and sang
| them a melOdious sea song which |
used TO hear my father sing, with
! out an accompaniment Ny knowledge
of music was slight; but | had Il correct ear
and strong voice, and felt whatever /
| sang. because chose 10 sing only what
could feel, and my Door attempts always
pleased. Captain Butler stood beside me at
the piano while | sang; he could not have
praised me more warmly had | been a
leading lady at the Italian Opera. l got up
laughing. and told him that the little music
had was by ear.
81 think / was never properly educated"
said ]. my father hated schools and
believed that young girls thrown together
made one another wicked. 1 was educated
by g0Yernessess, and really to be able to
read and write and know the multiplication
table is a great deal to be thankful f0r.'s
"My brother was right" said my uncle.
II hate girls schools myself. Your finished
school miss knows all about Shakespeare
and the musical glasses. but she can't tell
how many ounces go to pound o. beef"
While we chatted Mr.. and Mrs. Lorrimer
were announced Nobody expected them,
| but they were welcome. Old Mr.. Lorrimer
| was a ships chandler in a rather big way.
| He was vestlge of the dead century, and.
saving the wig, went clothed almost exactly
! as his father had. ] see him now with his
| frill, stockings, snuffb0x and the company
| smirk that was in vogue when he was a
| boy. He engaged my uncle In talk; my
| aunt and Mrs. Lorrimer drew chairs to-
| gether, and Captain Butler and paired at
| little distance from the others.
liked this man so much. / admired him
go greatly, 1 had fallen so much in love
| with him indeed at the first sight OF his
| handsome, winning face that i found my
| self talking as freely as though we had
| known each other for years. 1 tod him
| that lived with my stepfather In the house
| that was my wn, that my life was as dull
as sermon, that / found no pleasure In
| life outside my lonely rambles, which de-
seribed to him. thought he looked grave
when / told him that would be away from
| home two or three nights at time
Every girl wants mother" said he.
"And father" said j, but she can't
keep them"
why don't you 60 a voyagePS-
"Ihave never thought Of going voyage"
The world is a file show" said he. ut
is well worth seeing. You are rich, and
should see the world while you are young
enough to enjoy the sight"
II have five hundred a year." said /.
"YOu are rich, Miss Johnstone. negerthe-
less" said he, and his eyes made very
clear aluslon 10 my face and fgure-a more
ineligible reference than had he spoken.
II have good mind to go voyage" said
| l. II am sick OF my life, assure you. |
hate my stepfather, and for all that am
rich as you call It, | am as much alone as il
had been left to the parish. Oh, yes" said
| j, following his glance, uncle and aunt are
dear to me and love them, but" and
lay back in my chair, and yaWned, and
stretched out my arms.
"Come a voyage with me, Miss John
stone" said he laughing.
where ?" said /.
Il can't tell you yet, but you shall hear"
Let me hear and you shall have my an
swer."
do you know anything about the sea?'
''Do i kBow,anything about the sea?" /
echoed with a loud, derlsiYe laugh that
caused everybody to look at me. 81 won
der ii you could ask me question about the
sea which / couldn't answer? Shall / put
you ship Autobiography what ree6ng top
sails means? Shall j ware ship for you?
Shall / snug you down full-Tigged ship,
beginning with the fore-royal studding-
sail 2" And so | went on.
He laughed contiu uously while | talked.
The others were now listening and laugh
ing too.
just then my cousin Will Johnstone came
in, and l broke off in my chat with Captain
Butler to greet the lad. viii was at this
time between 10 and 10 years Of age. he
was manly looking boy. easy and gentle
manly, filter for the midship man's quarters
! OF a man-of-war than an apprentices berth
on board merchantmen. He had q look
OF my father, and loved him for that. He