St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1893-01-21

sea jacket, puttoned to the neck, and !
tail, hairy cap drawn down over his
ears, yet I never saw any man, not ever
a judge upon the bench, look cooler o.
more studious and self possessed thar
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, 'san6
glad that ye are here in time. The
winds fair and the tide upon the turn
Well see the old coal bucket burning OF
the Isle of May before tonight"
Captain Hoseason," returned my un
Gle, "you keep your room unco hot"
'It's habit have, Mr.. Ba,four,
said the skipper. ''I'm cold rife mar
by my nature; | have a cold blood, sir
There's neither fur, nor fannel-no, sil
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 un.
Gle, 1--WE must all be the way we're
made"
| But it ehanced that this fancy of the
captains had a great share in my mis-
fortunes. For though had promised
myself not to let my kinsman out OF
sight, l was both SO impatient for a
nearer look of the sea and so sickened
by the closeness of the 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 a
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 bowl of
punch. told him l would give him no
such thing, for neither he nor was Of
age for such indulgences. ssBut a glass
of ale you may have, and welcome" !"
said |. He mopped and moved at me,
and called me names; but he was glad
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 a man of that country,
might do well to make friend of him.
/ offered him a 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 called
him back to ask if he knew Mr.. Ran
keillor.
s.Hoot, aye" says he, ssand very hon
est man. And oh, by the bye" says he,
sswas it you that came in with Eben.
ezer?" And when I had told him yes,
"Ye'll be no friend of his?' he asked,
meaning, in the Scotch way, that
would be no relative.
| told him no, none.
Il thought not, !" said he; .sand ye have
a kind Of Cliff Hook of Mr. Alexander. ;"
said it seemed that Ebenezer was i'll
seen in the country.
Nae doubt" said the landlord.
'.He's wicked au1d man, and there's
many would like to see him girning in
tow. Jennet Clouston and mony maif
that he has harried out of house and
hame. And yet he was ance a fine young
fellow too. But that was before the
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 ye never hear that7''
"And what did he kill him for?' said I. |
"And what for but just to get the
place." said he.
'sThe placer said l. .sThe Shaws?"
"Nae other place that ken," said he.
"Aye, mani" said I. els that SO? Was
my-was Alexan1 sr the eldest SOM"
"'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 long
while ago, but it is one thing to guess,
another to know, and I sat stunned |
with my good fortune, and could scarce
grow to believe that the same poor lad
who had trudged in the dust from Ell
trick forest not two days ago was nov
one of the rich of the earth, and had a
house and broad lands, and if he but
knew how to ride might mount his
horse tomorrow. All these pleasant
things, and a thousand others, crowded
into my mind as sat staring before me
out of the inn window and paying no
heed to what I 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 a manly bearing, and still with the
same sober, grave expression on his face
wondered if it was possible that Ram
;omes stories could be true, and half
lisbelieved them; they fitted so i'll with
he mans looks. But indeed he was
1either SO good as I supposed him, nor
quite SO bad as Ransome did, for IN
act he was two men, and left the bet
er one behind him as soon as he set foot
N board his vessel.
The next thing heard my uncle call
ng me and found the pair in the road
ogether. It was the captain who ad-
lressed me, and that with an air (very
lattering to young lad) of grave equal
ty.
"Sir," said he, .sMr. Balfour tells me
,reat things of you, and for my own
'art like your looks. / wish wasfor
onger here that we might make the
'etter friends, but we'll make the most