The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-18
CHAPTER /.


0ae morning in May, just after Admiral
Beaumont had finished the beautiful toilet
he made at precisely o'clock every morn
ing, he threw wide his bedroom shutters
TO see il the toilet of the navv-yafd
grounds had been made too. For the ad-
miral: was possessed by devil of neatness
- and order that is apt TO develop in naval
officer. long used TO the perfect cleanliness
and discipline of a man-of-war. The ad-
miral was the tenderest-hearted old fellow
In the world. but the sirictest sort of mar
tfal law prevailed in the matter of tidiness
in every part Of the navy-yard over which
lie exercised or could claim jurisdiction. 4
perpetual warfare ragged between him and
. the nu7semaids at the yard. The nurse
maids would let the babies roll over on
the admiraPs dearly loved grass, and the
sight of white dainty sunbonnets dropped
on the gravel paths was not wholly I'M
known. The admiral was a bachelor Of
. long standing and had wholesome awe
: of babies and their mammaS. although he
ordered the babies papas about without
any awe of. them whatever. In vain he
E. tried 10 negotiate with the officers wives,
-" Offering as a basis that the ba bies be per-
Initted-a promenade around the main
walks between and 4 O'Clock every day,
= The walks to he immediately rolled after
:: ward. The officers wives simply laughed
=: at him. aud the. babies continued to kick
:.>un the gravel, and the admiral retired
:. Completely discounted. As for the small
boys att yard they narrowed the adj
>miral's: kind sOul 10 that degree that lie
gYooIniiy declared lie would have the flag
=. haLf=maSied and make the band play a
- diFge before the:Yery next house in which
=: q boy baby was born. Nevertheless he
:. had been* known. more than once 10 have
=. begged small boys of from the avsnging
Bircha65vitch. - -,
I'll. this general antagonism to small
/. bows, zone exception was made-Y Dung
:'Brvdelk.%>IIe was. called Young Brydell,
=: BeGaU sei Young as, Ills. father, the ensign,
:. was>the' boy: was actually twenty years
.s"yGqpg erZ%beIng-e. and beautiful terrible,
LAVA BILE :Eimp. :. Perhaps IT: was because
= y 0ung" Dryden had no, mother that the
. "a q inlraI and everybody else, except Aunt
En- line. vs+nkf q at The mischief IN which
he revefeds When Young BfydeH drew
MS first breath, Lis mother mad drawn her
!: ast-=anIi. 60, FRO IN the beginning, tender
: atTnos pheIe of love and: pity seemed TO
.:sifri ound him. However, the escapade in
- Which T0uTg REydell figured that May
In0rning had so:many elements of atrocity
:-that: the admiral at first determined 30
punish Him Just as he would any other
.:maieiactoT. Grub was the admiIaPs
= orderly-and on .this particular morning,
lie had Just: KIN Ccked at the bedroom door
:.::yf tf:tfie leather bag, when he heard some
: :tb in III be tween a roar and shrek that
= eau sed hi 10. to5dqsh: the door open, expect
:. Ing: TO ind. the admiral rolling on the car
pet, j n IAN eplleptie Ut
II: ~afI3rderlV, p shouted the admiral, turning
as red ais a: turkey cock with rage. direct
:: fhe pick and shovel squad at once to level
THAT construction. and bring that young
: gentleman" here to me-" pointing out the
window: to: Young Brydell. Grub then
= saw WIN al. was up In the; middle Of the
= great: lawn, Justin front OF the admiraPs
" House wa s; a. dirt tort, con structed with no
:Iricousfder able SKILL The turf for about
:: twenty feet square: had been: ruthlesSly
torn: up to-. make the glacis, and over it
.t:Ef1oated .a-sGaFl American flag about as big
:. as a pocket b andkerchief. On top Of the
=: glacis stood Young Bryden, with a. minia
:: :ture rifle pointed straight att admiraPs
:: windoW.., Around him lay the bodies of
:;:::; /: Reginald :Cunliffe, the captains only
zchild and mothers darling. who had been
*Tepeatediy told not to play with Young
:" Bfydelflor fear he would get hurt. AT that
= moment the: mothers darling was repre-
= senting, "a wounded man, and rolling over,
> in a new Jacket, was asking In feeble tones
for sWater...::...,
II JACK Sawyer, the doctors son, who
."::pefsonated dead man with inter-
mittent returns to life to SEQ how the
: thing was goIng~
-: EIl,,INI; Y. Dick, Bob and Steve. young
go gentlemen: belonging TO the yHrj, who
: :: oheyed Y 0uug Brydeli implicitly, although
=: a /. least two years older than he, and vino
Submitted to nose as Indians slain by his
:" victorious hand.
" :AIicky 0nTocle the was herwoman's
=. b0y. who.-altbough directed to fall dead at
! the FIRE; had farled iodo so; and was crawl
l. ing forward on all TOURS. with: a knife De-
tween his teeth" and a. t0nauawk in his
. hand TO. assass inale ! Dung BrydeI.
p GTnbb double quicked it downstairs.
but not so fast that the admiral was not
right on his heels. the pick and shovel
squad were. Just passing as Grubb called
= out 20 them:
;~j"The admiral says as: how that there
!: CONSTRUCTION is to be ieyeled at:once."
- ''And that young gentleman sent. imme-
diately TO me" bawled the admiral from
the doorway. The squad started toward
:: the middle of the lawn, where the turf
had been slaughtered TO make. \ oung
:Brydell holiday. Tine admiral, swelling
with. righteous wrath, remained on the
,~:steps,: and Gtubb, Laughing in his sleeve,
= Irade a Decline Tor Young Brydell. Grubb
walked :as elegantly as. any, officer, and
was a fine, tall, handsome fellow to boot.
=" AS. the pick and shovel squad ap-
preached, Young Brydell. raising his
miniature rife, pointed 1t straight toward
them aud shrieked- out an expression he
:: had read out1of a book, up, men, and at
=: 'em 7,
: But the men didn't "up and at EN-"
they were too much engaged In watching
the coming conflict between Grubb's
brawny arm and Young Brydell.
The rife WASH much of au affair. but
1t had peen known to Kill cat twenty feet
away. Young Brydell, who had the face
Of cherub and the alertness of monkey.
quickly brought the rife 20 his shoulder
aud aimed it straight at the approaching
Grubp
1.-The admiral says" shouted Grub in
his big baritone, "as how Pm to bring you
Immediately to him, and The LORD have
mercy on your soul" Grubb, IN saying
p. this, reached forward to the rickety little
flagstaff, meaning 20 save the flag. But
Young Brydeil construed il differently AID
thought GrubD meant 10 insult the national
ensign.
IF you touch tbat flag you're dead
man. shrieked he in bis baby treble, and
at the same moment The toy rifle, being at
his shoulder. he called out to his democrat
lied command:
'Ready-rigbt- oblique-frer
And bangi went the rife in Grubb's
face
Grub put his hand to his ear. and when