The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-05-26
HER NAVAL CAPTURE.

outskirts Of the little city of Horta, OIL
the island of Fsyal, in the Azores. To
the Donkey boy who puffed along be-
hind, as well as to the astonished beast
himself, this lively pace was as foreign
as their fair haired mistress.
Dorothy Scott had been to the top of
a neighboring hill to watch the sun
rise over sea, valley, mountain and
volcano peaks, and beautiful they
were, bathed in glory of color. Nat
ure has given men few fairer sights
than that to be had from this very hill
on this dot of an island in the mid-At-
lantic.
Dorothy's father, an American nat
uralist, had come to the Azores for
summers collecting, and had left his
invalid wife and his l6-year-old daugh-
ter at the little hotel at Horta while he
explored other islands of the Azores.
So Dorothy, left to go about alone, ira
versed town and country roads with
all the enthusiasm and freedom of
wide awake American girl, little
dreaming with what breathless won-
der her independent movements were
studied by the imprisoned Portuguese
girls who peeped at her through bal
eony lattices or over garden gates.
1t was still early moring, aud drow-
sy Horta had hardly walked when Dor
othy clattered up on her donkey to the
gate of an old convent, dismounted
and entered. In ruins now, and aban-
doned by its former occupants, the
crumbling walls still sheltered score
or so of old women, the city's poor.
Dorothy, who had spent many hours
sketching the picturesque ruins, made
her way through stone arched passages
to the square, open court within, pass
ed down an untenanted corridor and
reached a corner where she had been
sketching the day before. Gathering
her materials together, she turned
little, when a flutter of something
white in one of the cells caught her
eye.
She stepped curiously up to the door
and peered into the darkness, but
quickly drew back, startled and
breathless- There, staring back at her,
with eyes as big and frightened as her
own, was the face of boy.
The stranger was tall and slight and
wore a white suit, a sailors, evidently,
with an open throat tied with a blue
knot. A white cap pushed back from
the forehead disclosed a crop of curly
hair. Something familiar abou. his
face made Dorothy falter out, after the
frightened gasp: "Why-ee, do be-
lieve you are an American! Or-or
don't you understand English?" she
added family, as at her first words the
boy backed farther into the dark cell.
For moment there was no answer.
The boy still seemed thoroughly scar
ed and glanced about as though seek
ing some chance of escape, but Doro-
thy's position in the doorway blocked
the only exit. AS there seemed to be
no alternative, he said sullenly,
"Yes, do"
"But how did you ever get here?"
she questioned eagerly.
"How did you?" said the boy.
"Oh, my mother and l are spending
the summer here" Dorothy explained
shortly. 'But you are in sailors
clothes, and no American ship has
been here for a month.
"Yes, there has," he replied. zone
put in this morning"
Truly? It's queer / didn't see it
from the hill. But perhaps it's just a
whaling vessel?''
NO" grinned the boy. "No whal-
er togs out in this shape" He glanc-
ed down at his jaunty suit. Then his
face relapsed into its former sullenness
as he went on:
81 may as well make clean breast
of it, now you've seen me here. It's
the American schoolship Victory that
has put into port for couple of days.
Eighty of us fellows have just come
ashore for to-day, and as many are al
lowed off tomorrow. My name is
Theodore Blake. / am a first year ca
det, and /"
"What are you doing here in the
convent them" interrupted Dorothy.
"Oh, crowded in through break
in the wall behind hedge; thought
it was garden, and / could hide here
till night and then get away. But Pm
blessed if want to stay in this spok-
erish, rotten old place all dayp'
'But why are you hiding? Are you
in some scrape?"
mo. I've just got out of the biggest
scrape / was ever in-that is, / guess
I've got out, If you don't go and tell.
| won't go back to that abominable old
hulk again if die for it. It's nothing
but grind all day and half the night,
whether you're sick or not"'
The boys thin cheeks seemed to
show that his sickness had been no
sham.
Mother was set on having me in
the navy" he went on. "Got my ap-
pointment all right, and / entered in
May. We had only q few weeks of
drill before starting on the summers
cruise, and We first year cadets are
treated no better than common sailors.
I've had a month of it and that's
enough. / can't resign while I'm on
cruise, so I'll hide on the island till
the ship sails and then put myself in
the hands of the American consul and
get sent home, l guess mother will
be satisfied then I've no taste for the
navym
Quite overcome by this startling dis
closure, Dorothy sank down on her
sketch stool and gazed at him in open
concern.
aren't you afraid? 1t seems