The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-01-13
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CHAPTER XIV.

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r CHAPTER XIV.
STRANGE RUMoRs FROM NEW ToRS-
IN obedience to Capt. Denham's last
orde,s, as we'll as In anticipation OF be-
Inc soon ordered to sea, Lieutenant
Hedges, now in command, set all the
crew to work, painting and tarring and
greasing, so that the Sea Hawk looked
like huge floating hive, about which
great number of strange bees were
working with restless industry.
Squire Condit was not q seaman; he
couldn't tell the difference between the
martingale and pennant halyards, buf.
as Ralph Denham's adopted father, ne
felt that great responsibility had oeen
imposed on him by that young gentis-
mans absence. He rowed ous-or,
rather, had himself rowed, for he went
.catching crabs" as falling backward
is called, whenever he got an oar in his
hands-several times day; and he
would climb up 20 the deck, and stand
with his feet apart and one eye shut.
and his face upturned to tho men aloit'
In way that was highly amusing.
Every man on board knew and hsed
the squire, and all dotted their caps 70
him when they came near; and ne, In
charming ignorance OF naval forms,
would shake hands with them, call them
by their Christian names, and present
his snuff box to their paint-stained and
grimy fingers.
AS the prospective father-in-law OF
Second Lieutenant Valentine Dayton,
the squire felt it incumbent on him to
encourage that young gentleman to
greater industry.
Valentine, as was his right, made it a
point to visit Ellen every evening. and
at such times the squire would exclalm,
with the surprise he assumed when sa-
luting an old topper, who had been
brought before him for the twentieth
time, for reprimand or fine.
What you here, Talentine?"
Here again, squire, would be the
oheery reply.
And you are quite sure everything is
shipshape and quite snug, sir, aboard
the Sea Hawk2"
4Yes, squire, everything right as a
trivet."
asure you've forgot nothing that
ought to be attended to-"
quite sure, squire.
Because if you have, you know, it is
not. too late to go aboard, sir, and fix up.
Though Ralph Den-I mean Captain
Denham Is off to New York, | know he
is forever thinking about the ship. and
how she's-"
+ -Oh, she's we'll, squire, and I'll bet
she's thinking about him as hard as she
can
why. you young rascal, I am speak
ing about the ship"
And I'm speaking about Cousin
Lea"
4Oh, indeed" and then the Squire
would go off and draw his wife to one
side, aid chuckle, as he whispered TO
her:
aMy dear, I fear our future son-in-
law is addicted to levity, and inclined
to make light of life, which, as the
dominic tells US, is solemn thing, and
not at all to be laughed at.
Squire Condit knew Valentine Day
ton. ever since that young gentleman.
without aly volition Of his own, ap-
peared in the village church FOR baptism.
he knew Valentine Dayton's father and
mother before they were married. and
he often boasted that he could have cut
the former out il And he would
give mary reasons, the principal ones
being that he was warm friend OF the
Senior Dayton, and was himself in love
with another girl at the time.
II Doctor Hedges had known Ralph
Denham father and mother he would
not have dreemt Of refusing him his
daughter; on tho contrary, he would
have placed theit hands together and
repeated something like the thI Ieadbare
formula, Bless you my children.
If he had known Ralph Denham's
father aud mother, even if they were
not so good stock as his own-and he
fsttered himself. as every other man OF
good standing in Sag Harbor did, that
his own family was just little" bit
better than any ono else's-why. he
would have offered NO objections.
O. As q man who firmly believed the
days of miracles had passed for some
centuries, and he knew nothing about
the doctrine OF spontaneous genera
ton" and wouldn't have believed it II
he had-he was fully aware that Ralph
Denham. like every other man Of his
acqurintance, had 8 father and q
mother.
AS tho tree Is known by it's fruit, he
might have reasoned that Ralph was o
scion OF good stock; but the mischief
abo.t prejudice is that It does not rea.
son.
So tho more he thought 1t over, and
the moro be discussed the matter with
good Mrs. Hodges, who was not at al
averse to Ralph. the more settled be.
came his conviction that Lea should
not marry the young Captain.
3 With this determination firmly 1Xeo
IN his mind It follows, as night does the
day, that, from warmly liking Ralph
Denham, Doctor Hodges gradually grew
to dislike him, and with positive natures
dislike is very near to hate.
The Doctor went about with his eye;
open, and during Captain Fox's stay
the attention to. and the evidcht pref
erepce OF that gentleman for his daugh
ter, did not escape his notice. and in nj:
heort no favored the suit Of the Wan
derer's captain.
ho dId- not know Fox's father, bu
Fox was a man OF wealth, captain II
tho regular navy, and, without doubt
connected with or a, member Of one o
the great aristocratlc families OF Eng
land, In oil Of whose veins-E was a
this time cla!ned--the blood OF royalt.
flowed.