Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-08-04
He wandered little longer, hi. voic.

like child, with the remark, IF ever
a seaman wanted drugs, it's me, he fell
at last into heavy, swoon-like sleep in
which left him. What | should have
done had all gone well do not know
Probably | should have told the whole
story TO the doctor; for was in mortal
fear lest the captain should repent of
his confessions and make an end of me
But as things fell out, my poor father
died quite suddenly that evening,
= hich put all other matters on one side
Our natural distress. the visits of the
neighbors, the arranging of the funeral.
and all the work of the inn to be car
ricd on In the meanwhile, kept me pa
busy that had scarcely time To thinh
of the captain, far less To he afraid at
him.
lie got downstairs next morning. to
he sure. and had his meals as usual
though he eat htrle, and had more, 7
am afraid, than his usual supply of
rum, for he helped himself out of the
bar. scowling and blowing through hi,
pose, and no one dared TO cross him.
On the night before the funeral he WA
as drunk as ever; and il was shocking.
in that house of mourning, To hear him
singing away his ugly old Sca-sonC;
but. weak as he was, we were all in fear
of death for him. ana the doctor was
suddenly taken up with a case many
miles away, and was never near the
house after my fathers death. | have
said the captain was weak; aud indeed
he seemed rather TO grow weaker than
regain his strength. lie clambered up
and downstairs, and went from the
parlor to the bar and back again. and
sometimes put his nose out-of-doors To
smell the sea, holding on to the walls
as he went for support. and breathing
hard and fast like a man on a steep
mountain. He never particularly adj
dressed me, and il is my belief he had
as good as forgotten his condolences;
but his temper was more Eighty, and,
allowing for his bodily weakness. more
violent than ever. lie had an alarming
way now when he was drunk Of draw
ing his cutlass and laying il bare be-
fore him on the table. But. with all
that. he minded people less, and seemed
shut up in his own thoughts and rather
wandering. Once. for instance, TO our
extreme wonder, he piped up TO a diff
ferent air, kind of country love-song,
that he must have learned in his youth
before he had begun to follow the sea.
So things passed until. the day after
the funeral, and about three o'clock of
a bitter, foggy. frosty afternoon. was
standing at the door for a moment, full
of sad thoughts about my father. when
| saw some one drawing slowly near
along the road. lie was plainly blind,
for he tapped before him with a stick,
and wore a great green shade over his
eyes and nose; and he was hunched. as
IL with age or weakness. and wore
huge old tattercd sea-cloak with hood
that made him appear positively de-
formed. / never saw in my life a more
drcadful-looking figure. He stopped n
little from the inn, and raising his voice
in an odd sing-song, addressed the air
in front of him:
"Will any kind friend inform poor
blind man, who has lost the precious
sight of his eyes in the gracious defense
of his native country, England, and God
bless King George!-where or in what
part of this country he may now be-"
"You are at the Admiral Benbow.
Black Hill Cove, my good man." said l.
Il hear voice." said he, "a young
voice. Will You give me your hand, my
kind young friend, and lead me in?"
held out my hand, and the horrible,
r.. .
in moment like a wise. ! Twas so much
startled that l struggled to withdraw;
but the blind man pulled me close up TO
him with single action of his arm.
"Now, boy" he said, take me in to
the captain"
Sir" said !, "upon my word 1 dare
not"
"Oh," be sneered, "that's it! Take
me in straight, or I'll break your arm"
He gave it, as he spoke, a wrench that
made me cry our.
"Sir," said I, ''it is for yourself mean.
The captain is not what he used to be
lie sits with drawn cutlass. Another
gentleman"
"Come, now, march," interrupted he;
cold, and ugly as that blind mans. i:
cowed me more than the pain; and
began to obey him at once, walking
straight in at the door and toward the
parlor, where the sick old buccaneer
was sitting, dazed with rum. The
blind man chung close TO me, holding
me in with one iron fist, and leaning al
most more of his weight on me than
could carry. LEAD me straight up to
him, and when I'm in full view cry out:
Here's friend for you, BILL If you
don't, I'll do this and with that hegave
me twitch that ! thought would have
made me faint. Between this and that,
was so utterly terrified by the blind
beggar that ] forgot my terror of the
captain, and, as l opened the parlor
door, cried out the words he had Or
dered in trembling voice.
| fro BE Continued