The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-12-09


shore: ] sees Tom stand 10 III the bows
with his hana f.shadin his eyes nm look
sr,n .RI!' he says suddenly its th IS
"'Wherea' says the young Teller aa
me at the snme time, Il Z: m
~" Just a,beatin OUT he says. An
she's a.coinin' for us with every scrap
she can crowd nIl' sgE 3ss;f
: Nov, I didn't tell sc as the colonel
him "a took the house for the season
vas va the ony man as ! ever feared agells
a as Eat Craft as bo se slSr tds
sylph-was the prettiest thing I'd seen
since the Seabird was built. Her lines
was just as beautiful as, a swan and
us graceful as pictur', and the only fear
I'd ha' had in owning her was. as they.
might be a, bit too fine. I'd. never sailed
the .Seabird ngetl her, for alltts Feckoned
MS she .was the fastest craft OH the coast,
and | hadn't 60, to recognize no equal.
"WelL there she, come with her white
sails, just DIS neat an as pretts as d
mermaid-beg lMttlin, sir, it's true story:
shall we say a YOUNG woman? I know'd
her in minute, for there wasn't another
craft like, her; and when 1 gets the
glasses could seq two persons us was
working to get every bit out Of her they
"'fet her have another, Tim," / says,
rs l looks ut the lug, ami the Seabird lifts
"Master Egerton. he. sat there with his
arm around the gal a-loQkih' back ut the
sumIlat rs cheers her up immediate. Then
he TURNS an asks me how soon it would
be dark, and whether we couldn't run on
without light, But could SEE as the
Sylph was a:geinih' on IDS; fast an SIRE
sir. as l did then, when 1 felt the Sea-
bird, az I'd sailed in and sworn by, was
no match for the heat little craft us was
a:comin' up behind. Yes, thar she COME,
she was, t took Gut ttiS watch; it was
just rtst {, and wanted two full hours to
dark, and, afore that time l knew the
Sylph would be alongside.
'Beggin' your pardon, sir, an yours,
much for the Seabird. an there amt a
doubt as Wen be overhauled before we
can get away
"1n half an hours time the Sylph was
less than half a mile astern, an could
see the colonel a-standin' in the bows
a-wavin' his hands like mad thing. The
wind had freshened consid 'rable, but
held the. Seabird to it, and we was both
a,dancin' over the waves like petrels,
a deal O. water. And still them two sat
there a-comfortin' one another, as I could
see, though l never heard a word of what
they said. Once looked at 'em, and l
thought l seed her a-prayih', an it quite
took the starch. out O. me for. time to
think as I'd bin ,a=triistih'' alt the time
to the, Seabitt an never thought of the
God above. I never was no Christian, sir,
an, l never took no heed o, them sky
say something for her sake then, though
couldn't put, my hands togeth her proper like,
seem as I'd got hold O the tiller tight
and fast.
I'm another ten minutes the Sylph was
only quarter of mile astern, and was
coming along with her canvas stretched,
and splitting the water as if it was moth
ing: Just as Tom yelled out something
as l couldn't hear, I looked round and
bows. with a rifle in his hands, a-takin'
aim fer us. I just hollered in time, an
as we heard a whistlin' overhead we
looked up. an seed little hole in the lug,
an the old fool was a-standin'- there tax
IN another aim. I tell e, sir, the bonn
bardment of that ere Spanish fleet warn't
in it.
Bang went the gun, an white come
the shot over our heads, but only once did
ne hit anythink beside the fust time, an
an stopped there. Master Egerton and
the missy they sot there an never said a
word. but l caught a sight of the young
feller's face once when he got up and
looked astern, an / reckon he'd ha' done
some damage if he'd got near that gun
and the fool as was handlin' it,
when he'd fired about dozen shots
he stopped, an I ventured to look up, an
sure enough the Sylph was within hail, an
comm along as she'd bin a-doin' all the
time.
'Seabird, ahoy,' yells the colonel, in a
voice az I could hear was choked with
rage: Stop, or I'll sink ye!'
Sylph, ahoy,' shouted back. What's
the matter? You amt all mad, air you ?
" Bring that boat to this instant he
yells, or I'll riddle you, and let you 60
down without helpv
to do better, or you'll have no shots left. ,
with that 1 fops down agen in the
stern, just as another shot comes flynn
through the lug. Then another goes away
overhead, and the next buries itself in the
tiller head an nearly knocks it out O. my
hand. Then young Egerton, I sees him
kiss the gal as he gets up on his feet.
Stop firm! he yells. Your darter is
in this boat, an for her sake I beg you
to cease!
Il just popped my head over the gunnel
to see what effect this had on the old
man, an there he was a takin' aim as
cold-blooded as ever, an before I could
shout or do anythink to stop it the poor
young Teller had fallen back in the bottom
of the boat, an the blood was a-pourin'
from his left arm:
Its all right he calls out; its only
the Shock But the gal was by his side
face, a:bindin' up his arm as if it was the
work she did every day.
Harry she says, are you in pain,
mo, darlin', he answers, it's only IA
can them'y the only lovin' words 1
ever heard 'em speak.
'Well, the colonel must ha' thought
he'd killed him, for the firm ceased alto
gether, an when looks astern agen the
ole man was a=sittin' iii the bows await
in patiently for the Sylph to run along
side It's. l could see the lad at the tiller
was one of the boat boys from Margit,
an he'd got all he could do to keep the
Sylph's head to it, an l somehow
thought as how the gent could be better
employed lookin' after the sail than sit
tim there like dummy. The breeze was
a-freshenin' nil the time, an the sea was
a-gettin' up, so I took in bit O. sail an
eased the Seabird.
1T was lucky l did. for just at that
moment, when the Sylph was within
three boat lengths, a gust O wind come
down on us as made the Seabird heel
and shoot nway IN it. / looked round,
an, sure enough, them fools Oh the Sylph
hadn't taken in bit o sail, an as the
wind struck her, over she went like a
ninepin, an the ole man an the lad shot
out into the foaming water.
"For a moment was undecided how to
act, but young Egerton, he sprung to his
feet in an instant.
'"Lower the sailr he yells. Down
with your helm!
can down comes the sail an down
goes the helm, an the Seabird turns on
her heel in a manner as makes my hair
stand on end to think on. But the way
on her was stopped as the colonel was
a-drownin', for I knowed he couldn't
swim more nor a few strokes, am l could
see the lad had got enough to do to hang
on to an oar.
'The ole man never uttered cry mol
looked for help, but the gal, his only dar.
ter, she rose to her knees and cried. 'Har.