The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-12-09
A MARITIME ELOPEMEN1,

| IL HltIttltIl1L LLUI LWLUl.
eyes, sir; there's plenty of romance
here. 1t comes down in trainfuls every
! Saturday and bank holiday. and hangs
about and gets so mixed with the spars
and ropes that you can't walk about
without running up agen it," said old
Billy Stumps, the best-known boatman
and c.everest wholesale manufacturer of
yarns on Margate sands.
Mind ye," he added, in conciliatory
tone, II amt a-grumblin' about no ro-
| mance-not a bit on it,. Why, sir, if it
| hadn't been for romance l wouldn't ha'
| bin the owner and navigatin' hadmiral
of them six boats as lies below there.
STORY, sir he muses., us he loads his
short, black clay; ''well, I'll tell e this
| story it it's anyways welcome; and it
won't hurt them as it's about, COS the
| last l heard they was with the harmy
IN India, which to all accounts, though
never visited the country, amt safe for
| boating cos of the crockidiles and hally-
| gators.
"Well, sir, it was ten years ago, and
nat rally l was ten years younger, and
the Seabird-that's her with the dark
| blue hull and the red streak along the
gunnel- had just been built to my ex-
press designs. l was loungin' about here
| Just as might be toGay. Only it was
the beginning of June, when I'D comes
one OF the toffs us was staying ut the
big hotel. He know'd me, and I know'd
HIM, for we'd bin sailing and fishing to-
ge1ner many times. He was nice young
| iehei, 100, With as purity ways and as
| handsome a face and kind a manner of
| talking rs you ever seed
! Stumps,' says he-he generally called
me Stumps when there was business
aabout-,'Stumps,' he says, 4 wants to talk
Yes, SIR SEES. respectful like COS
L conid sec 1t wasn't a story he wanted.
| Stumps, he SEES agen-lnakin the
second time he'd said lido you know
what it is to be in loye?'
-, wen, SIR SEES, careful like, so as to
hide my surprise, I've seen good deal
Never mind what you've SEEM he
ses. kinder riled; L want to know wheth-
eer you've got any sympathy for them as
Stumps, amt we?'
| Corse we have, sir ses, am I'd
90 anythink for We, if it was only for the
Sea BIRDS sake, as you've said was the
smartest craft abouts.'
asks. 100 Ae"'' 'oo ne
''Well, | didn't like to show it. but |
tl NnApiesels tOOh Dack. Tor, bless yer,
| tnere wasn't prettier nor sweeter nor
nicer lady in Margit than Col. Barclays
| darter. as had taken a house for the sea
son. why, she used to come down among
us every day an bring us books an flow
ers an fruit Gu Sundays, an talk an
| laugh just as if she was a common bein'.
! AN now comes to reclect I'd seen this
young feller-Mr. Egerton was his name
ana nice young Teller, too-1'd seen him
fall
say as wot he didn't speak to her some
times, though that amt no business of
mine nor yourn.
well, tells him straight what I
thinks of her, and he smiles all over his
face and holds out his hand, and l won't
deny as 1t struck me when he smiled as
ne was just the yotssgs Teller as nice gal
like that would fall iii love with.
"'Come for a SAIL he saws: 4 can tell
you better them
| so we gets the Seabird, as had been
painted afresh, with a pair of triangular
voting flags ON her bows, an beats about
TOR awhile before he begins.
Stumps,' he says. it amt every man
as IA trust with my private consarns,
much less my love affairs, but I've took
such fancy to you as can't let 80 on.
MISS Barclays agoin' to marry me some
day, but as the colonel amt agreeable to
the match, we air goin' to take the tillel
IN our own hands and run for the fus,
! opportunity as offers. Now, Stumps,' he
| says, you're a good sailor an brave
man. an the Seabird's the smartest craft
on the coast, an it seems to me as VIC
fectooal-like by sea than we could by
land. You need have no fear Of the con-
sekens,' he says, COS I've got plenty Of
money. an Miss Barclay is old enuff to
know her own mind, and it's only be.
cause the colonels such a selfish old
grampus as he won't let her marry de-
cent-like. Now, my plan is,' he says, &c
get aboard the Seabird together and run
as if for the coast Of France, and then
down with your helm and put into the
| first port as we comes to along the Eng
lish coast. III make: all the arrange.
ments, he says, and I'll come down to.
morrow morning an see as the time an
tides all right
swell, up he comes at the same time
next morning with a face as happy as
any l ever seed, and with arrangements
as we was to start with the ebb tide at
6 O'Clock that evening. You never seed
a chap in SIGH a state as he was: but,
bless. yer, he was the right sort, an if /
hadn't liked him already, I'd ha' sworn
to ha' gone anywheres with him then
Me and Tom had a. busy day on it alto
ship-shape for the wage. Tom, he was
just as anxious for it as was, COS |
know he'd allus admired the young lady
like the rest of 'em; an he was a strong
an handy young chap-bein' navy of
my own, an brought up in my own
house. - Q
"At 6 o'clock down comes Master Eg.
erton with a bundle of wraps, just as If
he was a-goin' fishin'; an sure enuff, Just
as I was about to ask for the lady he