Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-08

| tightening of the lips that, he had now in
| deed real and legitimate cause for hate.
| what mention had this fellow Clare made
OF Miss Carnegie? Practically none. He,
Kettle. had stated by whom he was sent to
| the rescue, and Glare had received the
| news with casual Oh and . yawn. He
| had offered further Information (when tie
| first scurry of the escape was over, and
| they were cached In the sandpiD upon Miss
Carnegie's movements and her condition as
i last viewed in Newcastle, and Clare had
| pleaded tiredness and suggested another
| hour for the recital. Was this the proper
| attitude for lover? 1t was not. Was this
meet behavior for the future husband of
such woman as Miss Carnegie, who was
not only herself, but who also wrote poet
/ ry for the magazines? Ten thousand times
over, ii was not.
| He sheeted home the lug couple of
inches in response to a shift Of the breeze
| and opened his lips in speech.
| Miss Carnegie. sir" he began, "is lady
I esteem: very highly
''She is a nice girl" assented the man
with the bailer.
She is willing to besgar herself to DO
| you service SIR
| Yes. know she is very fond OF me-"
'And l should like to know If you are
| equally fond of her."
| STEADY. captain, steady. I don't quite
see what you have got to do with it." He
paused and looked at the sailor curiously.
! Look here, l say. you seem to talk
| deuce OF a deal about Miss Carnegie. Are
| you sweet on her yourself?''
| capt. hGttl- SIdTeu, ana Is pTODaDle
| that if such an action would not have
swamped the boat, he would have dropped
| the tiller and left the marks of his dis
| pleasure upon Clares person without fur
Their barter Of words. But as it was, he
| deigned to speak. "You dog he said, .if
] you make a suggestion like that again Eli
kill you. You've no right to say such
| thing. just honor Miss Carnegie as though
she We're the queen, or even more, because
she writes verse for the magazines, and the
| queen only writes diaries. And, besides.
| there could be nothing more between us;
| I'm a married man. sir. with family.
But about this other matter; 1t seems
| to me I'm the party that kind of holds your
| fate just at present young man. III
shove this tiller across, the boatll broach-
to and swamp. and whatever happens to
| me-and 1 don't vastly care-it's a sure
| ing you will go TO the place where there's
weeping and gnashing Of teeth. How'd you
| like that?"
Not a bit. 1 want to live. I've gone
| through the worst time human man can
endure on that CHASTITY island astern there
| and I'm due for great lot of the sweets
| of life to make up for it. And If it inter-
ests you to know it, captain-I do owe you
something personally, 1 suppose, and you
| have some right to be in my confidence-if
| it interests you to hear such thing, 1 may
| tell you l shall probably marry Miss Car
EeGie as soon as get back to her."
Then do you love her?"
Il don't quite know what love is. But
| like her well enough. if that will do for
| you. Hadn't we better take down a reef in
| der"
BY James. you leave me to sail this
boat, said Kettle, land attend to your
| blessed bailing. or I'll knock you out of
her"
The conversation languished for some
| fours after this. and Kettle, with every
Eerve on the strain, humored the boat as
she raced before the heavy following seas
whilst the eX-conyict scooped back the
water which eternally stopped in green
streams over her gunwale. 1t was Clare
who set up the talk again.
DID she know anything about those
| plans OF the French fortresses?'
Miss Carnegie had the most definite
IDEAS on the subject"
Il suppose she'd found out by that time
| that | really did get hold of them out of
the office myself, and sell them to the Ger
| mans?"
For one of the few times in his life Capt
Kettle lied. "She knew the whole yarn,
| from start to finish
| Well, l was a fool to muddle it. With
| any decent luck l ought to have brought
| off the coup without anybody being the
| wiser. l could have laid quiet year or
| two till the fuss blew over, and then had a
| tluy fortune to go upon and been able to
| n AIRY whom pleased, or not marry at ALL
| E.h-well skipper, that bubbles cracked,
! and L suppose the best thing l can do now
is to marry old Carnegie's girl. after all"
Il don't see why you should
| MAN must look after himself CAPTAIN
| come back to the world stone broke, and
1 don't want to lack biscuits"
| But" said Kettle, Il don't gee where
you will get them from. The Carnegies
| are not rich"
| odd man Carnegie will exude sovereigrs
when l start to squeeze him. You wait and
| see
Then you've quite made up your mind to
marry this lady?'
| quite"
That's what You say" retorted Kettle
Now you hear me- Miss Carnegie thinks
| he nd
| that by many long fathor, so there goes
| item the first. In the second place. she
| thchEht you were sent to Cayenne unjust
| ly, whereas by your own showing Won re
| dirty thief, and deserved all you got And
thirdly, don't approve of squeezing faith
! ers-ln-laW as an industry for young men
| newly out of jail.
You truculent little rufIian do Won dare
| to threaten me?"
I'd threaten the Emperor of Germany
| If was close to him, and didn't like what
| he was doing Here you. Don't you lift
| that bailer at me, or I'll slip some lead
| through your NANCY hide before you can
| wink. Now you'll just understand for the
rest of this cruise, till we make our port
you stay forward, and I'm on the quarter
deck. If you move aft I'll shoot you dead
| and thank you fer giving me the chance
But if you get ashore all in one piece III
spike your guns in another way
| Howl asked the man, sulenly
You'll find out when you get there"
said Kettle grim!y. And now don't you
| speak TO me again. You aren't wholesome
Get on with your bailing. D'you hear me,
| there? Get oil with that bailing / don't
want my beat to be swamped through your
cursed laziness!'
+ Now to which port it was Of the British
| West India Islands that the lugsail boat
and its occupants arrived 1 never quite
made out, and, indeed the method in which
| Capt. Kettle Spiked Mr.. Clares guns"
was hidden from me till quite recently A
week ago, however. a letter of his drifted
| into my hands. and as it seems to explain
| all that is necessary l give it here exactly
| as it left his pen:
WEST INDIA ISLANDS.
| ITO Miss Carnegie. desmond st, Newcastle
England:
"Honored Madam-Am pleased to report
| have carried out part of yr esteemed COM
| mands. Went to Cayenne as per instruc-
| tons and took Mr.. Clare away from French
| Government, they not consenting. Landed
him in good condition at this place. Having
| learnt that he did steal those plans, and
| moreover he saying he did not care for you
| the way he ought have taken liberty to
guard lest Re should trouble you in future.
| To do this found old colored washerwoman
| here (widow) who was proud to have white
| husband. Him Directing l swore to tell
French Consul If he did not marry and get