The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-25

,Z-@
<
They found ltna about to stink and hauled
him aboard unconscious.
That's all right. doctor. isn't it," Ant
then, seeing his friends look Of be-
wilderment, he burst into roar Of
laughter.
! II forgot" cried the captain, "tha,
you haven t met Mrs. Jelly. Have you
| got her anywhere handy, Tom?"
| Cruising on and off the end of the
street, SIR" replied the seaman
promptly.
| "Give her hail then and we'll in
troduce her to the ships company"
| Tom Jelly rose from his chair, be-
took himself outside, and Immediately
afterward leather lunged hail Of
=" 'Enrietta, ahoyl" reverberated down
the street and brought startled faces to
the neighbering windows to learn what
the horrible din, to which respectable
Shaftoe street was quite unaccustomed, ).
should portend. The hail was echoed
in shrill tones from somewhere in the
distance, ana was followed presently by
the appearance Of Mrs Jelly herself
Meanwhile DR.. Tring had taken ad-
vantage Of the sailor brief absence to
hold hurried colloquy with his friend.
"What on earth are you thinking
Of, Colepepper?" he protested. 1--WE
don't want a stewardess "
IA stewardess" repeated the cap
tain, with roar of laughter Mrs
Jelly stewardess7 Wait till you see
her
The doctor looked puzzled.
''She is sailor, SIR the captain
went on crates as an A. B.. stands
her watch as well as any man and bet
ter than most Mrs. Jelly stewardess
Don't You dare to mention such an idea
to her If you don't want to be annihi-
lated. Mrs. Jelly is "a Here she is,
though, to speak for herself" he broke
off.
Mrs. Jelly appeared in the doorway
and bestowed upon the captain stiff,
AVN "ulu DOW, WHlCu botlH6u " uluL
that she was not much accustomed to
such feminine courtesies. She was a
squat, broad hipped woman. with a
snub nose and bristling chin and up
per lip. Her visible dress consisted of
drab colored deer stalker cap. a stout
double breasted pea jacket, a short blue
serge skirt and a heavy pair of mans
laced up boots She had large brown
hands and swung them at her side, sail
Or fashion, with the fingers hooked in
ward, and her grizzled gray hair was
cropped as short as schoolboy's. Yet,
in spite of her uncouth exterior, no one
would have been in danger of mistaking
Mrs. Jelly for man rugged out in f.
male attire, for there was an indescrib-
able something about her which wrote
her 'woman. Perhaps it was her eyes,
for they were large and brown and had
that look Of soft appealing in them
which is to be seen in dog always,
in a woman often, but in man never
"Well Henrietta" said the captain,
II suppose you know that this is not an
ordinary cruiser
Eyes. captain, said tho woman.
"Jelly and me heard all about it at the
Admiral Blake, from them as had been
told by you yourself, and we settled to
sign on, if you'd have us.
"Then you don't want to hear the
details over again at first hand?' asked
the doctor in some surprise.
''No, sir, thankee, " replied the wonl-
an. "I'd like to hear what the terms
are to be, though. Some said we we're
to have wages and others share in
the run"
'It's shares, 'Eprietta," interposed
Jelly "Don't bother the gentleman
Let's get signed on and be trudging."
Mrs. Jelly agreed by nod. and tax
ing the paper which Captain Colepep-
per handed to her, added her name to
the others. She wrote the signature in
a firm, clear hand, and afterward added
underneath it her husband name also,
and, having done so, she handed the pa
per across to Jelly for him to authenti-
cate the document with his mark
"Now, Jelly, we'll tramp" said the
woman shortly, and shouldered her husv
bands hand organ
"stay minute, mt in DR.. Trine.
turning TO the Seaman. "That reminds
me that YOU have not vet explained
your possession Of this horrible engine
of torture.
.crb.t,s easv onsverea air ,, ren,ied
Tom .Iel1v. with a grin "Yon 500 7
was ont ~ n berth For n hit 'canse
wonldn,t shin with M canta;n M ra.
fnsed to tate ,Enr;etta alono 100
,canse M Can,n Colanenner 'imself viii
toll Won wa two allns does chin in
comnanv So after we'd hasn ;ala for a
month ~ % she saws .1e,lv says sbo
.Don, Gov bovo uor ' ava, bao, fron, ' tho
uoooo..to, .M,tto, - :, Co., Ii. oa