The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-11-08
SELECTED STORY.
A SAILORS DAUGHTER

MI ward discovered that her daughter
had been rechristened "My Lady
Dabchick" such shudder went through her,
an extra puff Of wind would have blown her
sunshade on to the tide and hoated it into
the Medina. AS you may see by the mention
of the word sunshine, the countess was no
marine maniac. She did yachting, but she
loved birmingham and Goodwood; liked sit
ting down and strolling, and carriage gowns.
She herself, though unaware of the fact, was
known by her intimate frends-very much
30 by her enemies-as Lady Toilette"
That morning, aboard her husbands yacht
the Lamphore, her maid had had terrible
time of it. Although ones things get blown
about and spoilt, that's no reason why 1
should 60 about like a savage mean
laundress or something" NO, my dear"
said the earl, looking out eastward as if he
could see the Meteor coming past the Overs.
The noble yachtman had that faraway look
of a man who is always on salt water,
"Evelne can do as she pleases. l am told
that when she went up the Blackwater with
that horrid Lefoy girl she actually wore
sea boots and tramped over the mud. l call
ii indelicate-amost immoral" Her lady
ship shook her head and sighed deeply. The
sigh was almost as loud as the first puff of
a coming breeze.
"Eveline is a good girl, though eccentric"
said the father, who was much more inter
ested in watching a smart hand engaged in
bamemring a shilling into a ring on the point
of parlin-spike. The earl was partial to
wearing these chefs-d 'oeuvre of nautical
handicraft.
"And, my DEAR" the countess would say,
"and he would smoke pipes all the day If
would let him. That is the advantage Of be-
ing brought up in the gunroom; and--Eve-
line takes after him"
"She took to the water" so her father
said, "like duck; and do you know, Smith,"
the earl was chatting with his skipper
Chat girl knows the channel chart as well
AS any master going. She took that one
rater of hers through the Overland route to
Dover in a good deal more than capful Of
wind, can tell you. And what an ear she's
got! Do you remember how she caught the
sound Of the Dungeness syren? And didn't
she win the small boat cup at Shoreham?
Yet never saw girl better gowned when
she chooses to be-"
Alasl the countess had another source Of
grief. Her daughter was blghted with a
peculiar mania for singing marine ballads.
The earl was particularly partial, like all
good sailors and gentlemen, to Wrapping
Old Stairs" and Tom Bowling" But,
facilis descensus, the frank, pretty Eveline,
like some other yachting sportswomen, was
not above taking up with some time-honored
'chatty," by the aid of which many main
sail has to be hoisted. The countess, one
luckless day, had caught her daughter sing
ing to herself:
/ once knew a captain who didn't know
his name,
Heigo no! etc.
The peeress almost flew, only was too
stout to fly; almost rushed, only was too dig
nifed to rush, to her noble husband.
THAT dreadful girl sings the most dread.
full songs!--a sort of horrid grooming, some.
thing about blowing a man down"
"Bless my soul" said the old yachtsman's
viking, "the men used to sing it off Cape
Coast years agone. i know it, BE he a
black man, white, or brown
His daughter had come up on deck, and
her fresh voice joined in with her fathers
The skipper unable to restrain his sympa.
thetic feelings, joined in with roar that
might have served for an amateur syren's
When the next verse began
Then up came the shark with his ugly fin
voice was heard joining in from the sea-
The countess swept away like a wrathfu
Zenobia. The hands nearest were obliged
to look over the bulwarks to hide their grin,
ming faces.
Below, the countess almost SPECIFICS
with disgust, said aloud:
"And some person actually Joined in from
the water"
The highly-polished steward, thinking tc
improve the occasion, remarked:
81 think it was the dock in his new rater.
"The world is coming to an end" said the
countess, solemnly
In the afternoon in the Squadron Garder
the countess was consoling herself with the
thought that her gown was exquisite, and
that her companion was a royal highness
The r. H. was hardly sympathetic. Still
| she remarked:
Fancy her singing thatl Why, it's wha
the sailors call 'chanty It's quite gooC
fun when you're hauling in a dinghy"
| The lady of Quentin Durward shuddered
albeit the words were spoken by possibl,
future empress. "Why, my boys sing thu
| very thing so do the girls, and with {
smile, and perhaps slight suggestion of I
| blush, 81 don't know but what ! haven
! done it myself, | once told the poor car
| who was so fond of doing feats Of strength
/ how this kind of singing helped. And dea
! Lady Quentin-it is a liberty, ! know, bu
don't you think that you are just a it'll
hard on poor Eveline and that dear it'll
John Ranlan-he's four inches shorter thai
she is, but he's good little fellow
"There is enough salt water in the fam
lily already. The earl actually cuts up hi
own tobacco with claspknife. do no
like young Ronlan. lie shall not sail wit
her in that horrd boat, no matter who
with them. ] do not understand the girl.
There she is, and with another girl-on
Of the Lefroys, l suppose" The exper
enced eye of the royal lady could tell tn
rake Of a craft half a mile off GLOW we
thay handle it! The little girl with her mus
hate good muscles to have twisted the mair
sail-most hands would have taken NOR
than third of the time"
Il told that wicked girl to be with m
here" sighed the countess.
Mamma proposes, ct cetera," answere
the royalty, and the lady smiled in somt
what suspicious fashion
Those girls are mad" Lady Quentin Dul
ward hustered with annoyance, or, as som
one remarked professionally, Lady To
J lpttc's in irons -