Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-24
CHAPTER xxx.
Yellow Jack.

Now. there are those who laugh at the
vove of boy and girl, and, indeed, ofttimes
It vanishes, leaving no more trace than the
sea levels keep of the keels that pass over
them toward the harbor. Yet think many
OF those who with their mouths laugh loud
at calf love keep secret an under feeling Of
sacredness-a reverence for their own first
loyes- They may have written other names
more permanently upon the slate Of their
heart. but 1 charge them to own If they
have ever known nobler, more unselfsh de-
rotion than they felt for their first loves.
But II they deny the faith, and say that
they never had any such-why, then, God
pity the1nl That Is all. They may have
filled their hands with the red haws OF life
But they have missed the white hawthorn
share IT with every chattering sparrow.
But the sweet scent of the flower of May
shall never visit their nostrils.
But all this concerns not my tale tsavs
that / know the world and would antici-
pate It's laughters) Yet I write 1t down
here that on this pirate isle thought more
of little Anna Marks words than 1 did of
our chances of escaping safe and sound. or
even of dangling my legs over the mill lade
at the back Of Umphrays house and listen
Ing to the singing Of the Ktrkconnel water
taking its last leap downward to join the
Esk-
Yellow Jack Town on the Isle of the
Winds was a curious place. and at first
/ was greatly aStorished at it But after
ward l came to understand that it was the
Necessary product of their traffic 1t Is a
condition Of the existence of all sea free
hooters that they should have some port to
call at which they can clean and tighten
their ship. provision her from some secret
depot Of stores, give the men run ashore
and otherwise temper them into some SEM
blance of humanity.
For in an ordinary port the sailors who
sail under the Jolly Roger, or the red flag
of prtvateering (which is no better and no
worse cannot be allowed free shore liberty
like the men of law-abiding ships. who have
nothing worse than a visit from the civic
excisemen TO fear from blabbing tongues.
Moment there are in every seaport town
who live by wOrning out of saiIormen and
even out of petty officers, the secrets of
their ships and cruise. These they convey
TO the officers of justice who are not slow
to act upon information received And a
pirate ship has been captured in harbor
before now under the disguise of an honest
merchantmen, through information OBJ
tanned in this way.
Yet shore liberty of some sort must men
have, or they would become fiends incar-
nate.
So here. in the Isle Of Winds, stood this
curious settlement its roofs all af1ame
with the purple and scarlet of the running
creepers, and host of brown-skinned pick
eninntes running Wild as the goats and
clamOrous the sea fowl.
Here it was that so many of the sailors
of the Corramantee as had won the prtyi-
lege by courage and obedience had permits
Sion to marry. And the place being not far
from more populous lands, IT happened that
rnOst had carried of either q Spanish half
breed maiden from their southern settle.
ments. or a Garth woman from one of the
neighboring islands Those who had not
been thus brave or fortunate had taken
TO them the nearest white-toothed woolly-
halred negress, and 1t was about their
cabins that the pickaninnies swarmed the
thickest.
i cannot tell what arguments fAe men
Drought 10 bear in order to induce the
women TO live with them, nor what of
force had been in the first instance an
Piled But this do know, that the women
were in general both buxOm and happy
and there were fewer quarrels and less i'll
blood than In an ordinary Scottish village
or New England settlement of the same
sIze.
This in part was owing to my father in
prodiE1oUs awe Of whom went every man
and woman IN the place. As was not I'M
common among them they had chosen him
as their captain. though he was no seaman
For they said there de many who can
steer. and some who set a course But
we must have a kingr'
And king they had-with Saul Mark
for his prime minister and the TflIicnuItrc
Scot for his sword of justice
For the first week We saw the island and
me village mostly from the deck of the
snip but after that We had soon many op-
portunties of closer inspection. For we
We're taken on shore ard permitted to as.
sist al the building of a couple of new
cottages. which Captain Stanstield and vii
Bowman and i We're severalIy to inhabit
The larger and more permanent dwelIins
which my father had previously OCCUPIED
was given up to my mother who
kept Anna with her In spite of the ilI-con
cealed displeasure of Saul Mark. A coupl,
Of well-favored negro women. in brigh
dresses. waited upon her, and kept up
constant chatter over the low fences witt