New-York tribune., 1903-06-10
CHAPTER II
MISS PLINLIMMON.

takes him to after plchards
CHAPTER ".
MISS PLINLIMMON.
Late in August and a week two before Mr.
Trapp changed his signboard and resumed MS
proper business. idling by the edge of the
Barbican one evening when a boy whose eye 1
had BACKED recently charged UP behind me and
pushed me over. I pretended to be drowning,
and sank theatrica1ly he and half a dozen
others. conveniently naked, plunged to the res
cue. They dived for my body with great zeal.
while l. having slipped under the keel Of trad
ing ketch and climbed on board by her accom-
modation ladder dangling on the far side,
watched them upon her deck from behind
stack of flower pots. When they desisted, and
I had seen the culprit first treated as leper by
the crowd then haled before two constables
and examined at length finally led homewaro oy
the and cuffed at every two steps oy MS
widowed mother slipped back into the water.
dfved back under the ketch, and. emerging,
asked the cause Of the disturbance. This made
new reputation for me, at the expense OF some
emotion to Mrs. Trapp. to whom the news Of my
decease had been born on the swiftest wings Of
Rumor.
But have tarried too long over those days
of my apprenticeship. and am yet only at the
beginning Were there story to be told 1
might I'LL chapter by fishing up recollections
Of Plymouth in those days; of the women. for
instance, carried down in procession to the Bar
bican and ducked for scolding. husband had
but 70 go before the Mayor (Mr. Trapp some
times threatened it, and swear that his wife
was a common scold, and the Mayor gave him
an order to hoist her on a horse and take her
to the ducking stool to be dipped thrice in
Sutton Pool. At last a poor soul died OF IT, ana
that put an end to the bad business. Then
he
now: but we scarcely stopped our bathing when
the press having hunted from tavern to tavern
dragged a man off screaming to the steps, the
sailors often manhandling him ano the o1ncer
Joking with the crowd and behaving as cool and
gentlemanly you please Mr. Trapp and
were by the door one evening. measuring out
the SCOT, when q came painting UP the
alley and rushed past US into the back k1tchen
without SO much as "by your leave" Half a
minute late up came the press, and the young
officer at the head of them was for pushing
mast and into the house; but Mr.. Trap blocked
the doorway, with Mrs Trapp full of fight In
the rear.
stand by" says the officer to his men, "And
you. sir, what the devil do you mean by setting
yourself IN the way OF his matesty's service?"
IAN Englishman's house" said Mr. Trapp,
"is his castle"
Dye hear that?'' screamed Mrs. Trapp.
"An Englishman's house" repeated Mr..
Trap. slowly. lis his castle The storms may
assan It. and the winds whistle round It, put the
King himself cannot do So"
The officer knew the law and drove off his
gang When the coast was clear we went to
search for the man. and found he had vanished.
taking half a fitch of bacon with him off the
kitchen rack,
All those days too, throb IN my head to the
tramp Of soldiers IN the streets, and ring with
bugles blown almost incessantly from the ram
parts high above my garret On sundays MT
rrapp and I used to take our walk togetner
around the ranparts, between church and din
ner time after listening to the Royal Marine
Band as they played down Bedford-st. and
George-st. after attending services In ST
Andrews If we met soldier we had to stand
aside: indeed even common privates in those
lays $50 proudly the army bore itself, though
its triunphs were to come would take the wall
OF a woman-a greater insult then than now or
at least more unusual one. A young ofncer
o4 the -th Regiment once put this indignity
upon Mrs Trapp. in Southside-st: The day
was a wet one. and the gutter ran with liquid
mud. Mrs Trap recovered her balance, slipped
off her pattens, and stamped them on the back
of his scarlet coat-two oval O's for him to
walk about with.
Those were days, too, which kept Plyn-
outh stones rafting Besides the coaches-the
"Ouicksilver'' which carried the mails and a
coachman and guard in scarlet liveries. the
hurndrurn Defiance" and the dashing Sub
scription.'' "or "Scrippy," post chaises came and
went continually, whisking naval officers be-
tween us and London with dispatches: and
sometimes the whole populace turned out to
cheer as trains of artillery wagons, escorted by
armed searcen, marines and soldiers, horse and
foot rurnbled up from dock toward the citadel
with treasure from some captured frigate. l
could tell too of the great November Fair in the
market place. and the rejoicings of the King s
Jubilee when 1 paid halfpenny to go inside
the huge bonfire built the Hoe. But all this
would keep me from my story-for which
must go back to Miss Plinlimmon-
For many months I heard nothing Of this
dear lady. and it seemed that had parted from
her forever. when one evening as returned
from carrying bag of SCOT out to Mutley Pam
(where a market gardener wanted some for his
beds). Mrs Trapp put into my hand a letter
addressed in the familiar Italian hand TO ii.
Revel residing with Mr.. S. Trap. house reno
vator, near the Barbican." 1t ran:
NV dearest Harry-I wonder if, amid your
new avocations you will take pleasure in the
handwriting of an old friend? 1 remember you
many times daily, and often when wake IN
the night and commend you TO God morning
and evening kneeling on the place where your
cot used to stand, for have TO one now to care
for in my room. There is little change IN our
life here though Mr. ScougaI, as foreboded,
kes less heart in his ministrations and should
not wonder IL he retired before long. But this
is between ourselves. Punctual as ever in his
duties he rarely spends the night here. but de-
parts at 6 D. m for his wife's farm, where Mrs
S. very naturally prefers TO reside indeed,
wish she would absent herself altogether; Tor
when she comes IT is to criticise the housekeep-
ing, in which regret TO say she does not MAIN
tain that generous spirit OF which she gave
promise in the veal pies. etc, or that ever mem
BILE morning I never co1descended TO be a