Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-09-28
CHAPTER XVI.
CAPTAIN ICHABOD

@
~ ATE BONNET was in
N ~ deed in a sad case. She
had sailed from King.
ston with high hopes and gay heart,
and before she left she had written
10 Master Newcombe to express her JOY
mat her father had given up his I'M
lawful calling and to say how she was
going to sail after him, fold him in her
1orglvlng arms, and bring him back to
Jamaica, where she and her uncle
would see to it that his past sins were
forgiven on account of his irresponsi-
Die mind, and where, for the rest Of
his life, he would tread the paths of
peace and probity. In this letter she
had not yielded to the earnest entreaty
which was really the cbject and soul
OF Master Newcombe's epistle. Many
Kind things she said TO so kind a
friend, but to his offer to make her the
queen of his life she made no answer.
She knew She was his very queen, but
She would not yet consent to be invest
ed with the royal robes and with the
crown
And when she had reached Belize,
how proudly happy she had been! She
had seen her father, no longer an out
law, honest though in mean condition,
earning his bread by honorable labor.
Then, with still greater pride, she
had seen him clad as noble gentle
man and bearing himself with dignity
and high complacence. What figure
he would have made among the fine
folks who were her uncle's friends in
Kingston and in Spanish Town!
But all this was over now. With his
own hand he had told her that once
again she was a pirates daughter She
went below to her cabin, where, with
wet cheeks, Dame Charter attended
her.
Mr.. Delaplaine was angry, intensely
angry. Such a shameful, wicked trick
had never before been played upon a
loving daughter. There were no
words in which to express his most
justifiable wrath. Again he went to
the town to learn more, but there was
nothing more to learn except that some
people said they had reason to believe
that Bonnet had gone to follow Black
beard. From things they had heard
they supposed that the vessel which
had sailed away in the night had gone
to offer herself as a consort to the Re-
venge; to rob and burn in the COM
pany of that notorious ship.
There was no satisfaction in this
news for the heart of the good mer-
chant, and when he returned to the
brig and sought his niece's cabin he
had no words with which to cheer her
All he could do was to tell her the
little he had learned and to listen to
her supplications.
Mr.. Delaplaine sat brooding on the
deck. The righteous anger kindled by
the conduct of his brother-in-law, and
his grief for the poor stricken women,
sobbing in the cabin, combined TO-
gether to throw him into the most
dOlOrous state of mind, which was ag-
gravated by the knowledge that he
could do nothing except to wait until
the Belinda sailed back to Jamaica and
to go to Jamaica in her.
AS the unhappy merchant sat thus,
his face buried in his hands, small
boat came alongside and passenger
mounted to the deck. This person, af-
ter asking few questions, approached
MI. Delaplaine.
Il have come, sir, to see you," le
said. Il am Capt. Ichabod of the sloop
Restless"
Mr. Delaplaine looked up in surprise.
"That is a pirate ship" said he.
YES" said the other, I'm pirate"
The newcomer was tall young man,
with long, dark hair and with we'll
made features and certain diHdence
in his manner which did not beit his
calling.
Mr.. Delaplaine rose. This was his
first private interview with profess
sional sea-robber, and he did not know
exactly how to demean himself; but as
his visitors manner was quiet, and
as he came on board alone, it was not
to be supposed that his intentions were
offensive.
And you wish to see me, sir?" said
he.
YES" said Capt. Ichabod, II thought
I'd come over and talk to you. I don't
know you, bedad, but know all about
you, and l saw you and your famil:
when you came to town to visit that
old fox, bedad, that sugar planter that
Capt. Blackboard used to call Sir
Nightcap. Not bad joke, either, be-
dad. 1 have heard of a good many dir
ty, mean things that people in my line
of business have done, but, bedad,
never did hear of any captain who
was dirty and mean to his own family.
Fine people, too, who came out to do
the right thing by him, after he had
been cleaned out, bedad, by one of his
Brothers of the Coast A rare sort OF
brother, bedad, don't you say so?"
"You are right, sir" said Mr.. Della
PLANE, in what you say OF the wild
conduct of my brother-in-law Bonnet.
It pleases me, sir, to know that you
condemn it."
Condemn! should say SO, bedad,"
answered Capt. 1chabod; "and l came
over here to say to you-that is, just 10
mention, not knowing, of course, what
you'd think about it, bedad-that In
gOin' to start on cruise Tomorrow.
That is, as soon as can get in my Wa
ter and some stores, bedad-wateT,
anyway. And If you and your ladies
might happen to fancy it, bedad, I'd be
glad to take you along. I've heard
that you're in bad case here, the cap
tain of this brig being unable or quite
unwilling to take you where you want