Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-16
ROMANCE.

upon me. sheered under her starboard
bow.
There was lot of noise on board, and
none seemed to hear my shouts. Several
voices yelled, THAT Spanish ship ahead Is
heaving- to-athwart our hawse." The snip
forged ahead in the light air; caught the
main chain and scrabled up, while the BOAT
floated away from under my feet. yen
came forward. Hard aport." Then the
same voice addressed itself to abusing the
Spanish ship very close to US now w nat
do you mean by cOming-to right across my
bows like this?' 1t yelled In fury.
l stood still in the shadows on the poop.
We were drawing slowly past the stern
of the Spaniard, and O'Brien's voice an
swered in English:
1--WE are picking up boat of ours that's
gone adrift with a man. Have you sesh
anything of herr"
"No-confound you and your boat
The voice forward subsidized, and as the
stern of the Spanish ship came abreast OF
the poop, l stepped out of the shadow or
the sails and going close to the rail sald
not very loud--there was no need to shout
but very distinctly:
II am out of your clutches MI. BI1en
after all. I promise you that you shall near
of me yet
Meanwhile. another man had come up
from forward on the poop, growing IKE
a bear a short. rotund, little man. the cap
tain of the ship The Spanish vessel was
dropping astern, silent, with her sans an
black, hiding the low moon. Suddenly
hurried hail came out OF her.
What ship is this?'
WHATS that to you. blank your eyes?
The Breeze, if you want to know. What
are you going to do about II tne nt ,.Is
skipper shouted fiercely. In the light wlno
the ships were separating Slowly
Where are you bound to! halleo
O. Brien'S voice again.
The little skipper laughed with eXaspel
alton. Dash your BANKED lmpuoence.
To Havana. and be hanged to you. Any
thing more you want to know! Ana my
names Lumsden, and am sixty years oio
and If I had you here, Woulo Put :,
head on you for getting IN my way, ynum
He stopped out of breath. Then, address,
ing himself to his mate:
"That's the Spanish chartered ship that
brought these sanguinary pirates that We're
hanged this morning. Shes .ahlns +h bnv
had no man-of- war handy for the service
in Cuba. Did you ever
He had caught sight of me for the first
time, and positively jumped a Iool Hish
with establishment.
Frequenting, as had been doing, Ramon
store which was a great gossiping center
of the maritime world in Kingston, L knew
the faces and the names of most of the mer-
chant captains who used to gather there
to drink and swap yarns. l was not my
self quite unknown to little Lumsden.
told him all my story, and all the time
he kept ON scratching his bald head, full
of incredulous perplexity. Old Senior RAJ
mon, Such a respectable man. And had
been kidnapped? From his store!
IF didn't see you here In my cuddy
before my eyes, | wouldn't believe WORD
you say he declared absurdly.
But he was ready enough to take me to
Havana. However. he insisted upon calling
down his mate. gingery fellow, snort,
too, but wizened and as stupid as himself
Here's that Kemp you know. The young
fellow that Macdonald Of the Horton Pen
had picked up somewhere two years ago.
The Spaniards in that ship kidnapped him
ho II haNy rntr tac
that's government chartered ship, and all
the pirates that have ever been in her
were hanged this morning in Kingston.
But here he is, anyhow. And he says that
at home he had throttled Bow street run
ner before he went off with the smugglers,
he says. Did you ever hear the likes of it.
Mercer? / shouldn't think he was telling
us a parcel of lies: hey, Mercer?'
And the two grotesque little chaps stood
nodding their heads at me sagaciously.
He's desperate character, then" said
Mercer at last, cautiously. This morning,
the very last thing l heard ashore, l
went to fetch the fresh beef off, is that he
had been assaulting justice of the peace
on the highroad and had been trying to
knock down the admiral, who was coming
down to town in chaise with Mr.. Top
nambo. There's warrant out against him
under the Black act, SIR
Then he frightened up considerably. so
he must have been kidnapped or something
after all, sir, or he would be in chokey
now"
1t was true. after all. Romance reserved
me for another fate for another sort OF
captivity. for more than one sort. And my
ina ination had been captured, ensaved
already by the image of that young girl
who had called me her English cousin, the
girl with the lizard, the girl with the dag
ger!- And with every word she uttered, ro-
nance itself, if l had only known it, the ro-
nance of prosecuted lovers, spoke to me
through her lips
That night the Spanish ship had the adj
vantage of us In a freshening wind. and
overlook the Breeze. Before morning dawn
ed she passed us, and before the close of
the next day she was gone out of sight
ahead, steering, apparently, the same course
with ourselves.