Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1904-06-23

:" he young fellow Blackboard took
away with him. Clapped a cooked hat
on him, bedad! That was good joke
| will bring him, too. One old man,
one young man--Il fetch 'em both.
Then I'll take you all where you want
to go. That is, as near as ! can get TO
it, hedad. Now, yea tell your ladies
about this, and I'll have my sloop
cleaned up a bit, and as soon as | can
get my water on board I'm ready to
hoist anchor"
But look you, sir" exclaimed Mt.
Delaplaine, this is a very Important
matter. and cannot be decided SO
quickly"
"Oh, don't mention II, don't mention
It," said Capt. Ichabod: lust you tell
your ladies all about II, and I'll be
ready to sail almost any time to-mor-
row."
But, sir cried the merchant,
Very good" said the pirate cap
tain, you talk 1t over I'm going TO
the town now and I'll row out to you
this afternoon and get your nstruc-
tons"
And with this he got over the side.
Mr.. Delaplaine said nothing OF this
visit, but waited on deck until the cap
tain came on board, and then many
were the questions ne asked about the
pirate lchabod,
We'll, Welt" the captain exclaimed,
that's just like him, he's a rare one.
Ichabod is not his name, of course, and
I'm told he belongs to a good English
family--a younger son, and having
taken his inheritance, he invested 1t
in sloop and turned pirate. He has
had some pretty good fortune, hear,
in that line. but 1t hasn't profited him
much. for he is terrible gambler, and
all that he makes by his prizes he
loses at cards, so he is nearly always
poor. Blackboard sometimes helps
him. so | have heard-which he ought
to do, for the old pirate has won bags
of money from him-but he is known
az a good fellow, and to be trusted
have heard of his sailing q long way
back to Belize to pay gambling debt
he owed, he having captured mer-
chairman in the meantime
Every honorable, indeed" remarked
Mr. Delaplaine.
"As pirates 20, a white crow" said
the other Now, sir, If you and your
ladies' want to GO to Blackboard, and
a rare desire is thai. ! swear, you can
not do better than let Capt. Ichabod
take you You will be safe, and | am
sure of that. and there is every rea-
son to think he will find his man"
When Mr.. Delaplaine went below
with his extraordinary news, Dame
Charter turned pale and screamed.
sail in a pirate ship?" she cried
ave seen the men belonging to one OF
them, and as to going on board and
sailing with them. I'd rather die just
where | am"
To the good DANES astonishmen'
and that of Mr.. Delaplaine, Kate spoke
up very promptly But you cannot
die here, Dame Charter; and II yor
ever want to see your son again you
| have got to go to him. Which is alsc
the case with me and my father
| And, as there is no other way for us
| to go, | say let us accept this mans
offer II he be what my uncle Think
he is. After all. It might be as SAFE
for us on board his ship as to b,
on a merchaptman and be captured by
pirates, which would be likely enough
in those regions where We are obliged
TO go; and so say let us see the man
and If he don't brighten us too mucl
let us sail with him, and get my father
and Dickory."
at would be terrible danger, ter
rible danger" said Mr. Delaplaine.
But. uncle" urged Kate, EVERY
thing Is a terrible danger In the search
we're upon; let us then choose dan
ger that we know something about
and which may serve our needs, rath
er than one of which we're ignoran
and which cannot possibly be OF an!
good to us"
It was actually the fact that the 1T
tie party in the cabin had not FINISHED
talking over this most momentum
subject before they we're informed tina
Capt. Ichabod wHs on deck Up the!
went. Dame Chlrter ready TO faint
But she did not do go, When she say
the visitor she thought 1t could not b
the pirate captain, but some one whom
he had sent in his place. He was NOR
soberly dressed than when, he frs
came on board. and his manners wer
even milder. The mind OF Kate Bon
net was SO worked up by the troubl
that had come upon her that she fel
very much as she did when she hun
over the side of her fathers vessel
Bridgetown. ready to drop into tn
darkness and the water when the sic
nal should sound. She had an objeo
now, as she had had then, and agai
she must risk everything On her see
ond look at Capt Ichabod, which EN-
barrassed him very much, she wa
ready to trust him.
Dame Charter" she whispered, Nv
must do it or never see them again.
So, when they had talked about
for quarter of an hour, 1t was agree
that they would sail with Cap
IchabOd.
When the sloop Restless made read
TO sail the next day there was q fin
furry in the harbor. Nothing OF tn
kind had ever before happened Their
Two ladies and a most respectable o,
gentleman sailing away under Il
skull and cross-bones! That was alt
cether new in the Caribbean sea. I
those wha talked to him about h
quiXotic expedition, Capt lchabc
sWore-and at times, as many me
lnew, he was a great hand at beir
in carnest-that If he carried not h
passengers through their troubles al
to place of safety, the Restless, ar