Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-05-04
CHAPTER X

It's
THANK God" he cried, there's a
breeze at last" And as the overpower-
ed Gabbett, bruised bleeding and bound
was dragged down the hatchway, the
triumphant doctor hurried upuon deck to
hnd the Malabar plunging through the
whitening water under the influence of
fifteenknot breeze.
Stand by to reef topsails. Away
alott, men, and furl the royalsw cries
Best from the quarterback; and in the
midst of the CHEEKY confusion Maurice
Frere briefly recapitulated what had
taken place, taking care, however, to
pass over his own dereliction of duty
as rapidly as possible.
Pine knit his brows. "Do you think
that Sarah Purfoy was in the plot?"
he asked
Not she! says Frere, eager to avert
inquiry. "How could she be? Plot!
She's sickening of fever, or I'm much
mistaken"
Sure enough, they found Sarah Pur-
foy lying where she had fallen a quar-
ter of an hour before. The clashing of
the cutlasses and the firing Of muskets
N"u NV iOuoCu HtI.
I'VE must make a sick bay some
where" says Pine, looking at the sense
less figure, with no kindly glance;
though don't think she's likely to be
very bad. Confound her-I believe she's
the cause of all this. I'll find out, too,
before many hours are over; for I've told
those fellows that, unless they confess
all about 1t before tomorrow morning,
I'll get them six dozen apiece the day
after We anchor in Hobart Town. I've
great mind to do 1t before we get
there. Take her head, Frere, and We'll
get her out of this before Vickers comes
up. What fool you are, to be sure!
l knew what it would be, with women
on board ship. l wonder Mrs. V. hasn't
been out before now. There-steady past
the door. Make haste, now, before that
little Parson comes. Parsons are reg
ular old women to chatter1 and thus
muttering, Pine assisted to carry Mrs.
Vickers' maid into her cabin.
II don't wonder at you making a
fool of yourself. Chances are you've
caught the fever, though this breeze
Will help to blow it out of us. Blunt,
toor'
what do you mean?" asked Frere,
hastily, as he heard a step approach.
what has Blunt to say about her?"
"Why, man, she was making eyes at
every man on the ship! l caught her
kissing a soldier once"
Maurice Frere's cheeks grew hot. All
the time he had fattered himself that
he was fascinating the black-eyed maid,
the black-eyed maid had been twisting
him round her finger, and perhaps imi-
tating his lOvemaking for the gratifica-
tion of her soldier lover. 1t was not a
pleasant thought; and yet, strange to
say, the idea of Sarah's treachery did
not make him dislike her. There is
sort of love which thrives under ill
treatment.
Wckers met them at the door. "Pine,
Blunt has the fever. Mr.. Best found
him In his cabin groaning. Come and
look at him."
The commander of the Malabar was
lying on his bunk in the betwisted cond-
tion into which men who sleep in their
clothes contrive to get themselves. The
doctor shook him, bent down over him,
and then loosened his collar. Hes not
sick Halloor says Pine, smelling at
the broken tumbler, whats this? Smells
queer. Laudanum! He's been ho-
cused!"
"Nonsensew
81 see it," slapping his thigh. cts
that woman! She's drugged him, and
meant to do the same for-"Frere
gave him an imploring look)-"for any
body else who would be fool enough to
let her do it. Dawes was right, sir.
She's in it; I'll swear she's in it."
"What! my wifes maid? Nonsensew
said Vickers.
ITS no nonsense. That soldier who
was shot-what's his name? Miles, he
but, however, it doesn't matter. It's
all over nOw."
"The men will confess before morn
ing" says Vickers, "and We'll see." And
he went off to his wifes cabin.
His wife opened the door for him.
She had been sitting by the childs bed
side, listening to the firing, and waiting
for her husbands return, without a muir
mur. Flirt, fribble, and shrew as she
was, Julia Vickers had displayed, in
cases of emergency, that glowing cour-
age which women of her nature at times
possess. Though she would yawn over
any book above the level of genteel
love story; attempt to fascnate, with
ludicrous assumption of girlishness, boys
young enough to be her sons; shudder at
q frog, and scream at a spider, she could
sit throughout quarter of an hour of
such suspense as she had just under
gone with as much courage as If she
had been the strongest minded woman
that ever denied her sex. "Is it all
over?' she asked.
"Yes, thank God!" said Vickers, paus-
ing on the threshold. "All is safe now,
though we had narrow escape, l be-
lieve How's Sylvia"
The child was lying on the bed, with
her fair hair scattered over the pillow,
and her tiny hands moving restessly to
and fro.
"a little better, 1 think, though she