The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1909-03-26
CHAPTER i.-continusd.

became the boys pal.
CHAPTER i.-Continusd.
Now, the peculiar circumstances Of
my bringing,up had given me RI
diculOus haughtiness-for Betty Green
had never ceased to implore me to re-
member my Quality-sO I replied to
this ofY.hand speech In kind.
"A ship Of the line" said I. "Damme.
do you think I'd serve In II gun,brig!"
He came up Il little closer to me.
looked at me attentively, and said.
IT'S an infant Rodney. sure. Was
not Americas Vespucius your grand
father? And was not your grand
mother In love with Noah when he
was oakum boy at the Portsmouth
docks!"
I considered this very offensive. and.
drawing myself up. said:
MY grandfather was baronet. and
my grand-uncle is Admiral Sir Peter
Hawkshaw. whose flagship. as you
may know, is the Ajax. "a"
Il know him we'll" responded my
new acquaintance. We were drunk
together this night week. He bears for
arms Lots wife after she was turned
into pillar of salt. with this device:
I thirst"
This was an allusion to the dry
salter. For l soon found that the
young gentlemen in the cockpit were
intimately acquainted with all Of the
antecedents. glorious or otherwise. Of
their superior ohicers.
The lie In the early part Of this
sentence was patent to me. but so
great was the power to charm Of this
squirting. wide-mouthed fellow. that
felt myself drawn to him irresistibiy,
and something In my countenance
showed It. for he linked his arm
through mine and began again:
Il know your great-aunt, too. Polly
Hawkshaw. Dreadful old girl. hear
abe can tack ship rs well as the ad-
miral; knows to . shilling what his
mess bill is, and teaches him trigo-
nometry when he is on leave"
This was, Of course, . vilincation,
and Lady Hawkshaw's name was not
Polly, but Apollonia: but I blush to
say spoke not one word In defense
OF either her or her name. 1t occurred
to me that my new friend Was . per-
son who could give me much informa-
ton about my outf,t and uniforms. and
candidly stated my case to him.
Come on" he cried. There's q
rascal Of \ haberdasher here who
lives OIL his majesty's ofacers, and I'll
take you there and At you out; for
Sir Peters the man to have his young
odhcers smart. A friend Of mine
poor fellow!-happened to be caught
in mutt In the Ajax the other day
and Sir Peter had all hands turned up
for an execution. My unhappy friend
begged that he might be shot instead
oe hanged. and Sir Peter. I'll admit
granted him the favor. The poor fel
low tied the handkerchief over his
eyes himself. forgave all his enemies
and asked his friends to pay his
debts. POUNDS. twas the most af
fecting scene l ever witnessed"
plainly perceived that my com
pAnton was talking to brighten me, ant
showed 1t by thrusting my tongue into
my cheek. which caused him to burs
out laughing. He presently becam.
grave. however. and assured me sol
EMMY that sea-ofiicer had his choic,
OF dressing handsomely, or bein,
court.martialed and shot. For" SAFE
he, the one hundred and forty-fourtl
regulation of the service reads: Al
Of his mAjesty's sea-otficers are com
manded to marry heiresses, and IL
these cases, the usual penalties 70
the abduction Of heiresses are re
mitted.' Now. how can We abduct hei,
esses, or even get them to look at us
without f,ne clothes: Women, my DO,
are caught by the eye alone-and
know EN-, by CAD"
This trihing speech remained in m
memory. and the day came when
recalled the idle talk OF us two laugh
ing midshipmen as prophetic.
We went together to a shop, wher,
under his direction and that Of a
oily tongued shopman. ordered on
Of the handsomest outfits any mit
shipman could possibly have, inclus
ing two dozen of silk stockings. as nj
nOW.found friend informed me this
every man on board his majesty
ahirs, from the admiral down TO tn
Jack always wore sill
stockiuEs. because In the event &
being struck by hall or pike or
cutlass In action, the danger from It
lsmmation was much less with sill
than with cotton or wool.
Al wsat swimmingly. until II "a