Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-12

ed while she sent for good, old Capt.
Matthews, and vouchsafing no explana-
tons, imperiously babe him stow ME be-
low as prisoner i'm my cabin. He didn't
relish the job, but went about Ii forth
with. Indeed, 1 did not wait for further
orders after her look and glance. I
stalked below as haughtily as you please.
1t was her ship. as she had said and as
she certainly believed, and had il not
been, who could deny her anything? Not
/, forsooth. 1 could steal a kiss, but not
balk her will. And here I was the mate
or the Rose of Deven. and but for my
own remuneration ] had been her captain
engaged I'm this wild goose chase. this
foolish search for treasure. for so it
seemed to me then. locked up below like
any mutinous dog at the behest of .
woman that 1 could have broken between
my thumb and finger. And after all Z
had done and sacrificed for her. too.
The hot blood came into my cheekS
again. 1 remember / raised my arm and
shook it toward the door and then let it
fall. What was the use? / was her
prisoner I loved her, fool that 1 was.
] thought then and / think now I had
rather be her prisoner than be free and
away from her. than be free and know
her not No lovesick boy could have
been more foolish than /.
Come to think Of it, had always loved
her. ever since those days when 1. the
gardeners boy. had been her faithful
and devoted slave. And through the long
years when 1 had been far voyagfng in
distant seas, / had kept her memory
fresh and sweet and true. 1 had been in
many rough places. I had seen life from
the seamy side the common lot OF
sailor of my day had been mine. 1 was
not what you would call a religious man,
no, not nearly religious enough, but tho
thought Of her anG my mother had Kept
me a clean man. In that respect. at
least, / was worthy OF her; doubtless, 1
dare say, more worthy of her than Ar
cester and Luftdon and all the young
zat1 10 hsar hn-
fore her father lost his all and he had
blown out his brains. leaving her but the
parchment and enough gear with my aid
to charter and equip the ship.
Such as it was, my heart was hers. and
NV life had always been AS often as L
could I had come back to the old cottage
where 1 was born, and for old times
sake she had been kind to me. had
craved even her condescension, although
it had made me mad to see her surround
ed by the other men and women, so that
l would fling myself away and take the
first ship that offered to the farthest
port. Yet. always came back-to her.
And had been so glad that / was there
when Sir Godfrey had killed himself and
that 1 had bought the ship and fitted it
out and had been able to do so much for
her. AS said. she would fam have given
me command of the saucy little Rose OF
Devon had I willed it-and sometimes,
now for instance, I cursed myself that L
had not taken il rather than insisted that
she should have an older man. not a bet
ter seaman than i. There are no better
seamen i'm narrow seas or broad than i.
had worked my way up through the
forecastle to the quarterback. L hao a
natural gift for figures. L could take a
sight and work out q position as Wei as
any book-taught navigator, and L had
been a great reader. too. My private
cabin was ever crowded with books.
Much Of my earnings We're spent that
way. I had wit enough to choose good
nranr roh
study them well. And they stared at ms
then from shelves built in the bulkhead.
What fond dreams L had INDUCED in
while I had pored over them, turning
their thin pages with my tarred, blunt
fingers! I walked over to them then and
struck them with my fist in impotent
rage. What was the use Of it? The
stain Of tar was on me forever in her
eyes
And vet I knew more than she. Oh.
much more about everything but the
usages of good society. and I had, at
least, learned something of good manners
in her company since her fathers death.
Many time / have caught her tripping /.
as to facts of knowledge not daring, not
even caring, to tell her, or perhaps l had. )
better say not wishful to humiliate her
by showing her that she was wrong; con-1
tent to know this much myself. and hug
ging my poor little superiority to my
heart. l knew more than she and more
than most of the men with whome she Z
associated. My uScu " isuSh
at me for being a book-delver. a worm.
they were wont to call ii. Well, they
didn't laugh very long. There was MOTH
ing physical for which / need stand aside q
for any man. I was over six feet high
and built in proportion. 1 could, un-
aided and alone, hold the wheel of the
best ship in the fiercest storm I had
matched myself against man and against
storm, not once, but many times. and
neither the one nor the other has ever
made me back down.
Now I was a prisoner 1 said / didn't
feel that blow on the cheek, but as I
thought on 1t. 1t fairly scared me. I hated
her, I hoped that No. i might
we'll be honest with myself. / didn't care
how she treated me. how disdainful were
her words, how unjustly she punished
me- 1 loved her. I couldn't help,
didn't want to help it. / would kiss the
deck plank she hallowed with her foot. .
steps.
(To be continued tomorrow