Not Guilty; or, Barefoot Billy's Fortune — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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Molly Grabett was in her little shop one morning, six months after Barefoot Billy sailed, rubbing the dust off the apples and oranges, and making things tidy and presentable—for she kept a very neat little place, latterly—when the penny postman en- tered, with a Queer-looking letter, with strange, foreign postage stamps on the cover, addressed in a handwriting she had never seen before, to ‘‘ Miss, or Mrs. Molly Grabett; Shop, Cross’ Lane, Boston, U.S. A.” ‘Isn't this for you?” inquired the postman, presenting the let- ter to the woman. pe Molly looked it over, couldn’t think of anybody in the old country, whence she came a quarter of a century previously, who would be likely to write her, for she had heard from no one there for years—when she read the postmark, ‘‘London.” ‘‘Ah, yes; I reck’n it’s all right. It’s from Billy! Thovgh this ain’t his writin’, by no means.” She opened it, found it to contain a handsomely engraved picture (as she at first supposed the contents to be), but after- ward found it was a sight draft for two hundred and fifty dol- lars, and read the following gratifying epistle from the long ub- sent boy. It was very badly spelled, and the writing was none of the best, to be sure; but it was clear to the good old dame, who picked it out slowly, and communicated it all to Cally, as fol- jows: “LLUNDUN, THE 2, THE JUN. *Derer Gup Moty. ‘I bin lukey nuf sensei cum to cee. had fust rate time ony got hom sick som but got well quick, cos orl The bois larft weni ced i was. Ididunt Kare tho mutch, ani puncht won ov thar heds But nun tu hurt—ony tu keepe him frum plagin me agin, an had jolly times at a bully big fire in the oshun ware thar wus lotts ov wartur butt they eouldnt poot er out, an 1 went to the fire an thay hadunt no Eenjines nor hoes but it was a ship Burnin up. andi gerked a Ole feller out, an poosht im inter a bote en saiv hislif he sais. It wos mister. bal lord the Man at lose his wollit in ole snips Mersliant taolers shopp ware 1 usta keap, an 1 didnt steel! it, for he tole me he found it orl rite arter i came tu cea. an mister ballord giy me a lot ov muncy cos i pusht him overborde an his little gal two, nott so big as cally is, an I eend you m this a papper at will giv yu tu hunder an fifty dollers out ov it, an 1 send lot of Kises an my luv tu yu an cally, an so no more from your luvi bairfut billy Robsan.” ‘Heaven bless the boy!” said Molly, devoutly, when she had finished this letter, which she conld appreciate so well. ‘‘Heaven bless and prosper him, always.” Just before the Meteor sailed for Calcutta and the East, Bare- foot Billy fixed himself up in a clean suit, and went over to the hotel, where he knew Mr. Ballard and ‘‘Tot” were tarrying, to thank his munificent benefactor and take leave of him. Ihe rescued merchant was very complimentary to the lad, and the little girl permitted the pretty sailor boy, who had saved her life, to kiss her tiny hand, as she bade her preserver adieu. The parting was a tender one—though they were comparative strangers. The Meteor reached Calcutta after a good passage. The ven- ture of Barefoot Eilly turned out finely, and Captain Evarts in- vested the proceeds in goods for the Boston market, such as he knew would sell to advantage. The captain had been absent from America nearly a year, when he was ready once more to set sail from India ‘homeward bound.” His cargo was a good one, his ship was in excellent trim, and he left port with a Jair wind and fine prospects. His freight was fully insured. And thus the Meteor was headed westward once more. Cap- tain EXvarts hoping to reach Boston in four or five months from the time he left Calcutta. The Meteor had been out from Caleutta some weeks, and Cap- ‘ain Evarts had taken a north-westerly conrse, and was passing np south of the coast of Morocco, not having met a vessel of anv kind for a week, when one afternoon a stranger was sighted by the Mees in the fore-top, who announced to the deck-officer: ‘Sail, ho!” The vessel proved to be a pirate. After a lively chase, the Meteor escaped, and was beached by the chief mate on an island east of the harbor of Funchal. wee captain had been mortally wounded in the fight with the pirate. Phe cargo of the Meteor was mostly of such a character that it was removed without injury. But it was a considerable time before the ship conld be got ready for sea again in that country. She was finally taken to Funchal, the chief port in the island 4ud eyentally sent to Boston. * Meanwhile, Barefoot Billy remained at Funchal with Captain Evarts, unceasing in his attentions to him. | The ship sailed’ just before the captain’s death, She had on board a considerable amount of specie belonging to the owners, which the pirates sought to gain, but which the master, through the desperate plan he adopted of running her ashore, saved from capture. Six months had passed s beached, during which perio d since the night when the Meteor was | d the captain lingered on, with but small prospect of ever permanently recovering his health. The beautiful climate of Madeira aided materially to lengthen his. days, but he failed gradually, and saw that his hour of dissolu- tion was approaching. Barefoot Billy had been very zealous in his attentions to Captain Evarts, who finally told his youthful attendant that he could not hold out much longer. ‘“-My surgeons have not deceived me, Billy,” he said, mourn- fully. ‘My hours are numbered. I would have lived, if it had been God’s will, but Iam resigned. J have ever striven to deal justly with all men, and I leave this world of turmoil with no regrets for the past. You will return to Boston; communicate directly with our owners, and tell them all that they should know of our ill-fortune here, which I might not huve explained by writing already. Among the ship’s papers you will find the insurance policies—for your goods among the rest. You have done well pecuniarily, and I am glad of that. Your wages will all be paid you to the day of your arrival home. And so, Heaven bless you and yours, my boy! And may you never know the pains I have suffered here, or be assailed with this bad luck I have experienced. I'wo days afterward, Barefoot Billy received the captain’s final blessing, and saw him breathe his last. With tearful emo- tion he bade him farewell, and felt that he had dutifully closed the eyes of the best known friend he had that day on earth. During this long and weary sickness of the captain, the phy- sicians had advised the free use of the fine wines of Madeira, as stimulants for theinvalid, who had always been a moderate drinker of liquors—as most ship-masters in those days were. ‘The pres- ence of this beverage continually before him was, unfortunately, not disagreeable to Barefoot Billy. He really loved the taste and odor of alcoholic liquors, and always had, alas! though he had not indulged to excess as yet. | He had unluckily inherited from his father this dreadful taste, but he had thus far controlled his appetite; but, during his six months’ stay at Madeira, in the midst of the every-day use of wine by the captain, the appetite increased, and the boy fed it. He was unconseious of the power this insidious eremy was gaining over him. He could not help his natural love for it, and he was so placed, for the time, that he gratified his taste, with- out consideration as to the future. Soon after the captain's burial, Barefoot Billy sailed for Lon- don from Madeira, intending thence to return to the city of his birth at the first opportunity. CHAPTER XIII. BAREFOOT BILLY ASTONISHES MI. SNIP. Billy tarried in England two months. He had plenty of ready money and ample leisure to enjoy life there, but he yearned for home, and longed to see his darling sister Cally, and good old ene Grabett, and Mr. Ballard, whom he remembered go well. He had not communicated with his friends in Boston since he sent his first letter, but at last he was ready to leave London; and haying resolved not to follow the sea, after Captain Evarts’ death, he sailed {as passenger in a packet for New York. He reached the United States in ‘safety two years from the time he left Boston in the Meteor. i At New York he obtained «a complete shore-fit of clothes, and . sok after his arrival there he repaired to Boston in excellent 1ealth. But Barefoot Billy had greatly changed in personal a ear- ance. He had grown tall and stout in a3 vaate His comnts nance was bronzed from exposure, and in his fashionable New York attire, no one could have recognized the former frowzy- haired, ill-dressed, ragged ‘‘Barefoot Billy,” who used to be so well-known around the docks at the North End of Boston. Indeed, he was now & very presentable young man—modest in address, quiet in his manners, and vast y improved in every way. 7 He was eighteen years old only. He looke ween qenescned api a el hae Ac baae looked ott: Fe where not asingle individu i hye BE g ic ai recognized him for some time af- This amused him vastly. 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