Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

ences eS eee OO eee ooo OE 100 ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. call at the ‘Anchor’ this evening, and you shall learn his decision ; and so good morning.” Sim made a courtly bow. The young gentlemen smiled their acknowledge- ments, and passed on, “Tt is adream !” murmured the chummy, with a dramatic start ; ‘‘but no, vot sings the sveet bard of Avon, *«« There is a tide in the affairs of men, Vich taken at the flood leads on to fortun’. “ And that flood is the high tide to-morrow, vhen I shall bid my native shores adoo and tread the deck of the Awenger! But, O lors! here comes that win- dictive female, Poll Potts. Vither shallI fly to escape her? Vhy did she fall in love with me? Well may the philosopher say as all is wanity and wexation ; my manly beauty has proved the cuss 0’ my blighted life. O lors! she sees me !” Tossing his bag on to his shoulder, and snatching up his brush and shovel, chummy gave one parting glance behind him and took to his heels, CHAPTER XL, SIMON SMUTS SERVICES REJECTED BY ROVING JACK, BREATHLESS and panting, the aspiring’Sim arrived at the door of a shop where fried fish, pickled eels, and other like delicacies were sold. He rushed through the shop, and bounding into the parlour at the back of it, threw himself down in a state of exhaustion. A fat, and jolly-looking dame, busily engaged in frying fish over a roaring fire, turned her broad, scarlet glowing face towards him. She laughed heartily at his affrighted looks, “Why Sim, my son, what has scared ye?” she asked. ; ‘She haunts me everywhere |” gasped Sim, “Who does ?”’ “ Poll Potts, that awenging spectre ! She’s fallen despritly in love vith me ; she pulls my hair out by handfulls, and calls me a perfigious little monster, and vows if I don’t marry her, she’ll] commit suicide, O lors ! vhot does she tell sich lies for? she von't do it, she never vill, I knowshe von’t. I vouldn’t mind marryin’ her if she’d drown herself right. off immediately after the ceremony, Vither shall I flee to escape this new misery of my life ?” “Tt sarves ye right, Sim; didn’t you compoze them beautiful verses for her?” returned his mother, shaking her head and the frying-pan at the same time. ‘ A throwin’ your pearls afore—” ‘Don’t, mother!” sighed Sim, “I can’t bear it, What a cuss itis to be troubled with a hirrepressible gen’us,—bein’ smit by that pecooliarity of her features, and that obliquity of her wision as renders her so interestin’ as a study of natur’, I indited that lovely poim, ‘She sqvints, my lady sqvints,’ in praise of the cast of her eyes, I vould rather have writ my own death varrant if I’d a knowed vhot consequences vould follow that rash act; vhy, the creetur 1s raving mad in love vith me, and hunts me like a partridge on the mount’ins,” ‘‘Never mind, Sim, she’s a good customer ; she comes for pickled cels at all hours of the day as an excuse for seeing you,” laughed his mother, “ Surely you ain’t afraid of the woman ?” *Voman!—she’s afury ! but I have madea stern resolve, mother, vich vill surprise you, I vill stand this no longer ; I am going to sea, mother !”” The good dame seated herself upon a stool and held up her hands in dismay, “To sea, Sim!” she shrieked. ‘To break your poor mother’s heart,” His little brothers and sisters clustered round the young desperado, and the dog and cat howled and mewed in sympathy. “To sea!” roared Sim, clapping a saucepan on his head. ‘To brave the dangers of the dreadful deep! To fight the bloody buccaneers !” He snatched up the tongs and waved them round his head defiantly. ‘‘Afore my breast I throws my warlike shield (the saucepan-lid), and damned be he as fust cries ‘old, enough! Yes, mother, I’ll escape the inkybus ; I flee her as I vould the, leopard (perhaps he meant ‘a leper’), I vill seek death in the fire and smoke of the battle, and perish the wictim of a win- dictive voman |” i “Sim !” shrieked the fond parent, plunging he arms about him as he rushed to the door. ‘‘ Unhand me, mother! I am desprit!” cried the persecuted youth, breaking from the maternal embrace, He bounded wildly from the house. “The boy is mad!” cried the frantic parent, rushing after him. But he paid no regard to her remonstrances, but without stopping an instant hurried at once to the Anchor,” Here his ardour was somewhat cooled by the warlike appearance of his future messmates, A group of dashing young fellows, many of them mere boys, were gathered about the door of the inn. They were all armed to the teeth, and were eyi- dently bound for some dangerous service, At length, however, the valiant Sim mustered up courage, and sweeping some of the soot from his face with his sleeve, he entered the house. In a short time after he came running out with an air of distraction. Clenching his fists, gnashing his teeth, and betraying other signs of agitation and disappoint- ment, he walked at a furious pace to the sea- beach, There, throwing himself down upon the sand- bank, he folded his arms and scowled fiercely at a splendid frigate that lay at anchor in the offing, “Rejected !”” he muttered fiercely, ‘Rejected ! and so the harrogant young skipper refuses to accept me for von of his crew—says he has no employ- ment for me, no chimbleys to sveep, and larfed when I quoted from the sweet svan of Avon ; but Smuts arn’t to be shook off so easy, there’s nothin’ as sticks closer than asmut. I vont be baffled ; I'll sail with him vether he likes me or not. I'll hide myself in the hold of his wessel, and when he gets out to sea he can’t get rid of me unless he pitches me into the vaves; and blow me, though that’s a wulgar oath, I don’t care if he does, for in the briny depths of old ocean I may find a refuge from that odious Poll Potts.” “Ah! you are thinking of me, my adored Simon |! my name is on your lips !” simpered a shrill voice at his side, z Sim started as if he had heard the roar of a iger, Beside him sat a tall, scraggy woman, with a shrewish expression of countenance ; her hair was of a very curious hue, and her eyes remarkable, from the circumstance that each seemed to be looking in a different direction, In an instant, haying stared at her aghast and petrified, then with a despairing yell he bounded off aes * ject, hotly pursued by the indignant eee eee eG oO (ONCE OOOKS EO)