Beadle's Dime Novels No. 94: The Mad Skipper — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

/ ‘A SINGULAR CASE. 28 white, and there's two others of the same color below, a-look- ing for handspikes.” | Claret and his daughter turned to behold. a tall, thin seaman, with a remarkably small waist, a long face, and red, fiery eyes. “Tim Collins, at your sarvice,” he continued, with a lew bow. “I’m the steward, and beg leave to inform this young lady that she needn’t go to be frightened, as them Kanakas is all parfectly harmless. As to us whites, our color is a sufli- cient recommendation, with the exception of one, and that one is me, who is subject to certain fits, at certain times, of break- ing up things—a general ‘smashing-up fit, which makes it necessary to tie me up to prevent my doing mischief.” “That is singular enough,” said Claret, “I don’t remem- ber ever hearing of such a case before. Your nerves, probably, have been injured in some way. Permit me to offer you one of my pills.” “They would do me no good,” answered Collins, ‘The fit of which I speak is constitutional—inherited from my mother.” “Indeed ? It must give you a great deal of trouble.” “So it does. I always tell my captain of my infirmity be- fore I ship, hows’ever, and also inform him that Pm parfectly willing to be tied up whenever itcomes upon me. So you see it’s at his option whether to take me or not.” The skipper was now seen approaching, and Collins hastened into the cabin. “ Good-morning, Captain Wythe,” said the doctor, extending his hand to the master of the vessel. “I perceive we are aboard in time.” “ Ay, ay,” replied the skipper, bowing and lifting his cap to Lilian ; “in good time. A few more heaves there at the brakes will raise the anchor. | Precious freight,” he added, nodding his head toward the young girl. Claret introduced them, and Lilian thought the coviairt one of the most singular-looking beings she had ever seen. Rather above than below the middling hight, his form was wasted almost to the proportions of a skeleton, while his arms were so long that they extended below his knees. His face Was thin and haggard; the skin of the hue of parchment, and the forehead , disfigured by, two scars of a dark — eolor, intersecting each other in such a way as to ace aenniditoe <SEGonn