Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 277 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

ee sent. Cowardly! No, no, I never met the Englishman that was a coward on the sea, We’re the same.race, child, the same race, only we have improved it. Ferris is no coward, and you treated him shameful'y, to please me, I suppose; but it didn’t. I forgive you, however, on one condition.” ‘‘ And what is that?’ asked the lady, in an un- necessarily low voice, that told Eaton, up in the tree, that she was hiding her face in Blair’s vest. The privateersman laughed, as he answered: ‘‘Simple enough, my dear. I came Here to- night, to make you my wife; and if you won't run away with me now, I shall go in there, and ask the whole company whether they won’t help me to persuade you. I’m in earnest, Jane, as you will find out, if you try to fool with me, and if you don’t say yes, you will repent it, all the rest of your maiden life.” Eatou listened, to hear what the lady would say. He expected her to break out in the saucy style in which be had heard her rate the poor English captain, But Lady Jane, with a lover that she hated, and the same Lady Jane, with Frank, Blair, were two very different persons. She only bung her bead lower, and murmur, ed: “Oh, Frank, Frank, I can’t, I can’t. Con- sider poor papu!” “I bave considered all about bim I’m going to,” returned Blair, in his most obstinate tones. “I don’t want to marry him, It’s you, my love. He will never consent to our union Prey and there is no need that he should, t is war time, now, and no peaceful consents are expected. I intend to carry you off, like the old Romans did their wives; and I don’t doubt but what you will be just as well pleased as they were, when it is ail over—won’t you, Jane?’ Eaton cculd not hear the answer; but it seemed to be quite satisfactory; for the priva- teersman began to hug the lady again, and there is no telling how much further the revela- tions of Lady Jane’s possible sweetness of tem- per might have proceeded, when the sound of voices, in earnest conversation, was heard ap- proaching the tree, and Jane whisked her train out of the moonlight, and slipped bebind the trunk of the huge tree, locked closely in Blair’s arms. Eaton, feeling that a crisis was approaching, looked through the foliage of the calabash tree, to behold two negroes, talking in loud tones about the “ quality folks,” so much engrossed in their subject, that they passed within two or three feet of the lovers without seeing them, and would have gone on in peace, had it not hap- pened that one of them was followed by a small ours that stopped to bark at Blair, as it scented im, That moment the two negroes stopped short, to exclaim: ‘‘Wurra dat? What de debbil dat dog bark at?’ Concealment was useless, and Lady Jane Blair stepped ont at once, saying authorita- at & ‘What are you stopping for, you two? Go to your quarters a‘ once, and don’t dare to in- terfere with me. Do you hear?” The frightened blacks shrunk back, in awe of the ary of their spiteful little mistress, and one of them sad humbly: **Didn’ know, missis: didn’ know nuffin who twas. Ax pardon.” Then they slouched off and Blair said: ‘That settles it, Jane. It’s to-night or never. Those fellows are sure to blab, and then there is no more chance of our meeting without dis- covery. You must make up your mind to run away with me to-night.” Po night #” @choed the lady, with a little scream of horror. ‘I baven’t got a single thing ready, Yousurely don’t expect me torun away without any trunks, Frank ?” Blair whistled. “Trunks! Good Lord! I never thought of that. What will we do about them? [J shall have to storm the house to get them, Jane. See here: can’t you get along with what vou have on, for a day or two, and I'll send in a flag of truce for the rest of the things, after we are safely married.” ‘Married, indeed !” retorted the young lady. ‘A pretty marriage that would be! You are talking absurdly, Frank, and you know it. I cannot be expected to do anything of the sort, and I won't. That's flat.” And for the first time in their interview, Lad Jane began to look asif her temper had not all disappeared in Her love. But there is some excuse for a woman who is asked to run away at a moment’s notice, with no wardrobe; and Eaton could not help thinking that she had a right to be angry, and that Blair was decidedly unreasonable. But he had yet to witness a revelation of sur- prises in that night of romance, Blair had evidently made up his mind that Jane should o; and he began to argue; with a mixture of n and pleading; scolding ard coaxing; till the usually beughty litule beauty actually yielded, and said, at sbe hid ber face on bis shoulder: 7 promise to make a name like Nelson, so that I can be proud of you.” Blair said no more; but began to lead her away down tbe bill through the banana-patch, regardless of the moonlight, when Eaton, who saw that all must be discovered if they did not crouch, called out cautiously, as they were going away: ‘ Blair, Blair, for God’s sake stoop; or they will see you trom the house,” His words produced,a violent start from Lady Jane, who exclaimed: * Who is that?” ‘That? Ob, that is only my friend, Eaton, whom you saw to-day,” was the indifferent re- ply of Blair, as he stooped down, in obedience to the warning. ‘Stoop, Jane, stoop; or they will see us,” In a,moment Lady Jane had whisked back to the tree, and bidden herself under its branches, to“inquire, in the sternest of voices: ‘“* And was that man up there, listening, all the time, Mr. BLAIR?’ Her tone was that of a justly indignant wo- man, and Eaton slipped down the tree to say: ‘“Yes, it is perfectly true, Lady Jane; but I did. not bear anything, because I was busy lis- tening to something else. We have no time to waste on sentiment. Your lover’s life is in danger, ings | moment we stay here. We are liable to be Aung, if we are caught, and here you are squabbling about nothing. If you are going to run away with the captain, go, and I will protect the rear; but, for Heaven’s sake, don’t stand here to quarrel with me.” Whether it was the scolding or not; it is cer- tain that Lady Jane became suddenly docile, and said resignedly: **Go on, Frank; I will be careful not to show myself.” So saying, and witha silence and circumspec- tion that Eaton could not sufficiently admire, the two lovers set out on their perilous journey across the banana-p:tch, in full view of the house, and succeeded in crossing it, without dis- turbing any one, till he knew tbat they had reached the bushes below, by the rustling there- in; when be was startled by the loud bark of a dog in those same bushes, and, almost immedi- ately after, the sound of a shot aroused every one, within and without the mansion of the Governor. Eaton knew well enough what had happened: as soon as he heard the shot. Some negro’s cur had frightened see Jane; and the inspetuous Blair, without thinking of the consequences, had fired at the animal. The young man saw that there was no time to lose, and he darted out of the shelter of the calabash tree at once, with no furtber thought of concealment, and dashed across the banana- patch to the bushes below, shouting as he went: ** Ono! on! No time to lose!” He heard a great shouting and barking be- hind him; but heeded nothing till he got to the shore of the little bay below, where he saw the boat, pulling out of the shelter of the man- groves, and coming toward the beach, as fast as it could, Blair and Lady Jane were both on the beach before him, and the privateersman was laugb- 2 he ran along. _ His reckless nature seemed to be in its element m a scene of this sort, and Eaton thought to himself that he would not remain in bis position of mentor to Blair, on account of bis man-of- war experience, very long. The privateersman was beginning to know how to take care of bim- self very well, already. The boat had been hidden in aclump of man- groves, about a quarter of a mile away, and it bad not yet reached the beach, when the loud barking of dogs behind the two privateersmen told them that the enemy was coming in force, and close at hand. Blair stopped on the beach and called to Eaton: ‘‘Out with your pistols, man! It is only the niggers, Give it to them, and the rest will run.” Eaton turned to the bushes, and out of the cover burst a crowd of black men and large dogs. The men stopped at the presented pisto!s; but not so the dogs. They were all, without exception, large ani- mals, of the breed generally called ‘ blood- hounds,” but really mongrels, with a preponder.- ance of mastiff blood in them; and they were all trained to bunt runaway negroes. Straight at the two privateersmen they dash- ed, and there is but little doubt that they would have been severely mauled, if not torn to pieces, in spite of their pistols (for there were at least a dozen dogsin the party), bad not Lady Jane herself, with a covrage that made Eston ready to fall down and worship her, actually ran out in froént of her lover, and called to the dogs, as ifshe knew them, commanding them to stop. And, still more to the surprise of the youn men, the great brutes, each one capable of pull- ing down an ox singly, paused at her voice, and gave time to her to cry out to the pursuing negroes; ‘What is the matter, bere, with you? Don't you know your mistress, that you come out at me as if I were a runaway field-hand? Go back to the house and attend to your own affairs.” There was a moment of hesitation, and then one of the blacks called off the dogs, and said, in an awkward kind of way: ‘* Beg pardon, my lady, but my lord sent us out to see what war de matter. It warn't our fault.’ ‘** There’s nothing the matter, and you can go back to my lord end tell bimso,” retorted the lady, angrily. Do you bear me# 1.’ll have you all whipped to-morrow, if you stay bere another moment.” The air of authority in the little lady cowed the negroes for a minute, and they began to dis- perse, while the boat was rapidly nearing the shore, when a new actor appeared on the scene, in the person of Captain Ferris, who came run- ning down the bank in a great hurry, to shout out: “The Yankees! the Yankees, you fools! Can’t you see the boat there? Cut them to pieces!” His words produced an immediate commo- tion, as the negroes began to yell, one to the otber: ' ‘“De Yankees! de Yankees! No’tain’t! Tell you ‘tis! Don’t you see de lady, you fool nigger? No, I tell you. De Yankees! Dey try to run ’way wid de missis. Gib it to de raxals!” So the confusion became worse confounded in that moment,and before any one bad presence of mind to take any measures to epprehend the two privateersmen, the boat had grounded on the beach, and the crew were coming up, with their pistols and cutlasses, yelling,in a style that frightened the negroes so, they all turned tailand fled, taking with them the dogs, which appeared to sbare the demoralization of their masters. Ferris, who seemed to be taken aback at the whole affair, was left alone on the beach to face the crew of the privateer, now flushed and ex- cited with their easy victory: and Blair called out to him, presenting bis pistol; ‘* Surrender, sir, surrender!” Ferris was unarmed, and he immediately an- swered, in a tone of great vexation: “‘Of course I surrender. What the deuce can Ido, against sucb luck as you have? Who are you, sir, anyway, and what are you comirg down on peaceable people at night fer# Are you a navy officer,or what? I should appeal to your sense of honor, if this is what you call werfare, to come down on plantations like thieves.” Blair laughed, and came up closeto bim, so that the Englishman could see bis face plainly. “Captain Ferris,” he said, not without kind- ness, ‘‘l am Frank Blair and 1 was a deceiver to you, the otber day, when I pretended that I was not. The only excuse that I can offer is that,l am in love, and I knew I could never bope to see Lady Jane Blair, if the Governor knew I was in this neighborhood, Now, sir, there is no need why wesbould be enemies any longer. 1 do not wish to keep you a prisoner; forl am going back to the United States, as fast as I can, to get married to Lady Jane.” Ferris seemed to be half stunned by this speech, which was delivered in a quiet and con- versational manner and be stammered: ‘* Sir, I—I—I—do tot understand you. Lady Jane? What bas she to do with to-night? Surely she is not here.” Blair bowed low to the astonished English- man, as be replied: ‘“‘My dear sir, I am going to release in order that you may take a wpe, to Lord Gowrie. I rts wo ae to say to his lordship, that I bave captured bis daughter, Lady Jane Bleir, to-night, and shall bold ber as my wife for the future. If bis lordship wishes to sancti- fy our union by his presence, it is well. 1 will wait, outside this harbor, for twenty-four hours, to give bim an opportunity to come to my schooner, with Lady June’s effects, and bring bis chaplain with bim. If he does not Jike todo that, and see his daughter married likea ledy, then be bas only himself to blame, for the scandal that wililfollow. I shall sail for the United States, after the expiration of the time I mentioned, and shal] be married there as son as we arrive. Now, sir, if you will tell his lordsbip that, I shall be greatly obliged to vou.” Poor Ferris could only bow in answer, and say in a low voice: ‘I will deliver the message, sir.” CHAPTER XVL THE POMONA. THE sun bad risen again, and the sea-breeze had set in for the day, when the semaphore- man, above the Government House, sent down word to the Governor that a sail was in si oe that he took to be the Pomona frigate, that ba been ordered to the Jamaica station, and had been expected for some days. ’ The news found the old man completely broken down by the flight of his the previous night, and ready tosink into an imbecile state. He did not heed it at first; but when the message was repeated, he looked up, in a stupid way, to say: EGOmicbooks feron . con ¢,* P ~ -—? q