Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 277 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

— SNe iy oee te r >>. a *, Si PG al Pe an " ? » a * Aw. st § e Saucy commander of the schooner was to see to the carrying off of the prize as soon as possible. But, as Blair had taken that 1.bor off bis hands, he was at liberty to go below, which he did at once. - His steps led him to the cabin, and he found a light burning there, that made him think there must be some one on board, He called out: ‘* Hallo, in the cabin! any one here?” There was no answer for a minute or two, and he repeated the cry, when he heard a rust- ling, as oy is woman’s dress, and the door of a state-room opened. The stalwart young sailor, who had never quailed before the storm of battle, and who had kept his head erect under the still more crush- ing load of a public and unmerited disgrace, now trembled and could hardly command his emotions, as he saw the figure of a lady emerg from the state-room, and beheld before him, a last, Lily, “‘ bis own Lily Barton,” as he had so often fondly called her, in the days when yet misfortune had not come upon him and her. She was very pale, and looked as if she had been weeping, and was still under the influence of fear; but it was the same Lily as ever, and | Jane, Privateer. covers; but Eaton, who was well acquainted | er, and on the other side of the brig, still with wounds, helped bim, and closely inspected lasbed, as she bad been when she was first the old commodore’s burt. old man bad said, he had been run through the body, not far from the heart; the left lung having labored breatbing; and that the wound had been hastily bound up, with a pledget of lint, over the hole made by the weapon, kept in place by sticking-plaster. The blood bad ceased to flow, showing that the wound had been made some time before; but the most alarming symp- tom was the weakness of the patient. He was unable even to lift bis hand, though his voice sounded strong and clear. | i ' been pierced, as was attested by bis | | | ‘*I can bardly believe that you are as bad as | you think, commodore,” the young man began to say, to cheer the old one up; but the veteran interrupted him again, with the words: **Nay, nay, boy, | know ye mean well, to comfort the old man; but my sands are run out, and tis but q few hours, more or less, that I have to live. Let me know, before I go, that you have no animosity against the old man, Eaton, I was too proud. I could not bear to _ have people point at the verdict of that court; but I knew, all the while, that the real coward she recognized him in a moment, and said, in a | in the case was myself, because I was afraid to low, stifled voice: ‘Oh, Harry, you are here at last! How thankful I ought to be that you did not come when it was too late.” Something in her words shocked and alarmed him, for her face looked as if she meant to con- | blamed you, for your action. vey to him bad news, ** What is it, Lily?” he asked. —was he on board when the brig was taken?” She bowed her head, and answered, in a chok- ing kind of way: ‘* Yes, yes, he was—and he was so much ex- cited that he tried to fight, as the English came on board—and then—andi then—tbey—they—” ‘What? Good Heavens! You don’t mean to say that they hurt an old man like him?” Lily nodde« last, as she said: ‘‘Come and see him, It is not too late yet, thank God!” She did not seem to be in the least astonished at seeing her lover. Her only thought seemed‘ to be for her father, Eaton, hard! followed the girl into the state-room from which she had emerged when be first entered the cabin, It was the captain’s cabin of the American regime, and was furnished with a hanging cot nodded her head, and wept openly at. | | “Your father | my career was ended forever. | | knowing what to say or do, | and all the comforts of a man-of-war com-| mander who can afford to have bandsome | things about him. In the middle of the cabin, on the cot, with his face so ghastly pale that it was plain that death was approaching rapidly, lay Commodore Barton, whom Eaton had not seen since the fatal court-martial; though he had correspond- ed with him, as the reader has already been in- | formed, ' The old man lay there, with his eyes cl-sed; but there was a smile on bis lips as the door opened, and he murmured faintly: ‘*] heard it, children, is Harry; is it not—Harry Eaton?” | i | do my duty, and face the scorn of the world in aright cause. Do you forgive me, boy?” Eaton’s voice wes choked with tears, as he answered the old sailor: ‘*“God knows, commodore, that I never You gave me bope, when all the rest of the world said that Forgive you? Sir, 1 would to God that I could be forgiven for all my sins, as I forgive you for anything that you were compelled to do against me,” The dying commodore put out bis band on the coverlet of the cot. He could not raise it; but made shift to slide it along; and Eaton, under- standing the action, put forth bis own, and took that of the old man. A faint pressure of the fingers was all that the commodore could manage, to express his grati- tude to the young man for his generosity, and then he turned bis head to his daughter, and his voice grew suddenly faint, as he said: ** Quick! Talos Lily! I have not long now, child, I feel it coming. Give me thy band.” Not understanding the full significance of the request, the girl put her hand in that of her futuer, and the old commodore said, in a voice that was hardly audible by the time he finished: ‘*God bless ye—both—children. Eaton—stick to—the old flag. The—old—the old—f—f— fag That was all. The factitious strength that had supported the dying commodore through an interview that would have been an rte sear one at the best of times, bad finally extinguishe | | rest of the horizon; but the privateersman said with perfect confidence: “Over there. They fired jus‘ now. I have had the schooner’s bead kept straight with the oars, all the time you were down stairs, and I am sure of my bearings.” ‘‘And are you sure that the gun was over in that direction? Was it a shotted gun or a signal?” ‘“*A signal, Ithink— Ah! Look at that!” The flash of a gun illumined the fog again, and the sound of the report echoed from bank to bank of the mist, like thunder in the beart of a cloud, The sound was very deceptive; but not so the flash. That came from the direction Blair bad said, and it was followed almost immediate- ly by another and another, as if the English ves- sels were bunting in the mist, and firing the guns to guide each other. Eaton turned to Blair. ** Has the brig got enough sweeps to make her way through the water, think you?” ‘* Not a single sweep. Sheis agood bundred tons over our schooner, and I suppose that the dock-yard authorities thought she was not fit to use them.” “Then, captain, I fear that we shall have to abandon or destroy her. We cannot get her away without sweeps, and we shall have all we know to get the schooner out of the hobble, be- fore the morning lifts the fog.” Blair only answered: ‘“*Captain Eaton, the schooner is in your hands. Doas youthink best in the matter. We are allready to obey your orders.” CHAPTER XXIV. THE LAST OF THE NAUTILUS, EATON took his resolution at once to abandon the Nautilus, for two reasons: First was that he bad just given to Blair, and the other was that he wanted to get Lily away from the brig; and out of the painful associations that were con- nected with it. He trusted that the girl,in the absence of the scene in whici her father had met his fate, would learn to bear it more easily. Besides, he felt sure that it would be much harder to get the body of the commodore away from his daughter, without a scene, on board the brig, than on tbe schooner, where Lady Jane would be ready to take a certain degree of _ charge of her, and help to divert ber mind. the feeble taper of his life; and, before Eaton | could realize it, the death pallor had spread over Cummodore Barton’s face and the veteran was | any danger that his poor body will be taken dead. But Lily was by his side, and the girl, in her | grief at the sight, that she also understood, had I heard ye both, It | instinctively turned to her lover for consolation, and was weeping bitterly, with her head in ‘* Yes, commodore,” the young man himself | Eaton's bosom, replied. again, sir. The Nautilus has bee) retaken from the enemy, by the American privatecr, Saucy Jane, of which I am commander. Yu are safe, sir, and we shall be in New Yor: by to- morrow, at eight bells, if you wish it.” The old man slowly turned his head and Opened his eyes, so as to take in the young one, He smiled faintly, as he said, in a reflective Way: o, There is no coward about him, Lily, is there? He bas won back his name, has he not?” In spite of the painful circurhstances which surrounded the poor girl, a deep blush suffused her face at this plain demand; but her father went on, without waiting for an answer: “ Ay, ay, Harry, l was hasty with tnee, and I should bave waited for the facts, before I formed my opinion; but o!d men are apt to be obstinate, you know, and I was the same as the | rest. My boy, you have stood the test, and won Lily fairly. Take care of her, for I shall not be able to do that much longer,” “But you surely sre not hurt so that imp ies, sir?” the privateersman asked; for the old man’s voice was its sound, pe ma pty Barton smiled faintly, and re- “T kvow what they did to me, boy, and I bear them no grudge forit. I never struck to an English ship wheu I was at sea, and it was too late in life for me to begin at three-score- and-fifteen. I drew on the officer in command, as they came on board, and cut bim on the head, "T'was a foolish act, and I could not grumble that he struck back at me. But he was young and strong, while I was old and feeble. “ Time was, when I might have been able to best him; but that time passed long ago. He ran me through the body, and I cannot bave man more hours to live. Look, if you doubt it, my getting quile strong in | boy.” | 7 He made a feeble motion to throw off the ‘*T have come to take you back home | } | ' badly as | It was just at this juncture, that both were startled by the deep boom of a gun, in the fog outside; and the hurrying step of Blair came down into the cabin, while his voice called im- patiently: ‘Eaton, Eaton, where are you? The enemy | ; are beginning to look out for us, and we have got to get out of this at once.” Eaton placed the weeping girl in a chair, | whispering: ‘1 will be back in a moment. to mv duty, before my feelings.” ‘Go, go,” was her whispered reply. be better in a little. But don’t let them leave him, all alone, in this ship, now.” ‘{ will return, and I promise that the body a 2 Mg taken to our own country,” he bastily replied, ‘hen be rushed out to where Blair, with a face that indicated the keenest anxiety, was | I must attend | pacing up and down the cabin, waiting for bis comrade, **T shall | | be ordered the men to go into the brig at once, and bring out all on board which woul pay for tbe cost of moving. To a special party he gave special orders, to take charge of the body of Commodore Barton. Then he went down to the cabin, and found the girl in the state-room, by the body of her fatber, weeping silently. As soon as she saw him, she rose and asked: ‘*What were those guns, about? Is there from us? Oh, Harry, you will not allow that, will you?” | He came up to her, and put bis arm around her, saying, softly: ‘* Lily, darling, you must be firm, for I have something to tell you that may pain you. There is danger of our capture, if we do not im- mediately leave this brig. I have given orders to take the commodore’s body cn board the schooner, with proper honors; and I will see to it that he is properly interred, as soon as we get out of our present danger. AJ] I wish you to do, is to go with me to the schooner,and be in- trocuced to the wife of my owner and com- mander. We will see to the rest.” Lily seemed to be very grateful for the idea of meeting one of her own sex; for she imme- diately rose, and said, with a poor apology for asmile: | ‘‘Ah, Harry, I am in no mood to be intro- duced to any one; but if sbe is a woman, she will surely be kind to me, at this time, of all others, Take me where you will,” Eaton offered bis arm without more ado, and had the satisfaction of seeing the men, waiting, outside the cabin, for the body, and that they appreciated the sorrow of the young As soon as he saw Eaton, he rushed at him | lady, from the way in which they behaved. and dragged him on deck, saying in great ex- citement: ‘*'You shouldn’t have staid so long, man. Con- | found it! I have been in love, myself, but you take the longest time to bill and coo, of any man lever knew.” Eaton stopped bim bya simple gesture to- ward the cabin, as ke answered, in the same guarded tones that had been used by the pii- vateersman., ‘Blair, don’t say any more. Commodore Barton lies deadin that cabin; he died with his hand in mine.” . Blair looked unaffectedly shocked by the in- telligence. ‘* You don't say!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ Well, that is bad; butitis the way of the soldier and the sailor alike. We have work to do, or I am very much mistaken. Did you hear that gun” ** Yes: where was it?” Blair pointed over the quarter of the schocn- The rough sailors stood out of the way, as their commander led Lily Barton across the deck and made no pretense of biding their looks of sympathy. Even Lily saw that they meant her well, and she bowed her bead as she pa the gangway through an avenue of sailors, and . ; on the decks of the privateer, at last, in safety, Blair was in waiting at the gangway, and he advanced to the girl, to say quietly: ‘Lady Jane is in the cabin, Mr. Eaton; and I have told her of the positicn of Miss Barton. She will receive you, and you need not trouble yourself to in ce them formally.” . So saying, he led the way to the cabin, and, opening the door wide, called out: ‘‘ Jenny, my dear, if you please lady is here. Miss Barton will occupy the state- room with you, till we get to port.” Lady Jane, with a aaapper 0 ping out to meet the friendless girl, came run- and, with- the young com He found, ws the boarded. The fog was as dense as all over the . * cbooks » . .