Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 369 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

4 16 | ‘“Yes, miss, I put them there. as I knew you wanted your cabin to yourself.” ‘I]t was thoughtful of you. ‘* Now call me if you need me,” and with a yawn Madge went below. The cabin was in disorder, just as the kid- nappers of the sloop had left it. * Cards were on the table, and a bottle or two, while it seemed close and uncomfort- able. hladge quickly threw open the bull's-eyes on the windward side, threw the bottles out into the sea, and had things to rights in short order. Opening a door leading forward, she gazed into what seemed a second cabin, with sev- eral bunks on each side. In three of them lay the kidnappers, and a growl came from one, as she stood in the light ot the doorway: ‘*‘ Girl, you shall suffer for this.” | ‘‘Don’'t be cross, Gaspard, because you . could not have everything your own way; ‘e but come here, for I wish to speak with you.” ‘*T am ironed.” | ** Yes, and will continue to be; but the he -irons on your wrists do not prevent you from bin walking.” With a muttered curse the man arose and ‘came toward her, and stepping quickly aft ji she closed the companionway, so that Mel- } mer could not see within. “* Sit there,” she said, motioning him to a seat by the side of the door opening between the two cabins. ee He sat down in silence. mis: “‘Gaspard, you used to be in my father’s bet confidence, I believe?” 4 sae ‘‘We were shipmates.” E he ‘* Yes, but he trusted you with some se- Rete crets.”” Te ‘1 don’t know about that.” Fe ‘* Do you know of any craft that resembles Ni the Blue Bell?” "eH She saw the start the man gave, but he an- swered quietly: yi > ‘‘I never saw her equal for speed and weatherly qualities.” ‘*| mean do you know that there is a craft exactly like her?” | “ Is there?” 5 ‘*T asked you if there was?’ ; “‘] rever saw her.” ** But you know there is one like her?” i ‘‘ | know nothing, girl.” hy * Perhaps you would know more if I prom- Me ised you your freedom.” 1H ‘‘1’d have to have my freedom first.” te) “You are afraid to go back to the Kenne- tyie bec and face my father?” ‘*No, for he'll not harm me.” | . * Are you sare?” . ‘“Wait and see.” ‘‘ You intimate that he dare not.” ihe “Tam not afraid of him” Met ‘* Yet you mutinied against him, or rather W against me, took a prisoner you should have Ane protected and gave him up, and stole this at sloop.” a ‘He won’t do anything with me for what ae I have done.” ae ‘Suppose I say he will.” Wet, “Wait and see, girl.” yop ‘* Well, I will wait, and, as you will not Ny. tell me now what I wish to know, perhaps Wt bs you will when your life is in danger,” Maly: The man moved uneasily upon the seat, and Bit. said : ‘‘ Well, if my life is in danger, and you Cie ‘can get me out of it, perhaps I can talk itive cP then.” a ‘‘T will wait and see,” was the cool re- ey mark, and she opened the door and motioned to him to re-enter his cabin. ‘*Girl, one word.” cs Yes.” , it )° “Ido know much, and you would do well tne ‘to know it; but I shall not speak until I see Via that you can serve me. it ‘Do you hear?” Beare 28) ‘*] do.” ‘‘ 1f my life gets threatened, and it’s pooe | it will, then you help me, and I'll talk; good- night,” and the man went to his bunk, while na Madge locked the door and threw herself ee <3 down, all dressed as she was, and tried to ie sleep. Sh) But sleep would not come to her eyelids, and over and over again, as she tossed ner- ooh ae hog on her bed, she murmured: a ‘My poor father! can I believe that you ae t. Pee as BS oe . * i oF ea ee OE ee ee ~ The Coast Corsair. ere different from what you appear to me ‘““God forbid that what men say of you prove true!” CHAPTER XXIV. HAUNTED BY MEMORY. WHETHER it was being in sight of the ocean, Which had taken her son from her, or that the memory of him haunted every room in that grand old mansion, cannot be told; | but certain it is, after the tidings brought to | her by Madcap Madge, that Noel Brandon | had gone down in the wrecked Blue Bell, | Mrs. Brandon seemed to be utterly broken down, She would wake up at night and cry out that she saw her son, wounded and unable to help himself, struggling in the mad waters | and appealing to her for help, and Doctor Brandon would arise and try to soothe her, | while he too felt the pang of bitter remorse at his heart, , ‘‘ Let us go away from here, husband, for | the place is hateful to me,” urged Mrs, Bran- don, one night. “Tl am willing, my dear, for somehow the place does not seem the same, and all of Joyce’s cheerfulness is gone too. “*T will arrange in the morning to leave as soon as We Can.’ ‘‘It must be forever, for I could never come back here.” ‘Well, as you say; but where shall we go?” ‘*'To Boston, for there we have a home we can move into.” ‘‘] will write to-morrow and have the tenants vacate it, and also tell my agent to send me a vessel to carry us thither, along with our baggage, for we will leave only the furniture here.” ‘Yes; you are so good; but why not have them send that vessel you built for a privateer just as the war ended?” ‘‘[ will, for she has been lying idle ever since. ‘*] will have her put in condition and sent for us.”’ ‘* Will it take long, husband, for I will die if I stay here?” ‘* My letter will go by the morning stage, and in two days should reach Boston, so that we ought to get off within three weeks at the very furthest, and we can hardly pack up before that time.” Mrs. Brandon wept tears of joy, to feel that she was going to leave the home that was now haunted with bitter memories for her, and the next morning she commenced work in packing up. The doctor had arisen early and dispatched his letter to his agent, and Joyce had taken it to the village to catch the stage. Her father had told her its contents, and their decision, and she had simply said: ‘You know best, father; but it is hard to leave the dear old homestead.” Away then she rode on horseback, attend- ed by a groom, and after a long gallop dashed into the village. ; She rode to the stage office, delivered her | letter, for she was just in time, and then | sought the Flag Ship Tavern to take break- fast and give her horse a rest, for she wished to do a little shopping. Old Captain Buntline, the landlord, met her at the door, aided her to alight and ordered ‘‘the best breakfast that could be cooked, for Miss Brandon of Brandon Hall.” Then he said: | “I offer my sympathy, Miss Joyce, in- the death of your brother, whom you know | I greatly liked. ‘* He was wild, yes, but the oats he sowed | were not tares, and I liked him greatly, and | [ never believed him guilty, as they said.” ‘‘T thank you, Captain Buntline, for your kind words, ‘“You heard then that poor Noel was dead?” ‘* Yes, it came to us here in the village, that he was lost at sea. in a storm, washed overboard, I believe.” ‘Yes, and we are all to leave Brandon Hall.”’ ‘* Indeed?” ‘Yes, we are going to Boston to live for awhile, as mother is not very well at the Hall.” ‘* Ah! I shall miss your sweet face coming into town now and then; but good luck to —_—_—_—— = you, Miss Joyce, wherever you may go; but here is your breakfast summons,” and the gallant old landlord offered Ins arm and es- corted the maiden into. the breakfast room. It was indeed a delicious meal, and Joyce could not but enjoy it, for her long ride had given her an appetite, and those were not the days of poor inns, kind reader, for hospitality and Doenty was as general then under the tavern roof, as the private mansion. ‘‘Miss Joyce, there is some surprising news in town,” said the landlord, whom she had asked to be seated near her. ‘“‘I have the failing of my sex, Captain Buntline, and would like to know whatit is.” ‘Well, it seems old Captain West has a new schooner, which he calls the Quecn of the Kennebec, after Madeap Madge Vernon, whom he’s always had a shine to, and it was her first run up, andeverybody admired her, while the crew said she was the fleetest craft afloat. ‘“Now Madcap Madge wanted to go to Boston, they say, and she took the packet down, greatly to the old captain’s delight and he kinder put her in command. ‘“'Well, she was at the wheel the first night out, when a strange sail was sighted, and all on board swore it was the Blue Bell; but that couldn’t be, for Madcap Madge said the Blue Bell had gone to pieces in the storm, “Yet the crew got frightened, and old West, too, and they saw the sloop after them in all haste. ‘“‘Madcap, just like her, wanted to fight ‘em off, but the crew said she was a ghost craft, the specter o’ the Blue Bell, and she just walked up on the Kennebec Gneee in fine shape, ran to windward, grappled, and a gang come aboard that wore masks and long black gowns.” ‘This is a remarkable ‘story, Captain Buntline.” ‘It’s true, Miss Joyce, for the Kennebec Queen passed up last night, and I had it all from West, the crew and the passengers. ‘‘They said three masked fellows wanted Job Jennings, one o’ the meanest men that lives, and they took him, too, along with his goods and baggage, and hung him up to the eak, and then sailed in company with the ennebec Queen. Min she got the captain to try and capture the craft, when they see they wasn’t ghosts on her, and all got ready for the work; but bless you, they didn’t take her, for she went right into the wind’s eye, never fired a shot back, and escaped.” “Strange.” “It was strange, miss, and old West and the crew are nigh crazy about it; but they can't do nothing, and so has to stand it,” ‘* And Madge Vernon, what of her?” ‘They left her in Bosting, Miss Joyce.” Joyce said no more, but pondered over the strange story, and then remarked: ‘“‘. would like to leave in half an hour, Captain Buntline, if you’ll tell my man to have my horse ready, but now I shall go to one or two of the shops.” And Madge left the tavern, attended to her purchases, and then walked back to the Flag Ship. As she was about to mount, who should walk up to her but Madcap Madge. ‘“* Madge!” “Yes, Joyce, itis I, and Iam glad to see rou.” “T intended riding by your house, Madge, for I just heard that terrible story of the Kennebec Queen being attacked by masked pirates.” ‘It isa strange story, Joyce, and a true one; but come, how would you like to sail back with mein my boat and let your ser- vant lead your horse?” “The very thing, for I have much to tell you, Madge.” ‘‘And I have much to tell you, and I have attended to what | came up for, which was to see the old Hermit Sailor—” ‘That fearful old man?” ‘‘He is not as bad they call him, poor old man, and harms no one.’ ‘‘ They say he was a pirate, Madge.’’ ‘Yes, they say a great many unkind things, Joyce; but are you ready?” ‘Yes, as soon as I tell Henry to lead my horse down to your house,” and ten minutes after saw the two maidens in the skiff of Madcap Madge, which was darting merrily over the waters homeward bound. 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