Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 393 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 - Certainly, and I intended to do so when you made a formal demand for my daughter’s hand. ‘*T like you, you come of the best blood in America, you hold a high rank for one of your r age, which I believe is thirty—” f ‘* Just thirty, sir.” hl ‘“‘ You are said to be very rich, and I like you fo as a man, an officer and a prospective son-in- ‘law. ‘*But to get rid of a suitor once, for my daughter’s hand, I told him he could have her when he showed to me he was worth two million = oe OES a .* oO i (oe ‘He asked me if I would make the same pro- hit fe viso with other suitors, and I said yes.” . ‘* Who was he, may I ask?” ‘One by the name of Duluth, and a superb seaman, and a splendid-looking man, refined, educated, but poor. ‘* Did you know aught regarding him?” *¢ Nothing, for I met him in a shipping-office in Hingland when I went to buy or charter a vessel to bring my household goods and servants to America. ‘*T have since written to the shipping mer- chants asking about him. + ‘‘ Their reply was a strange one, for they said ee they had x08 known him, other than that he Ries," shortly before come into their office to ne- - gotiate for a brig he desired to purchase. ‘¢ Hearing my conversation with them, after my departure he had bought my charter from them, and, asa stranger, they had demanded the ie price of the barque to be deposited with them. | ‘This he did, and, furnishing his own crew, took the vessel I had selected to the designated place, while I, seeing him in command, and hav- ing met him in the office of the shipping-mer- chants, I naturally thought that he was one of their captains. : ‘Coming over, he sprung into the sea one night, when a wave bore Queen overboard, and Rie. saved her life, and this naturally made us most ig). friendly toward him. ‘‘ But upon arriving off this coast, one night ” * > ~ i * of storm, we were driven, as I believed, into the ‘bay here, and seeing the fearful dangers we tp: - seemed to have pa through by accident, I determined to make my home here, and accord- 4 ingly, did so. "; But, to my surprise, my young captain told me he had run us into t bay, knowing i mn oat these waters well, and more, he asked me for ‘hee the hand of my daughter, and I told him he ihe should have it when he matched her team | from ~me with a like amount—two million do | ~~ Jars—and I also put the same restriction upon | —s- others; but with you } of course, there will be F ret no difficulty about it.’ + No, Count Delorme, my fortune is more vhs than a match for Miss Delorme’s dowry; but ' ‘have you heard nothing from this strange man ‘+, since uw. , “ Nothing.” ‘¢ What was his name?” ** Bianca Duluth.” ‘¢ A mixture of Spanish and French.” ac Yes.” ” ‘And if I match Miss Delorme’s fortune, _ when she is twenty you will give her to me?” oH rtainly; it is my wish that she shall be Vee your wife.” . a _~ * And Harvey?” © What of him?’ ip ‘‘ He will enter the field as my rival, I am confident.” ‘* He must meet the requirement of two mil- lion dollars.” Then that ends his hopes and aspirations. And now, Count Delorme, after my very _ gatisfactory talk with you, I think it best for _ me to depart, and I will do all in my power to win Miss A pace and feel that success will crown my efforts i 2 e count urged the young officer to continue his visit, but Preble Bainbridge deemed it best BS that he should go, and, after having taken din- ner at the mansion, his coach and four rolled ~ around to the door, and getting — to the elegant _ vehicle, the driver cracked the hip and the if | irited horses set out Gon their return to yee 3 f ‘i “ie ¢ ; Tite A alt at night at a country inn, an early ee start the next morning, and an order to the _ driver to push along, brought them to Biddeford in good time, and where © tae Bainbridge in- - formed ‘his canlivieiaen and footman that he - meant to rest a while. But, after putting up at the village inn, and ordering the best room in it, the young officer received from his host a good saddle-horse, and, with seemingly no idea of fatigue, rode off at a rapid “omen led toward the coast, and, after the village, he took a slip of paper from et and consulted it. \ aoe am right, and I only hope to find him at \ 3 4 ‘the rendezvous,” he muttered, and he urged his horse rapidly on. Ss: ‘Tt was near sunset when he came in sight of ny the coast, and still following certain directions | upon his memoranda, he made his way toward ie _ aninlet, where, mingled with the tree-tops, could “be seen the topmasts of a vessel. H by og Entering the heavy pine forest that lay be- 16 fore him, a mere path led him through it for 1 mp i by ‘@ F 4 “a ie i Wet ey “Fo i, s |. : “ee ‘ ’ half a mile we the shores of which were heavily wooded. n the bank stood a small cabin of logs, and Prin, ar away, moored against the bank, or the water of the inlet was deep, was a clumsy-look- Bs Sat in fact a mein ger of that day. pon the deck were visible half a dozen men, several more were lying upon the pine straw on the bank, and another man was seated in a rus- tic chair before the cabin. This man arose and advanced toward the young officer as he rode up, and a glance at the former was sufficient to recognize the helmsman of the boat which had given chase to Queen Delorme, and been thwarted by Henry Harvey. That the two had met before, was certain from their greeting, and there was surely some strange mystery in this rendezvous between Captain Preble Bainbridge and the kidnappers. CHAPTER XVII. NOTHING TO WIN. “WELL, my man, I am lucky in finding you here, for I feared you might not have arrived,” said Captain Preble Bainbridge, as he joined the man before the cabin, and threw himself from his horse. The one he addressed was the man who had held the helm of the boat which had so hotly pursued Queen Delorme, until one of the oars- men had been killed by ‘the young sailor, when he hadsprung to the oar thus left vacant and continued the chase, He had a hard face, wore his hair and beard cropped close, and both were fiery red, in strange contrast to his dark complexion and black eyes. He was dressed as an ordinary seaman, and looked a villain, and one to be dreaded. In response to Captain Bainbridge, he replied: ** Ah, yes, captain, I saw the plot was ruined, so come to the rendezvous, ‘*T’m sorry, but it wasn’t my fault.” ‘*T heard just how it all neppened, and do not blame you as much as I otherwise would had not Lieutenant Harvey arrived on the scene.’ ‘* He’s a bold one, cap’n, and no mistake, ‘ee it hain’t often you find one man as will tackle five; but then I guess he’s in love with the girl.” ‘“ He never saw her before in his life.” ‘‘Do you mean it, that he did all that from just sheer pluck, to save the girl?” ‘*T do; but give me your version of the affair, so that I can compare the two statements.” ‘* Well, cap’n, we sailed up to the island you suggested, and I might as well tell you just here, not anchor off that island at night, or put foot on it, for the price of my craft.” “Tes oe 7 ‘* Nonsense! do you believe those wild stories they tell on the coast?” ‘* Do they tell stories about it?’ eagerly asked the man. ‘* Yes, they say it is haunted.” ** Well, I didn’t know they said that; but itis.” “‘ Nonsense! you have heard the stor ‘y that a vessel was wrecked there one night in a sterm, and all hands perished, so that they say it is haunted by their spirits? ” ‘No, cap’n. I never was on this coast but once before, for I runs south o’ Boston, to Y ork, and Baltimore; but we all saw a spirit wal'ting one about Sons the trees. ‘**The boys wanted to get up anchor at once, saying no good would come to us; but your fee was a generous one, and I wasn’t to be scar off, and so we remained. “The ghost, or spirit, or spook, whatever it ard be, walked up to a rock and calmly looked tu re Tt was a big man, dressed in his shroud, and his face was that white as a corpse, while he waved his hand for us to get off. ‘*T wouldn’t go, for it was daylight, and I’m only afraid of spooks at night, and then he walked back and disappeared among the trees. Well, cap’n, the men were bringing such a poems on me, that I determined to go in a at to the mansion, and get to see the young lady, and in some way, capture her, for it was pretty near time for you to be on board, as you said, and come out and capture her. “Tt was a nice little plan for you to win her a for we had our pistols loaded only with pow der, to fire on you, and several of the lads ad their orders to play dead and wounded, and when you took the lady from us by force, and escaped to your boat, we were to put to sea. t we watched for your carriage to come Pe the road, right where it borders the shore, and then we saw the lady coming out alone in her skiff. ‘‘ This was our chance, and good luck, so we meant to capture her, and then run in to a small island and wait for your carriage to come in sight, when you could see us, spring out, get in- to one of the fishermen’s skiffs on the shore, and come for us. ‘‘T say it was a fine little plot, cap’n, only it did not work out as we expected, for your car- a: didn’t appear at the set time, and—” No, I broke a spring, and had to stop ata a couple of hours to get it repaired, while, etna not get a horse, or saddle, to come on alone, I was forced to remain there, ‘* This kept me back, and bitterly I cursed my ' : , and he came out upon a sheet of | bad luck; but, as it was, I would have been be- hind the fellow who rescued ber,” said Preble Bainbridge in a fretful tone. **'Yes, and he did in earnest, just what you was payi ying big money to pretend to do, and he pee win the girl, for he’s a likely looking chap, has got more nerve than belongs to one man.” ‘Tt have nothing to say against his nerve, or his good looks; but he shall not have the lady. +4 _** That’s business; but to go on with my story, sir “T started in chase of the girl—” ‘The lady, sir?” ‘As you wish, cap’n, only in my class in life we is not so particular. ‘* But we started after the lady, and she is the best one at the oars I ever saw among her sex, and she led us a merry chase. ‘*But we pushed on, and gained, and we would have caught her, if we hadn't made a mistake in crossing the reef, which I now know she was aiming for us to do, for we'd have knocked the bottom out of our ‘boat, where her light skiff would have skimmed over. ‘* But out came a hail to her from an island, and then there shot into view that plucky young chap in uniform, ‘‘ Now my money is ready to say that he can outrow any man I ever knew, for his skiff just left the water at every pull "he ave, iat he seemed to set it down about two lengths from where he picked it up. ‘** That’s the way it seemed to us, ‘“Then, we saw matters were crowding, he called out to the girl—lady, to luff ship, and he’d take her off, PO js she obeyed, while he raised a rifle and ‘It was my brother he killed, cap’n, and he picked out our strongest man, it looked like. ‘* He shot him clean through the heart, and, with a shriek I will never forget, Brother Sam leaped overboard and went out 0’ sight. But money was what I was working for, pon so I seized Sam’s oars, and we kept on in chase. ‘‘ It was no use, for the young officer had got- ten the lady in his skiff, and he was coming those same pick-up-and-set-down strokes and gained on us, one against four. “T would have forgiven him, if that was all, but he just led us into the same tr ap the gir— lady, had intended, and the boat’s bottom were knocked clean off by the reef, ‘*‘ But we swam to the deserted yacht, and put for our craft, which was coming to meet us, for the lads on board had seen the ghost agatn ‘and so lit out. ‘* Well, cap’n, we had done our duty, and so squared away to come here and await your coming on your way to Boston.” ‘‘ How did you know I was going to Boston?” quickly asked Bainbridge. ‘*T know you, cap’n, though the men don’t.” ‘You know who I am?’ ‘* T do, sir.” “ Who?” ‘You are an officer in the navy and you are a son of the rich old judge they call Prince Bainbridge, on account of his being so immense- ly wealthy.” Preble Bainbridge bit his lips in a vexed way, and he responded. ‘* How did you know this, for it was in New- port that I sought you?” ‘Yes, cap’n, but you are a man toremember, when seen once, and I had caught sight of you several times when in Boston, and asked who you were.” ** Well, I suppose there is no use denying my identity ; but the others must not know, and it: will p ay you to keep the secret. N rf! let me say ‘and "i ae brought the bal- ance of your money, and I wi ou, thou our little plot failed.” af atas eb ‘Thank you, sir.” “And I wish your further services.” ‘*T am ready, sir.” “You should have a better that old tub.” ‘‘Cap’n, looks are often deceiving, and you never saw it demonsti ated more than that craft can do it, ‘*She looks homelv, and I admit she hasn’t got much beauty about her; but I never saw a craft that could beat her on any point of Pui ing, and she walks right away from the New York and Boston Pilot Boats.” “Then she does belie her looks: but I wish to win when I have made up my mind to do so, and I wish you to help me. ‘‘ Now I wish no harm to my rival, as I fee] that wT Le be officer who killed your poor brother, but I do not intend that he shall run oP with my lady-love. ‘*T will watch matters awhile, and if things look serious, 1. wish you to kidnap him and keep him out of sight until the lady is my wife, and then you can let him go: but it must be done upon the plea of mistaking him for some one else, so that I can never be suspected,” a Heep ag cap’n.” ow much does your coastin oe Sa y g cost you a, ‘Well, cap’n, for reguiar work I only have Sailing-vessel than EOMMEHOOK ae