The Boy Captain of the Black Swallow — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

14 in the centre of the town, and Bissey keeping on past the inn. Here he stopped, and entered the tap-room, and after staying a few minutes came out, accompanied by three men. The four took their way along the street, beyond its termination, where it continued by a rough path along the curve of the beach, which led towards the solitary store and dock where Arthur had seen the schooner secretly loading. _.Arthur, after leaving Thurrel, proceeded past the inn to the skiff, though not without casting lingering looks at the window of Letty’s apart- ment, in the hope of catching a glance of her light figure throvgh the curtains. But he was not rewarded with a sight of her, and went on down to the landing, happy with the hope of seeing her again the next day. He was filled, too, with indignation as he thought of what had just passed, that so lawless a personas Thurrel should have presumed to fix his thoughts upon her. He had never heard of or suspected his regard for her. to notice the young man sufficiently to speak of him to Arthur ; and perhaps, too, prudence had restrained her, knowing that it might possibly lead to « collision, in which Arthur’s life would be endangered. Undecided whether he should speak to Letty or not upen the subject, he was just about stepping into his boat, when he saw that it was occupied. The man at the same moment stood up, and Arthur recognised the faithful black, Jerry, “ Ab, massa, I berry glad to see you !” “ What are you doing here, Jerry? I thought you were at the cove. Have you come up to try to sell the fish you have caught to-day ?” “Yes, massa, you funny, Fresh-water fish be plenty in Bath as blackberries in the bush. ped eer ‘em in de garden, mako parsnip grow ig. “Then what are you in townfor? Has any- thing happened at home ?” “Bress you, no, massa. the old man.” “ Hasn't my father yet gone home ?” “No; he dead drunk in de taproom.” “Then you must go with me and help me bring him to the skiff. I can’t leave him here, My poor father!” * Yis, he berry much ’toxicated in liquor— berry much so. But I take him home in my skiff, massa. Miss Letty want you.” “Want me ?” “ How you jumps, massa—jis’ as if you trod ona toadden. Yis,I was tryin’ to get the old man out, when she came in and look at me sharp out of her bright eye, and den ax me if I know where you be. skiff was at de landing,’cos I see it. Den she say she take care ob de old man, and tell me go down and set init and wait till you comes, and den tell you she want to see you quick as you could come right orf at onct.” “Why didn’t you tell me sooner ?” ‘Massa ax nigger 50 many multitudousnum kwestion dat he no possible tell ’em quicker.” Arthur did not wait to hear any further, but telling Jerry to follow him, hastened to the inn. I came up to find Letty had not condescended | I tell her no, dat your: THE BOY CAPTAIN OF THE “ BLACK SWALLOW,” ——~ . _- He first went into the taproom, a large ground- floor apartment, which, in the days when the whole edifice had been a distillery, was used as agranary. The rafters were so low that a tall man could not walk upright with his hat on, The room was about twenty-eight feet long by sixteen wide, the sides lined with low, wooden benches between the windows. At the northern end, on the right of the doorway, was a counter eailed “the bar.” It was marked with the prints of sticky tumblers, numbers of which were standing upon it, drained to the sugar of the “grog” they had contained. A sugar puncher anda “stirrer” of wood, shaped lke a pestle, lay by them, At one end of the counter was a plate of short pipes, and at the other a box of eigare— long nines, or Marbichead Spanish. A jar of Maccaboy snuff had an honourable place near the cigar-box. Behind the bar stood, as Arthur entered, “Sir Archy” himself, like a monarch upon his throne. His head was encircled with wreaths of smoke. His bald head was covered with a blue-cotton cap, and his eapacious upper half was clad in a green-baize jacket, Hewore also lenthern breeches, for long trousers hag not then been introduced. His face wore an expression of good humour and jollity, com- bined with a shrewd, money-getting look out of his twinkling grey eyes. Behind * Sir Archy” were sundry shelves, containing bottles, de- cauters, small kegs labelled with the names of spirits, a half-keg of pig-tail tobacco, and a huge mass of “ fig,” as tobacco packed in drums like figs was denominated, In the centre of this display, against a beam, hung a lamp, which shed its lustre dimly through the smoky room, where at least a dozen rough, seafaring-looking men and fishermen, with a few town loafers, were gmoking upon the settees ranged along the walls. Upon one of these settees, stretched at his length, Arthur beheld the large, heavy frame of his inebriated father. “ Ah, Master Arthur,” said Adam, smiling and nodding, as he recognised him. “ Glad to see you, Stand back, some of you, and let me get a look at aman, when [ talk to him,” he said, to three or four ragged gentry in long skirts and with a shabby-genteel look, that were lounging about the counter. ‘ It ain’t often you give us a call. What will you take, master ?’ and Sir Arehy adroitly turned up a tumbler and balanced it upon his palm, “J drink nothing, sir. There is my father. Can a son drink with auch a sad spectacle before him ? I should be greatly obliged to you, Mr. Linn, if you would never give him anything again.” “Bless you, Arthur, boy, I have refused giv- ing him anything for a month past. The boys, you see, treat him, and I can’t say nay.” “ Arthur,” said the soft voice of Letty, through a half-opened door, that led from the taproom upstairs. “Jerry, bear my father to the skiff,’ he said, turning to the negro. “I will soon follow ou.” With these words, he crossed the room and oO Comichboo S (©)