Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"I shall sit up all night watching for you," declared Miss Jansell untruthfully. In this cheerful fashion the conversation proceeded, the girl, who was by no means insensible to his bright eager face and well-knit figure, dividing her time in the ratio of three parts to her book and one to him.
"What do you want to be took back to be killed for?" interposed one of the men judicially. "I might ha' known what he meant when he said I brightened the cabin up," said Mrs. Jansell; "and when he said he thought me and my daughter were sisters. He said he'd like me to sit there always, the wretch!" "Did you say that?" inquired the skipper fiercely.
Jansell, the skipper, nor the men, who were all listening eagerly, caught it, and his unfortunate victim, accepting the inevitable, walked to the side of the ship and gazed disconsolately astern. It was not until the following morning that the mate, who had received orders to mess for'ard, saw her, and ignoring the fact that everybody suspended work to listen, walked up and bade her good morning.
Time passed all too soon for the mate, when they were interrupted by a series of hoarse unintelligible roars proceeding from the schooner's cabin. "That's father," said Miss Jansell, rising with a celerity which spoke well for the discipline maintained on the Aquila; "he wants me to mend his waistcoat for him."
Left alone, the mate, who was of a sensitive disposition, after a curt nod to Captain Jansell of the schooner Aquila, who had heard of the disaster, and was disposed to be sympathetically inquisitive, lit his pipe and began moodily to smoke. When he next looked up the old man had disappeared, and a girl in a print dress and a large straw hat sat in a wicker chair reading.
"You villain!" she screamed excitably, rushing up to the mate. "Take me back; take me back!" "What's all this, Harry?" demanded the skipper sternly. "He he he asked me to go into the cab cabin," sobbed Mrs. Jansell, "and sent me to sleep, and too too took me away. My husband'll kill me; I know he will. Take me back."
"He would come," said Mrs. Jansell. "Hush! here comes your father." The master of the Aquila came on deck as she spoke, and walking slowly up to the group, stood sternly regarding them. Under his gaze the mate breathlessly reeled off his tale, noticing with somewhat mixed feelings the widening grin of his listener as he proceeded.
Jansell laughed, and the mate, having succeeded beyond his hopes in the establishment of amicable relations, went about his duties with a light heart. By the time they reached Boston the morning was far advanced, and after the Gem was comfortably berthed he obtained permission of the skipper to accompany the fair passenger to London, beguiling the long railway journey by every means in his power.
The deck clear, the mate began, and in a long rambling statement, which Mrs. Jansell at first thought the ravings of lunacy, acquainted her with the real state of his feelings. "I never did!" said she, when he had finished. "Never! Why, you hadn't seen her before yesterday." "Of course I shall take you back by train," said the mate, "and tell your husband how sorry I am."
"Take me back," wailed Mrs. Jansell; "you don't know how jealous my husband is." "He won't hurt you," said the skipper kindly "he won't be jealous of a woman your time o' life; that is, not if he's got any sense. You'll have to go as far as Boston with us now. I've lost too much time already to go back." "You must take me back," said Mrs. Jansell passionately.
Word Of The Day