Fred Fearnot's New Ranch: and How He and Terry Managed It — John Shaqi
Fred Fearnot's New Ranch: and How He and Terry Managed ItShackleford, H. K. (Harvey King)
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Fred Fearnot's New Ranch: and How He and Terry Managed It
Shackleford, H. K. (Harvey King)
Adventure stories; Ranch life -- Juvenile fiction; Young men -- Juvenile fiction
"Thank you, sir; but I never smoke."
"Well you will excuse me, then, if I indulge."
"Certainly, sir; certainly." So he retired to the further side of the
deck and lit a cigar by using a match made in Sweden which the fiercest
wind cannot extinguish.
Then he began puffing furiously.
The girl squeezed Fred's arm and said:
"Just watch him. You'll see him slipping back to his room pretty soon.
He's no sailor."
"Well," said Fred, "you seem to be a pretty good mariner."
"Yes; if you have any suspicions that I will retreat, just stick to me."
"All right, I'll keep an eye on you, for you are beautiful to look at,
if you will pardon the liberty of expression."
"Mr. Fearnot, did you ever see a girl who didn't like such expressions?"
"Yes, I saw one once when she was struggling with an attack of mal de
mer, and she had to yield to its effect in the presence of all the
crowd, for there was no place for retreat for her. We were returning
from Coney Island. The young man who was acting as her escort thought
that he would compliment her by mentioning that she was the most
beautiful girl on the ship. She thought it was spoken sarcastically, for
she couldn't conceive how a seasick girl could be beautiful, and then
just at that time she was disgorging the dinner which she had eaten an
hour or two before, so she turned on him and gave him a pretty sharp
rebuke."
Miss Elon laughed heartily at the story, and said:
"Well, I don't blame her, for a girl thinks at such a time as that she
looks as ugly as she feels, even if she don't. Now, Mr. Fearnot," she
continued, "will you please go back and bring me another dose of that
acid phosphate?"
"Certainly, certainly!" and he hurried back to his cabin and returned
with the glass with the phosphate in it. Filling the glass with water,
he presented it to her and suggested that she take only half the dose.
"All or nothing," she laughed, and swallowed the contents of the glass.
She returned the glass to Fred with thanks, and he took it back to his
cabin and took a dose himself.
To his astonishment the girl kept her feet admirably, and even when
supper was announced she looked up at him and said:
"Mr. Fearnot, father and mother and sister have all retired. Will you
take me down to supper?"
"With the greatest of pleasure," he replied, with a smile. "You are a
strong, brave girl, and you must pardon me if I give utterance to my
admiration."
"Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Fearnot," and, taking his arm, she
accompanied him down into the dining-room, where she was the only lady
passenger present.
She ate rather a light supper, and so did Fred. The meal over, they went
back up on deck, for all people when seasick want to be out in the fresh
air, and if the wind blows strong and cold they are all the better for
it.
Of course, the air wasn't cold at that season of the year, but the wind
blew fresh and strong from over the sea.
They walked about on the deck until ten o'clock, and then she said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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