_Yellow Fever and Love-making._
The succeeding three days passed most happily with me. I grew more and
more in love with Ellen. We visited all the places of note in the
neighborhood of the town, and were even projecting an excursion to
Havana in the steamboat, when an event occurred that came very near
sending me on a much longer voyage. One afternoon, while waiting for
Captain Smith with Langley at the United States Cafe, I was suddenly
taken with a distracting pain through my temples, though just
previously I had felt as well as ever in my life. The agony increased,
and Langley, to whom I complained, began to be frightened, when
luckily Captain Smith arrived, who, upon looking at me, and hearing
Langley's account of the matter, immediately called a volante, put me
aboard, and drove to Mr. Stowe's house. During the ride I grew worse
and worse every moment; the jolting of the carriage almost killed me,
and by the time we had arrived at our destination I was nearly crazy.
I just remember of being lifted out of the volante, and of seeing the
pale, anxious face of Ellen somewhere--and I knew no more of the
matter until some sixty hours afterward, one fine morning, when I all
at once opened my eyes, and found myself flat on my back, weak as a
cat, and my head done up in plaintain-leaves and wet towels. I heard
low conversation and the rattle of dice, and casting my eyes toward
the verandah, from whence the noise proceeded, I perceived Langley and
Mary Stowe very composedly engaged in a game of backgammon. Ellen sat
by the jalousie, just within the room, looking very pale, and with a
book in her hand, which I judged by the appearance to be a
prayer-book. I felt very weak, but perfectly happy, and not being
disposed to talk, lay entirely still, enjoying the delicious languor
which I felt, and the cool breeze which entered freely from the
blinded windows, and listened to the conversation of my friends.
"Come, come, Ellen," said Mary, looking up from the board, "don't look
so wobegone--'t is your throw, William--Frank is doing well enough
now. The doctor says that when he wakes he will be entirely out of
danger, and free from pain. Psha! Will, you take me up. I don't see,
my dear, why you should take so much more interest than any one
else--is it not ridiculous, William?"
"Perfectly so," replied Langley--"double sixes, by the Lord!--two of
'em, three, four. Now Frank is my shipmate, and, in the main, a
tolerable decent fellow; but he isn't worth shedding so many tears
about."
"Why, William!" exclaimed Ellen, "you know that you cried like a baby
yourself night before last, when he was so very sick."
"Ahem! so I did; but I was so vexed to see our pleasant party to
Havana was broken up. Frank was very ill-natured to fall sick just at
that time--I'll flog him for it when he gets well."
"You can't do it, Bill Langley," cried I, as loudly as possible, for
the first time taking a part in the conversation.
The trio started to their feet at this unexpected display of my
colloquial powers; down went backgammon-board, men, dice, prayer-book,
and all upon the floor.
"Hillo! Frank!" cried Langley, ranging alongside the bed, "how do you
find yourself by this time, my little dear?"
"Perfectly well, only very weak."
"Does your head ache now, Frank?" asked Mary, laying her soft hand
upon my forehead.
"Not a bit, only I've got most confounded sore hair."
"Eh! my lad, they talked of leaving you no hair at all," cried Bill,
"they thought one spell of shaving your head. Egad! you'd have looked
like a bald eagle!"
"Why, what has been the matter with me?" I asked.
"Matter with you! why, man, you have had the yellowest kind of a
fever. Touch and go, it was; but you're worth ten dead men this
morning."
Ellen during this conversation had left the room, and now returned
with her father and the physician, who had called with Captain Smith.
I was pronounced in a fair way of speedy recovery. Everybody was very
glad, but I noticed that Ellen said nothing; indeed, instead of being
overjoyed like my good skipper or Langley, she had to wipe the tears
from her eyes.
"Frank," said Langley, when I was finally left alone with that worthy
gentleman, "how little Nell did pipe her eye the other night, when we
were all so fearful you were going to slip your wind; and just between
you and I and the main-mast, I'm walking into her sister's young
affections just as the monkey went up the back-stay, hand over hand.
_Pre_haps she aint a darling. I've been writing a piece of poetry
about her, don't you want to hear it?"
"Oh! be off with your nonsense--I wish to go to sleep."
"Well, go to sleep, and be--cured, you unfeeling wretch;" and Mr.
Langley, in a huff, walked out on the verandah, and began to smoke.
Under the kind care of my good friends I grew rapidly better, and at
the end of a week was entirely well; but still I enjoyed the society
of Ellen so much, that whenever the skipper called upon me, I feigned
myself too weak to go to my duty, and pleaded that Langley might stay
ashore to take care of me. Captain Smith, though not deceived by this
artifice, granted us liberty from day to day; and Bill and I were the
two happiest fellows in the world. But there is an end to every thing.
One day while sitting in the back verandah with Ellen, her father and
mother, in rushed the skipper, in great glee, rubbing his hands.
"Good morning, all hands!" cried he. "How are you, Frank?"
"Oh! I'm not quite so well this morning," I replied, telling a
bouncer.
"Well, sir, I've got some news that'll do you as much good as the
whole stock in trade of an apothecary taken at one dose. Let's see,
to-day is Wednesday, and Friday evening, if good weather for our
little plans to work, we shall sail for Boston."
"For Boston!" cried everybody.
"Yes, for Boston! You see, Stowe, Mr. Byrne has heard how dull
freights are here, and I have just got a letter from him by Gidding's,
of the Duxbury, just arrived, in which he says--or I'll read that
part--hum--let's see--oh--'if you have not already engaged a freight,
you will immediately sail for Boston. I have an excellent opportunity
to charter the Gentile for a China voyage; and I suppose you had as
lief go to India again as to Russia.' Bless me if I hadn't! So, my
dear fellow, if any of those higgling shippers apply to you, tell 'em
to go to the devil with their ha'penny freights. Come, ride down
street with me; Gidding's has some letters for you. Good morning, Miss
Ellen! Morning, Frank! get well mighty fast, for we must use you a
little, you know; and see Langley, and tell him to go aboard
immediately after dinner."
"Ay, ay, sir. Come, Ellen, let's walk into the garden and find William
and Mary."
We were very soon in the garden, sauntering along a little alley
shaded by orange trees.
"It seems to me," said Ellen, half pouting, "that you are mightily
pleased about sailing next Friday, instead of staying in Matanzas a
week longer."
"Why, yes," I replied, "I must say that I am glad to go home, after an
absence of eighteen months."
"I wish I was going to dear old Boston," added Ellen, sighing.
"You are to go this fall, you know."
"Maybe so; but then, Frank, you will not be there, will you?"
"Why, no," I replied, "not if I go with the ship to India; but what
difference will that make?"
Ellen made no answer, and I began to feel rather queer, and
marvelously inclined to make love. I had always liked Ellen very much,
and lately better than ever, but, being a novice in such matters, I
was in doubt whether my predilection was really _bona fide_ love or
not; it didn't seem like the love I had read about in novels; and yet
I felt very miserable at the idea of Ellen's loving anybody else. I
was in a desperate quandary.
"Well," said Ellen, after the lapse of a quarter of an hour, "pray
what can be the subject of your thoughts?"
I am frank by nature as well as by name; and so, turning to my fair
inquisitor, I said, "you know, Ellen, that I am very young yet."
"Yes, Frank."
"And that people at my age very often do not know their own minds."
"Yes, Frank."
"Well, Ellen, I think _now_ that I love you very dearly; and if I were
five years older, and felt as I now do, and you were willing, I would
marry you right away; but I am young, and may be deceived, and so may
deceive you. Now, Ellen, if I should ask you if you loved me, would
you tell me?"
"Yes, Frank," said Ellen, very faintly.
"And do you?" I asked; and, like Brutus, paused for a reply.
"Yes, Frank, I like you very much."
"Is that all? _Like_, is a very cold word. Do you love me?"
"Yes, Frank," whispered Ellen, leaning her forehead against my
shoulder. "I _think_ I do; _you_ wouldn't say any more than that."
"That is all I wish you to say, my dear little girl," I replied,
kissing her white neck and shoulders; "now then, listen. I shall
return from India in about two years time, if then we are both of the
same mind as now, we will begin to talk about the wedding-day. What do
you say to that?"
"Yes, dear Frank."
"Thank you, dearest; now look up one minute."
The reader, if he pleases, may supply in this place a few
interjectional kisses from his imagination.
With my arm around Ellen's slender waist, we walked down the shady
alleys of the garden in search of Langley and Mary, but for a while
were unsuccessful; at last I caught a sight of Mary's white dress in a
distant arbor. We approached the bower unperceived by its occupants,
and were upon the point of entering, but we luckily discovered in time
that we should be altogether _de trop_. Langley was on his knees
before the coquettish Mary, making love in his most grandiloquent
style.
"Most adorable creature," quoth my romantic shipmate, thumping his
right side, "you lacerate my heart by your obdurate cruelty!"
"Get up off your knees, you foolish boy," answered the mischievous
girl; "you will certainly stain the knees of your white trowsers."
"Oh! divine goddess! hear me!" persisted my chum, magnanimously
disregarding the welfare of his unwhisperables in the present crisis.
"You idolatrous sailor remember the first commandment."
"The devil fly away with the first commandment!" cried poor Langley,
sorely vexed. "Most lovely of human beings," he continued with a deep
groan, which he intended to be a pathetic sigh, "my heart is on fire."
"May be you've got the fever, William," suggested Mary; "are you in
_much_ pain?"
"Yes, great pain," said Bill, with another heart-rending groan.
"Well, then, rise, I insist--Lord! if anybody should catch us in this
predicament!"
"Hadn't we better go away?" whispered Ellen, blushing for her sister's
sake.
"No, no," I replied, "let's stay and see the fun."
"Not till I persuade you to relent," replied Langley to Mary's
oft-repeated request.
"Yes you will. Get up off your knees immediately, or I vow I'll box
your ears."
"Strike!" cried Langley, with a theatrical air and tone, at the same
time unbuttoning his vest, "strike! and wound the heart which beats
for you alone!"
_Slap_--came Mary's delicate hand across the cheek of her disconsolate
lover, with a force which brought an involuntary "ouch!" from his
lips. "Get up, I say!" _Whack_--_slap_--came two more blows, first on
one side of his head and then on the other.
"By G----d! madam!" sputtered Langley, rising in a rage, "I wish you
were a man for half a minute."
"Why," said Mary, "in that case you couldn't make love to me with any
sort of propriety. Hold, hold, Willy, dear! don't go off angry; sit
down here, I insist; nay, now, I'll box your ears again if you don't
obey me; there, you'll feel perfectly cool in a moment. For shame!
Bill, to get angry at a love-tap from a lady!"
"Love-tap, indeed," muttered Langley, rubbing his cheek. "See where
your confounded ring scratched my face."
"Did it? Oh! I'm so sorry!" said Mary. "Hold here, while I kiss the
place to make it well; there now, don't it feel much better? See! I've
got my lips all blood, haven't I? Shall I wipe it off with my
handkerchief, or--"
Langley took the hint and kissed the rich ripe lips of his lovely
companion, red with nothing but her own warm blood.
"By Jupiter!" cried my shipmate, "Mary, you are the strangest girl I
ever saw. One minute I think you love me, the next that you care
nothing at all for me; one minute the most teasing little devil, and
the next the dearest creature in all the world."
"What am I now?" asked Mary.
"You are the most angelic, adorable--"
"Take care, sir," cried Mary, shaking her finger; "don't have a
relapse, or you'll catch it again."
"Well, what shall I say then?" demanded poor Bill, in despair; "you
are as hard to please as the skipper of a mud-scow."
"Talk sensibly if you wish, but don't indulge in such lofty flights,
unless you have a mind to soar out of hearing. Now, then, Will, what
were you about to say?"
"This," said my shipmate, taking the hand of his charming companion,
and speaking like a frank, manly fellow, as he really was, "this, dear
Mary, that I love you heartily and truly, and have loved you ever
since we were children. At present I am a poor seaman, but I hope in a
few years to rise in my profession, till I am able to support a wife
in the style to which you have been accustomed, if then you will give
me your hand I shall be more happy than I can express. Now, don't
tease me any longer, but tell me if I have any chance."
Mary's coquettish air was gone. While Langley had been speaking her
face became suffused with a charming blush, which extended even to her
heaving bosom, and when he finished she raised her eyes, bright and
tearful, to his. "William," said she, "you have spoken candidly,
without doubt, and deserve a candid answer. If when you become the
mate of a ship you are willing to be burthened with me for a wife,
dear Will, you can doubtless have me by asking papa."
"Come, Ellen," said I, "let's go now."