Part 22 (1/2)
Tom, in his surly moments, is exquisitely cruel; but Nelly's devotion is unaffected Her vanity led her to flaunt her gaudy hat in the hut Toayest shi+rts hi the hat and all the newly-acquired finery Nelly struck back, and To and ablaze with fury, threw--at the cost of burnt fingers--a handful of hot sand and ashes into her face From Tom's point of vieas a splendid feat--one of those bold and effective master-strokes that only a ready and determined sportsman could conceive and on the instant carry into effect Nelly's eyes were closed for weeks--well-nigh for ever--and the skin peeled off her face; but she consented to the cruel punishony, and won Toood temper and tolerance of her vanity by all sorts of happy concessions
How rief has been so sore that she has torn her hair out by the roots in frenzy and stamped upon it; but Tom, surly and i master, and in their oay they are devoted to one another
The roughest cross Nelly was called upon to bear was the presence of To and ho is to be told
News came from Lucinda Point to Clump Point--passed from one to another--that Tom's half-brother (a purely fictional relationshi+p) had died, leaving a youngAccording to Tohtful heir The as all that his half-brother had left that was of the slightest consequence
To the circuht personally lay claim to his inheritance Reminded that he had one wife, he frankly declared in Nelly's presence, and she seeood; but that the other one was a ”good fella” in every respect, even to washi+ng plates and scrubbing floors
His holiday was granted He went aith es of raihtly coloured, and weapons--booreat wooden sword, a shi+eld decorated with a co new tomahawk
So he departed, with Nelly's best wishes, and full of hope and expectation, pro to return in teeks
Two ed, lean scarecrow of a black boy--without a hat, unshaven, without a blanket, and even destitute of a pipe, clambered over the side of the steamer, and dropped into the boat without a word It was Tom!
In shreds and patches the history of his experience was related He had arrived at Lucinda, had charmed ”Little Jinny” with his manly presence and spruceness and the amount of his personal property, supplemented by the display and free bestowal of Nelly's choicest finery, and had, as a ht for her He had been beaten, terribly beaten One ear had been viciously ” (a subsequent combat removed all trace of this mark), and he showed thefailed in the stand-up fight, he had resorted to stratage, even to that last vestige of independence--his pipe
We knew that he had been hard pressed, for on going gaily away he had volunteered to bring a fat young pig from one of the wild herds of Hinchinbrook, and he ca--how fat and very young it was--even to this day He came with his life--that was all, and a threadbare sort of life it was at that
Several months went by--a black boy recovers condition in a day or two as does a starved dog--and Toets, never swerves fro-beetle
Another leave of absence was granted A second raid wasbailer shells Elated, freshly shaved and s, he was a different sort from the individual who had shamefacedly slipped over the side of the stea but life
He said he would be back in teeks, and to the day he appeared His youthful third wife he handed down into the boat, and the boat was full of their luggage Ah, that desolated ca lady's trousseau was coht, and the bride and the spoils were his
Poor Nelly! She welcoave her a dress and a second-best hat Life for a couple of days at the ca, and turned Nelly out of the hut She built a separate establishrass on bent sticks, and in it she wept and upbraided, and fired up frequently under the torments of jealousy
Shrill squabbles were of daily occurrence, until the great Peacerieved than Nelly!
Will the title bear a feords as to Tom the hunter? Was ever a keener, a more patient, a more self-possessed, and consequently a more successful, sportsman? He it ho, from a cranky punt (no white man would venture out to sea in such a craft,) at three o'clock one windy afternoon, harpooned an immense bull-turtle, which towed hi steaa, overcaht,” and towed it back to the beach, landing after thirteen hours' continuous work To breeze and with a turtle diving and tugging, when he ht have cut the line at any moment and paddled home comfortably
He is asround a swaying li out a ”bee nest,” as in a frail bark canoe a the sharks on the skirts of a shoal of bonito
As we neared the beach one day a big sea-mullet came into view Without a mo the oar as a spear, hit the slippery fish with such precision and force as to impale it He will harpoon a turtle as it rushes away from the boat, 5 feet beneath the surface, with the coolness of a billiard-player, and with unerring accuracy ”taking off” for the speed of the boat and the refraction of the water All the ways and habits of fish, and their favourite feeding-grounds, are to hiroper, more voracious and bolder than usual, followed a safely-hooked perch fro As the struggling fish splashed on the surface the groper, abandoning its illegitimate prey, swerved swiftly doards The retreat was a second too late, for Toh the fish appeared through a fatho, contorted shadow, he reached it The barbed point passed through it, carrying a foot or two of the line, and a 30-pounder was added to our catch at one stroke and without a tremor of excite and 4 feet wide--6 s, a cat, blankets for the crowd, and all the frowsy miscellanea of a black's camp It was not a boatload that landed on the beach: it was a procession But Too to sea on a chip His skill as a sailor of sely a --”Subpose big seas coht Subpose come to--look out!”
”LITTLE JINNY”
In Life and In Death
She was called ”Little Jinny” to distinguish her froood-natured, giggling creature who laughs perpetually and grows ever fatter There was nothing in common between the two Indeed they frequently had differences, for ”Jinny”
proper is industrious, obliging, cheerful, and full of fun, while she, ”Little Jinny,” was silent, sulky, and ever averse from toil