Fred Fearnot's New Ranch Read online

great deal aboutyou, but you are much younger than I expected to find you."

  "Oh, I'm a kid yet," he laughed, and Terry proceeded to amuse them withsome funny stories.

  The elder of the two Creoles remarked that she was very fond of the sea.

  "Do you ever get seasick?" Terry asked.

  "No; do you?"

  "Yes, every time I get out on blue water I have to pay tribute to oldKing Neptune. I've done my best to make friends with him, but I alwaysfail. He will have his joke with me."

  "Ladies," remarked Fred, "if you want something to laugh at until youreach New Orleans just manage to see Olcott when he is seasick."

  "Why, what is funny about it?"

  "I can't tell you. He makes funny remarks and queer noises."

  Evelyn laughed and said:

  "Yes, he expresses opinions about old Father Neptune that I think hereally ought to be ashamed of."

  "Don't you get seasick?"

  "Not unless the water is rough and the waves come rolling high, and thenI have to retire to my stateroom for at least twenty-four hours; thenI'm all right for the rest of the voyage, even if it extends all aroundthe world."

  As they were rounding Sandy Hook a great many of the passengers soughtthe seclusion of their staterooms and cabins, for the waves were rollingvery actively.

  Evelyn and the two Creole girls, whose name was Elon, remained on decklonger than any of the lady passengers on board.

  By and by Evelyn and the younger of the two Elon sisters retired totheir rooms.

  The elder one laughed and said to Fred:

  "Mr. Fearnot, we two seem to be on quite good terms with the old man ofthe sea."

  "Yes," returned Fred. "When I made up my mind to go South by water Ibegan to make preparations to remain on good terms with Father Neptune.

  "Why, how in the world did you manage to do that?"

  "Why, don't you know a remedy for seasickness, or a pallative, atleast?"

  "Why, no, indeed. What is it? I have never heard of any except lemons."

  "Well, lemons are very good, and will be effective if you tackle themtwenty-four hours or more before beginning the voyage. I have a bottleof acid phosphate in my room, and a teaspoonful in half a glass of watersoon equips one in such a manner that he can resist the effects of themotion of the ship."

  "Oh, my! will you give me a drink of it? I'm not at all seasick, but ifthe water gets any rougher I will be."

  "Certainly," and Fred went to his room and soon returned with a glasswith about two teaspoonfuls of acid phosphate in it. He went to thewater cooler, filled the glass with cold water and presented it to theyoung lady.

  "Drink about half of it," said he, "and in twenty or thirty minutesdrink the other half."

  She took the glass, tipped it up and drained every drop of its contents.

  "By George," said he, "you took a good dose."

  "Oh, I'm used to drinking phosphates; but never heard of it as anantidote for seasickness before. Have you had a drink of it?"

  "Oh, yes; I've had two drinks since I left the wharf."

  He took the glass to his room, and when he came out he tendered his armsto the girl and went promenading up and down the deck.

  Her father went to her and asked her if she felt any seasickness.

  "No, father," said she, "not the least bit. This gentleman is Mr.Fearnot, the famous athlete."

  "Well, well, well! I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Fearnot. I heard of youseveral times when you were in New Orleans. What's become of your friendOlcott?"

  "Oh, he's on board, and so is his sister Evelyn."

  "Well, I'd like to meet him and his sister," said the old gentleman.

  "Father," said his daughter, "she is just the sweetest and prettiestgirl you ever saw in your life. I met her when we first came on board,but as the sea was a little too rough for her she had to retire to herroom, and I hardly think that we will have the pleasure of seeing heragain before tomorrow. Mr. Olcott, her brother, Mr. Fearnot tells me, isan awful victim to seasickness, and that he says and does funny thingswhile old Neptune has a grip on him."

  Then she suddenly asked her father how her mother was.

  "Oh, she is in her room actually groaning and making believe that she isgoing to die."

  "Oh, she does that every time she sails," and the girl laughed merrily.

  Mr. Elon remained with her and Fred for at least a half hour. Then hedrew a package of cigars from his pocket said tendered one to Fred.

  "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 thedeck and lit a cigar by using a match made in Sweden which the fiercestwind 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 demer, and she had to yield to its effect in the presence of all thecrowd, for there was no place for retreat for her. We were returningfrom Coney Island. The young man who was acting as her escort thoughtthat he would compliment her by mentioning that she was the mostbeautiful girl on the ship. She thought it was spoken sarcastically, forshe couldn't conceive how a seasick girl could be beautiful, and thenjust at that time she was disgorging the dinner which she had eaten anhour or two before, so she turned on him and gave him a pretty sharprebuke."

  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 shelooks as ugly as she feels, even if she don't. Now, Mr. Fearnot," shecontinued, "will you please go back and bring me another dose of thatacid phosphate?"

  "Certainly, certainly!" and he hurried back to his cabin and returnedwith 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 hiscabin and took a dose himself.

  To his astonishment the girl kept her feet admirably, and even whensupper was announced she looked up at him and said:

  "Mr. Fearnot, father and mother and sister have all retired. Will youtake me down to supper?"

  "With the greatest of pleasure," he replied, with a smile. "You are astrong, brave girl, and you must pardon me if I give utterance to myadmiration."

  "Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Fearnot," and, taking his arm, sheaccompanied him down into the dining-room, where she was the only ladypassenger present.

  She ate rather a light supper, and so did Fred. The meal over, they wentback up on deck, for all people when seasick want to be out in the freshair, and if the wind blows strong and cold they are all the better forit.

  Of course, the air wasn't cold at that season of the year, but the windblew fresh and strong from over the sea.

  They walked about on the deck until ten o'clock, and then she said:

  "Mr. Fearnot, you will excuse me if I retire."

  "All right," said he, "but tell me, do you feel the least bit seasick?"

  "No, indeed. I did expect to be, but that acid phosphate seemed to havebeen the very thing for me, and I thank you heartily for suggesting itto me."

  "Perhaps you had better take another dose before retiring. You may needsome, too, through the night; so you may take the bottle to the cabinwith you," and he got it and placed it in her hand.

  The next morning the passengers came stragglin
g into the breakfast-room,some looking very pale and wearied; but the elder Miss Elon cametripping down the stairs like a sparrow.

  While she and Fred were at the table her sister and Evelyn came intogether.

  Fred sprang up to accompany them to seats.

  "How are you feeling, dear?" Fred inquired.

  "Fred, I confess I haven't gotten over old Neptune's slap yet. Did heworry you any?"

  "Not the least," and then he told her about Miss Elon's sister.

  The younger Miss Elon was sitting alongside of Evelyn and remarked:

  "Oh, Josephine never gets seasick."

  "So I found out last night," replied Fred, "for we promenaded the deckuntil ten o'clock. She drank pretty freely of acid phosphate, and thatremoved the feeling entirely."

  "Oh, my, Fred! Why didn't you offer me some of it?"

  "I did for two days before we came aboard, but you refused to take it."

  "Yes, but I didn't need it then."

  "Well, that is the time when you should have taken it. I see you arelooking a little pale yet, and it isn't too late to brace up with a doseof it now, but Miss Josephine has the bottle in her cabin."

  "Yes," said her sister; "she gave me a dose of it, too, and, Mr.Fearnot, I wish you could have heard the many kind things she said aboutyou. It's a wonder your ears didn't tingle."

  "Well, well, well! Now I know why my ears did tingle so last night. I amglad I know what caused it."

  Evelyn laughed with Miss Elon and remarked:

  "He is good at that sort of thing."

  The breakfast set the girls all right, and they went up on deck andpromenaded until many other ladies appeared, some of them still showingthe effects of seasickness, but by noon they were all out, for the seawas by no means very rough, and the further south the ship plowed themore quiet the waters became.

  Terry didn't eat any breakfast that morning at all, unless sucking twoor three whole lemons might be called by that name.

  He came out on deck about ten o'clock, still entertaining very badopinions of old Father Neptune.

  He could have abused the old fellow better without indulging inprofanity than any man living, but along in the middle of the afternoonhe recovered entirely.

  He took charge of Grace Elon, the younger of the two Elon sisters, andkept her laughing heartily as they walked to and fro upon the deck.

  When they struck Cape Hatteras, where the water is always rough, it wasquite late in the night, and some of the passengers felt the effect ofit, which spoiled the pleasure of the evening.

  The water is nearly always rough at that point on the Atlantic coast.

  The next morning, though, the bosom of the ocean seemed to be like avast mirror, so smooth was it. Seagulls were flying around, followingthe ship to pick up such bits of food as the cooks and waiters castoverboard. Some four or five gentlemen got out on the stern deck andwith revolvers were shooting at the birds.

  Nearly a dozen shots were fired without a single seagull being hit.

  All sailors object to passengers shooting at Mother Carey's chickens, asthey call the seagull, but the average passenger has no suchsuperstition.

  "It's a pity," said Josie Elon, "to kill such beautiful birds. How whiteand clean they seem to be, and what beautiful white wings they have.Every feather seems to have been made of snow."

  "They are very hard to hit," remarked Terry, "and only a good marksmancan hit one of them on the wing."

  "Mr. Olcott, I have read in the papers about you and Mr. Fearnot beingthe best marksmen in the country. Couldn't you kill one of them?"

  "Yes, easily, and if you want a wing to place in your hat I will procureit for you."

  "I would like to have one so that I could examine the feathers."

  "Wait, then, until I can get my revolver and I'll bring one down on deckhere so that you can examine it to your satisfaction." So he went to hisroom and soon returned with his revolver.

  "Now, let's get out on the middle of the deck and wait until one of thegulls flies over us, then he will drop down on the deck and he can beyour prize."

  He waited for about fifteen minutes before a gull flew directlyoverhead, and then he quickly raised his revolver and fired. The bulletactually cut the bird's head off and it fell fluttering to the deck.

  Of course, the marksmanship created quite a sensation among thepassengers every one of whom exclaimed that it was an accident, and thatthe gentleman might fire one hundred times again without bringing downanother bird, but not one of them thought to ask the name of thegentleman who had fired the shot, for the ladies gathered around toexamine the beautiful plumage of the gull.

  There were two or three ladies on board who had wing feathers of thesame kind in their hats, and some of them insisted on comparing thewings of the dead gull with some found on the hats of the ladies.

  Naturally a dispute arose among them as to whether or not those on thehat were the same kind as those of the dead bird. Some, of course, werelarger than others.

  Terry suggested that he bring down another one that the comparison mightbe made as to the size and exact color to settle the question as towhether they were all of the same kind.

  "See here, my friend," said one of the gentlemen on the deck, "I'll layfifty dollars down here which says that you can't bring down another onein fifty shots."

  "What!" Terry exclaimed, "do you mean to say that I can't bring downanother with fifty shots?"

  "That's just what I do, sir."

  "Well, you are a very foolish man, if you will excuse the expression."

  "Oh, I'll excuse that," said the man, "but I mean just what I say. Ifyou had a shotgun I wouldn't make the bet, but with your revolver youcouldn't hit another bird on the wing in fifty shots, and if you want tocover the bet I'll double it with pleasure."

  "Do you mind my asking you another question?" Terry inquired.

  "No; ask as many as you please."

  "Well, I would like to know how much money you have with you."

  "Oh, I've got enough to pay all I lose betting on your marksmanship. Ifyou want to make the bet a hundred, or two hundred, or five hundred,show your money and I'll cover it."

  "My friend, I really don't want your money, but I will make it fivehundred dollars just to show you how foolish you are to make a bet ofthat kind with a stranger. Probably if you knew me you wouldn't makesuch an offer."

  "Never mind who you are, I'm betting on the marksmanship," and thefellow drew a big roll of money from his pocket and began to count it tothe amount of five hundred dollars.

  "All right," and Terry proceeded to count out five hundred dollars whichhe asked the young lady from New Orleans to hold for him, saying thatshe would be his stake holder.

  "Oh, my! What if I run away with it?"

  "Oh, I'll take the chances of it," laughed Terry.

  CHAPTER III.

  HOW FRED, TERRY AND EVELYN RETURNED TO TEXAS.

  The other passenger also handed his roll of bills to Miss Elon, and,looking at Terry, said:

  "Now, go ahead."

  "Wait a few moments," said Terry, "until one flies over the deck, sothat he will drop down in order that the ladies may examine his wings."

  "All right; take your time," and, while he was standing around waitinghe asked the young lady who was holding the money who the young man was.

  "Why, he is Mr. Olcott. Haven't you heard of him?"

  "No, I never did. At least not that I can remember."

  The young lady seemed to be quite surprised, and asked him if he hadever heard of Fred Fearnot.

  "Oh, yes, I've heard of him in the public press many a time."

  "Well, Mr. Olcott is Mr. Fearnot's partner, and they are both said to bethe best shots in the United States."

  The fellow looked straight at Terry as if trying to size him up. Hehadn't really ever heard of Olcott to his recollection but shooting agull on the wing with a revolver was such an extraordinary feat that hewas willing to take the chances. He had seen him bring down one gull
andlike the majority of men who take chances, decided that it wasimpossible for it to be done very often.

  By and by he looked up and saw a gull sailing over the deck and sungout:

  "There's a good shot. Try him."

  Terry raised his gun and fired so quickly that none of the spectatorsthought that he had even taken aim. The bullet struck the gull squarelyin the breast, and, of course, the bird came tumbling down right intothe group of passengers.

  Exclamations of surprise burst from nearly every man on the deck.

  The loser didn't seem to care anything about his loss, so Fred end Terrysized him as a professional gambler.

  "Would you like to try another shot?" Terry asked.

  "Well, no; not at that price."

  "Well, I'll give you odds of two to one."

  "No, I've got enough," was the reply, and Terry laughed rathersarcastically.

  "I'll give you odds of a hundred to one," Terry said.

  "Great Scott!" exclaimed another passenger. "Will you give me such odds,mister?"

  "Yes if this gentleman refuses."

  "All right, I refuse," said the gentleman who had lost.

  "Then I'll take it and put up a hundred dollars," said the