gold watch a hundred times."
"Good.
He sounds like our man."
He
was indeed. A handsome, sharp-featured little man, with bright, knowing eyes
and a cocky air, Jimmy O'Toole assured Miss Devereaux that he was just the man
for the job. Taking her diamond earbobs, he soon returned with cash, getting a
tip from Katherine and a kiss from Pegeen for his pains.
Katherine
promptly sallied forth to buy serviceable, cheap, warm, ready-made clothes for
the men. She galvanized Mrs. Woods to action by explaining her food needs and
then sadly sighing that she was afraid it would be too much for the housekeeper
to handle.
So
it was that, two weeks after her father's refusal, Katherine and Pegeen, with a
bundle of clothing, boxes of bread, and buckets of stew, arrived at the
shipyards at noon in the Devereaux carriage. Rather like a warship at full
sail, Katherine strode up to the prison wagon where lunch was being dispensed,
immediately drawing the attention of all the men. Something was going on, they
could see, and they strained their ears to hear what she said to Sergeant
Gunther.
"Sergeant,
I presume that you are in charge of these prisoners?"
"Yes,
miss. Do you have a complaint about one of them?"
"Indeed
not." She looked haughtily down her nose at him, firmly believing it best
to throw the enemy off-guard with a surprise attack. "I must tell you that
I was appalled at the condition of these prisoners."
The
sergeant stared at her blankly.
"I
can see that you have no excuse for it."
"But—but,
miss, I don't—"
"Colonel
Wellman quite agreed with me when we dined together last week."
The
sergeant, bullied and not knowing how to escape—a friend of the prison
commandant!—stammered helplessly.
"Please,
Sergeant." Katherine held up one hand imperiously. "I quite realize
the difficulties of the Army. I intend to remedy the situation myself—with the
Colonel's full accord, of course."
With
a flourish she presented Wellman's written permission. The sergeant read it and
handed it back to her. "As you wish, miss."
"Good.
I'm glad that we see eye to eye." She rewarded him with a frosty smile.
"Pegeen!"
The
prisoners, who had been listening to the exchange with avid curiosity, were now
presented with a new spectacle: a pretty young redheaded girl approached
carrying a bundle of clothing. Immediately all eyes focused on her. Pegeen
flushed prettily, quite excited at all the admiration. One prisoner, a boy of
about nineteen or twenty, sprang to his feet and went to Pegeen. He was a
lively lad, thin, awkward in his shackles, but with a wide, generous mouth and
merry black eyes.
With
a jaunty air, quite oblivious to his chains, he doffed his cap. "Allow me,
ma'am. A pretty little girl like you shouldn't be carrying so much."
At
the jeers and catcalls of his fellows, he just grinned and called back,
"Well, some of us are gentlemen, you know."
"Bring
the clothes here, Mr.—" Katherine said and paused inquiringly.
"Former,
ma'am," he said agreeably. "Ensign Edward Former, C.S.N. Where shall
I put these?"
"If
you would just stand there and hold them, Pegeen and I will dispense them.
Gentlemen, if you will please line up, Miss Shaughnessy and I propose to give
you each a warmer suit of clothes. It has come to my attention that you are not
quite suitably dressed for the rigors of a Boston winter. Feeling that time was
more of the essence than fit, I bought these ready-made and primarily in a
medium size. I do have a few, however, in a larger or a smaller size. If you
will please form two lines, one in front of Miss Shaughnessy and one in front
of me. Sergeant, if you and your men would fetch the food from the carriage, I
would greatly appreciate it."
After
the clothes were doled out, Katherine dispensed the stew and bread, while
Pegeen poured out the coffee. The men, feeling slightly giddy at the delicious
aroma of stew and coffee and at the unaccustomed pleasure of being so near
soft, smiling, fragrant women, laughed and talked
"Good.
He sounds like our man."
He
was indeed. A handsome, sharp-featured little man, with bright, knowing eyes
and a cocky air, Jimmy O'Toole assured Miss Devereaux that he was just the man
for the job. Taking her diamond earbobs, he soon returned with cash, getting a
tip from Katherine and a kiss from Pegeen for his pains.
Katherine
promptly sallied forth to buy serviceable, cheap, warm, ready-made clothes for
the men. She galvanized Mrs. Woods to action by explaining her food needs and
then sadly sighing that she was afraid it would be too much for the housekeeper
to handle.
So
it was that, two weeks after her father's refusal, Katherine and Pegeen, with a
bundle of clothing, boxes of bread, and buckets of stew, arrived at the
shipyards at noon in the Devereaux carriage. Rather like a warship at full
sail, Katherine strode up to the prison wagon where lunch was being dispensed,
immediately drawing the attention of all the men. Something was going on, they
could see, and they strained their ears to hear what she said to Sergeant
Gunther.
"Sergeant,
I presume that you are in charge of these prisoners?"
"Yes,
miss. Do you have a complaint about one of them?"
"Indeed
not." She looked haughtily down her nose at him, firmly believing it best
to throw the enemy off-guard with a surprise attack. "I must tell you that
I was appalled at the condition of these prisoners."
The
sergeant stared at her blankly.
"I
can see that you have no excuse for it."
"But—but,
miss, I don't—"
"Colonel
Wellman quite agreed with me when we dined together last week."
The
sergeant, bullied and not knowing how to escape—a friend of the prison
commandant!—stammered helplessly.
"Please,
Sergeant." Katherine held up one hand imperiously. "I quite realize
the difficulties of the Army. I intend to remedy the situation myself—with the
Colonel's full accord, of course."
With
a flourish she presented Wellman's written permission. The sergeant read it and
handed it back to her. "As you wish, miss."
"Good.
I'm glad that we see eye to eye." She rewarded him with a frosty smile.
"Pegeen!"
The
prisoners, who had been listening to the exchange with avid curiosity, were now
presented with a new spectacle: a pretty young redheaded girl approached
carrying a bundle of clothing. Immediately all eyes focused on her. Pegeen
flushed prettily, quite excited at all the admiration. One prisoner, a boy of
about nineteen or twenty, sprang to his feet and went to Pegeen. He was a
lively lad, thin, awkward in his shackles, but with a wide, generous mouth and
merry black eyes.
With
a jaunty air, quite oblivious to his chains, he doffed his cap. "Allow me,
ma'am. A pretty little girl like you shouldn't be carrying so much."
At
the jeers and catcalls of his fellows, he just grinned and called back,
"Well, some of us are gentlemen, you know."
"Bring
the clothes here, Mr.—" Katherine said and paused inquiringly.
"Former,
ma'am," he said agreeably. "Ensign Edward Former, C.S.N. Where shall
I put these?"
"If
you would just stand there and hold them, Pegeen and I will dispense them.
Gentlemen, if you will please line up, Miss Shaughnessy and I propose to give
you each a warmer suit of clothes. It has come to my attention that you are not
quite suitably dressed for the rigors of a Boston winter. Feeling that time was
more of the essence than fit, I bought these ready-made and primarily in a
medium size. I do have a few, however, in a larger or a smaller size. If you
will please form two lines, one in front of Miss Shaughnessy and one in front
of me. Sergeant, if you and your men would fetch the food from the carriage, I
would greatly appreciate it."
After
the clothes were doled out, Katherine dispensed the stew and bread, while
Pegeen poured out the coffee. The men, feeling slightly giddy at the delicious
aroma of stew and coffee and at the unaccustomed pleasure of being so near
soft, smiling, fragrant women, laughed and talked
Similar Books
