ed to him. A pretty barmaid, with
dimples in her elbows, curtsied low as she set down his cup. "Oh, yes,
Captain Howland!" she answered as he gave his order, blushed a deep pink
and ran to the kitchen. Whereupon Job, quite overcome, vowed that the
ladies of Carolina were the fairest in the world, and Mr. Curtis roared
heartily, saying that "Captain Howland" it should be, and that before
many months, if he knew a good seadog.

As they sat and sipped their coffee after a meal that reflected glory
upon the cook of the "Scarlet Fish," Colonel Rhett came in and made his
way to their table through a hurly-burly of back-slappings and "Bravos."
As soon as he was able to sit down in peace, he drew Mr. Curtis a little
aside to talk in private. The two boys were content to watch the
changing scene and listen to the hearty badinage of the fashionable
young blades about the tables. It was, you must remember, Jeremy's first
experience of luxury, unless the good, clean quarters and wholesome
meals aboard the _Queen_ could be so called. He had never read any book
except the Bible, had never seen more than a half-dozen pictures in his
life. From these and from the conversation of backwoodsmen and, more
recently, of pirates, he had been forced to form all his conceptions of
the world outside of his own experience. It is a tribute to his clean
traditions and sturdy self-reliance that he sat unabashed, pleased with
the color, the gayety, the richness, but able still to distinguish the
fine things from the sham, the honest things from those which only
appeared honest--to feel a thrill of pride in his father's hard,
rough-hewn life and his own.

Colonel Rhett's conference with Mr. Curtis being over, the score was
paid and the party took their triumphal way to the door, Job turning his
sunburned face once or twice to glance regretfully after the dimpled
barmaid.

That afternoon they were taken to the Governor's house, where Job and
each of the boys told the story of their experiences in Bonnet's
company. These stories were sworn to as affidavits and kept for use in
the coming trial of the pirate crew. It was a special dispensation of
the Governor's which allowed them to give their evidence in this form
instead of waiting in Charles Town for the court to sit, and needless to
say they were heartily glad of it. The formalities over, Governor
Johnson led the party into the adjoining room. He motioned them to sit
down and faced them with a smil