FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38  
39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   >>   >|  
minating. She spoke English, however, remarkably well, as did many of the Cocos people, though Malay is the language of most of them. The boys and girls soon hauled the captain down on a seat and began to urge him to tell them stories, using a style of English that was by no means equal to that of the mother. "Stop, stop, let me see sister Kathy first. I can't begin without her. Where is she?" "Somewhere, I s'pose," said the eldest boy. "No doubt of that. Go--fetch her," returned the captain. At that moment a back-door opened, and a girl of about seventeen years of age entered. She was pleasant-looking rather than pretty--tall, graceful, and with magnificent black eyes. "Here she comes," cried the captain, rising and kissing her. "Why, Kathy, how you've grown since I saw you last! Quite a woman, I declare!" Kathy was not too much of a woman, however, to join her brothers and sisters in forcing the captain into a seat and demanding a story on the spot. "Stop, stop!" cried the captain, grasping round their waists a small boy and girl who had already clambered on his knees. "Let me inquire about my old friends first--and let me introduce my son to you--you've taken no notice of _him_ yet! That's not hospitable." All eyes were turned at once on Nigel, some boldly, others with a shy inquiring look, as though to say, Can _you_ tell stories? "Come, now," said Nigel, advancing, "since you are all so fond of my father, I must shake hands with you all round." The hearty way in which this was done at once put the children at their ease. They admitted him, as it were, into their circle, and then turning again to the captain continued their clamour for a story. "No, no--about old friends first. How--how's old mother Morris?" "Quite well," they shouted. "Fatterer than ever," added an urchin, who in England would have been styled cheeky. "Yes," lisped a very little girl; "one of 'e doors in 'e house too small for she." "Why, Gerchin, you've learned to speak English like the rest," said the captain. "Yes, father make every one learn." "Well, now," continued the captain, "what about Black Sam?" "Gone to Batavia," chorused the children. "And--and--what's-'is-name?--the man wi' the nose--" A burst of laughter and, "We's _all_ got noses here!" was the reply. "Yes, but you know who I mean--the short man wi' the--" "Oh! with the turned _up_ nose. _I_ know," cried the cheeky boy; "you means Jo
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38  
39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

captain

 

English

 
children
 

cheeky

 

continued

 
mother
 

friends

 

father

 

stories

 
turned

clamour

 
hearty
 

advancing

 

circle

 

admitted

 
turning
 

chorused

 

Batavia

 

laughter

 

urchin


England
 

Morris

 
shouted
 

Fatterer

 

styled

 

learned

 

Gerchin

 
lisped
 

Somewhere

 

eldest


sister
 
opened
 

seventeen

 
returned
 

moment

 

people

 

language

 

minating

 
remarkably
 
hauled

entered

 

pleasant

 

inquire

 

introduce

 
clambered
 

grasping

 

waists

 

boldly

 
hospitable
 

notice