The English man-of-war in the harbor was the _Xenophon_, Captain
Conkerall commander. The captain had some acquaintances and friends in
Baltimore, and this event transpired before the war spirit became so
strong that English officers dared not venture on shore. The captain and
his officers were of course invited to the ball.
The day of the ball, the captain came ashore and was snugly quartered at
the Baltimore House, getting ready for the affair.
The captain was in his room talking with some citizens of Baltimore and
a congressman; a decanter and glasses were on a sideboard, and the
captain's face was somewhat flushed, when there entered a neat,
well-dressed young gentleman, whose language and features were slightly
Hibernian.
"I beg pardon, gintlemen, but this is Captain Conkerall? Sure I make no
mistake, for the very bearin' tells me he is a son of Neptune."
As the captain was in full uniform, of course there was no trouble about
recognizing him. The captain rose and, taking the hand of the young man,
tried hard to remember where he had seen him before.
"Sure, ye don't remember me. I am Lord Kildee, the son of the ould baron
of Kildee Castle, who was a schoolmate of yer father."
The captain, delighted at having so noted an acquaintance, took great
pleasure in introducing a scion of such a noble family as Kildee. One
would have thought, from Captain Conkerall's manner, that he had been on
intimate terms with the house of Kildee all his life, while in reality
he had never until that moment known that there lived such a being as
the Lord of Kildee.
Pages:
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130