The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey by Bland Simpson

Author:Bland Simpson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 2017-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

JIM WILCOX

I always heard a trip to Nags Head was worth ten days in the best hospital in the land. The Cropseys must of heard it, too, they were staying down there during the summer of 1900.

I’d catch the steamer Neuse, dark old thing, Saturday evenings when it pulled out for Manteo after the southbound came in from Norfolk. Never had to wait much, it was pretty fair about being on time, except for that time the cyclone stranded the boat up on Paupers Point for half a year. On the way down to Manteo Captain Davis’d get all sweated up telling about it.

At Manteo, there’d be Captain Daniels smoking a pipe and sitting under a fig tree like he won’t expecting anything even though we come in every Saturday night right at that time. Me and whoever else was going over would hire him to take us to the soundside landing at Nags Head. He’d make twenty knots I bet in his sailboat.

It’d be eleven or so when he’d leave us there where the shanties and shacks and pier was falling in and we’d go on over to the hotel and wake the night clerk and get stowed away.

This one time, it was July 17th, 1900, I’ll never forget, Sunday morning after breakfast and Nellie and I went out walking on the wide hotel porches where it smelled all mixed of salt spray and kitchen and somebody’s morning cigar. I pulled a little package, all wrapped up, out of my pocket and give it to her.

—It’s your birthday, Nell, I said. It was a ring I got at Hathaway’s and had em put her initials on the inside.

—Why, Jim, ain’t you something? she said, and she gave me a little hug when she opened it and saw what it was.

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