Freelance, the Buccaneer; Or, The Waif of the Wave

Catalog Note This issue contains the opening of "Freelance, the Buccaneer: Or, The Waif of the Wave," a romantic adventure serial by Col. Prentiss Ingraham, published June 30, 1897. Set in the early 1800s Gulf South, the narrative follows the secret courtship between Lucille Darrington and the mysterious Launcelot Vertner, revealed to be Launcelot Grenville—heir to a family locked in a generational vendetta with Lucille's father, Colonel Ferd Darrington. After an encounter in the family cemetery, Darrington discovers their romance and vows vengeance. The story escalates into multiple duels: Darrington insists on meeting the younger Grenville, while Launcelot's brother Arthur demands to face Darrington first, complicating the deadly conflict. The excerpt ends as a duel at dawn approaches.