AW AMAR vet tdi PEATE AN HES ASERELE HY t +3} fp gs AES ESSELTE Eanes ete Si peti Wait seal WO as seers SA oes BAe ae so Ree Peete raat nee er ar CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY \ | Cornell_University Library PS 3521.A36L7 6: TiN caT.|NO, 23233 PRINTED IN|U. >. A> (bay THE SPRITE AND THE VERA. Page go. Frontispiece, LOBSTER CATCHERS A STORY OF THE COAST OF MAINE BY JAMES OTIS oe AUTHOR OF “' AN AMATEUR FIREMAN” ‘THE LIFE SAVERS,” ETC. NEW YORK E.P. DUTTON & COMPANY 31 West TWENTY-THIRD STREET CopyRIGHT, 1900 BY E.P, DUTTON & CO. The Knickerbocker Press, Tew Work GREETING: TO THE LADS OF THE LOBSTER FISHERY, WHOSE HEARTS ARE AS TRUE AS THEIR DORIES ARE STANCH ; WHOSE HANDS OPEN WIDE AS THE MOUTHS OF THEIR TRAPS TO WHOMSOEVER ASKETH FOR A BITE OR FOR SHELTER! CHAPTER 1. Il. ill. Iv. Mie VI. Vil. VIII. Ix. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. CONTENTS. THE JORDAN FARM . é ‘< ON SHARES i x LOBSTERS . ‘ 3 ‘ THE ‘‘ SPRITE” THE FIRST CRUISE THE SIGNAL OF DISTRESS . THE ‘‘ VERA’S”’ CAPTAIN A MATTER OF SALVAGE PIRATES . . STRAIGHTENING ACCOUNTS THE WRECK . . - RESTORATION . . . JETHRO DEARING’S VENTURE MR. HAMILTON . . . . OVERBOARD . . . . THE SURPRISE . . . A SUMMONS . . A DREAM REALIZED . . . PAGE 20 275 292 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE THE SPRITE AND THE VERA, Frontispiece . . . » go CAPTAIN IKE’S HOME. ; p , ‘ 4 5 i 1338 EMPTYING LOBSTER CARS AND MEASURING . : é - 46 CAPTAIN SKILLINGS’S WAREHOUSE ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘i « 168 CAGES FOR BOILING LOBSTERS " é ‘ 7 . . 116 PACKING AFTER BOILING é ; : Ei - : . 134 TOM DAWSON’S FARM. ‘ : ‘ F , . 140 TOM DAWSON AND HIS LOBSTER POTS . : 5 ‘ . 144 DAVE ROBERTS ‘‘ HAULING HIS POTS” ‘i é ‘ . 176 JETHRO DEARING’S PLACE A ‘ ‘ , é - - 212 WEIGHING LOBSTERS. READY FOR SHIPMENT 5 ‘ - 244 HAULING UP A LOBSTER CAR FOR REPAIRS . ‘ ‘ - 274 vii LOBSTER CATCHERS. CHAPTER I. THE JORDAN FARM. #s HE farm is worn out, Stephen, and you ’ll never be able to get a livin’ from it till the land has had a rest. For the last twenty years your father has been takin’ from it without considerin’ that it was his duty to put somethin’ back in the way of fertilizer, an’ the soilis reg’larly starved. It ‘Il take both money an’ time to get the place into such shape that you could earn day wages workin’ it.”’ “* And in the meantime, mother and the children must be clothed and fed.”’ ‘* There ’s no gainsayin’ that, Stephen Jordan, an’ it ’s your business to see they don’t come to want. In my day, a big, hulkin’ boy of fifteen, or there- abouts, was counted equal to a man.”’ ‘*T can do a man’s work, Uncle Joshua, and have done so since father died. I carried on the farm ” last season with but one helper “* An’ fell behind on the year’s work.”’ ‘*T am twenty-nine dollars in debt to Dyer & Jose I 2 Lobster Catchers. for phosphate. All the other bills have been paid, and I ’ve got the crop of cabbages, which should ie ‘* Cabbage is sellin’ for eight dollars a ton, an’ that ain’t more ’n enough to pay for haulin’ ’em.”’ ‘“ I’ve got about nine tons, and even though the price is low, I ’ll be glad of the little they bring in, because mother needs to buy things which the chil- dren must have before winter comes.”’ ‘* Do you mean to tell me that your mother has spent all the money your father left ?’’ and Deacon Joshua Brackett, looked sternly at his nephew. ‘* Yes, it ’s all gone,’’ Stephen replied mournfully. ‘* After the bills were paid, we had two hundred and ten dollars.’’ ‘* An’ squandered it in less than fifteen months after your father was laid in the grave!’ ‘* Surely it was n’t squandered, Uncle Joshua. You must remember that there are five children of us. 99 cordin’ to my way of thinkin’. ““It ’s all here, Captain Ike, down to the very last lobster,’’ and Stephen read the following: ‘“ The lobster cars in Portland dock are familiar sights. Into them are thrown the lobsters brought in by the smacks, and, later, these lobsters are taken out by means of scoops and lifted to the warehouses on the wharves above. It is a popular impression that the lobsters are all boiled in Portland; but that is not the case. How far do you suppose lobsters are sent alive? To New York? They go farther than that. It is not unusual for large shipments to be made from the Portland market to Chicago and other far Western cities. To get them there, the lobsters are placed in barrels, liberally supplied with ice, and are generally sent by express, although some are transhipped to cold-storage cars at Boston. The lobsters brought to the Portland market are Lobsters. 45 handled by about a dozen firms. The amount of the business they do may be dimly realized when it is stated that last year there were brought to this city, in the lobster smacks, 2,592,916 lobsters. In addition to this, there were landed here considerable amounts of the fish taken in small boats in this vicinity. In the whole State of Maine, last year, there were taken, as nearly as the State Commis- sioner of Shore Fisheries could ascertain, 8,178,332 lobsters, having a value of $937,239, the fishery giving employment to 3103 men, who used appa- ratus, consisting of boats, lobster-pots, and gear worth $1,445,213. These figures do not include the value of the smacks. In the whole State last year there were in use thirty-two sailing vessels and nine steamers in this business.’’ ““T wonder if that chap has reckoned in short lobsters,— for there ’s a power of ’em sold, as both you an’ I know, lad, even though it ’s against the law. But I’ve seen honest men as would come out here an’ say to me, ‘ Captain Ike, you don’t happen to have any short lobsters, do you?’ An’ I ’ve sold ’em lobsters that was clean ten inches an’ a half, at a good fair price, they thinkin’ to get somethin’ they ought not.”’ ‘“ Here ’s what it says,’’ Stephen replied, as he resumed his reading: ‘* It is no wonder that the State law makers have given their attention to the preservation of the lob- ster supply, and the workings of the State law may 46 Lobster Catchers. be seen any day; for, as the men standing on the cars dip up the lobsters in their big scoops, and pack them in the barrels, it will be observed that those which are so small as to make it doubtful if they are ten and a half inches long, are promptly meas- ured. Each man has by his side a piece of wood, on which are two raised bars of brass. These are the guages, and a lobster which does not reach from one piece of brass to the other is rejected as being under length.”’ ‘“‘T reckon the man what wrote that has had a taste of short lobsters himself, else he would have said more,’’ Captain Ike remarked, when Stephen paused for an instant. ‘‘ But there ’s enough of it, such as it is, an’ we ’ve come pretty near spendin’ all the time that ’s to be spared, for Captain Skill- in’s will get the idee that we ain’t overly anxious to take up with his offer if we dwaddle round here very long.”’ “ There’s only a little more of the story,” Stephen suggested, in a tone which told that he was eager to read to the end, and his partner replied: ** Go ahead with it then, lad, an’ I ’ll be clearin’ the table while you ’re at work, so we ’Il have clean decks when we come in after sundown.”’ The younger partner made haste to arrive at the conclusion of the article, and Captain Ike did not interrupt him again until the reading was finally come to an end: ‘ot 2S0gq “ONTIYNSVAW GNV SUVO WALSAOT ONIALING Lobsters. 47 ““ The lobster is an interesting fellow to watch, and there is much that observers have learned about him and his habits. He is found on the Atlantic coast as far south as Delaware, and as far toward the frozen north as the shores of Labrador. A few stragglers have been seen on the Virginia coast, but they were evidently lost, and had wandered farther south than any self-respecting lobster intends to get. As we come north in the search of the lobsters, they will be found to gradually increase in numbers. They are not very abundant off the New Jersey coast, but there is one ledge in the vicinity of Long Branch where the lobsters gather in comparatively large numbers. North of New Jersey it is not far to the region where the lobsters are at home. ““ Time was when they were numerous in New York Bay, but the growth of manufacturing along its shores, and the consequent pollution of the waters, has driven them away. It is when the waters off the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine are reached, however, that the real home of the American lobsters has been found. ‘“ The lobster is not particular as to the depth of water in which he makes his home. He cares more for the kind of bottom on which he is to dwell. That must be of sand or rocks. As to the depth, you can find him in the shallow water near the shore, and also at the bottom where there are eighty fath- oms of green sea waves above him. He has been seen as far off shore as the Grand Banks. The lobster goes to the sea shore in the warm months, moving from the greater depths farther out. The lobster 48 Lobster Catchers. is a deep-water denizen. That is, ne stays at the bottom, whether his home be in ten or fifty fathoms. He has been seen to dodge an enemy by executing a backward and upward movement, pulling himself through the water with his tail. The attempt at flight does not last long, and he soon settles to the bottom again. When the lobster moves about with- out fear of molestation, he does so by walking on those small claws which lobster lovers find so de- licious. His tail is then spread out to help him over the ground. Throw a lobster into the water, and he will flap his tail once or twice until he is in a proper position to land on his claws when he reaches the bottom. Then he will descend obliquely through the water, and slowly, with no undignified haste, he will get his walking apparatus in motion again. The lobster can swim a little, but he is really, popular ideas to the contrary, notwithstand- ing, a creature which walks upon the bottom of the sea, using as feet the small claws, and keeping the big ones held out in front of him to seize on his food or an enemy. “* The lobster frequently changes his clothes. As he grows, he repeatedly sheds his skin. He does it as the small boy sheds his old clothing. The lob- ster gets so big that the shell bursts at places, as the boy’s coat and trousers give out at elbows and knees. Then a new shell forms, and the lobster wears it until outgrown, when he repeats the shed- ding process. Scientists do not know just how often a healthy lobster provides himself witha new suit; but they have a theory that in good feeding Lobsters. 49 grounds the lobster outgrows his clothes faster than in poor ones, just as the healthy lad who gets enough to eat needs a new wardrobe oftener than would have been required by Oliver Twist in his poorhouse days.”’ 4 CHAPTER IV. THE ‘‘SPRITE.’’ T was not until Stephen had ceased reading the article that he realized how much time had been spent, and to him just now every moment seemed precious. ““T was a fool to keep on with that when we might have read it any evening,’’ he said in an apologetic tone; ‘* but it’s the first time I ever saw anything printed about the fishing business around here, and it seemed interesting.”’ ‘So it is, lad, so it is, if for no other reason than to point out the mistakes of him who wrote it. Now I ain’t allowin’ that that story, if you will call it a story, is just straight, ’cause I don’t believe anybody can figger up exactly how many lobsters are taken every year. But it ’Il go for what it ’s worth, an’ we ’re none the worse off for havin’ spent a few minutes lookin’ it over, seein’ ’s how it goes into the details, so to speak, of the business we ’re jest startin’ on. Now, everything bein’ shipshape here, s’posen we put off for the Sprzte. It ‘sa pull of a couple of miles, with a pretty heavy break, an’ we sha’n’t much more than finish it up before sundown.”’ 50 The “Sprite.” 51 Stephen followed his partner with alacrity. The door was closed behind them; but not locked, for the very good reason that there was no one in the vicinity who would do any injury to the fisher- man’s household goods, and it was so far from the highway that strangers seldom wandered in that direction. The *‘ old’’ dory which Captain Ike had proposed to use in this work was the poorer of the two boats he owned, and also the easier to row. The other, a “‘ Crotch Island dory,’’ was better adapted for heavy weather, and the fisherman was exceedingly careful not to give her any more wear than might be absolutely necessary, for there were times—many times—in his life when an unsound timber or butt that had started would prove his destruction. Stephen seated himself on the thwart amidships when the boat had been pushed off from the nar- row strip of land which bordered the line of rock, taking up the lighter pair of oars, while Captain Ike, standing erect in the stern, pulled the heavy pair as he faced his partner. The sea was comparatively smooth, and the task of rowing the dory two miles was to this man and boy no more arduous than would have been a tramp ashore of half that distance. The Sgrite lay at anchor in the little harbor nearby 52 Lobster Catchers. Captain Skilling’s dwelling, and rusty and worn did she look when her new masters stepped aboard, for during at least two months she had been left to the mercy of the weather. ‘“* A coat of paint would do her a power of good, and it would be much like a new suit of clothes on you, Stephen. But the paint and the clothes must be left for another time, when we ’ve earned enough to pay for ‘em, I reckon. The main question is whether we ’ve got gear enough to carry on the business, or if we ’Il be forced to run in debt for this thing or that until a big hole is eat in the season’s profits.’’ ** We can find out all that after she ’s moored in front of the red shanty,”’ the lad replied, as his partner began throwing off the forehatch in order to make a survey of the steamer’s fittings. “‘ We sha’n’t more than get her into the cove before dark.”’ “You ’re right, lad, an’ there ’s no reason why we should look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, within a minute after he ’s come into our possession. But I was kind of anxious to know how we might be fitted out,’’ and Captain Ike replaced the bar across the hatch as he began weighing the after anchor. Stephen busied himself forward, and within a few moments after they were come aboard the steamer was made fast to the dory. The “Sprite,” 53 Then was begun the work of towing the Sprite to her new anchorage, and a heavy task did it prove. The steamer was fifty-two feet on the water-line, with a twelve-foot beam, and drawing not less than six feet. To tow her almost dead against the wind was no small undertaking, and after they had pulled half an hour or more, Captain Ike said, as he ceased work at the oars for an instant: “Tt ’s a pretty heavy job, lad; but I reckon it ’s bound to pay in the long run. Perhaps we would have been wiser to get up steam, for I reckon there must be enough in the way of fuel aboard to start the screw.”’ ‘“T’m saying to myself that we ’re getting this steamer simply for the towing of her, and it makes the work seem lighter,’’ Stephen replied cheerily. *“T ll never complain about any job ’s being hard while we ‘re in the lobster business. Only think! A few hours ago, I had given up all hope of earning anything this winter, and believed that when spring came mother and I would be so far in debt that a good summer’s work would n’t pull us out. Now I’ve got a better show for supporting the family than father had during the last five years he lived, because, under the best of circumstances, the farm would n’t earn as much as we ought to be able to make with this steamer.’’ “It ’s to be hoped that the business will come 54 Lobster Catchers. out all right, lad, and I believe it is next thing toa certainty; but you can’t always tell. A storm, now, when you are least prepared for it, or a dull market with a cargo of lobsters on hand that won’t fetch what was paid, and a man is like to see a good many weeks of hard work wiped out.’’ ‘Tf any trouble like that comes to us, we ’Il have | to grin and bear it, I suppose,’’ Stephen said, yet speaking cheerily. ‘‘ But a good deal of it we can fight against by being always ready for a storm when we 're outside, and by making quick runs, so that the price of lobsters can’t fall a great deal on us. I’m not going to admit that there ’s a show of losing money if we attend right out sharply to our work.”’ ‘** That ’s the way to talk, lad; an’ if you live up to what you ’re sayin’, we ’ll be insured against a bad business. We must make the Sprite pay, unless we ’re willin’ to give up this ’ere scheme next spring; for if she brings Captain Skillin’s in good returns for the money invested, he ’ll be more than glad to have us run her for another season. An’ the way I 've come to look at this thing, since you first spoke of it, is that we ’ve got a big show. Why, between you an’ me, lad, I would n’t give this ’ere craft, with the chances we ’ve got, for the Ben Jordan farm this very minute.”’ “I’m hoping, Captain Ike, that people won’t The “ Sprite.” 55 always speak of the homestead as they do now. If this scheme turns out as I believe it will, you ’Il see it as good a place as can be found in this county ; for after mother and the children have got what they need, I ’ll begin putting out a dollar here and there on the land until it ’s where it can be made to pay as in the old days. It isn’t a bad farm, Captain Ike, except for being run out.”’ “* Bless you, lad, I ain’t sayin’ a word against the farm, ’cause I can remember, an’ not sich a dreadful many years ago, when it was taxed for nigh about as much as the place Captain Skillin’s lives on. Then your father was took with the rheumatiz powerful bad; a lot of youngsters come along, until it was hard scratchin’ to fill their hungry mouths. An’ Deacon Joshua Brackett stood lookin’ on with- out offerin’ a helpin’ hand, while his brother-in-law was fightin’ desperate hard to make both ends meet.”” In this manner, speaking now and then of the business outlook, but talking mainly of the Ben Jordan farm, and what could be done with it provid- ing the necessary capital was raised, the two partners worked steadily and sturdily at the oars, until finally, when the sun was within half an hour of setting, the Sprite was brought to an anchor in deep water within fifty yards of the red shanty. ‘* Now we ’ve made what you may call a beginnin’ 56 Lobster Catchers. in this scheme of yours, lad,’’ Captain Ike said, as he moored the little craft, taking good care there was plenty of scope to the cable, but not so much that she might swing in on to the jagged rocks when the tide should rise. ‘‘ We ’ve made a beginnin’, an’ I want you to hold on here a bit while I run up to the hut.”’ ‘There ’s plenty of work to be done in the engine-room, and there must be lanterns aboard, therefore I can do it as well after dark as in the daylight. So get supper ready, if that ’s what you ’re counting on; but don’t call me for quite a spell.”’ Captain Ike smiled complacently, as if he were about to perform some pleasing task; and without further words he stepped into the dory, pulling ashore as Stephen went below to the engine, which occupied a portion of that space aft given up to the quarters of the crew. Engine-room, forecastle, and kitchen were all one aboard this craft, which was intended for commer- cial purposes rather than pleasuring, and very cosy and snug did it seem to Stephen Jordan when he descended and looked about him with the conscious- ness that, during a certain number of months at least, he was directly interested in the little steamer and her work. That Captain Ike had not gone ashore in order The “ Sprite.” 57 to prepare supper was shown when he returned, in less than five minutes after having set out, carrying under his arm a small bundle, wrapped in an old newspaper. *“* What made you come back so soon ?’’ Stephen asked, as he heard his partner’s footsteps above him. ““You can’t more than well get to work before it will be dark.”’ “*T ain’t countin’ on doin’ overly much the bal- ance of this day, lad; but I want you up on deck a minute.”’ Stephen was not willing to leave so soon the work which he had but just begun, yet he could not well refuse to obey the summons, and as his head ap- peared above the companion-way hatch, Captain Ike, holding up the parcel, said: ‘“ What do you allow I ’ve got here, lad ?”’ “*T don’t know.”’ “Well, it ’s somethin’ you ought to be most interested in just now. When you see a lobster smack off here, how do you know what concern she belongs to ?”’ ‘“ How do I know ?’”’ Stephen asked, a puzzled expression coming over his face. ‘‘ Why, some- times I ’m well acquainted with the craft, and when I ain’t she will mostly have the firm’s flag flying, and that tells plain enough.’’ “You ’re right, lad; that “s what does tell; and 58 Lobster Catchers. did you count that the firm of Jordan & Dyer was goin’ to begin without a private signal, so that they could be known? Well, I reckon we don’t do business that way.”’ As he spoke, Captain Ike slowly took off the newspaper covering, displaying a red flag, bearing upon its centre the letter J in white. ‘How is that for the firm’s flag?’’ he asked triumphantly. ‘‘ Fits in great shape, don’t it? J for Jordan; an’, seein’ ’s how the Dyer end of this partnership don’t count for much, there ’s no need of any D on it.”’ ‘* Where did you get it ?’’ Stephen asked, with no little show of excitement, for this idea of having a private signal was much to his liking. ‘‘When I ’ve answered that question, you ’Il think more of Jordan & Dyer’s house flag than you do now. It belonged to your father, lad, an’ he used it nigh on to twenty-five years ago.”’ ‘* But father never was a sailor.”’ ‘* Right you are, lad; he wasn’t. In them days, though, he had money to invest, and bought the controllin’ shares in two vessels that fished off the Georges. He allowed that there was more money at sea than ashore, an’ believed he could gather it in while stayin’ at home. Then is when he had this flag, and I was captain of the A/en Maria, which went down off the Banks one night in a fog, when a The “ Sprite.” 59 thousand-ton ship cut her to the water’s edge. I had been lyin’ under the lee of the deck-house aft, with this flag for a pillow, an’ when the danger come I kept hold of the buntin’ without any thought of what I wasdoin’. MHalfan hour or so afterwards, when the crew of the South Wind picked me up, I had this in my hand. It was all we saved belongin’ to the Ellen Maria, an’ I asked your father to give it to me; for we was fishin’ on shares them days, an’ this ’ere signal represented what come to me for more ’n eight months’ work.”’ ““ If father lost his money in the fishing business, it ’’s rather a hard look ahead for me to try to make enough out of it to put the farm back into shape,’’ Stephen said thoughtfully, the sight of the house flag, and the story, which he had never before heard, although having been friendly with Captain Ike this many a year, causing him to have a fear of the future. ‘““Now, don’t get superstitious, lad. There ’s nothin’ in fancies of that kind. If your father took from the farm to lose in the fishin’ business, there ’s no reason why you should n’t take from the fishin’ business to help the farm out. And the flag that comes from the Ellen Maria at the time of her de- struction shall be hoisted at the masthead of the Sprite in the day of your success.”’ ‘* That is yet to be seen, Captain Ike,’’ Stephen 60 Lobster Catchers. replied doubtfully. And when the old man proudly hosited the square of red with its letter of white to the steamer’s gaff, there was just a shade of fore- boding in the young engineer’s mind. When this ceremony, and to the old fisherman it was evidently a solemn one, had come to an end by making fast the halliards, Stephen went below to his long task with the machines, and Captain Ike busied himself in the forward hold overhauling the steamer’s gear. Night had come before the old fisherman finished his task and rejoined his partner aft. “T reckon there ’s everythin’ aboard that will be needed for the first two or three cruises,’’ he said, in a tone of satisfaction. ‘‘I did allow Captain Skillin’s would have stripped this craft in order to fit out the new boat. But it seems he must have had some idee of puttin’ her into commission again whenever he could find a crew, cause it don’t look to me as if anythin’ had been taken away.”’ *“ When can we make the first trip ?’’ Stephen asked, without looking up from his task of cleaning the engine. ““ Whenever it so be you are ready.”’ ‘““T should be able to have her in running order by noon to-morrow.”’ ‘** And then will come the takin’ on board of fuel, which won’t be a small job, considerin’ that you ’re The “Sprite.” 61 countin’ on burnin’ wood. But, to tell the truth, lad, I don’t see where you ’re goin’ to stow it. We need coal, an’ that ’s a fact. Come to count the cost of any other fuel, the puttin’ aboard, an’ the space it will occupy, it "ll be about the same as if we went into town an’ filled the bunkers properly.’ ‘“ There ’s enough here to run her twenty-four hours, I should say. Of course, we must make some account of it to Captain Skillings.”’ “We ’ll tell him it ’s here, an’ if he wants to charge up a little bit of truck like that, why, well an’ good; wecan’t help ourselves; but I allow it ’ll all come in with the good-will. What do you say to usin’ coal ?”’ ‘*T ll do whatever you think best, Captain Ike; but it seemed to me we could save a little money by burning wood.”’ ““T’m allowin’ it would be a case of savin’ at the spigot an’ wastin’ at the bung. Accordin’ to my way of thinkin’, we had best get up steam as soon as it can be done, run into town, fill the bunkers, an’ then call on the Captain for the money he ’s agreed to advance. I ‘ve got cash enough to pay for all we'll want to start in with in the way of coal an’ grub, an’ we ’ll be on our first cruise two days sooner than if you fiddled round here loadin’ her down with wood.”’ ‘We ’Il do as you think best,’’ Stephen replied 62 Lobster Catchers. hesitatingly, for this idea of spending more money than was absolutely necessary, even though by so doing much time might be saved, was not exactly to his liking. ‘* We ’ve got to take enough. water aboard to fill the boiler an’ the tanks, an’ that much I can be doin’ to-morrow mornin’, so that when you give the word we ’ll start the fires. Now, you would want to knock off some time to go an’ tell your mother that we re on the point of startin’; so s’posen you an’ I take a trip up to the farm now. We ’ll get supper there, an’ you ’ve done already what might be called a day’s work.”’ Stephen was eager to continue at his task of get- ting the Sprzte’s engines in working order; but he understood full well that it was necessary to see his mother before leaving port, and realized that there would be but little satisfaction in such a visit as he might be able to make next day. Therefore it was that he dropped his tools, made such a toilet as was possible under the circum- stances, and the partners set out, both considerably excited by the knowledge that within a few hours, at the longest, a test would be made of Stephen’s scheme. During the walk from the red shanty to the farm- house, Captain Ike gave his views on the work which would be begun on the morrow, naming this place The “ Sprite.” 63 or that as the most promising from their point of view, and, in fact, mapped out one full cruise for the Sprite; but Stephen had no comments to make. Until they were fairly embarked in the enterprise, he could not repress the fear that his uncle might succeed in setting some formidable obstacle in their path; and this was not lessened when he finally stood before his mother, having explained to her what had been done by way of making ready for the first cruise. ““T believe you will succeed in earning good wages, Stephen, dear; but yet I wish Uncle Joshua looked upon the plan more favorably,’’ Mrs. Jordan said, when her son’s story was come to an end. ““ Has he been here since I left ?”’ ‘“He went directly to Captain Skillings, and came here on his way home. It is hardly more than ten minutes since he left the house.’’ ‘What ’s he grumblin’ about now, ma’am ?”’ Captain Ike asked quickly. ‘‘ Savin’ the fact that he ’s your own flesh an’ blood, I mistrust the Deacon, though I fail to see how he can work Stephen any harm.”’ ‘*T don’t think he would attempt to do anything of the kind, Captain Dyer. Uncle Joshua means well in all he does and says.”’ ‘““That may be, ma’am; but he has a mighty queer way of showin’ it at times. I don’t forget 64 Lobster Catchers. that it was through him the Ellen Maria was n’t insured when she went down.”’ ‘“That was a piece of forgetfulness, Captain Dyer.”’ ‘““Ay, ma’am, an’ forgetfulness that cost your husband more money than this ’ere farm is worth.”’ ‘“ There is no good reason why we should go back into the past to find cause for harsh feelings. Uncle Joshua is afraid that, in case this venture is a failure, Captain Skillings may attach the farm for Stephen’s debt to him; and he has warned me against allowing the boy to sail in the Sprzte.’’ Stephen turned pale. If his mother insisted that he should abandon the enterprise, even now, when the moment for carrying out the business had arrived, he knew it would be his duty to obey her, and the lad cast an appealing glance at Captain Ike. ““ Don’t let Deacon Joshua Brackett fill your ear with any nonsense like that, Mrs. Jordan,’’ the fisherman said, decidedly. ‘‘ Neither you nor any- one in this neighborhood can bring up one thing Captain Skillin’s has ever done in the way of mean- ness, an’ it don’t stand to reason he ’d begin now, when he ’s considerably more than might be called arich man. The rent of the Sprzte is to be half of all we can earn with her, an’ as for the hundred dollars to be advanced, why it ’s only to buy lob- sters with! We shall pay it back with the first The “ Sprite.” 65 cargo, though it stands to reason we may have to borrow it again. Stephen ain’t takin’ any more chances than if he went out with me after mackerel. He may throw away his time; but it can’t be worse than that.”’ Then Captain Ike went over again and again all the details of the proposed enterprise, until Mrs. Jordan understood the terms of the bargain, and, to Stephen’s great delight, the good woman ceased to think of what the Deacon had said as she realized more fully the possibility that her son might succeed in earning large wages. ‘* J will never say anything more against the plan until you tell me it isa failure,’’ she said to Stephen. “*T can’t think your uncle would wilfully do you a wrong; but it may be that he is too careful. Don’t stay away from home longer than is absolutely neces- sary, and be sure to send me some word whenever the opportunity offers.’’ Then she set about preparing supper for the part- ners, and before the two took their leave she was more cheerful than Stephen had seen her for many a long day. ““ Be as good a boy while on board the steamer as you have always been at home, and I can ask for no more,’’ she whispered as she kissed the lad good- by, when Captain Ike declared that they had “‘ no business to stay longer.”’ 5 66 Lobster Catchers. “You sha’n’t have cause to feel ashamed of me, mother,’’ Stephen replied; and a moment later he and his partner were on their way to the red shanty. ‘* You can depend upon it that this ’ere lobster business is knockin’ Deacon Brackett’s plans awry,”’ the old fisherman said, as he and his partner walked briskly toward the shore. ‘‘ He wanted you to loaf around here at home until there could no longer be a question of sellin’ the farm, when he ’d come in with some imitation of an offer, claimin’ it was made from the goodness of his heart, instead of a deliberate attempt to get the best of his own sister.”’ ‘*T can’t help thinking he will yet contrive to pre- vent me from going ahead with the work,’’ Stephen replied moodily, and Captain Ike said, in a cheery tone, —— ** Don’t get down to the heel, lad. I’ve had one tussle with Deacon Brackett in my time, an’ reckon I can hold my own in another. We two will run the Sgrzte this winter, an’ if we give her up in the spring, it “Il be because we could n’t earn day wages,”’ CHAPTER V. THE FIRST CRUISE. HE occupants of the red shanty were astir on the morning after the Sgrzte was brought around to her new mooring-place, even before the sun showed his face above the eastern waters. Having slept as tired men do, they were refreshed, and a single thought of how much depended on this first cruise was sufficient to render them most eager to set about the final preparations. Stephen waited only long enough to eat a portion of his breakfast, and then, carrying the remainder of the food with him, he went on board the steamer to resume the task of getting the engine in proper condition. Captain Ike remained at the shanty to set the household goods in order, for he counted on the possibility of leaving port that same day, and then he put on board the Sgrzte such of his stores as might be needed. This done, the old man acted as assistant to the engineer, and, thanks to their united efforts, the work was finished a full hour before noon. ‘* We can light the fire now, and if you ’re of the 67 68 Lobster Catchers. same mind as last night, we ‘ll go after coal,” Stephen said, with a long sigh of relief that it was at last possible to move the steamer. ‘*T hold to it that we ’ll be savin’ both time and money by givin’ up the idee of dependin’ on wood. Start her as soon as you please, lad. Our house flag is flyin’, an’ there ’s nothin’ to prevent the Sprite from leavin’ when steam has been raised.”’ Half an hour later the steamer left her anchorage, Captain Ike in the wheel-house, and Stephen at the engine, both feeling deeply a sense of the responsi- bility which rested upon them. As a matter of course, the old fisherman was a good pilot, and he guided the little craft around the cape, up through the devious channel among the islands, into the big harbor to the nearest coal dock. Here the partners were delayed no longer than was absolutely necessary in order to take the fuel on board, for theirs was the only steamer in quest of coal. And it was yet early in the afternoon when Captain Ike rang the starting bell, in order to run around to the Skillings pier. An express wagon stood at the door of Captain Skillings’s warehouse, taking on a load of lobsters, when the Sfrzte was swung in at the dock opposite the building; but the owner of the premises could not be seen. ““T'm afraid we sha’n’t start on our first cruise ‘89 aso “dSQOHAUVM S SONITIIMS NIVIdVO “ The First Cruise. 69 this day, for, of course, we must see the Captain in order to get money,’’ Stephen said, coming up from below just as Captain Ike had made the steamer fast. ‘‘ Perhaps he ’s off somewhere talking with Uncle Joshua.”’ ““T ’ll answer for it that Sam Skillin’s ain’t wastin’ good time on sich as the Deacon,’’ the fisherman said, with a hearty laugh. ‘‘ Will you go up to the office, or shall I ?”’ ‘““ It seems as if you ’d better attend to that part of the work,’’ ““T ’ll do so much of it as amounts to askin’ for the cash; but I sha’n’t trust myself to payin’ out any of the money; for my way of figgerin’ ain’t what you might call up to date, an’ it won’t do for us to come out wrong in the accounts. You ’re the bookkeeper, treasurer, an’ general manager of this ere concern.”’ Without waiting for a reply,the old man clambered up on the dock, and it seemed as if he had but just disappeared within the building before Stephen saw him come out in company with Captain Skillings. ‘* Been hustlin’ a bit, eh ?’’ the merchant asked, with a friendly smile, as he stood on the edge of the pier looking critically at his steamer. ‘* We ’ve hurried the work along, sir,’’ Stephen replied; ‘‘ but it ’s all been done as well as we know ” how. 70 Lobster Catchers. ““T don’t question it, my lad. So far as I have seen, you always do your work thoroughly, else we might not be partners this day. Captain Ike tells me you count on makin’ Seal Harbor to-night ?”’ “* He thought we would be likely to.do some busi- ness there in the future, if we did n’t make a dollar to-day. It stands to reason that the fishermen are not hanging around waiting for us, because no one knows we are coming. But, after this first cruise, I ’m hoping they will be willing to hold their catch till the Sprzte arrives.”’ ““T reckon you ’ve got it figured out pretty near right; if not, it ’s your own loss. The bookkeeper is puttin’ up the money—small bills and plenty of change—so you won't be bothered about payin’ for what is taken aboard. It will count in your favor if you settle as you go, for fishermen, like all the rest of us, enjoy seeing the result of their labor, an’ bank notes or silver make a better show than promises. Don’t hurry back; you must start the trade on this cruise, an’ that can’t always be done ina hurry. Take it easy, rememberin’ that slow an’ steady wins many a race.”’ Then, having assured himself by personal inspec-. tion that the Sprite was in proper order, Captain Skillings returned to his warehouse, the old fisher- man following closely at his heels, in order to bring back the promised capital. The First Cruise. 71 ““ Uncle Joshua has n’t been doing any mischief up to this time, and if he keeps away ten minutes longer we ’ll be all right, so far as this cruise is con- cerned,’’ Stephen said to himself, as he gazed up and down the pier, almost as if expecting to see the Deacon coming in hot haste to forbid the payment of the money. Nothing occurred to prevent the consummation of the business transaction, at least, in so far as the fish-dealer was concerned. Captain Ike came out of the warehouse with a small canvas bag, which was rounded out as if well filled; waved his hand by way of adieu to some one inside the building; looked up and down the pier, as if to make certain the Deacon was not lurking in any out-of-the-way hiding-place, and then came rapidly over to where the Sprzte was moored. ‘* Well, lad,’’ he said in a tone of satisfaction, “up to this ere point everythin’ has gone our way. Your precious uncle has n’t been able to give the lobster scheme a black eye. Captain Skillin’s be- lieves he is makin’ a good trade when he lets the Sprite on half-shares, an’ instead of puttin’ up an even hundred dollars for a starter, insists. on our takin’ a hundred an’ twenty-five. It’s all here in this bag, an’ we can head the steamer for Seal Harbor whenever you say the word.”’ ‘* Do you think we need so much money, Captain 72 Lobster Catchers, Ike ?’’ Stephen asked, much as if displeased because the amount of capital had been increased. ‘‘ It’s not likely we shall get a very large cargo this trip, and there is no good reason for taking more than will be used.”’ ““Tt won’t do any harm to have enough, in case we find trade comes our way,’’ the old man replied as he handed Stephen the canvas bag. ‘‘ That part of it is all right, accordin’ to my way of thinkin’; but you ’ve lost sight of what may be important.”’ “What do you mean ?’’ ‘* How about the licenses for us to run this ’ere craft? We're ready to put to sea; but with nothin’ for a show in case the steamboat inspectors over- haul us.”’ ‘“T ’d forgotten the licenses!’’ the lad cried in dismay. ‘“‘ You ’d better carry back the money, for we can’t leave to-day!’’ ““ It was Captain Skillin’s who reminded me that we was n’t exactly ready to sail. But at the same time he fixed it so we sha’n’t have to haul up. He ’ll send word to the inspectors, if they are in town, an’ we can get the papers next trip.”’ “* Are you certain it "Il be all right ?”’ “* The Captain says he ’ll see the business through, an’ that should be enough for us.”’ Stephen hesitated a moment, and then, realizing that the owner of the Sprite would not be likely to The First Cruise. 73 run any serious risk of getting into trouble with the Government officials, said quickly: ‘* Of course he knows best, and the sooner we are off the better. I had rather make Seal Harbor be- fore nightfall than be running in the night.”’ “You 're the skipper: so say the word, an’ off we go—to make our fortunes, eh, lad ?’’ “But I ’m not the captain of this steamer,”’ Stephen said, laughingly. ‘‘ The engineer’s berth is about all I can fill, and it’s for you to give the starting-bell.’’ “*T ll do it under your orders, my boy’’; and the old man cast off the hawsers, Stephen going below to wait for the signal. Two strokes of the gong, and the young engineer set the machinery in motion. Slowly the little craft made her way out through the tangle of vessels and steamers until she was well clear of the inner harbor; and then a jingling of the bell told that Captain Ike believed it was safe to send her ahead under full steam. Unless they met with a sailing craft, the way was clear before them, and, after assuring himself the machinery was running smoothly, Stephen went on deck to talk with his partner while he watched the progress of what seemed much like his own steamer. Captain Ike was in the best possible spirits as he stood at the wheel in the tiny pilot-house directing 74 Lobster Catchers. the Sprite’s course. He was whistling the air of ‘‘ Money Musk’’ when the lad appeared; but ceased his tuneful occupation to say— ‘* This is what you might call a great day for us, partner. I ain’t allowin’ that steam is better than canvas except when a man is out on such business as ours, an’ then it can’t be beat. No danger of bein’ becalmed when there ’s a full fare aboard that ’s likely to spoil in case of delay.”’ ‘““We ‘ve had great luck!’’ Stephen replied cheerily. ‘I don’t give it any such name, lad. There ain’t a shadow of what you might call ‘luck’ in this world.”’ ““ That ’s what it seems like, when I realize that we have the use of this steamer until spring, and money enough aboard to carry on the business in proper shape. Why, only three days ago it did n't seem possible I could so much as get a new dory!”’ “* All the same, it ain’t ‘ luck,’ ’cause there ’s no sich thing. You made the trade with Captain Skill- in’s on account of his knowin’ you for a well- meanin’, honest lad. S’posen you ’d been in the habit of loafin’ round Dyer & Jose’s store, or thought more of havin’ a good time than you did of lookin’ after the family,—do you allow it might have been an easy matter to get an outfit like this on the strength of what you believed could be done ? The First Cruise. 75 The owner of this ’ere steamer ain’t the kind of a man to throw away good money on chances, sich as would be the case if he was dependin’ on luck. Every boy ought ‘er remember that he ’s makin’ a reputation for himself from the time he ’s old enough to do a day’s work, an’ it ‘Il cling to him, for better or worse, more years than we spent in the gainin’ of it.’’ ““T won’t speak again of such a thing as luck, Captain Ike,’’ Stephen said laughingly. ‘‘ We ’ll call it good fortune; for surely there ’s something out of the ordinary when we can start in on ascheme in this shape. What time do you count on our coming to an anchorage ?”’ ‘* If your engine does its work as it used to, we ’ll be off Ben Willis’s shanty about the time the sun sets. Say, can’t you overhaul the provisions, an’ give mea bite of somethin’? It’s a long time since breakfast, an’ I’m gettin’ sharkish.”’ “* There ’s no show of being able to make tea or coffee.”’ ‘*T was n’t countin’ on luxuries, lad. Pass me out six square inches of anythin’, from salt fish to cortn-bread, an’ I ’ll see that it ’s put in the proper place.”’ Stephen went below, and after making certain the fire was burning brightly and the machinery run- ning smoothly, did as the old fisherman desired. 76 Lobster Catchers. It was not prudent for the engineer to spend very much time on deck while the steamer was under way, and therefore, when Captain Ike’s hunger had been appeased, the lad returned below, watching the fire and engine at the same time he put to rights that por- tion of the cabin set apart as kitchen and forecastle. Probably Stephen’s imagination played him a trick; but it certainly seemed to him as if the Sprite had never before run so swiftly or smoothly. She appeared to leap from one wave to another as if re- joicing at being free once more, and surely it was a fact that the lad had seldom seen the machinery move so regularly. The little steamer’s engine was old, and had been subjected to some hard usage, therefore it was not. an unusual experience for the engineer to be called oe upon to plug a leaking tube, or ‘‘ take up’”’ here and there while the Sfrzte was at sea. On this afternoon, however, everything worked as it should, and Stephen set it down as a fact that he was “‘ lucky,’’ when Captain Ike would have in- sisted that all this was the result of careful work before the cruise began. The lad found so much to do that, for the mo- ment, he forgot everything save what was directly under his eyes, and a shrill whistling through the tube leading from the pilot-house caused him to start in something very like alarm. The First Cruise. 77 Then, with a hearty laugh because of his own nervousness, he cried into the mouthpiece of the tube: ‘“ Ahoy! What ’s up?” “* Get on deck lively, lad! I’m thinkin’ this ’ere craft is in distress!’’ There was no necessity for a second summons. Stephen hesitated only so long as was necessary to assure himself that the engine and the furnace could safely be left during a few moments, and then ran on deck to the pilot-house, looking hastily here and there, but without discovering a single object which should have caused such a statement from the helmsman. “* I don’t see anything that looks wrong, Captain Ike,’’ he said in perplexity. ‘*T reckon you ’ll need the glass,’’ and the fisher- man handed over the ledge of the pilot-house window an old-fashioned spy-glass, which very likely had been considered out of date when the Allen Maria was launched. ‘Look over there, about five points off the weather bow.”’ Stephen adjusted the glass after some difficulty, and then the lenses brought into view what appeared to be a small steam yacht wallowing in the trough of the sea, with a tiny speck of color waving some distance below the masthead. 78 Lobster Catchers. ‘* She seems to be showing a signal of distress,”’ the lad said, half to himself. “* Aye, and it may be needed, so to speak, while she ’s knockin’ about there with no steerage-way on. The chances are that the machinery is crippled, an’ there ain’t so much as a rag of canvas aboard. Them fair-weather sailors who loaf around in play- thin’s, such as I take yonder craft to be, lose their heads the minute matters go wrong.”’ ““ They ’re needing help; that much is certain. Why don’t you pull around for them ?”’ “Tt ’s clean out of our course, lad, an’ we ’d have to give over the idee of anchorin’ in Seal Harbor this night, if we ran down to her.”’ “* You don’t count on leaving a vessel in distress, Captain Ike ?’’ Stephen exclaimed in astonishment. ‘““ She ’s in the track of all the craft comin’ east- ward, an’ it can’t be long before somethin’ heaves in sight that ’ll lend a hand,’’ the old man replied quietly, but without changing his course by so much as a point. ‘“It may be morning before either vessel or steamer sights her, and the wind is growing stronger every minute.”’ “IT don’t reckon it ’ll kick up bobbery enough to harm her much, an’ we ’ve got our own business to think of. The Sgrite ain’t a pleasure craft that can run here and there without heed to the fuel that may The First Cruise. 79 be burnt. We ’re out to make a dollar buyin’ lob- sters, an’ it would n’t be a good beginnin’ to waste half a ton of coal or more pokin’ our noses into what don’t really concern us, seein’ ’s them fresh- water sailors will be picked up before many hours.”’ ‘*T ’d rather give up the lobster business, even before we ’ve really begun it, than run away from a craft in distress!’’ Stephen cried vehemently. ‘‘ That ’s all very well to say, lad. But do you count Captain Skillin’s is willin’ to share half of the expense, when there may be nothin’ serious the matter with yonder cockle-shell ?”’ ““It isn’t for us to take into account what he may think about it so long as people are in danger! We must find out why they are flying a signal of distress!’ “JT allowed you to be the skipper of this ’ere steamer, an’ if you give the word, there ’s nothin’ for the helmsman to do but pull for her,’’ Captain Ike said placidly, as he gave the wheel half a turn, the little craft coming swiftly around until her bow was headed directly for the laboring craft with the ominous fleck of color in her scanty rigging. “You know that I don’t claim to be in command of the Sprite , but it is simply our duty to run down there,’’ Stephen said, half-apologetically, for it was not pleasing to have so much responsibility suddenly 80 Lobster Catchers. thrust upon him. ‘‘ I can’t really believe you would »”” be willing to leave that yacht ‘* We shall be burnin’ jest so much more coal, which must be accounted for when we get back,”’ the old man replied quietly, taking up the spy-glass once more. It was high time Stephen gave the engine some attention, and without further word he went below, believing it was their duty to speak the steamer in distress, but yet asking himself if by so doing he was acting contrary to Captain Skillings’s ideas ? He sprinkled the fire with coal, to insure its burn- ing brightly, made certain the steam was at the requisite height, tried the water-cocks, and then went on deck again. Captain Ike was no longer using the glass; but stood at the wheel unconcernedly, as if it was no business of his whether the Spvz¢e cruised around at sea all night, or was heading for a secure anchorage where a cargo of lobsters might be purchased. ** Did you ever stand off from a craft in distress, Captain Ike?’’ he asked, almost timidly, after a long pause. “No, lad, an’ that ’s a fact,’’ was the prompt reply. ‘‘ But then, you see, I never sailed a steamer before, when it costs a pretty penny to go forty miles or more out of the course. Howsomever, I ain’t sayin’ one word agin’ this business; it ’s your The First Cruise. 81 plan from the start, an’ whatever you say I'll agree is right.” ‘‘ We ought to be able to get into Seal Harbor by sunrise ?”’ ‘“* That ’s owin’ to what may be the trouble with yonder playthin’. If it so be she ’s helpless, as looks the case, we can’t leave her after once comin’ alongside, an’ the job of towin’ her into port ain’t likely to be a payin’ one for lobster buyers. Then agin’, I question if we ’ve got a hawser that would stand the strain while the sea is runnin’ so high.”’ Stephen had not looked at the matter in this light, and once more he went below as the readiest method of bringing the conversation to a close. The lad felt certain he was doing the proper thing to lend aid in such a case, and yet the fact that he was incurring what seemed like a very large expense weighed heavily upon him. He turned the matter over and over in his mind, taking good care meanwhile that the full weight of steam was kept up, and then, when, perhaps, half an hour had been thus spent, Captain Ike summoned him by means of the speaking-tube. ““You can come prety nigh tellin’ what ’s the ” trouble with her now,’’ the old man said when Stephen was at the pilot-house window, and, taking the proferred glass, the lad gazed once more at the helpless craft. 6 82 Lobster Catchers. She was no more than five miles distant by this time, and could be clearly made out by aid of the lenses. A steam pleasure yacht, about forty feet in length, making a brave display of white paint and gilding, but being tossed here and there by the crested waves until it seemed as if she must be thrown on her beam ends. Now and then the water made a clean sweep fore and aft, and the fragments of timbers swaying to and fro at the brass davits amid- ships, told that her port boat had been stove. Stephen believed he could see a human figure in the fancifully decorated pilot-house; but the after- cabin, which rose four or five feet above the deck, was tightly closed with shuttered windows. ‘* She appears to have steam up, an’ is usin’ it to keep her free from water,’’ Captain Ike said by way of beginning a conversation. ““ Yes, the pumps must be going.”’ ‘“Then the trouble is with her propeller. Like enough the shaft is broken, or all the blades gone. It ’s acase of towin’, my boy, an’ we may as well do what we can towards gettin’ ready for the work.”’ ‘“In an hour from now the sea will be making a clean breach over her,’’ Stephen muttered, keeping the glass at his eye. ““ Right you are, an’ it don’t need a sailor to say that she won’t bear up under very much The First Cruise. 83 hammerin’. Those fresh-water yachtsmen, asa rule, think more of paint an’ brass-work than about the strength of a hull, and the wonder is to me that more of such craft don’t go to the bottom. The place for that bit of finery is on a stream or a mill- pond, instead of out here, thirty miles or more from the mainland.”’ ““ The trouble is with the screw, else they could manage to keep steerage-way on her, and we can’t come alongside any too soon.”’ ““T reckon there ’s a deal of truth in that, my lad. Now we ’ve come so far, there ’s no question of savin’ coal. Jump it to her, Stephen, for there ’s no knowin’ when the cockle-shell will stick her nose wholly under.”’ The young engineer needed no urging. There were lives to be saved, and perhaps but a limited time in which to effect the rescue. Now he thought only of the work before them, and at his post below he forced the Sgrite to her best speed, while Captain Ike clutched the spokes of the wheel, wondering how it might be possible for them, short-handed as they were, to board the helpless craft. CHAPTER VI. THE SIGNAL OF DISTRESS. T was as if the Sprzte knew full well the necessity for speed,—as if every portion of her worked in harmony for the saving of human life. Not a rod heated ; not a valve refused its office, as the amateur engineer forced the machinery to its ut- most power. For, in his mind, the loss of amoment might mean the cutting off in this world of more than one soul, so heavily had the craft showing the signal of distress labored when Stephen last saw her. There was no thought to save a dollar more or less through the consumption of coal, by either the boy at the engine or the helmsman. Both realized equally well that this was a race for life, and as they bore their parts, so would be the result. The boiler of the Sprite had been licensed by the Government inspectors to carry eighty pounds of steam, and yet Stephen Jordan gave no heed as the faithful monitor in the glass showed successively eighty-five, ninety, and even a hundred pounds’ pressure, for he was forcing the little steamer on with the hope of saving those whose folly had led them into direst danger. 84 The Signal of Distress. 85 Through the tube came the words: “Drive her for all you ’re worth, lad. The cockle-shell is laborin’ heavily, an’ I question if she ’Il go into the trough of the sea many times an’ come up in proper shape.’’ ‘“T’m doing the best I can, Captain Ike, and have got on more steam now than Captain Skillings would think prudent.”’ ““ Never mind what Captain Skillin’s thinks! It ’s a question of our gettin’ a tow-line to the toy before she goes to pieces! ’”’ There was a grim look on Stephen’s face as he heard these words. Scarcely half an hour before, Captain Ike had questioned whether they were warranted in burning an extra half-ton of coal in order to learn why the signal of distress had been raised, and now he coolly put aside, as being of no value, the opinion of the man who owned the steamer which they were send- ing forward at her best pace, and who must, if their business arrangements were carried out as had been made, pay his share of this extra expense in the matter of fuel. There was no time now for Stephen to go on deck in order to see how this race against death was progressing. He could not take the chances of leaving the furnace or the engine to do their work unheeded, 86 Lobster Catchers. lest by some unforeseen accident they should be disabled. : The most careful watch and the closest attention was needed in order to send the little steamer on in her errand of mercy, and a neglect of ten seconds might be the price of a life. ‘* How are we doing ?’’ Stephen called through the speaking-tube. ‘‘ Bravely, lad, bravely. The yacht ’s a little more than half a mileaway. We ’ve come in time, though how it will be possible to give her a line is more than I can say. When next I ring the bell, slow down a little’an’ come on deck, for there ’s needin’ to be some agreement between us before we can carry out the work of life-savin’ that has n’t been begun any too soon.”’ Perhaps this was not the time when Stephen should have reminded his partner that they ought to hesitate about doing this deed because of the consumption of coal; but nevertheless he could not resist the temptation to ask through the tube: ‘“* Have you come to believe, Captain Ike, that we are warranted in burning an extra half-ton of coal in order to learn why that signal of distress is flying ?”’ ‘“ You ’ve got me on the hip, lad. I was wrong when I counted the cost; for, accordin’ to all ap- pearances, yonder toy will be stove in in less than an hour, if she ain’t brought up into the wind, an’ The Signal of Distress. 87 we ‘re the only ones hereabouts who can do the work. Jump it to her five minutes more, an’ then I allow will come the time when we ’ve got some mighty pretty figgerin’ to do.”’ Stephen ‘‘ jumped it to her’’; that is to say, he sent the draught into the furnace in order to fan the fire; and otherwise did all that was possible to race the steamer, regardless of what pressure the boiler might be capable of sustaining. There was in his mind, as in Captain Ike’s, no thought of danger to himself; but only the great, overwhelming desire, to aid those who had raised the signal of distress. Then came the jingling of the bell, and the young engineer knew the Sprite was so near the laboring craft that the real work of life-saving was to be begun. He *‘ slowed down ’”’ the machinery until it was moving at half-speed; gave one glance at the fire to assure himself the heat would not decrease ma- terially, and then ran on deck. The Sprite was within less than a quarter of a mile of the yacht, which would have made a brave show in smooth water, but now had much the ap- pearance of a snow-white gull that has been wounded by the hunter’s rifle. ‘* There she is, lad,’’ Captain Ike said, as Stephen made his way to the window of the pilot-house. 88 Lobster Catchers. “* Just under the forward deck is the heaviest cable we ’ve got; an’ as near as I can make out there are not less than half a dozen souls aboard that egg- shell fabric.”’ ‘““ How can we take them off ?’’ And now that he had arrived at the point where the real work should begin, the lad looked to the old fisherman for instructions. ‘“* Accordin’ to my way of thinkin’, there ain’t one chance in a hundred we could lay alongside as many seconds as would be required to take them aboard. If that ’ere lot of passengers an’ crew are to be saved, we must do it by pullin’ the craft into a harbor, pervidin’ the Sprzte’s engines will stand the strain. An’ it won’t be any mean piece of work, lad, to tow her against a head wind and sea.”’ ‘* Why can’t we run alongside near enough for them to jump on board ?”’ “The chances are ten to one we should be knocked together, an’ both steamers wrecked. You know what can be done below, an’ if—— ”’ ‘““ Unless something happens, we shall be able to pull her to an anchorage, although it will take the best part of all the fuel we ’ve got aboard.”’ ““We ’ve given over countin’ the cost of coal, lad. If you say your engine can stand the strain, we ‘ll try it. How long are you willin’ to stay on deck without goin’ below ?”’ The Signal of Distress. 89 “* Ten minutes, shut down as we are.”’ ‘““ Then slow up a bit more, an’ leave the engine so you can give me a full quarter of an hour. I’m countin’ to run up to windward an’ drift down. While you ’re lookin’ out for things at your end of the ship, I ’ll reeve on the heavin’ line, an’ if them as are aboard the toy know what danger they ’re in, I reckon we ’Il get the hawser made fast to “em.”’ Stephen did as he was bidden. The steam was shut off until the Sprite had a trifle more than steerage-way on, and, throwing into the furnace a shovelful of coal, in order that the heat might be slightly deadened, Stephen went on deck. By this time the Sgrzte had ranged ahead of the craft in distress, until the lad had a full view of her wave-swept decks, and for the first moment, per- haps, he fully realized the danger which menaced her. He could read on the pilot-house, and upon the rail aft, the word Vera, and now and then see pallid faces pressed against the windows of the cabin, tell- ing most eloquently of the fear which had taken possession of those on board. Captain Ike had left the wheel sufficiently long to bend on to the hawser a long length of line, and was back again at his post in time to swing the little steamer around. The Sgrite struggled and plunged into the chasms formed by the waves until it seemed positive she 90 Lobster Catchers. must be engulfed; but, answering to that force at the stern which was exerted by the steam, she came around obedient to the helm, riding buoyantly at last, forging forward ever so slightly, and sweeping down upon the helpless craft in such manner as might, should all the precautions avail, carry her directly past the bow. ‘* Stand by with that heavin’ line!’’ Captain Ike shouted. And now he was neither the partner nor the friend, but captain of the lobster-smack, turned life saver. ‘*‘ When you believe there ’s a chance of makin’ the rope carry, throw for your life, lad, an’ see that you don’t miss your aim.”’ At least two of those on board the Vera under- stood the meaning of this manceuvre, as could be seen by the fact that they were standing at the port rail forward, ready to assist those who would save them. Slowly the Sprite fought her way through the heaving waters, at the same time being forced down upon the pleasure yacht, but moving ahead so much as showed that she would clear the other craft; and then had come the moment when the trial was to be made. ‘““ Give them that line, Steve; an’ remember that if you miss, it will be a full half-hour before we can try it again!’’ the old fisherman shouted; and, dividing the coils of heaving rope into two parts, The Signal of Distress. gl the lad braced himself for the effort, which might mean the saving or the loss of the lives of those who were in such dire peril. “ Now, give it to °em!’’ Captain Ike shouted as, Stephen hesitated, and through the misty air, borne by the strong wind, went fake after fake of the heaving line in coils that seemed as if moved by life, until full five fathoms fell across the Vera’s fore- deck, to be seized upon by those in waiting as drowning men catch at a straw. ““ Good for you, lad! That was a noble throw, and whether we make our fortunes at lobster catchin’ or not, you have somethin’ to be proud of! Now, get below! Shut off your steam, an’ then stand ready to back her! I ’m countin’ on lettin’ the wind swing us around till we ’ve given them our stern until after the hawser is made fast, if please God it can be!”’ In a twinkling, Stephen stood before the slowly moving engine, his hand on the lever waiting for the signal, and his eye running here and there to detect any sign of weakness when strength was so sorely needed. One stroke of the gong. The engine was reversed: the Sprite pausing almost motionless on the crest of the wave until the screw had taken hold upon the water, and was forcing her back against the power of the wind. 92 Lobster Catchers. Overhead the lad could hear Captain Ike running to and fro, and he understood that the old man was paying out on the hawser as those aboard the Vera pulled it toward them; but he dared not leave his post, lest peradventure a sudden veering of the breeze should require quick work with the machin- ery. Then he heard the old man cry out: ‘“* Make fast there, forward, an’ if it so be you can’t send us another hawser, we ’ll have to take the chances of this holdin’; but in my opinion, it ain’t to be depended on.”’ Stephen failed to hear the reply, but, running to the companion-way, he asked eagerly: ‘“* Can they give us another line, Captain Ike ?”’ ** Ay, so they say, though I ’m not thinkin’ such as they ’ve got aboard a craft like that will be of any great service. If you can send us astern a trifle more, standin’ ready to go ahead quick in case we come too near, we ’ll take the chance of bringin’ it on deck.”’ **T’Il do my share of the work. Move lively, for we may not have another opportunity to come as near alongside.’’ ““ Right you are, lad. Send her back at half- speed until I give the word, an’ then jump her ahead!’ Stephen obeyed the order, and when from the The Signal of Distress. 93 deck was shouted: ‘‘ Ahead, full speed! Stop her!”’ he followed the instructions as rapidly as they had been given, and on next looking out through the companion-way had the satisfaction of seeing a new manila rope stretched side by side with the old cable that had been sent from the Sfrite’s deck. Taking the two as one hawser, it was not over strong, and yet, under the circumstances, it seemed little less than wonderful that it was in place; anda cheer went up from the two bedraggled seamen on the deck of the Vera at the same time that Stephen fancied he heard a cry of rejoicing from those who were shut up in the cabin. ‘“Now the fight begins,’’ Captain Ike said, grimly, as he made his way to the wheel-house, his partner following for the moment. ‘“‘ It’s a case of settin’ our teeth together an’ pullin’ for all we ’re worth, lad, rememberin’ at the same time that this ‘ere craft ain’t built for towin’. You ’ll have to stand by to ease her up now an’ then if the breeze freshens, an’ I reckon when we ’ve hauled yonder toy into the nearest anchorage, which, accordin’ to my figgerin’, is Seal Harbor, we ’ll have done such a job as lobster buyers can well be proud of, for the worst of the work is yet before us.’’ Realizing that his place was below, rather than on deck, Stephen turned quickly, and as he did so saw 94 Lobster Catchers. the jaunty little yacht which had been so near de- struction come around head to the wind. The hawsers stiffened until the small bitt aft, to which they had been attached, groaned and creaked in protest against the strain, and he asked himself with an inward fear if it were possible that these timbers, which had been put in place simply for the purpose of mooring the Sprite, would hold for the heavy towing yet to be done. ““Put her ahead strong!’’ Captain Ike shouted, and Stephen leaped into the engine-room. It was useless now for him to watch that straining cable, or the groaning timbers to which it was attached. If both held, his was the task to keep the Sprite steadily on her course, and upon him rested the safety of those whose lives had been in such great peril. Giving the noiseless yet swiftly moving machinery yet another notch of liberty, he raked his fire as carefully as if engaged in some work of art; tested the water-cocks once more, made certain the steamer’s guage registered faithfully, and then, mentally nerving himself for the night of labor which must ensue in this task of life-saving, watched every piston and crank, not daring to look out at that which was dragging with such heavy weight against the progress of the Sprite. The Signal of Distress. 95 “* How are you gettin’ on down there ?’’ Captain Ike shouted through the speaking-tube; and Stephen replied in a tone of hopefulness: ‘‘ Everything goes well here; but how about the yacht ?”’ ‘““ She is comin’ along, an’ with less trouble than I expected, although it seems now an’ then as if the timbers of the Sprzte would be pulled apart.”’ So much Stephen already knew. He could feel the straining and tugging of the little steamer as the heavy weight astern settled back with a thud that caused the hawsers to crack like the report of a pistol, and was sensible of the fact that the Sprite quivered in every timber when thus suddenly checked. After perhaps fifteen minutes had passed, and everything in his portion of the vessel was working as it should, Stephen ran on deck to speak with the old fisherman, for he was needing encouragement ; but the lad regretted having left his post when he could see plainly the task which they had set them- selves. The wind had increased in force, piling green waves one upon another until it was as if mountains of water followed them. Astern, and so dangerously near that it seemed as if with each succeeding foamy crest the Vera must be driven directly into the stern of the Sprite, was 96 Lobster Catchers. the bedraggled yacht, looking as forlorn as a wounded sea-bird, and tugging, straining, and yaw- ing at the cables, as if bent on parting company in order that she might end the apparently fruitless struggle by going to the bottom. The Sgrzte plunged into the foaming billows, thrown back by them, and pulled astern by the inert mass which she was trying to drag to a place of safety. Buffeted by the winds and by the waters, and impeded in the fight by the heavy weight, it seemed as if the little craft struggled hopelessly; as if her own ruin would be compassed in this effort to save. ** We are making heavy weather of it,’’ Stephen said, as he came to the pilot-house window, and there was a certain quaver in his voice, despite every effort to speak cheerily. ** Ay, lad, heavy weather. But I’m thinkin’ the worst of the wind is over, an’ if we hold on to that toy half an hour longer, we ’ll pullthrough. It’s a case of salvage, accordin’ to my way of thinkin’, an’ perhaps we have n’t wasted the coal, after all. It may be there ’s more in this job than the buyin’ of a cargo of lobsters.’’ ‘* What do you mean, Captain Ike ?’”’ ““We have picked up the Vera in distress, when she could n’t have lived till mornin’, an the law allows that them as save a craft under such The Signal of Distress. 97 circumstances are entitled to a certain percentage of what she’s worth. That yacht cost a good many thousand dollars.”’ ‘“‘ Don’t, Captain Ike—don’t!’’ Stephen cried, as if pained by the words. ‘‘It ’s the lives of the people aboard that we are saving, and we won’t think of how much may be made by it.”’ ““ But that ’s what we shall think of, lad, once we ’re safe in port.” ““ Wait till we ’re there, for it does ’nt seem now as if either the Vera or the Sprzte would ever gain a harbor.’’ ‘* That ’s because you ’ve just come from below. You ’d get used to this muddle after bein’ on deck half an hour; an’ if it distresses you when I talk of the money that ’s to be made by what we ’re doin’, we ll put it in another light, an’ say that we ’ve risked Captain Skillin’s’s property, goin’ out of our way to do it; therefore it ‘Il be much to our advan- tage if we save the Vera, although, for the life of me, T can’t see why we should n’t reckon on a profit if there ’s one to be made, after takin’ all these chances.”’ Stephen made no reply to this remark. Although as well versed in the dangers of the sea as a boy living on the coast of Maine well can be, it seemed to him as if their chances of reaching a har- bor, with or without the helpless craft in tow, were 7 98 Lobster Catchers, doubtful, and there came into his heart the fear that while trying to save others they might themselves be lost. However, Captain Ike’s partner was not a lad who would allow his fears to get the better of him, and he returned to his post of duty, understanding full well all that might be required of him before the Sprite gained a secure anchorage, or was engulfed in the raging waters. From this time on, it was simply a battle against the elements, with the little lobster-smack sadly handicapped by that which was dragging astern while she fought her way onward against wind and wave, and the chances of failure were many in view of the fact that the machinery, weakened by long usage, might at any moment break down. A failure to maintain steerage-way now meant death for all; and, understanding this thoroughly, Stephen kept watchful eye upon every moving piece of steel, oiling here and cooling there; now coaxing with a bit more fire, and again deadening the blaze with ashes lest the steam make too rapidly, while at the wheel the old fisherman was on the alert for every opportunity to favor the laboring craft. Like heroes, these partners, who had set forth on a commercial enterprise, labored during all the long hours of the night; and it can well be fancied that in the wounded yacht astern were many anxious The Signal of Distress. 99 hearts, who, having no means of fighting their own battle, must depend upon a man and a boy whom they had barely, if ever, seen. It was to Stephen as if this night contained twice the ordinary number of hours, and when the dim light from the sun pierced the mist, causing it to assume a grayish hue, thus telling that a new day was come, he felt as if he had been struggling these many days to win back to life those who had so nearly been sent into the hereafter. ‘““ The worst of it is over, lad!’’ Captain Ike cried through the speaking-tube, as if believing the young engineer needed cheering, which indeed he did. ““ The worst of it is over. We are well alongside the whistlin’ buoy, an’ three miles more brings us into Seal Harbor. The strength of the wind is broken. Barrin’ accidents, we ’re certain to take the Vera into that port, if no farther, an’ it ’s a good job well done. How about the coal ?”’ ‘*T ’ve used not less than a ton; the furnace eats it like kindling wood.”’ ‘* Well, it don’t count so long as the bitt stands firm and the hawsers hold, although since sunset last night I ’ve thought many a time that the whole stern of the Sprite was givin’ way. We ’ve come out of a nasty mess, an’ are the same as safe. Whether it ’*s been a payin’ job or not remains to be seen, though I reckon we don’t stand to lose by it.”’ 100 Lobster Catchers. ‘“It ’s a paying job already, Captain Ike, even though both craft go to the bottom this minute, for we 've made a good fight.”’ ‘* Ay, that we have, lad, an’ the credit of it be- longs to you; for I ’m afearin’ that, left to myself, I ’d have put in for Seal Harbor, with the chance that some other craft would pick up the yacht. You don’t happen to have a bite of anythin’ there a man could eat, do you?”’ ‘* There ’s plenty here, sir, and I ’ll bring it for- ward in a minute.”’ Then Stephen, believing he might safely leave the noiseless engines for a few moments, set about making ready from the stores at hand a hearty meal for the helmsman, and while doing so satisfied his own hunger, which, until this moment, he had not realized. Captain Ike looked none the worse for his long night at the helm. He ate like one who has been de- prived of food for many hours, but never once relinquished his hold of the wheel. A gray mist, which so closely enveloped surround- ing objects that even the yacht in tow could be seen but dimly, caused Stephen bewilderment, and he questioned if the old fisherman could find his way into Seal Harbor. “That I can, lad, even in the thick of this smudge. After makin’ the whistlin’ buoy, I know The Signal of Distress. IOI where I am as well as you would should some one set you down at the bars of the south pasture on the Ben Jordan farm. Keep your engine movin’ half an hour longer, an’ I ’Il bring you to anchor so near «Ben Willis’s shanty that we can hear him whistlin’ while he knits heads for his lobster-pots.’’ CHAPTER VII. THE ‘‘ VERA’S’’ CAPTAIN. T required that one should have perfect confidence in any statement made by Captain Ike to believe implicitly that he could take the Sprite and her tow into Seal Harbor while the fog lay so heavily upon the waters; and yet Stephen had no question what- ever but that the old fisherman would do exactly as he had said. It was to him as if the Sprzte had already come to a safe anchorage; and he went below with more of thankfulness in his heart than he had known since before his father died; for now he could say to him- self that, whether the business venture was a success or no, it had been the means of saving more or less of human life, the same to be reckoned by the number of people on board the Vera. And Captain Ike kept his word to the letter. When the fog was so dense that one could scarcely see from one end of the Sgrzte to the other, he ran the little craft with her following in through the channel marked by rocks, without so much as mar- ring the paint on either craft, and came about with a whistle of content or announcement, whichever, 102 The “ Vera’s” Captain. 103 may have been in his heart, at the very spot where he had said they should arrive. “* Let go your anchors!’’ he shouted to those on board the pleasure yacht. ‘‘ Let go your anchors, for here is good holdin’ ground with protection against whatsoever wind may blow; and however dire your strait, here is safety.’’ Stephen said to himself, as he heard the old man’s cry, which was hardly less than one of triumph, that to it should have been added, —— ““ And it ’s the Sprzte and I that have brought you out from very death.’’ For the first time since the signal of distress had been seen did the young engineer draw a breath of relief. For the first time was the mental strain lessened; no longer did he watch, fearing each in- stant lest one or the other of those delicate portions of the engine should refuse to do its duty, or suc- cumb to the enormous strain put upon it; no longer did he fear that the furnace fires might eat them- selves out until the volume of steam should be lessened. All was done! The battle had been fought and won! So many as had been on board the Vera when that tiny speck of color which told of suffering and of desire for asistance was raised in the rigging, so many had been saved, and through the exertions of 104 Lobster Catchers. a man and a boy, who, lacking this world’s goods, had set their services against the capital of one who trusted in them, knowing their reputation. Had Captain Ike been brought around to the point, he could have said, and without fear of con- tradiction, that the reputation Stephen Jordan had made as a boy not only served him in good stead commercially, but had been the indirect means of saving the lives of so many as made up the crew of the pleasure yacht; and surely it is worth while for a lad to look well to his record when so much may depend upon it. The splashing of water told when the anchors of both craft had been let go, and, probably hearing it, Ben Willis came out to welcome those visitors, who had been as unexpected as they were unseen. “* Ahoy, on board!”’ he cried; and Captain Ike replied cheerily, the change in his tone telling how greatly was lessened the strain on his mind: ** The yacht Sprzte, Steve Jordan captain, an’ Ike Dyer mate as well as crew. Made anchorage with a tow picked up thirty miles or more outside, an’ needin’ assistance. Better come aboard, Ben Willis, for I’m allowin’ your services are wanted.”’ ‘“‘ What set you afloat, Captain Ike ?’’ the voice cried from amid the fog. ‘** Ben Jordan’s son, Stephen, is out buyin’ lob- sters, an’ I ’m the bo’sun, mate, an’ crew of the The “ Vera’s” Captain. 105 captain’s gig. We brought in a pleasure craft disabled.”’ Stephen drew his fire, believing their stay here might be a long one; for the wind gave no promise of changing, and it would have been folly to run out into the thick of the smother unless there should be absolute necessity for such a venture. It was while he was thus engaged that Ben Willis came off from the shore, and a boat pulled alongside from the Vera. To the first visitor Stephen gave no heed, for Captain Ike acted the part of host, and the solitary inhabitant of Seal Island was more content in such companionship than he would have been with the most hospitable welcome the lad could give. The second visitor, a sailorly-looking young man, of not more than twenty years, inquired, without coming aboard, for the master of the steamer that towed the disabled craft into port, and Captain Ike replied : ““Vou ’ll find him below, matey, where he ’s playin’ at bein’ engineer. Stephen Jordan is the ‘party you ’re lookin’ for.’’ Hearing this question and reply, the lad cried, ina tone which savored of resentment: “Tt ’s Captain Ike who commands this steamer; and when he says I ’m the master he ’s making idle talk.”’ 106 Lobster Catchers, “* There is nothin’ idle about it when it comes to the savin’ of your craft, mister,’’ the old fisherman said seriously, and in such a tone as left no doubt whatever as to its truth. ‘‘ The lad an’ J are runnin’ this steamer; I look upon him as the master, an’, even though he disowns the office, but for him we would have left you in the lurch last night. There- fore, I say again, Stephen Jordan is the captain of the Sprite.”’ The visitor must have understood somewhat of the situation from these words, for without further parley he came aboard, making his way into that apartment aft which could as well be called the cabin as the engine-room, and, saluting in a sailorly fashion, said: ‘*“ My captain would be pleased to have you come on board, sir. After all that has been done—and we were nearer to death than you can guess—it is right you should at least be thanked for the rescue.”’ “* IT need no thanks, in the first place,’’ Stephen replied, so abashed as to render his voice grave. ““ In the second place, I’m the engineer, whatever Captain Ike may say, an’ this machinery needs overhauling after last night’s work. Why can’t your captain come on board, if he thinks it is necessary ?”’ ““ The captain of the Vera is a young lady, sir— Miss Hamilton. Her father owns the yacht, and The “ Vera’s” Captain. 107 she sails as master, with two engineers and two men for crew.”’ Stephen faced about suddenly, dropping the wrench and oil-can as he repeated, in a tone of bewilderment: ‘“ A young lady ?”’ ““ Yes, sir—Miss Hamilton, as I have said; and she begs, if it be convenient, that you will come on board.”’ There was an odd expression on Stephen’s face as he looked, first at his oil-begrimed hands, and then at the well-worn and many-patched garments which but a few moments previous seemed all that he could desire in his business as a buyer of lobsters, but now appeared so poor and mean. ““ Neither Captain Ike nor I are in proper trim to call upon a young lady, especially one who owns such a yacht as that which we have brought in. I think it would be better if she left the thanks out of the question, for the present, because of my per- sonal appearance and the work that must be done.”’ “* Tt would please her very much, sir, if you came aboard only fora moment. After the accident, she seems to have lost confidence in us, and I really believe it is necessary she speak with you.”’ ‘* What is the trouble with your craft ?”’ ‘* We have lost every blade of the screw, or broken the shaft off near the stuffing-box—TI can’t say 108 Lobster Catchers. which. When we got into the heavy sea, the pro- peller raced so badly that something had to give way, for the Vera is not built to stand such weather as we found outside.”’ ‘“ Where were you bound ?”’ ‘“ For Boston, from Bar Harbor; and when you bore down upon us we were taking in water faster than the steam pump could throw it out. An hour later and the yacht would have foundered.”’ ““Then it ’s lucky we hove in sight just as we did.” ““It was God’s mercy, sir,’’ the young man re- plied, gravely; and for the second time Stephen resolved that he would never again use the word “© luck.”’ ‘* We had a hard pull to get in here,’’ he said, at a loss for other words; and the visitor, bent upon carrying out the commands of his captain, replied briefly : ‘“'We had, indeed, sir,’’ and added, ‘* Will you come aboard with me?”’ ‘* T—I—Well, to tell the truth, I’m not in fit condition to meet such a young lady as must be the owner of the yacht.’’ ““'You are the one who has saved her life, sir, and I do not think oily hands or a soot-begrimed face counts in such a case.’”’ ““ Well, I reckon my face must be in pretty bad The “ Vera’s” Captain. 109 shape, seeing I have n’t washed it since yesterday morning; but even if it were clean, I ’d rather not ” go. To this the visitor made no reply; but he stood in the companion-way expectantly, until it seemed to Stephen that he had no choice in the matter, and, muttering something which was not complimentary to Captain Ike’s chivalry, the young engineer did as he was requested. That is to say, he followed the visitor over the rail into a tender fashioned of cedar and embel- lished with carving and ornaments of brass, feeling -decidedly out of place in such a fairylike craft, and wondering whether it would be possible to carry himself properly once on board such a yacht as he could fancy the Vera must be. If Stephen Jordan had been abashed while only so much as thinking of going on board the yacht, he was thoroughly confused when, after a few mo- ments, he stepped over the rail of the daintiest craft he had imagined ever could be built, and stood facing a young girl, hardly older than himself, in the rear of whom were a half a dozen ladies and gentlemen. Stephen’s knowledge of the world had been con- fined to what he could learn at Dyer & Jose’s store, from Deacon Joshua Brackett, and from such com- panions as had been his schoolmates. Therefore 110 Lobster Catchers, it was as if he had suddenly come upon another race of beings; and however manfully he might have struggled throughout the long night to save these people, it was as if he had committed a grave indis- cretion in daring to stand before them. ““ We have to thank you for our lives, sir,’’ the young lady said, as she extended her hand, and Stephen awkwardly wiped his on the skirt of his coat before venturing to take it. ‘‘ It was a brave deed to come down and take us in tow, as you did, when the storm was raging. But for your bravery our yacht would have been swamped, and we drowned. It is impossible to thank you as I should; but in the name of my father and all here, I wish to say that we are deeply sensible of what we owe you.”’ ““There is no need of mentioning it, miss,’’ Stephen replied, with painful embarrassment. ‘‘ It was only a question of answering your signal of dis- tress, and mighty glad am I that both steamers are safe here in Seal Harbor.”’ ‘* Are we far from Portland ?’’ one of the party asked. “* Near to thirty miles.”’ ‘* And it will be impossible for us to make repairs to the yacht without going there ?’’ Miss Hamilton said, interrogatively. ‘“T reckon so, if the propeller is disabled.’’ The “ Vera’s” Captain. III ““ Then we are yet in your care, sir, and depend upon you to take us and the yacht into port. You shall be repaid for all the service,’’ she added, quickly, seeing a show of hesitation upon Stephen’s face. “There ’s no question of my doing what you need, though perhaps I was foolish enough to hesi- tate for an instant,’’ Captain Ike’s partner replied. “* You see, the Sprite does n’t belong to us; we ‘re running her on shares, and came out to buy lobsters; but, of course, we ’re bound to put you into port, as we will do when this fog lifts.”’ During all this time Miss Hamilton had been hold- ing Stephen’s hand, much to his embarrassment, and now she clasped it with both of hers as she said, in a tone of thankfulness which could not be mistaken: ‘“You have saved our lives, and although that debt can never be repaid, my father shall see to it that the owner of your steamer is fully recompensed for such use as you have made of his property.’’ Then she released his hand, and Stephen, feeling a trifle more at ease, replied in a matter-of-fact tone: ‘© You will have to lay here until the fog lifts, for I don’t reckon there ’s any great need of leaving a harbor in this smother.”’ ‘*So that you have taken charge of us, we are satisfied. There is nothing out of the way with the Vera except the loss of her propeller, and we shall 112 Lobster Catchers. be quite comfortable and content for so long as pleases you.”’ ‘Thank you, miss,’’ Stephen replied, knowing not what else to say; and then, awkwardly, he backed over the rail, lifting his hat instinctively by way of adieu. The sailing-master, if that was the position which the young man occupied who had brought Stephen aboard, carried him back to his own craft, and once arrived there, he found Captain Ike and Ben Willis bargaining as eagerly over the latter’s catch of lob- sters as if such a thing as a steam yacht with a young lady for captain had never been known. “* Well, lad, what about the toy ? Did you see the skipper ?’’ the old fisherman asked as Stephen entered the engine-room. Then, by way of intro- duction, he added, motioning with his thumb toward the lad: “‘ This ere youngster is my partner, Ben, and he promises to make as good an’ square a man as was his father.”’ ‘‘T saw the skipper, Captain Ike, and wish you might have been the one to go aboard.”’ ““ Why ?”’ the old man asked, with mild curiosity. ‘“ He puts on a lot of high an’ mighty airs on ac- count of havin’ command of a gingerbread craft like that one, I reckon.”’ ““T don’t think she did, sir. I thought she was right nice and friendly.’’ The “ Vera's” Captain. 113 “She ? What’s the matter with you, lad? Has the first night ‘s work at the engine turned your head ?”’ ‘“ Not a bit of it, Captain Ike; but the captain of the yacht might have done so if I ’d come a bit nearer to being in her class. Miss Hamilton is the name of the skipper, and the young fellow who took me aboard appears to be a sort of sailing- master.”’ Captain Ike leaned back on the locker in order to look up at Stephen's face, and, after a close scrutiny, as if to make certain the lad was not playing upon his credulity, said emphatically: ‘* Well, that beats me! I don’t wonder the craft was in distress! I’ve heard tell that young women had taken to sailin’ yachts; but never believed it was more ’n a newspaper yarn. So we ’ve brought in a parcel of women, eh ?”’ and for the moment the old man appeared to have forgotten that there were such things in the sea as lobsters. ““ There is quite a company of young men and women aboard, sir.”’ “* Scared pretty night out ’er what small wit they may chance to have, I reckon ?”’ ‘“ They all appear to understand that but for the Sprite the yacht would have been wrecked, and count on our towing them to the city, for the little anes screw has been carried away.”’ 114 Lobster Catchers. ‘* What did you tell the young woman when she made such foolish talk as that ?’’ Captain Ike asked, as if in a towering rage. ‘‘T didn’t say it could n’t be done, because we ’re bound to help them so far as is possible. The yacht is helpless, and we can’t leave her here, sir.’’ ‘“ Oh, we can’t, eh? Hark you, Stephen Jordan, did we come out on this ’ere cruise to do a towin’ business, or buy lobsters ?’”’ ‘“ Of course, I understand as well as you why we came; but it seems as if we were bound to do as Miss Hamilton wishes.”’ “* Let her wait here till a tug comes along, an’ we ’ll tend to our reg’lar business. After wastin’ coal as we did last night, I reckon we ’ve done our duty by a parcel of idjuts who go to sea in such as yonder gingerbread steamer.”’ “The boy is right, Captain Ike; you ’re bound to see them through their troubles, havin’ begun the job,’’ Ben Willis interposed. ‘*‘ Tugboats don’t come this way very often, an’ they might lay here a month without gettin’ another such chance for a tow as you can give ’em.”’ ““It’s for Captain Skillin’s to say whether we shall waste our time in that fashion, an’ till he gives the word I ’ll stick to what we agreed on.”’ ‘“‘ There ’s four times as much money to be made towin’ that yacht into port than there is at buyin’ The “ Vera’s” Captain. 115 lobsters,’’ Willis suggested in a matter-of-fact tone; whereat the old fisherman grew thoughtful. “* Miss Hamilton says her father will pay for what: we have done,’’ Stephen added; and the old man had no further protest to make. He remained silent while one might have counted twenty, and then resumed his previous conversation with Ben Willis by asking: ‘“ How many lobsters have you got ?”’ “* Five or six hundred, I reckon.’’ ““It must have been quite a spell since any lob- ster-smack come this way ?”’ ““'We ’ve had so much fog lately that they ’ve been shy of Seal Harbor; but you ’Il see plenty of “em after this.’’ ‘* An’ by the time one comes, half your lobsters will have gone to feed the other half.’’ ‘‘T’m not sayin’ but that they ’ve been in the cars plenty long enough.’’ ‘* An’ it “Il pay you to make a fair trade with us for the sake of gettin’ rid of “em.’’ ‘‘ What do you call a fair trade ?”’ Thirteen dollars a hundred, cash down the minute we ’ve taken ’em aboard.”’ ‘* They ’re worth more ’n that in town.”’ ‘* Of course they are. Do you reckon we ’re out here to buy for the same price that can be had in the market ? I ’ve offered a fair sum, an’ even.if 116 Lobster Catchers. you should get a dollar a hundred more to-morrow, it would ’nt pay to wait, because you know as well as I that once lobsters in a car fall to eatin’ each other, it don’t take long to spoil the looks of a hundred. We ’ll give that figger, an’ agree to come here every week or ten days, weather per- mittin’.”’ Ben Willis pretended to hesitate, and Captain Ike tried to appear indifferent. Stephen busied himself with cleaning the ma- chinery while the two haggled and bargained, and when not less than half an hour had thus been spent Willis said, in an injured tone: ‘*T reckon you ’ll have to take ’em; but it ’s the same as givin’ you ten dollars.”’ ‘“ We stand a good chance of gettin’ our money back, an’ nothin’ left with which to pay for the coal.”’ ‘* When will you take ’em ?”’ “Now, if you say the word. Seein’ ’s how Stephen is bent on towin’ that toy steamer back to port, I reckon it stands us in hand to be ready for a start right away after this smother lifts.”’ ‘“ Pull alongside the car, an’ we ’ll put ’em aboard.”’ Then the Seal Harbor fisherman went on board his dory, and Captain Ike said, with a chuckle of satisfaction, to his partner: oe Page 116, CAGES FOR BOILING LOBSTERS, The ‘“ Vera's” Captain. 117 ‘That ain’t a bad trade for the first one, lad. We ’Il get twenty-five or thirty dollars profit for about the same number of hour’s work, to say nothin’ of what ought ‘er come to us in the way of salvage. There ’s no goin’ back on the fact that the yacht was in danger when we pulled her head to the wind, an’ I allow Sam Skillin’s will see that we ’re paid all the job is worth.”’ ““ It don’t seem just the proper thing to bargain with Miss Hamilton for a dollar more or less, after we ’ve saved her life,’’ Stephen said, hesitatingly, his face reddening, although he could not have said why. “* There ’s no call for us to do anythin’ of the kind, lad. We can trust the Sprzte’s owner for that. Come, we ‘ve got quite a job on hand, and the sooner we pull the craft around to Ben Willis’s , car the quicker it can be begun.’ CHAPTER VIII. A MATTER OF SALVAGE. APTAIN IKE was not disposed to linger, once the bargain with Ben Willis had been made, even though the fog hung over the waters so densely that it would have been little short of fool- hardiness to leave the harbor while the ocean was shrouded in mist. Ben Willis’s lobster-cars were made after the ordinary fashion; that is to say, they were huge wooden cages, or boxes, built of plank, twenty feet long, ten feet wide, and three or four feet in depth, with a trap-door or hatchway in the top. Such cars are weighted to bring the upper portion level with the surface of the water, and through the trap-door the lobsters are put in or taken out, as may be desired. In order that some of Captain Ike’s conversation may be the better understood, it is well to say that, while fishermen can keep their catch alive a certain time in such cages, it is not possible to do so many days, because of the fact that a lobster will eat his brother or his cousin quite as quickly as a bit of fresh fish. Therefore, as Captain Ike had intimated, 118 A Matter of Salvage. 119g it was not profitable for Ben Willis to stand out for a dollar more a hundred, when in twenty-four hours the captives would lessen by many dozen their numbers. Ben Willis’s cars were anchored in deep water a hundred feet or more out from where the Sprzte was lying, and it was not an arduous ora difficult under- taking to bring the little steamer alongside these submarine cages. Once this was done, Willis, standing on top of the car, which would have upheld a dozen men, fished, with a scoop-net on the end of a stout pole, for his captives. The hatch covering the tank on board the steamer had been removed, and the lobsters were passed from one person to another with such rapid- ity that, at the end of two hours, a full six hundred had been taken aboard the Sprzze. “There may be a scatterin’ one now and then here,’’ Willis said, as he threw up the last netful from the fourth car; ‘‘ but seein’ ’s how you ’ve got six hundred good count, we ‘Il call it done.”’ Captain Ike was quite ready to bring the work to an end, even though he did not succeed in getting every lobster the fisherman had on hand; for by this time the fog gave signs of lifting, and he said to Stephen, as they fastened down the heavy hatch with a bar of iron: 120 Lobster Catchers. “It ’s time we were off, lad, unless we ’re willin’ to put in another night at towin’. I allow this ere smother is burnin’ off so fast that when you ’re ready to start her up the course will be plain before us.” Ben Willis came on board to receive payment for that which probably represented twenty days’ labor while exposed to all the dangers of the sea; and the three went into the engine-room. Stephen produced the canvas bag with its contents of paper and silver, which had been stowed carefully in one of the lockers, and from their capital was counted out seventy-eight dollars. After Willis had thrust it into his pocket with an assumption of carelessness, as if he was accustomed to receiving such amounts frequently, Captain Ike said, indifferently: ““T reckon you would n’t mind throwin’ in a few fish. In case we don’t make port until to-morrow mornin’, somethin’ of the kind will come in handy; otherwise we stand a chance of losin’ a good part of the cargo.”’ ““T allow I can do it, though when a man gets half-price for his catch it comes tough to throw in a lot of feed.’’ ‘‘ Have your own way about it, Ben. I don’t s’pose we really need anythin’ of the kind; but, as I said, they might come in handy, an’ we three are A Matter of Salvage. 121 like to do a good bit of business together ’twixt now an’ next spring.”’ Willis went on board after the fish which were to serve as food for the lobsters, and Captain Ike said to his partner in a tone of satisfaction: ““We ’ve made a pretty good turn, lad, an’ have n’t got money enough to take in very many hundred more, if we count on payin’ cash. The next trip we ’ll have a good bit bigger capital.”’ ““ Perhaps Captain Skillings will want us to pay what we owe him.”’ “* Not he, lad. He knows it ain’t possible for us to make enough in one trip to provide us with cash, and so long as we bring in good fares you can count on holdin’ what he ’s lent till there ’s no longer any need for it. Now, if you’ll set about raisin’ steam, I Il pass the hawsers to the toy steamer, an’ in less than an hour we ’ll be under way, providin’ that young female captain don’t get any whim into her head in regard to stoppin’ here a spell.”’ ‘* From what I have seen, I should say she would be more than willing to go whenever we are ready,”’ Stephen replied with a laugh, as, after carefully re- placing the canvas bag in the locker, he set about his work of engineer. Twenty minutes later Captain Ike came below, and his partner was quick to note the expression of mingled perplexity and amusement on his face. 122 Lobster Catchers. ‘* Well, are the hawsers aboard again ?’”’ the lad asked. “* Ay, an’ in shape for holdin’ her, providin’ we don’t put a heavier strain on the bitt than was done last night. Queer sort of an idee, a young woman like that Miss Hamilton knockin’ about in a steamer, ain’t it ?”’ “* Then you ’ve seen her ?”’ ““ Yes; she came forward when the sailin’-master an’ I was tendin’ to the job. Seems to be a right decent sort of a girl. Nothin’ stuck up "bout her, an’ I should n’t wonder if she knew her business as well as a good many of these dandified fellers that go round in yachts callin’ themselves sailors.’’ “* Do you still think that perhaps Captain Skill- ings might object to our towing the Vera into port ?”’ Stephen asked, with a smile. ‘* Whether he does or not, it ’s got to be done, lad, seein’ ’s how the young woman an’ her friends are tied up here for quite a spell, perhaps, unless we lend them a hand. Besides, it’s a matter of salvage as well as doin’ a good turn; for that ere ginger- bread boat is worth a pile of money, even though she don’t look to be anythin’ but a toy. I ’m allowin’ we will have made, when she’s alongside Skillin’s’s pier, more solid cash than could be earned in a full season by buyin’ lobsters. How near are you ready ?”’ A Matter of Salvage. 123 ‘“ In ten minutes we shall have steam enough.”’ ““ Then s’pose we get a bite of somethin’ to eat, for it will be a long pull from here into port, no matter how fine the weather is, an’ we sha’n’t have another chance to eat peaceably.’’ Having said this, the old man set out such of the stores as he thought would satisfy their hunger, and by the time the two had finished what was really a combination of breakfast and dinner, the guage showed that there was sufficient pressure to admit of getting under way. Standing in the companion-way, Captain Ike bawled out the order for the Vera’s crew to weigh anchor, and then he and Stephen went forward to cast off the moorings, which had been made fast to the lobster-car, the latter receiving, to his evident satisfaction, anod and a smile from Miss Hamilton, who was standing near the wheel-house as if to make certain that the crew obeyed the old fisher- man’s commands with due promptness. ““ Tf her father owns that toy, an’ I reckon he does, he must be a rich man,’’ Captain Ike observed ina hoarse whisper; and to this proposition Stephen agreed. ‘“ Well, she ain’t puttin’ on any airs about it, an’ that ’s more than can be said of the general run of such people. I don’t allow that if a man’s rich it ’s anythin’ agin’ him; but, at the same time I ’ve 124 Lobster Catchers. noticed that the most of ‘em think money gives them a right to lord it over folks as are poor. I’m kind of glad we picked up that craft.”’ Stephen laughed heartily. ‘““Then you are really willing to admit that you re glad we did n’t run into Seal Harbor yes- terday afternoon and leave them to drown, are you ?”’ ‘“T don’t mean it just that way, lad. What I counted on sayin’ was to the effect that it seemed kind of pleasant to run afoul of sich people. If you re ready we ’ll send her along, with the idee of tyin’ up to Skillin’s’s dock before nine o’clock, and then we ’ll try what we can do in the way of sleepin, seein’ ’s how we lost one full night.”’ When Captain Ike had gone into the wheel-house, Stephen did his share toward “‘ sendin’ her along,”’ by starting the engine, and the sun sent a shaft of golden light down through the gray mist, giving promise of dispelling it entirely, just as the Sprite swung around with the Vera in tow. Compared with the labor and anxieties of the pre- vious night, this pulling the disabled craft through comparatively smooth waters, with little or no wind to check the headway, was a simple task. As a matter of fact, however, the weight of the Vera astern checked the Sprite’s speed very de- cidedly. But there was no snapping and creaking A Matter of Salvage. 125 of the cables, or groaning of the timbers to cause alarm, and, save for some possible accident, the work of carrying the yacht into harbor was only a matter of time. When not occupied in watching the engine, Stephen looked out through the companion-way to the dainty little craft astern, and there saw the captain and her guests making as merry as if having been disabled and near to death was but an incident in a summer’s yachting cruise. The lad came near to envying the young gentle- men of the party, whose clothing was so fine, whose hands so white, whose manners all they should be. “It ’s a great thing to have plenty of money,’’ he muttered to himself; ‘‘ but there ’s many a one who don’t know how to use it decently, and perhaps I would be among them. If this lobster business turns out as we ’ve counted on, giving me cash enough with which to put the farm into shape, I would n’t change places with anybody, and it looks as if we ’d begun well,—thirty dollars profit on our cargo, and the satisfaction of having done a good turn for them astern.” Then he compared the Sprite with the Vera, and wondered how he could have thought the former such a fine craft, until he came to realize that with one he might earn the money his mother needed, while the other was comparatively useless, save as 126 Lobster Catchers. a plaything; and at once Captain Skillings’s steamer took on for him a new appearance. From time to time Captain Ike called down through the tube to assure himself that everything was working well in the engine-room, or to cheer his partner by advising him of the progress they were making. ‘* We shall run into Skillin’s’s pier before sunset,”’ he announced, confidently; ‘‘ an’, what ’s more to my likin’, have a chance of talkin’ with the Captain before we turn in for the night.”’ ‘* Are you anxious to tell him that we ’ve got six hundred lobsters aboard ?”’ “ Well, that ’s a piece of news he won’t despise; but it ’s the matter of salvage that I want to lay before him. The more I look at yonder toy, the more I am inclined to think that we ought to be paid for savin’ her, an’ he ’ll know to a dot what the job is worth.” Stephen made no reply to this remark; but he looked astern, where Miss Hamilton stood in the wheel-house, forming as pretty as picture as any fisherman could desire, and one more beautiful than he often had an opportunity of seeing, wondering what sort of an opinion she would have of them could she hear their conversation. The consumption of coal on this afternoon was almost as great as it had been during the night, and, A Matter of Salvage. 127 after measuring with his eye the amount of fuel which yet remained in the bunkers, Stephen an- nounced to his partner: ““ The thirty dollars you figure as profit on the lobsters won’t all come in to us; for the coal we shall have burned by the time the Sgrzte is at the dock will amount to a full third of that.”’ ** The coal don’t cut any very great figger when it ’sa matter of salvage like we ve got this day, lad,’’ Captain Ike replied, cheerily ; and his partner said, almost petulantly: ““T wish you would n’t talk so much about sal- vage just now. I ’d rather think, for a while at least, that we ’ve done some good in the world by saving the lives of those on board the yacht.”’ ‘* The two idees run together, my boy. Take all the satisfaction you want out of preventin’ them poor creatures from drownin’, an’ then lay back on the cold fact that we ’ve made a big thing out of doin’ a charitable deed; an’ it ’s a mighty com- fortable thought when you come to figger up the coal that ’s been burned, or the lobsters we might have bought if we had n’t headed so soon for home.”’ It was not yet five o’clock in the afternoon when the Sprite made fast opposite the Skillings ware- house, with the Vera alongside, and Captain Ike hurriedly said to his partner: 128 Lobster Catchers. ““I ’m goin’ ashore to report our arrival, lad. Look out for things while I ‘m gone.’’ Then, without giving any heed to the captain or crew of the yacht, he leaped ashore, and Stephen was left, as he supposed, to perform such work as falls to the duty of an engineer upon arriving in port. In such task, however, he was to be delayed; for it seemed as if he had but just began to wipe the stains of toil from the rods and bars, when the sound of footsteps on deck caused him to believe his part- ner had returned. “* Got back quick, did n’t you ?’”’ he asked, with- out looking around, and a musical voice replied, causing him to start in surprise and confusion: ‘* T have n’t been very far away since you picked us up, when it seemed certain the Vera would be torn to pieces by the waves.”’ It was Miss Hamilton, and, wiping his hands with a bit of waste, Stephen turned quickly, removing his greasy cap by way of salutation. ““ We can safely say that our troubles are over now, thanks to you, for it is very likely father will insist on our coming home by land, while the Vera lays here for repairs. I want you to tell me to whom I am indebted for the lives of myself and miy friends.”’ ‘“ This lobster-smack belongs to Captain Skill- ings.”’ “That is n’t exactly what I wanted to know,”’ A Matter of Salvage. 129 Miss Hamilton replied, with a laugh. ‘‘ What is your name, and where do you live ?”’ Stephen gave the desired information, and the young woman continued her inquiries by asking how long he had been engaged in the business of buying lobsters. Hardly aware that he was going so closely into details regarding himself and his purposes, but having the facts drawn from him by skillful ques- tioning, Stephen told very much of his hopes and plans for the future; and had but just finished the simple story when Captain Skillings and the old fisherman came on board. The interview between the pretty little captain of the yacht and the engineer of the lobster-smack was at an end, for the fish-dealer at once took charge of matters by making inquiries of Miss Hamilton as to what she proposed doing with the yacht, and to him the young lady intrusted such business as must be attended to before her father could send instructions. “The Vera shall be left in your charge, Captain Skillings, and I will give you my father’s address. It seems best that we should go home by train at once, if you are willing to attend to the business. But you may be assured that I will return very shortly, if for no other purpose than to have another chat with the captain of your steamer.”’ 9 130 Lobster Catchers, Then the young lady, escorted by Captain Skill- ings, went on board the “‘ gingerbread boat,’’ and the engineer of the Sprzte, who was conscious of having been very awkward when she said adieu, believed there was little chance of his ever seeing her again. Captain Ike had no part in the business conversa- tion whith the fish-dealer held with the commander of the Vera; but set about the work which remained to be done as soon as the guests had gone on board the yacht. ‘* Lobsters still hold at eighteen cents, so we ‘ve got thirty dollars as profit, less what ’s been spent for coal,’’ he announced. ‘‘ Sam Skillin’s is in high feather over what ’s been done on the first cruise, and I took mighty good pains, lad, to tell him plump an’ plain that if it had n’t been for you we ’d never have had this ’ere matter of salvage on our hands, for I did n’t realize what a big thing it might turn out to be. He says that you can keep the Sprite as long as you want her, or have a bigger boat, if business warrants it. What ’s been done the last four an’ twenty hours has given him a big idee of Stephen Jordan, an’ he did n’t have any mean one to start with.’’ ‘* There was no reason why he should have been told that you would n’t have answered that signal of distress, Captain Ike; for I’m certain it was n’t A Matter of Salvage. 131 in your heart to go on without knowing in what straits those on board might be.’’ ‘“T should have done it all the same, ’cause I know what a queer fish Skillin’s is. If we had run down there to find some other lobster-smack in a little bit of trouble with leakin’ tubes, or the like of that, an’ used up, as we did, a couple tons of coal, it would n’t have been no ways strange for him to have said when we got back, ‘ Well, I guess you need n’t run the Sprite any longer. You fool round too much to suit me.’ I know Skillin’s, an’ have n’t got a word to say agin’ him, except that he’s a queer fish when he takes the notion.”’ ““ What is to be done now ?”’ “* We’re to run alongside of his cars to discharge the cargo; so the sooner we do it the quicker we can turn in, for I’m powerful sleepy, even though we did do a big stroke of business in the way of salvage.”’ The Sprite was soon hauled out past the dainty little yacht she had saved, around the head of the pier to the dock, which was nearly filled with huge lobster-cars, where the fish-dealer’s surplus stock was stored; and here, with one of the employees from the warehouse to count out the cargo, that which had been purchased from Ben Willis was deposited. ‘* T reckon we ‘Jl lay where we are to-night, son, 132 Lobster Catchers. seein’ ’s how the toy steamer has probably slipped into our berth, an’ it won’t do for us to let the Sprite chafe the paint from her hull. To-morrow morning bright an’ early we ’ll fill up the coal bunk- ers, for I ’m countin’ on leavin’ here before ten o’clock.’’ ‘“When shall we get the money ?’’ Stephen asked. ‘“Oh, that ’s bound to be paid to-night, ‘cause it ’s understood we can’t loaf round waitin’ for it. You put things shipshape, an’ I ’Il ’tend to that part of the business. I guess I can be trusted to bring the cash from the office up here.”’ With a hearty laugh, which told how free from care and full of hope he was, the old fisherman went on shore again, walking across the cars, which formed a substantial sort of bridge; and Stephen set about caring for his engine, this time without being interrupted by either male or female visitors. Within an hour after discharging the cargo, the crew of the Sprzte were in their narrow bunks, sleep- ing soundly; and meanwhile the Vera was being towed to the dry-dock, her captain and passengers having gone ashore escorted by the fish-dealer. The sun was not yet in sight, although a new day had dawned, when Captain Ike aroused his partner with the cry: “Turn out, my hearty! Turn out, an’ while A Matter of Salvage. 133 you ’re raisin’ steam I ‘Il get breakfast! We can’t afford to spend a great deal of time takin’ in coal, else we shall have Captain Skillin’s after us, com- plainin’ that he can’t keep cats what don’t catch mice.”’ The work of making ready for the second cruise was carried on expeditiously and without delay, save for a few moments when Stephen ran across the dock to see if the Vera yet remained where he had last seen her. There was a certain sense of disappointment in the lad’s mind, although he could not have said why, as he failed to find the little craft, and the remarks of the warehouse porter did not tend to dissipate them. ‘“T’m told you did a big job, Stephen Jordan, on your first cruise, an’ I reckon you ’re round here lookin’ for the yacht. She an’ them as were on board are not for the like of a lobster catcher, so bear that well in mind in case you ’re disposed to be disappointed at not seein’ them again. When these swells are in trouble they ‘ll be mighty friendly to them as can help ’em; but once it ’s over, you ’ll find they ’re mighty stiff-necked.”’ ‘“T did n’t expect to see any one who was on board; but thought I would like to have a look at the yacht. She ’s the finest craft I ever saw.”’ “You ’re right there, lad. I don’t reckon such 134 Lobster Catchers. as she comes round Jordan’s Point often; but there ’s many of ’em put in here during the summer season for coal an’ provisions. How long before you ’re off ?”’ ‘Right away. We ’ve got to take on a little more coal, that ’s all.’’ ‘* Burned a good bit yesterday ?”’ ‘Ves; much as two tons.”’ “That won’t count in a matter of salvage like you ’ve got in hand. Pick up a couple more craft like the white yacht, an’ you can afford to let some- body else buy lobsters.”’ Stephen returned to the Sprzte, wondering why it was that every one spoke of the amount of money to be made by towing the Vera into port, while no one had a thought that the rescuing might have been effected simply from the desire to save human life. As soon as such a breakfast as Captain Ike thought fit to prepare had been eaten, the steamer was run around to the coal docks, the bunkers once. more filled, and the old fisherman gave the signal for starting without having advised with his partner as to the course they should steer. , ““Where are you bound for?’’ the lad asked through the speaking-tube, as the steamer left the harbor before Captain Skillings had made his ap- pearance. Page 134. Te PACKING AFTER BOILING A Matter of Salvage. 135 ““ Any out-of-the-way place among the islands. It don’t make much difference, for I ’m told we ’re likely to do a good business, seein’ ’s most of the smacks have gone down toward the Provinces. The pity of it is, that we have n’t got money enough to buy what will fill the tank.’’ ‘© Don’t look at it in that light,’” Stephen replied, with alaugh. ‘‘ Remember, if I had succeeded in mortgaging the farm, we should have started out with twenty dollars only, whereas now we ’ve got one hundred and thirty.”’ ‘ Ay, lad, an’ that matter of a salvage to look forward to for the future. Oh, we ’ve begun in great shape; but the fear is that we sha’n’t hold out a very long while.’’ CHAPTER IX. PIRATES. T can well be fancied that Stephen Jordan was in a very cheerful frame of mind when the Sprite was under full steam once more. He enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that, during the short time since the partnership between himself and Captain Ike was agreed upon, they had performed at least one worthy deed, besides having earned through the “‘ lobster scheme’’ a very hand- some sum of money, considering the length of the cruise. Now the firm of Jordan & Dyer had a larger capi- tal; stood high in the esteem of the man who had fitted them out, and they were starting on the second cruise in a most satisfactory fashion. The affair with the Vera had, for the time, en- tirely driven from Stephen’s mind all fear of what Deacon Joshua Brackett might succeed in doing; but now, when the future looked so bright, and he was beyond reach of his uncle, he began to be troubled lest the latter might hit upon some method of preventing him from continuing in the business. It was with this possibility in his thoughts that 136 Pirates. 137 he whistled through the tube to attract Captain Ike’s attention. ‘““ What ’s the matter ?’’ the old fisherman cried in a tone of apprehension. ‘*T forgot to ask if you saw or heard of Uncle Joshua while you were in the warehouse ?”’ ““Now, look here, Stephen; are you botherin’ your head about that old curmudgeon at a time when things are movin’ in sich great shape ?”’ ““T can’t help wondering if he is still bent on try- ing to prevent me from running this business.’’ ‘* Seein’ ’s how you ’ve started it in fine style, I can’t well see how he ’ll be able to put any spokes in your wheels.’”’ ““But did you hear anything about him?”’ Stephen persisted. “* Well, to tell the truth, I must say I did stumble on to a little that was n’t much to his credit.’’ ““Ts he trying to prevent me from running the Sprite ?”” ‘* What ’s the sense of botherin’ your head about him, when everythin’ is workin’ slick as grease ?”’ ‘*T shall feel easier in mind if you tell me all than if I spent the time guessing what he may be doing.”’ ‘‘ Perhaps you ’re right, lad, though I did n’t count on sayin’ so much as a word. It seems that he dropped in to see Captain Skillin’s yesterday, 138 Lobster Catchers, an’ made what he called a protest against your goin’ into business without his consent; but from all I can hear, he got a fine dressin’ down, an’ it won’t 2 be safe for him to tackle the old man, now we ’ve brought in what ’ll fetch somethin’ big in the way of salvage.”’ More than this Captain Ike could not say. He had gained his information from one of the porters at the warehouse, and, as a matter of course, had heard the story in a general way, bare of all details save that Captain Skillings had rated the Deacon soundly for venturing to meddle in what was mani- festly none of his business. Stephen was seriously disturbed in mind at thus learning that his uncle was still bent on assuming the right to dictate as to the movements of his nephew; and the lad realized full well that his mother would have more than one unpleasant inter- view with her brother before he could see her again. ““Tt can’t be helped,’’ he said, half to himself, after a long interval of reflection, during which time his eyes had been fixed upon the swiftly moving machinery without really seeing it. “‘ My only show to steer clear of him is by making good wages at this business, so I can buy whatever mother and the children may need during the winter, and trusting that Captain Skillings will stand by me. If the Sprite earns money for him, he won’t be inclined Pirates. 139 to listen to what Uncle Joshua may say; but if we come to a failure with it—— ”’ He did not finish the sentence; the possibility that he might be forced to remain idle at the farm during the long winter was more disagreeable than he could well contemplate, and the lad tried to dis- miss it by busying himself with cleaning the little cabin where it was to be hoped he and Captain Ike might spend many pleasantly profitable days. There had been so much to think about since the signal of distress from the Vera had been sighted that Stephen gave little heed as to where this second cruise might end; and even now, when they were well on their way, he had no idea as to the destina- tion. One port would please him as well as another, providing it should be possible to purchase lobsters when they next dropped anchor; and perhaps he might not have asked a single question of Captain Ike regarding the Sprzte’s course had he not chanced to notice, through the engine-room window, that the little steamer was swinging around, as if bent on making a complete circuit of the bay. ‘* Where are you bearing for, Captain Ike ?’’ he shouted, and the old man replied: ‘* J had an idee of lookin’ in at Tom Dawson’s.”’ ‘‘ What ’s that for ? He won’t sell us lobsters.”’ ‘I’m not so certain he won’t, lad. Because a 140 Lobster Catchers. man happens to be well fixed in business, there ’s no reason why he is n’t willin’ to finger a dollar now an’ then.”’ ‘* But he sells direct to the wholesalers, does n’t he ?”’ ““ Ay, lad; but what ’s to hinder his lettin’ us have a thousand or so, if we can come near enough to the market price ? Besides, I ’ve a hankerin’ to see his farm.”’ Stephen had also been curious regarding this ‘“farm’’ of Tom Dawson’s, for it was a bold exper- iment, already proven reasonably successful. But there were many fishermen and dwellers along shore who claimed it was neither more nor less than “‘ tempting Providence’’ to make any ef- fort at raising lobsters as one would chickens or ducks. This novel farm was situated on the banks of— and in—a long, narrow cove or strait, which ran fully a quarter of a mile inland on the south side of an island which overlooks one of the minor summer resorts. The buildings were neither extensive nor ” pretentious, for this ‘‘ farming’’ was carried on during the warm season only, and cool, airy quarters for the proprietor were more desirable than an ordinary dwelling. Tom Dawson had conceived the idea that lobsters might be kept an indefinite length of time without ‘ofr aSvg ‘WaVd S\NOSMYC WOL Pirates. 141 fear of their preying upon each other if some arrangement could be made to give them ample space. In a narrow car, where they were crowded one upon the other, their pugnacious and cannibal-like instincts could be easily aroused; but in a spacious water-way, which would be partially drained by the tide twice each day, the conditions must be more favorable for peace. It was not the real hope of this farmer that he might actually succeed in raising ‘‘ broods’’ of young lobsters, although he had been heard to de- clare that he saw no good reason why it might not be done. Dawson had found an ideal spot for his experi- ment. The long cove at low tide had in it no more than twelve inches of water, and during such times it would be a simple matter for the proprietor to wade from one end to the other, picking up, by aid of a scoop-net, such of his ‘‘ stock’’ as he desired to send to market. Across the seaward end of this cove, and as high up on the shores as the tide flowed, he had built a stout fence, much the same as may be seen on any well-kept farm, and against which the waves would not beat with much force because of the island half a mile away that served as a breakwater. His first season’s work had been a mild success; 142 Lobster Catchers, at least, no one could say it was a failure, and Tom Dawson appeared well content with the profit de- rived from it. It was now near the close of the second year, and envious fishermen told wonderful tales of the herds of lobsters which he had close to his hand, in con- dition to be rushed upon the market when prices ruled high. The great reason, aside from a very natural curiosity, why Stephen had been eager to see this ‘* farm’’ was that, in his scheme of carrying on the lobster business extensively, had been a dim idea that at some time in the far future he might be able to build a similar yard in which to safely keep his purchases when prices were down; and on the homestead farm, within a short distance of the red shanty, was a small harbor which offered every natural advantage for the operation. Therefore the lad watched eagerly from the engine-room window during every leisure moment, until Captain Ike shouted through the tube: ““There ’s Dawson’s straight ahead! If he ’s home, it won’t take us long to find out whether a trade can be made, and we should be willin’ to spend a few minutes lookin’ around the place, even though there ’s no profit in it.’’ Leaning far out of the window, Stephen could see the buildings of the lobster farm; but not the Pirates. 143 famous enclosure which was said to be ‘‘ packed ”’ with stock of enormous size. On a small, rocky bluff was a neat-looking camp with a broad veranda, backed by a growth of oak trees, and a short distance away stood the store- house and workshop of the enterprising proprietor. ““ The yard is on the other side of the trees,’’ Captain Ike cried by way of explanation. ‘‘ We ’ll come to anchor here, an’ then he won’t get the idee that we ’ve put in thinkin’ to buy a cargo.”’ Ten minutes later the Sprzte was swinging to her anchor in twelve feet of water, and, after the fire was banked, the partners went ashore in the steamer’s skiff, Tom Dawson was seated on the platform of the storehouse knitting ‘‘ heads,’’ or, in other words, the ends of lobster-pots. ” A trap, or “‘ pot,’’ as it is termed, consists of a flat floor or bottom, with a top formed in a half circle, the whole constructed of narrow strips of wood, or laths, fastened two inches or more apart, and looking not unlike some uncouth bird cage. At the top of this is a door held in place by small bars, fashioned for the purpose of allowing the fisherman : to remove his ‘‘ catch.’’ The ends are of stout twine, knitted in the form of a cone, with an aper- ture five or six inches in diameter, and extending inside the trap. 144 Lobster Catchers. On being set in place beneath the surface, the pot remains in proper position because of the rocks with which it is weighted, and fresh fish are suspended from the upper bars in such a manner that the lob- sters can get at them only by entering through the ‘‘ heads.’’ Once here, the clumsy fish is trapped, for he cannot raise his heavy body to gain the opening of the head in order to find a means of exit. The proprietor of the farm had failed to observe their coming, so intent was he upon his work; but he looked up with something like unpleasant sur- prise when Captain Ike hailed him in a hurricane voice. On seeing who were his visitors, the expression on Dawson’s face changed suddenly, and he cried cheerily : “Glad to see you, Captain Ike! When you hailed, I thought it was another raft of summer visitors, an’ with such as they I’m pestered nigh to death. Put a drove of foolish men an’ silly women around this farm, an’ a man who has n’t overly much time on his hands to waste is at his wit’s ends.”’ ‘“T reckon we sha’n’t give you very much bother in the way of askin’ questions; but we ’ve come ” for a look at the farm,’’ the old fisherman said, gravely, as he shook hands with the lobster farmer. Then, motioning with his thumb toward Stephen, THI svg ‘SLOd YALSAOT SIH CNV NOSMVdA WOL Pirates, 145 he added: ‘‘ This ’ere is Ben Jordan’s son; him as has been tryin’ to run the homestead, an’ has given up the job to be partner with me.”’ ““ How are you, lad ?’’ Mr. Dawson asked, care- lessly, and, resuming his seat and his work, he con- tinued, ‘* What have you an’ he gone into by way of business, Captain Ike ?”’ “* Buyin’ lobsters. We ’re runnin’ Skillin’s’ Sprite on our own account, an’ seein’ ’s we had to come close by, I thought the lad might like a squint at your farm.”’ — ‘“ There ain’t overly much to see; but you ’re welcome to moon round anywhere. There ’s a bite of fresh mackerel up at the camp.”’ ‘We ain’t hungry. How’s fishin’ ?”’ ‘ Only fair. What are lobsters worth ?’’ ‘* Eighteen dollars last night; but likely to drop a little within the next eight an’ forty hours.” ‘* That is n’t bad,’’ Mr. Dawson said, reflectively ; and Stephen began to hope it might be possible to get a cargo from the farmer, even though he did carry on the business so extensively. ‘‘ It’s better than ordinary, an’ that ’s a fact,”’ Captain Ike replied. ‘‘ We bought BenWillis’s catch yesterday for thirteen dollars.”’ ‘‘ That ’s a good price for lobsters at Seal Har- bor.”’ ‘* Yes, an’ it madea fair trade for the lad an’ me. 10 146 Lobster Catchers, We ’re ready to turn the nimble sixpence at any time, rather than wait for the slow shilling. Who’s that alongside the Sprzte ?’’ and Captain Ike pointed toward a half-dozen young men or boys who had made a small sail-boat fast to the steamer. ‘‘ More summer visitors, I reckon. They can’t help lookin’ at your craft, just because she happens to be in their way. It would be worth a good hun- dred dollars to me if I ’’d located this farm in some place where every Tom, Dick, an’ Harry could n’t find me. The property is overrun from mornin’ till night with such as them; but they won’t do the smack any harm while we ’re so near.”’ “You would n’t be likely to find a spot such as this anywhere else so near the market.”’ “* That does n’t cut any great figger, seein’ ’s how I don’t dare to go up to town with a cargo unless I can leave a caretaker here ; otherwise there ’s a chance these summer visitors would lug away the whole outfit.”’ This appeared to be Captain Ike’s opportunity, and he seized upon it at once by saying with studied carelessness: “Why not make a trade with some of the smacks to carry your lobsters up now and then ?”’ ‘““T’ll have to do somethin’ of the kind till after these ’ere pleasure seekers have been driven off by the frost.’’ Pirates. 147 “‘ Then we ’ve come just in time!’’ and Captain Ike appeared to be pleasurably surprised. ‘‘ What kind of a dicker do you want to make ?”’ “What ’ll you give me for a thousand prime lobsters ?’’ “* Are they in cars ?”’ “No; but we can take out that many in one tide.”’ “Do you count on our doin’ a full share of the work ?”’ ““'Well, yes, seein’ ’s how it would take me twenty-four hours to get that many together.”’ ““ We ’d be called on to lay here till to-morrow mornin’, perhaps, at that rate,’’ the old man said, reflectively. “*T don’t reckon that would do you any harm.”’ ‘*“ Not a bit of it; but we ’d be losin’ just so much good time when we might be makin’ more dollars.”’ ‘* What ’Il you pay for fifteen hundred, an’ help take them out of the yard ?”’ ‘* Why not make it two thousand ?”’ ‘* But we have n’t the money to pay for so many, Captain Ike,’’ Stephen interrupted in a low tone, overhearing which, Tom Dawson said promptly: “TJ ain’t hungry after the cash. If you ‘re sailin’ for Captain Sam Skillin’s, give me an order on him, an’ it ’ll. suit me.’”’ 148 Lobster Catchers. Captain Ike appeared to be lost in study for two or three minutes, during which time Dawson knitted industriously, and Stephen mentally hugged himself, for it seemed certain some kind of a bar- gain would be made whereby they might take in a full cargo with but little cruising. The curious visitors were evidently on the point of departing, and he no longer had any fear they might do the little steamer a mischief. “We ’Il give fifteen dollars a hundred for two thousand full-sized lobsters, we to help take ‘em, an’ we ‘ll pay a hundred dollars down, with an order on Captain Skillin’s for the balance,’’ the old fisherman finally said, with a sigh, as if it had cost him a great effort to be so generous. Dawson shook his head. ““It ain’t enough. That would be givin’ you a profit of three dollars a hundred for less ’n a day’s work.”’ ““ But we ’re runnin’ the risk that prices have gone down, which is quite a chance. See here, Tom Dawson, you can’t market two thousand lob- sters within the next three days, unless you take some such offer as ours; an’ by then I ’ll go bail you won’t get what we ’re willin’ to give, let alone the fact that you ’ll have done a pile of hard work, an’ have n’t pulled what pots you ‘ve got set.’’ It was not to be expected that these two Pirates. “149 fishermen would conclude a bargain of such magni- tude without considerable haggling; and Stephen hugged his knees in order to control his patience the better while the details of the transaction were being arranged. Finally, and when nearly half an hour had been spent in argument, which perhaps had no weight with either party, Tom Dawson flung down his knitting as he said: ““T’ll take up with the offer, Captain Ike, just for the sake of dealin’ with you. Pull the steamer round to the yard, an’ we ’Il set about loadin’ her.’’ Stephen did not wait to hear more. He realized that the task of collecting the lobsters, even though they were in a yard, would be a long one, and was eager to be at it without further loss of time. He had launched the skiff when Captain Ike gained the shore, and as the two were rowing toward the Sgrzte the old fisherman said, with a chuckle of satisfaction: ‘It ’s a rare good trade we ’ve made, lad, al- though it *ll cost us a long spell of hard work. Even if the price has gone down a dollar on the hundred by the time we get back to port, it ll bea profit of forty dollars, less what the coal has cost.”’ ‘*T’m not afraid of the work; but I hope we won’t have to wait here more than one tide, for we ought to be at the dock to-morrow morning.” 150 Lobster Catchers, “* Right you are, my boy; an’ we ’ll see to it that there ‘s no loafin’ on our part.’’ The Sprite’s anchor was raised; there yet re- mained sufficient steam to carry her around the point, and within a quarter of an hour the little steamer was moored just outside the gate which gave admission to small boats; while less than half a mile away could be seen the sailing craft with her crew of idlers. Tom Dawson was quite as eager as his visitors to have the work done in the shortest possible time, and the Sprzte was no sooner at anchor than he came up in a dory containing three long-handled scoop-nets, ‘“ Better take your skiff inside with mine, an’ then while one craft is bein’ unloaded the work of catchin’ can be goin’ on,’’ he said, stopping at the steamer’s side long enough to take a look around. Captain Ike and Stephen were pulling on oiled clothing and rubber boots preparatory to wading around the pound, and the former cried cheerily: ““ We ’ll be wantin’ to get under way within two minutes after the cargo is aboard, so s’pose we ‘tend to the money part now. Of course, we ’re bound to find two thousand lobsters in there—— ”’ ‘* There are three times as many.”’ ““ Write out an order on Captain Skillin’s for what the lot will come to, less the hundred dollars, Pirates, 151 Stephen, an’ our end of the trade will be wound up.” The lad obeyed by first taking the money from the canvas bag, which, with the remainder of their capital, he replaced in the locker, and then, with a lead pencil instead of a pen, he wrote on a piece of wrapping-paper: ‘“Captain S. SKILLINGS: Will you please pay Tom Dawson two hundred dollars for lobsters we 're going to deliver to you ? (Signed) ‘‘ STEPHEN JORDAN.”’ Captain Ike added his signature, and Dawson said, as he folded the insignificant-looking piece of paper and rolled it with the bank-notes: ‘“ T allow that ’Il serve me as well as the cash, be- cause Sam Skillin’s never keeps a man waitin’ for what ’s due him. Now, let ’s get to work; I ’Il raise the gate, an’ we ’Il take both boats in.”’ It was much like catching crabs, to fish for lob- sters in such shallow water, and Stephen enjoyed it until his arms ached and every joint felt sore; after which he shut his teeth tightly, encouraging himself to continue the work by thinking of the money to be earned. Once he saw the sail-boat close alongside the Sprite; but he gave little heed to the fact, because it hardly seemed probable the curious ones would 152 Lobster Catchers. venture on board while he and Captain Ike were so near at hand. When the dory was filled with green, uncouth- looking shellfish, Stephen pulled her outside the gate, and began the task of unloading into the Sprite’s tank, keeping careful count as he did so. That Tom Dawson had not boasted unduly as to the number of lobsters in his pound could readily be seen when the catchers were well at work. Each net was brought up with from two to six or seven struggling captives, and, as Captain Ike said gleefully, it was a “‘ case of bailin’ instead of nettin’ “em.” The task did not prove to be as long as Stephen had feared, and although the tide turned before it came to an end, the water was not uncomfortably high when two thousand, with an hundred thrown in for ‘‘ good count,’’ had been deposited on board the Sprite. It was yet daylight; but the sun had already dis- appeared behind the mainland, and Captain Ike said cheerily, as he secured the hatch of the tank: ““ Now, then, lad, get her under way in short order, an’ we ’ll spend this night at the dock. We ’ll give you. another call within a week, Daw- son, if there is n’t too much money lost by this trade.”’ ““'You ’ve made a precious good day’s work, an’ Pp g y , Pirates. 153 perhaps it has n’t been a bad one for me,’’ the pro- prietor of the farm cried, as he rowed around the point toward his dwelling. ‘‘I ’Il be glad to see you any time, whether we strike a bargain or not.”’ Then the Sprite was gotten under way, and Stephen set about preparing something in the way of supper, for it would be a good three-hours run back to the city. While engaged in this work it so chanced that he opened the locker in which had been placed the canvas cash-bag, and an exclamation of dismay burst from his lips. A moment later he was standing at the window of the pilot-house, holding up the empty bag, that Captain Ike might see it, as he cried: “There was twenty-two dollars in it after I ’d taken out the hundred for Dawson, and every cent is gone! Those fellows who laid alongside the steamer while you made the trade for our cargo were pirates, that ’s what they were!’’ CHAPTER X. STRAIGHTENING ACCOUNTS. APTAIN IKE gazed at Stephen as if unable to realize what the lad had said, and the latter cried vehemently: ‘““Can’t you understand me? Can’t you see that the bag isempty ? We had one hundred and thirty dollars this morning, and paid out eight for coal. I gave Mr. Dawson a hundred, and now there is n’t a penny left!’”’ ‘* But where ’s it gone, lad? Surely, I have n’t touched it,’’ and the old fisherman looked be- wildered. ‘“ Of course you did n’t touch it! It was those fellows who came alongside—the ones Mr. Dawson said were summer visitors.’’ ““ Do you mean to say they reg’larly stole it ?’’ and now Captain Ike appeared to realize what his partner had been trying to tell him. ‘“ What else could you call it than stealing ? They were pirates!| Mr. Dawson said they would n’t do any harm, but it tried me to see them fooling around the steamer, and I would have gone down to make certain things were right if it had n’t been 154 Straightening Accounts. 155 that I wanted to hear how you was coming out with the trade. The money is gone, and we ’re pretty near back where we started from! It’s gone, be- cause I did n’t take care of it; and I’m as much to blame as the pirates!’’ ““ Now, see here, lad, there ’s no need of your carryin’ on like this. Blamin’ yourself won’t bring the money back; an’ I ’ll answer for it before any man in this country that you ’ve been as careful as a boy well could be—a good deal more so than many a man I ’ve sailed with.” ““ It does n’t make any difference how careful I’ve been, if I allowed our money to be stolen.” ““ You did n’t allow it, lad; don’t go to blamin’ yourself for what neither of us could help, unless we had been a deal more suspicious than people generally are. Who would have thought that sum- mer visitors would have gone aboard a lobster-smack to steal money ?” ‘“ That ’s just what they did do,” Stephen cried, as if angry because his partner seemed for a moment to question the fact. ‘‘ Here we have been brag- ging about our profit, and sitting still on shore watching folks while it was being stolen!”’ ““It ’s pretty tough,” Captain Ike said, reflec- tively, feeling more sorrow because of his partner’s grief than on account of the loss. ‘‘ It ’s pretty tough, lad; but don’t you give way to what ’s only 156 Lobster Catchers. a triflin’ trouble. A thief or a pirate, whatever way you 've a mind to call him, ain’t a cheerful kind of a thing to look at; but all the same he does you less harm than many another who calls himself honest. We’ve lost twenty-two dollars, that ’s cer- tain, if, as you say, the bag is empty.” ‘* Look at it for yourself,” and Stephen threw the crumpled canvas through the window. ‘“T ain’t a questionin’ of it, lad, I ain’t a ques- tionin’ of it,” the old man said, soothingly; ‘‘ but I’m tryin’ to show as how you might come up against a good many troubles that would be worse. The money ’s gone, an’ we ain’t what you might call to blame; while, on the other hand, things could have gone so wrong with us in the fault as to make this seem like a cheerful little happenin’. Don’t set me down as sayin’ that I ain’t carin’ about it; but I want you to look at the matter in the right light. It ’s hard fortune; but somethin’ that we ’ve got to bear up under like men. Twenty-two dollars is n’t such a dreadful sight of money to the greater run of people; but while it means a good deal to us just at this stage of the game, we can pull through. Here ’s a profit on this ’ere cargo, as I reckon it, hard on to sixty dollars. That will wipe out the loss, an’ leave us with a good-sized balance, con- siderin’ the time we ’ve been to work.” ‘“‘ What do you suppose Captain Skillings will say Straightening Accounts. 157 when he finds that the two he has trusted with his steamer, and loaned capital to begin business, can’t so much as take care of their money ?” “What Captain Skillin’ss may say is somethin’ I ain’t botherin’ my head about. Look you, lad; this ’ere piracy don’t concern him, for we ‘ll charge our two selves with what has been stolen, an’ I ain’t called upon to come up an’ explain what ’s done with every dollar that ’s mine. We turn over this cargo. Say that you put out a hundred dollars in cash, an’ gave an order on him for twice that amount. He ’ll pay us for the load, holdin’ back so much as that ‘ere writin’ you give Tom Dawson represents. Then we start out agin’, an’ instead of whinin’ about twenty-two dollars the scoundrels have stolen we keep astiff upper lip. Now, look you, things might be so much worse, as I ’ve already said, as to make this seem like nothin’. Go back an’ get supper; put it out of your mind so far as you can by thinkin’ that ’s it’s no more ’’n a day’s work thrown away, with our bein’ obliged to give Captain Skillin’s his share. I don’t lose sight of the salvage that ’s comin’ for the saving of the Vera, an’ twenty-two dollars won’t be a flea-bite alongside of that, with the owner of the Sprite to carry the business through.” Stephen was silenced, but not convinced that it was a duty he owed himself and his partner to cease 158 Lobster Catchers. repining at the loss; and he went into the engine- room as disconsolate, for the time being, as if some- thing had occurred to prevent him from carrying through the scheme of buying and selling lobsters. After perhaps half an hour had passed, however, by thinking over the possibilities he grew more cheerful. As Captain Ike said, the money stolen had been earned; it was their own to lose, and the pirates might have committed the theft while that belong- ing to Captain Skillings was yet in the bag. In fact, there were a dozen disasters, each tenfold worse than this, that might have come upon them at the outset of their business career; and, finally understanding such fact, the lad became sufficiently resigned to attend to his duties in proper fashion. After caring for the machinery in such manner as to assure himself that he might leave the engine- room for a short time with safety, he carried as bountiful a supper as could be made up from their scanty stores to the helmsman, saying, as he entered the wheel-house: “TT ’ll try to think that losing the money was al- right, Captain Ike, and won’t whine about it any more.” ‘“ Now you ’re beginnin’ to show the sense I always claimed you had, Stephen Jordan. It’s the part of a sensible man, or lad either, for that mat- Straightening Accounts. 159 ter, to make the best of what can’t be helped. After this, you an’ I will keep the cash about us, an’ it will go hard if the lesson that has cost twenty- two dollars ain’t well learned. Leave me to deal with Captain Skillin’s, an’ as soon as this ’ere cargo is put into his cars, at whatever price the market opens with to-morrow morning, we ’ll straighten accounts, so as to see how we stand. I’d like to have you send your mother ten dollars or so jest for the sake of showin’ Deacan Joshua Brackett that the lobster scheme ain’t a dead failure. It will perk her up a good bit, an’ pull him down correspond- ingly, which last is what I ’’m after.” : ‘“ It is too soon to think of taking anything from our capital yet, Captain Ike, especially after what we ’ve lost.” “It ain’t too soon to show the Deacon what you can do, lad; an’ when I tell Sam Skillin’s why we want him to hand the widow Jordan ten dollars when he goes home to-morrow night, he ’ll realize all the whys and wherefors, and chuckle over it, else I’m mistaken.” During the remainder of the run, Stephen re- mained at his post in the engine-room, and when finally the Sprite was made fast, at quite a late hour in the night, to the Skillings dock, the loss of money did not appear to the boy any the less; but he had resigned himself to the inevitable. 160 Lobster Catchers. After the fires were drawn, and the decks tidied up as much as could be in the darkness, the lobster buyers laid down in their narrow bunks for a well- earned sleep, and it was not until the porter of the warehouse came aboard next morning that they awakened. A fresh codfish, presented by the captain of a fishing vessel lying near at hand, and browned to a delicate tint over a fire built in the furnace, made a most appetizing breakfast. And then began the ” work of transferring the cargo from the tanks of the Sprite to the merchant’s cars. Before the task was completed Captain Skillings himself appeared on the dock, and, hailing the crew of the Sgrite with a cheery ‘‘ How are you?” he overlooked the work. ‘* Where did you get that cargo ?”’ he asked. ‘* Down to Tom Dawson’s,” Captain Ike replied. ‘* Made adicker with him, eh? Well, Ill venture to say the Sprite did n’t pay very much on this trip.” “* What are lobsters worth ?” ** Well, I suppose we can stand eighteen dollars and a half, though that ’s a stiff price; but Dawson’s lobsters are a little better than the general run. What did you have to pay for em ?” ‘ Fifteen dollars, an’ did our share in takin’ them out of the pound.” “‘ Fifteen dollars!” and Captain Skillings gave Straightening Accounts. 161 vent to a prolonged whistle. ‘‘ Well, you two are pretty sharp on a bargain. I never would have sent the smack into Tom Dawson’s place with the idea of making three dollars and a half a hundred out of him, for I did n’t suppose it could be done. How many have you got ?” ‘* Two thousand, an’ they ll run a hundred over.” ‘‘ Twenty-one hundred and five,” the man who had been counting shouted, as the last lobster was taken from the Sprzte’s tank. ‘“Let ’s make it even hundreds,” Captain Ike cried cheerily ; and he whispered to Stephen: “There ’s eighteen dollars and a half clean on that odd hundred, which comes mighty nigh makin’ up for what was stolen.” » ‘You lads seem to be doin’ a good thing with the Sprite. J reckon it won’t pay to loiter round port very long when there are bargains like these to be picked up. Come ashore and have a settle- ment, so you can be off. Look here,” he added, as if a sudden thought had come to him, ‘‘ where did you get the money to pay for so many ?” ‘* We gave Dawson an order for two hundred dollars on you, sir.” ‘* Oh, you did, eh? Well, that’s all right. Come ashore.” ‘* Meanin’ one or both of us, sir ?”’ Captain Ike asked. Ir 162 Lobster Catchers. ‘“T reckon I can do business with one, although it don’t make any difference if all hands come.” ““You get on steam, Stephen, an’ I'll tend to this business, ’cause I ain’t countin’ on lettin’ the captain know twenty-two dollars slipped through our fingers. We ’re to charge it up to ourselves, so everythin’ is straight an’ above board in the busi- ness; an’ I ‘ll manage it, I reckon, better than you can.” The lad was not averse to having his partner at- tend to the details of the business with the owner of the Sprite; but before he acted upon the suggestion of getting up steam he went ashore and across the pier in the faint hope that the Vera had returned. As might have been expected, the white yacht was not there. One of Captain Skillings’s employees, noting the movement, said with a laugh: ““It would n’t be swell enough here for such a craft as you picked up, lad, even if she ’d been re- paired in this short time, which ain’t the case.” ‘* Where did she go ?”’ ““Over to the Stevens dock. The passengers went to Boston as soon as they could get a train, and I reckon the young woman skipper has got all she wants of yachting for this season.”’ Then Stephen went back to the Sprite; freshened up the fire which he had built for the purpose of Straightening Accounts. 163 cooking the fish, and by the time his partner came on board again, was ready for the third cruise. “Well, how did you come out?” he asked, anxiously. ““It had to be all right, of course, lad, seein’ ’s how I wasn’t lettin’ on that we had been fools with the money. The cargo footed up three, seventy- eight, fifty; taking out the order for two hundred we gave Dawson, left a balance of one, seventy- eight, fifty; fifty for us, an’, subtractin’ what we paid him, leaves a mighty handsome profit for four and twenty hours’ work.” ‘* Seventy-eight dollars and fifty cents!” Stephen repeated. ‘* Ay, lad, that ’s jest the size of it; an’ now we can tell how much has been made. S’posen we straighten accounts this mornin’. It won't do any harm if we hold on here twenty minutes or more.” Stephen took up pencil and paper, and the old fisherman arranged the items as follows: ‘* First off, set down seventy-eight, fifty; for that ’s what we’ve got on hand over an’ above the hundred Captain Skillin’s lent us. Now, add on the twenty-two dollars that was stolen.” ‘“What ’s that for?” the lad asked. ‘‘ We have n’t got it.” ‘“True for you, lad; but we ‘re givin’ up one half for the use of the Sprzte, an’ it must be figgered 164 Lobster Catchers. in, to be honest with Captain Skillin’s, same as if we had it on hand.” ‘“It amounts to one hundred dollars and fifty cents.” ‘* Now take off fifteen dollars that I paid for coal before we left port, an’ eight dollars we gave up yesterday mornin’.” ‘* That ’s twenty-three dollars, and subtracting it from a hundred leaves seventy-seven dollars and fifty cents.”’ ‘* Then I allow we ’re entitled to somethin’ for grub; but we ‘Il wait before we charge that up. Now, to say nothin’ of the salvage on the Vera, we ’ve made clean about seventy-seven dollars, an’ I reckon Captain Skillin’s can’t kick at that. If we give up half of it, his share will amount to thirty- eight, seventy-five, an’ we ll have made—takin’ out the money lost—how much ?” ‘* Sixteen dollars and seventy-five cents,” Stephen announced. “* Well, that ’s a heap better than could be done catchin’ lobsters. After this, we ‘ll see that the pirates don’t get the best of us, an’ the profits will be bigger. Now, I told Captain Skillin’s why we wanted to send your mother ten dollars, and he allowed it was a good plan; but said he would n’t take it out of this money. Hell pay it, an’ charge it up to us; ‘cause, you see, we sha’n’t always strike Straightening Accounts. 165 a fisherman that will be so near port, or can afford to take an order instead of the cash; an’ we'll be needin’ all we can lay our hands on.” ““T am afraid he will think that I am anxious to spend money before it has been earned,” Stephen said hesitatingly. ‘* Don’t you believe it, lad. I’ve explained the whole business, an’ he knows just why we ’re doin’ this thing. It will be a pretty tough blow to the Deacon when ‘he comes round to threaten your mother, an’ she flashes up ten dollars you ‘ve earned since leavin’ home. Before the next cruise is at an end we must run round that way; there ’ll be a good many lobsters picked up nearabouts, an’ we ’ll show "em we ’re in the business.” ‘“How much are you going to pay for them now ?” “Captain Skillin’s allows they ‘ll hold pretty firm at eighteen dollars, although yesterday it did look as if the prices would take a drop.” ““Tom Dawson will be sorry he sold to us at fifteen dollars, and perhaps he would n't if you had n’t said that the market was going down.” “* There was nothin’ dishonest in the statement, lad. I had it straight from the bookkeeper before I left that we need n’t expect to get eighteen dol- lars; but, you see, we struck it so quick that there was n’t a chance for the prices to go back on us. 1 166 Lobster Catchers. Dawson made a good trade, an’ so did we. Now I reckon there ’s nothin’ to prevent our gettin’ under way again.” As he spoke, Captain Ike arose from the locker on which he had been sitting during this straighten- ing of accounts, and went toward the companion- way, halting suddenly, however, asa heavy footstep was heard on deck. ““Tf you ‘ll believe me, Stephen, it ’s Deacon Joshua Brackett!” he exclaimed after looking through the hatch. There was an expression of mingled surprise and alarm upon the boy’s face, and he half turned, as if to seek shelter in flight, when the old fisherman whispered soothingly, laying his hand on the lad’s shoulder. ““ Don’t you have a fear, lad, of what that old curmudgeon can do. He’s come in a good time, for I’m just in trim to give him a piece of my mind.” There was no opportunity for further conversation between the partners, for Deacon Joshua Brackett had begun to descend the companion-way stairs, and Stephen turned as his uncle stood on the floor of the engine-room. ““ Yes, this is about what I expected,” the Dea- con began; and Captain Ike interrupted with the remark: Straightening Accounts. 167 _ “I’m glad you ain’t disappointed, Deacon, though I don’t know what you was countin’ on seein’.” ‘“T knew this lobster business was but another name for loafin’ round such disreputable places as this. You leave your poor mother to starve, Stephen Jordan, while you play the vagabond in this fashion!” **I reckon the Widow Jordan won’t do much starvin’ this week,” the old fisherman said, with a chuckle. ‘‘ Stephen thought a little cash might come in handy, so he sent her ten dollars this mornin’ out of his earnin’s.” “* He did no such thing. I was at the Ben Jor- dan farm last night, and she was in a destitute condition.” “Well, if you go there to-night, after Captain Skillin’s gets home, you ’ll find that they ain’t in any desperate way about something to eat,” Captain Ike continued. ‘‘ I don’t know what you mean by sayin’ that he’s round with vagabonds, unless you ’re minded to give me that title, Deacon Brackett; an’ if such be the case there ’l] be bad blood between us.” ““T did n’t come here to talk with you, Isaac Dyer, but to insist upon my nephew’s returnin’ home.” ‘“ Well, he won’t go yet awhile, an’ that ’s a fact, seein’ ’s how he’s got a contract with Captain Skill- in’s that can’t be broken, an’ you know it full well. 168 Lobster Catchers. Now, it would n’t be for me to come between an uncle an’ a nephew in the ordinary run of things; but when it ’s such an uncle as you are, an’ such a nephew as Stephen, why then I feel called upon to interfere. You ’ve come to browbeat the lad, but I, as his partner an’ the captain of this steamer, won't allow it.”’ “‘T will have no conversation with you, Isaac Dyer.”’ ‘* Nor with Stephen either, unless you carry it on in such a fashion as suits me. He’s an honest lad, tryin’ to earn an’ honest livin’, an’ succeedin’ mighty well,— don’t forget that. You know how he an’ I have got this craft, ’cause you ’ve been whinin’ round her owner, tryin’ to break up the trade; and when a boy of his age can have two thirds of half the profits of a steam lobster-smack, he ’s startin’ in business mighty fine. I don’t say we ’re gettin’ rich offhand; but they can tell you up to the warehouse that we left port yesterday at ten o’clock, an’ was back here last night with a clean profit of seventy-eight dollars. I ain’t sayin’ this for the sake of persuadin’ you into lettin’ Stephen alone, for that ’s what you ’ve got to do, whether it ’s pleasin’ or not.”’ While one might have counted twenty, Deacon Brackett gazed first at Captain Ike and then at Stephen in mute astonishment. Straightening Accounts. 169 Although he could not question the truth of the former’s statement that so much money had been earned in such a short time, it seemed incredible. Then, recovering himself somewhat, he cried sharply: “* You may boast of what you ’ve done to others who are not so far-sighted as I. It was all a trick arranged beforehand, so that you might say it had been earned in a few hours.”’ ““ Captain Skillin’s can tell you that there was no trick about it,’’ the old fisherman said good- naturedly, for this badgering of the Deacon was much to his liking. ‘“‘ It is all a straight business transaction, which can be repeated over an’ over again; but what I ’ve told you is only a small part of the lad’s good fortune; you might say it is only a flea-bite compared with the other.’’ ‘“ What do you mean ?”’ ‘* Well, I’m not in the humor to give you any too much information, seein’ the way you ’ve always treated my partner; but this much I ’Il venture to predict, that if you should offer Captain Skillin’s two hundred dollars for what ’s likely to come to the lad by legitimate means—what ’s the same as earned—he ’d say you was simple-minded for thinkin’ he ’d be willin’ to lose his money in that fashion.”’ . Now, indeed, was the Deacon mystified. 170 Lobster Catchers. Captain Ike had ever been known as a truthful man, and however angry Stephen’s uncle may have been, he could not, with any hope of being believed, declare that the fisherman’s statements were false. The fact that ten dollars had been sent to Mrs. Jordan was in itself sufficient proof that the partners were making money in the enterprise, and Deacon Brackett was not pleased to know of his nephew’s good fortune. “You may try to confuse me with your fancies of what you count on makin’, or talk big of future profits; but it won’t avail Stephen Jordan, so far as his remainin’ in this disreputable business is con- cerned. I ’ll appeal to the law before he shall be allowed to ruin himself and his family in such fashion.”’ Stephen would have made some remark at this juncture, but that Captain Ike waved him back, as he said: ““T’m doin’ the talkin’ now, lad, an’ count on keepin’ it up till we leave port. The Deacon has said some rough things to me now and then, an’ it ’s my purpose to give him a lesson.’’ Then, turning to the visitor, he added: ‘* T have had considerable patience with you since this ’ere partnership begun, an’ its pretty near exhausted. I’ve got no right to say you sha’ n’t appeal to the law, or go round the neighborhood Straightening Accounts. Lyi makin’ a fool of yourself; but this much is a fact, an’ I’m warranted in sayin’ it: Make ever so little trouble for Stephen Jordan, in the way of preventin’ him from sailin’ when the Sfrite is ready, an’ I promise that you shall suffer, for the law will stand as well for one of us asthe other. I’m not goin’ to have you tryin’ to browbeat a boy, an’ will uphold him if he puts down his foot against your threat- enin’ his mother. In other words, Deacon Brackett, keep away from the family unless you can see ‘em as a friend. This ain’t idle talk, an’ it ain’t done to scare you; but it ’s a plain statement of facts from a plain man, an’ there are them nearabout here who stand higher in the world than either you or I who will help me to make my words good.” ‘I’ve no desire to have any conversation with , such as you,” Deacon Brackett cried, literally trembling with rage. ‘* Well, this mornin’ all the conversation on board the Sprite will have to be with me; but there won’t be a great deal more of it, for we ‘re ready to put out on our third cruise, an’ when I give the word, you walk ashore or take the chance of swimmin’. I’m not countin’ on Stephen’s even so much as speakin’ with you, lest somethin’ be said that might give you a hold upon him.” The visitor attempted to step toward his nephew, who was standing but a few paces in the rear of 172 Lobster Catchers. Captain Ike; but the latter prevented the movement by a quick thrust of his arm. ‘*You heard what I said, an’ are to remember that this mornin’ all the conversation will be held with me.” Once more the Deacon attempted to move past the fisherman, and once more he was prevented. ‘* T’ll have the law on you for comin’ between me an’ my nephew,” he cried, shrilly, and, turning with a gesture of anger and menace, he went swiftly up the companion-way stairs, Captain Ike following to make certain he did not loiter on the deck. CHAPTER XI. THE WRECK. APTAIN IKE came below after having seen the Deacon make his way across the lobster- cars to the dock, and found Stephen trembling with fear and excitement. ‘* What ’s the matter with you, lad ? You don’t mean to tell me that my partner is afraid of an old hulk like Deacon Joshua Brackett ?” “* He is my uncle, Captain Ike, and can make it very uncomfortable for me.” ““T admit that, my boy; but yet I ’m allowin’ that, after the little lecture I gave him, he ’ll be a bit careful of how he goes round makin’ wild talk.” ““ He may be when he ’s where you are; but mother will suffer for your plain speaking.” ‘““Tf I thought so, I’d go back an’ read the old scoundrel another lesson.” ‘* Don’t; please don’t,” Stephen said, pleadingly. *“ It won’t do any good, and would only make mat- ters worse. I wonder if the time ever will come when I sha’n’t be afraid of what he can say or do ?” ‘Well, it ’s come now, lad, so to speak, for you ’re what we might call your own master, seein’ 173 174 Lobster Catchers. ’s how the lobster scheme is pannin’ out so well; an’, for the matter of that, I reckon you always was in- dependent of him, ’cause, so far as I ever knew, he never laid out a cent to help your mother or the children. The trouble with him is, as I said, that he ’d hatched a very pretty plan for gettin’ the Ben Jordan farm into his hands without puttin’ out much money for it, an’ he now sees the whole scheme goin’ to pieces. It naturally riles him. Then he says to himself he ‘ll make one more at- tempt at frightenin’ you, an’ comes here to do it. You happen to be on hand, an’ his chance is come; but lo and behold, Captain Ike is here, an’ he don’t allow any sich manceuvrin’s; so the whole thing is a flash in the pan, an’ away goes the Deacon, ragin’ like an angry hyena, or whatever you call em.” Under other circumstances Stephen might have found much that was comical in this speech of his partner; but the whole affair was one of such vital importance to himself that he did not even smile. ‘““ IT suppose mother will have to put up with it, and so shall I, until I ’m twenty-one. Then he shall be made to mind his own business.” ““ It will come round your way before that time, lad, ’cause I ‘ve taken a hand in the family quarrel, an’ allow to hold it pretty high. This is another case where there ’s no use in worryin’ about what ’s The Wreck. 175 goin’ on till you make mole-hills look like moun- tains. Forget that the Deacon ever was here, an’ think only of what we ll make on this cruise. I’m countin’ on runnin’ alongshore fifteen or twenty miles, an’ see if we can’t get the fishermen to agree to wait for us, by promisin’ to look in on ’em once a week or so. Steam up?” ‘T’ve got all the pressure that you need; we can leave this very minute.” ** All right, my boy, we won’t loiter round here; for I reckon Captain Skillin’s is kind of watchin’ out to see if we ’re disposed to idle away much time. Take in the after hawser, an’ I ’l] look out for the for’ard one. Then stand by, an’ I ’ll give you the signal in short order.”’ The Sprzte was backed out from her berth along- side the lobster-cars, turned skilfully when she was off the head of the pier, and then sent forward at half-speed, the old fisherman whistling through the tube as he gave this last signal: ““T knew Captain Skillin’s was havin’ his eye on us. He stood jest inside the doorway when we swung round, but dodged back mighty quick, as if afraid we ’d knew he ’d been watchin’. A good man to deal with is Sam Skillin’s, so long as you hold up your end of the load; but try to shirk ever so little, an’ he ’ll come down on you like an elephant.”’ 176 Lobster Catchers, Then Captain Ike gave all his attention to the wheel, and Stephen stood watching the engine as he thought of how much sorrow the Deacon might bring upon those of the Ben Jordan farm by his harsh words and implied threats, until the jingling of the bell told that the sailing-master of the Sprite was ready to have her sent ahead at full speed. During the next hour the man at the helm spoke now and then with the engineer, as if to prevent him from dwelling upon his troubles, and the latter, exhilarated by this brisk steaming over the waves sufficiently high to give a steamer a bounding move- ment, finally forgot, for the time being, all save that which lay before him. Once more his only care was to make of his busi- ness venture a success; but as his thoughts drifted into this channel he could not refrain from dwelling upon the theft which caused the loss to himself and his partner of what seemed like a very large sum of money. Then had come the time when the first halt was to be made, and Captain Ike cried, as he gave the signal to ‘‘ slow down ”’ : ““We ’re off Dollar Island. I’m minded to put in an’ see what Dave Roberts has got on hand.’’ “It ’s a good idea,’’ Stephen replied, emphati- cally. ‘‘ I know he’s been lobstering all the season, an’ we should be able to make a trade with him.’’ QLI 250g ./SLOd SIH DNITINVH,, SLUAION AAV The Wreck. 177 The Sprite was brought to an anchorage off the landing-place, and the old fisherman said, as he hauled the skiff alongside: ‘““T reckon the Sprite won’t come to any harm if we leave her alone for a spell, pervidin’ your fires are all right.”’ ‘* There ’s no trouble about that part of it, and this time we ’Il take our money with us,’’ Stephen replied, as he went below for the canvas bag. Dave Roberts had just come in from the task of ‘“hauling his pots,’’ and appeared well pleased to see visitors, as indeed any man might who lives eight miles from the mainland and seldom has an opportunity of meeting with his fellow-creatures except when he makes a voyage to the city. ‘“ What ’s bringin’ you round here, Captain Ike ? Gone to work for Sam Skillin’s ? I see you ’ve got his smack.”’ ‘“ Not exactly. Stephen an’ I are runnin’ her on our own account, pickin’ up a few lobsters here an’ there, an’ count on makin’ reg’lar trips every week or ten days. How ’s the fishin’ ?’’ “Only middlin’. What are lobsters worth ?”’ ‘* Out here, I’d say thirteen cents was a good fair price.”’ ‘‘T hear they ’re sellin’ for eighteen in town.”’ ““Ves; how many you got ?”’ “* A couple of hundred.”’ 178 Lobster Catchers. ‘* Well, you see, Dave, they ain’t worth more ’n thirteen cents to pick ’em up two hundred in a lot. If you had a couple of thousand I might go a cent better. Why, see here, we bought two thousand from Tom Dawson yesterday afternoon at fifteen cents. Prime lobsters, an’ so near the market that it was n’t more ’n child’s play to run in with ‘em.”’ ‘* Mine are as good as his.”’ ““T ain’t sayin’ a word agin’ ’em, Dave, not a word; but then it ’s like this: We take on two hun- dred now, an’ it may be three days before we get a cargo. In the meantime a dozen, or fifteen, or twenty of the first lot have been chewed up, an’ we ’re that much out. All the profit gone, an’ per- haps a little more besides. Say thirteen dollars, an’ we ’ll take them aboard; but if you kick at it, why, there ’s no harm done, an’ off we ’ll go.”’ “*T s’pose I shall let you take ’em; but it seems a pretty poor price.”’ “Yes, I allow it is; but how are you goin’ to help it? We ’ve got to make a livin’ an’ buy our coal.”’ Stephen was relieved to know that the usual amount of haggling would not have to be gone through with at this stopping-place. They were now on a cruise where they could not hope to find any fishermen with a very large num- ber of lobsters on hand, and therefore many calls The Wreck. 179 must be made in order to load the steamer. Every hour spent in bargaining meant just so much delay, and paved the way for no small amount of loss be- fore they should be able to turn the stock over to Captain Skillings. Roberts pulled out to his car, which was anchored a short distance from the shore, and the Sprite was soon alongside. In less than half an hour the goods had been de- livered into the tank of the steamer, the money paid, and the speculators were on their devious way once more. Four miles farther on another halt was made; a hundred lobsters were bought at thirteen dollars, and they steamed ahead to the third fisherman, where was added to the stock two hundred more at the same price. It was now so late that there was no possibility of making up a cargo before dark, and Captain Ike said, as they got under way again: ** T reckon we may as well count on spendin’ the night nearabout Hawk’s Reef. There are half a dozen men fishin’ there, an’ we should be able to buy a thousand or more.’’ Then, when the steamer was under way, he called through the tube in a tone of triumph: ““T’ve been figgerin’ up this day’s work so far, Stephen, an’ it has n’t been a bad one. If we get 180 Lobster Catchers. back to port in any reasonable time, there ’s a profit of twenty dollars on what ’s been bought, allowin’ we only get eighteen, though it stands us in hand to stick out for that extra half-dollar.”’ ‘“ We ’re doing well enough, if we can get a load in season.” “Tf we can’t, we ’Il run in with half a cargo, so they won’t get the best of us there, my lad. Now send her ahead, an’ we ’ll make the reef nearabout Kelley’s shanty before nightfall.”’ The old fisherman soon found that he had made a miscalculation as to the time when they might arrive at the harbor where it was proposed to spend the night. A good half-hour had been spent in bargaining at the last stopping-place, and this, together with other loss of time, had occupied so much of the day that when the sun began to sink below the horizon they had just come to the outermost point of the reef. Now it would be necessary to run alongside for five miles or more, if they came to anchor in front of Kelley’s shanty. Hawk’s Reef at high water looks much like three or four small islands, situated only a short distance apart; but when the tide recedes it can be seen that these are only mounds or formations of earth upon a rocky barrier that extends in a line parallel to the coast a distance of a dozen miles or more. The Wreck. 181 It was now nearly low water, and as the Sprite dashed on past this treacherous line of rock, Stephen gazed from the after companion-way, speculating upon the suffering which must have been endured by seamen who had been wrecked in that dangerous locality. Then, and as if it was but a continuation of his own thoughts, he saw a short distance ahead, wedged into a cleft of the rocks on a portion of the reef which would soon be submerged, the fragments of what appeared to be a small sailing craft. The fire was bright ; the engine working smoothly, and he ran on deck to speak with Captain Ike. ‘‘ There has been a wreck within a few hours,”’ he said, pointing in the direction of the stranded boat. ‘“ Ay, lad. I have been lookin’ at her through the glass. Take a squint, an’ you ‘Il see four, if not five, men standin’ nearabout. Fresh-water sailors, I reckon, who thought they knew how to manage any kind of a craft from a scow to a ship, an’ have gone on there in broad daylight.”’ ‘* They will have quite a walk before them to get to the nearest landing,’’ Stephen said, as he sur- veyed the scene through the glass which Captain Ike handed him. ‘““ Ay, that ’s what they will, an’, unless I ’m way ’off in my reckonin’, it can’t be done.” 182 Lobster Catchers. ” ‘* You mean they will be overtaken by the tide ? the lad cried in alarm. ‘“ Ay, before they can get to a place of safety in either direction; an’ the idjuts don’t seem to know what ’s comin’ upon ’em.” ‘“ Put in, put in, Captain Ike! You are not going to leave them ?” ““It ought to be done, if for no other reason than to show ’em what fools they are; but at the same time, I s’pose we sha’ n’t stand by an’ see ’em drowned, although it goes agin’ the grain to lose an hour or more when we might come to anchor before dark.” ““ They are waving to us now. Perhaps, having seen the Sprzte, they thought there was no need of trying to make for the next headland, because we would pick them up.” ‘““ Oh, yes,” the old man grumbled. ‘‘ They can go an’ wreck theirselves out there where a blind man would n’t go ashore, an’ then expect the next honest sailor that comes along to spend his time takin’ ’’em off. It would n’t be a bad idee to let the tide overtake ‘em before we put in; but I s’pose we ‘ve got to do it. The lobster business don’t amount to anything when there ’s work of this kind to be done, that is to say, not in the eyes of some people”; and had Stephen not known his partner so intimately, he would have fancied the old man The Wreck. 183 was angry because he had suggested running in to rescue these shipwrecked men. The Sprite was not more than a mile from the shore, and the young engineer went below, knowing oe he would soon be called upon to “ stop her,” for Captain Ike would not be so venturesome as to run the yacht close inshore. Most likely the skiff would be used in taking the castaways on board, and so small was she that no less than two trips would be necessary. The bell to ‘‘ slow down ” was struck. Then came the signal to stop, and when the engine was motion less, Stephen went on deck to lend such assistance as was in his power. Captain Ike already had the skiff alongside, and he said gruffly, as if still aggrieved because of being forced to stop: *“T ll attend to this part of the work, an’ you stand by to look after em when they come aboard. Don’t let one of the crowd below, or inside the wheel-house. There ain’t any great call to coddle ’em up, ‘cause they have n’t had a chance to do much sufferin’.” Then he pulled to the shore,.and when he returned bringing two of the shipwrecked ones with him, Stephen saw, to his surprise, that they were hardly more than boys, and very badly frightened boys at that. 184 Lobster Catchers. They were unable, or unwilling, to give any very detailed account of their wanderings; but he gath- ered from their statements that they had sailed from the city the day previous, not at the time intending to make a prolonged cruise. ““We ’ll carry you to a fisherman’s shanty four or five miles away, and that ’s all I reckon you ’Il care to have us do,” Stephen said, thinking the ship- wrecked lads might be anxious to know what dis- posal was to be made of them. ‘‘ You see, this is a lobster-smack, an’ we ’re out for a cargo; it may be two or three days before we get back, that is, unless we find lobsters more plentiful than they have been so far on the cruise. Do you want to go into the engine-room ?” One of the boys shook his head, and the other looked up at Stephen in a frightened sort of man- ner, much to the lad’s surprise and annoyance. ““ You ’ll be all right aboard here,” he said, en- couragingly. ‘‘ We ’ll take the best care of you; but, of course, that won’t be anything very swell. It ’s only a case of running down the reef half an hour.” Captain Ike returned with the other two cast- aways, neither of them apparently older than Stephen, and said in a low tone to his engineer, as he made the skiff fast astern: ““ We ll run over tu Kelley’s as soon as may be, The Wreck. 185 lad, an’ in the meanwhile do you keep a sharp eye out on these fellers. There ’s somethin’ wrong about ’em, or I ’m mistaken.” ‘* What makes you think so?” ** When I offered to see what could be saved from their boat they acted as if afraid to have me go to her, an’ yet there must have been somethin’ of value that we could bring away. Four lads like them don’t leave port on a cruise without anythin’ aboard.” ‘* Then you did n’t go to the wreck ?” ‘“No; they claimed there was no need of it, cause they had nothin’ there; an’, to tell the truth, I did n’t fancy leavin’ *em on the beach alone with the skiff while I was explorin’, for fear the craft would n’t be there when I got back. Somehow, I mistrust these youngsters. Keep your eye on ’em, Stephen, keep your eye on ’em.” The old fisherman went into the wheel-house, the engineer going at once to his post of duty; but the four castaways remained amidships on the hatch of the tank, as if averse to coming into close contact with those who had unquestionably saved their lives. ‘There ’s a fire down here if you ’re cold,” Stephen cried through the window of the engine- room, and one of the visitors shook his head, but did not so much as look around. The four were standing with their backs toward the speaker. 186 Lobster Catchers. ‘* Well, I may be nothing but a farmer or a fisher- man; but I ’ve got better manners than that,” Stephen muttered to himself, as he obeyed Captain Ike’s signal by starting the engine. ‘‘ If anybody, I don’t care who it was, had saved me from drowning, I would try and have common politeness enough to answer decently when I was spoken to.” He gave his entire attention to the machinery for a few moments, resolved not to waste time on such ingrates as these lads appeared to be, and then, almost without being conscious of doing so, he looked out upon them again. They were engaged in earnest conversation, glancing now and then forward and aft as if afraid their words might be overheard, and Stephen was more perplexed than ever. ‘“ They have been doing something wrong, and are afraid we ‘ll find it out. Who knows but that they ’re thieves?” and he felt of the canvas bag which was buttoned tightly in his pocket, to make certain it was secure. Now he watched them, taking good care not to be detected in so doing, and discovered that they were evidently standing watch themselves, as if fearful lest some one might come upon them unawares. It not only puzzled but disturbed him, and whist- ling softly through the speaking-tube until, having The Wreck. 187 attracted his partner’s attention, he asked in a whisper: “* Can any one else hear when I speak as low as this ?” ‘“ If you mean our passengers, I should say no, lad. They are out on the hatch, lookin’ like jail- birds. I tell you, there ’s somethin’ wrong with them fellers.” ‘* T believe there is, Captain Ike, and I don’t like the idea of keeping them on board all night.” ““ Never you fear about that, lad. They ’ll go ashore when we come to anchor at Kelley’s, or I ’Il know the reason why. Keep your eye on ’em, an’ if you see anythin’ that looks like mischief, give her the whistle once or twice—don’t stop for the tube.” Stephen did as he was bidden; but during twenty minutes he saw nothing more than had first been observed. The shipwrecked lads yet remained on the hatch, apparently as suspicious of those who had saved them as before, and made no effort to go forward or aft. ‘“It must be we ’ve made a mistake,”” Stephen said to himself. ‘* These boys are frightened out of their wits, that ’s all. Probably they did n’t understand how to sail a boat, an’ when she went ashore, it knocked the senses out of them.” 188 Lobster Catchers. He turned to attend to the fire, and had hardly opened the furnace door before there came a soft whistle through the tube, which he answered by asking: ‘“ What ’s up?” ‘“ Have you been looking at the lads ?” ““ Yes, sir; and I have come to believe they are only scared. Neither one of them has so much as moved since I spoke to them.” “ T reckon they are scared, and with good reason,” Captain Ike said, in a cautious whisper. ‘‘ Look well at em, Stephen Jordan, an’ tell me if you have ever seen one of the gang before.” ‘“T have been looking at them for nearly half an hour. They appear to be city fellers, and I don’t think I ever run across them.” ‘“Do you remember the sailin’-boat that put alongside the Sprite while we was at Tom Daw- son’s ?” “Yes,” Stephen said, hesitatingly, and at the same moment glancing out of the window. ‘‘ Yes, I remember her, an I——”’ ‘* You saw two of them lads in there; that I ’ll go bail. It struck me when I first went ashore that I ‘d seen ’em somewhere, but not until just now could I make up my mind. I did n’t give any great heed to ’em when they was foolin’ round the steamer while we talked with Dawson, which The Wreck. 189 accounts for their faces not bein’ very clear in my mind; but after thinkin’ it over a bit, I ’ve come to know—an’, mind you, there ain’t any mistake— that the same pirates as took our twenty-two dollars are sittin’ on the hatch of the tank this very minute.” CHAPTER XII. RESTORATION. T was only with difficulty that Stephen Jordan suppressed a cry of astonishment when Captain Ike thus made an accusation against those who had been saved from death by drowning. It did not seem to the lad possible that the idlers nearabout the lobster farm would be in this vicinity, for Hawk’s Reef was not a favorite resort with sum- mer visitors, and yet, as he peered out of the engine- room window, he could see, in the new light shed by the old fisherman’s words, that these young fellows were very similar in general appearance to those whom he had observed near the Sprite while she lay off Dawson’s farm. Perhaps had not the shipwrecked ones behaved in such an odd fashion, he might not have believed the accusation made by Captain Ike; but now he be- came convinced it was just, and felt certain the young culprits had been the first to understand who were their rescuers. Stephen was literally dazed by the fact that cir- cumstances had thus brought them together, and while he was trying to make up his mind as to what Igo Restoration. 19! should be done, a single quick, sharp stroke of the gong caused him to leap forward to the engine. It was the signal for stopping, and would not have been given until after the cautionary signal to ‘‘ slow down,”’ without good and sufficient reason. In a twinkling he had brought the engine to a standstill, and as the little craft forged ahead slowly from her own impetus, he leaned out of the window to discover what danger menaced. Nothing was to be seen save the reef on the port hand. The heaving ocean as far as eye could reach toward the rapidly diminishing horizon line, bore not a single sail upon its surface. Involuntarily he glanced toward the stowaways. The four lads had leaped to their feet as if in alarm, and were looking first in this direction and then that to learn the meaning of the signal. “* Find a piece of spare pipe that ll serve for a club, an’ come on deck!’’ Captain Ike whistled through the tube; and this command only served to increase Stephen’s bewilderment. During such time as he had acted as assistant engineer for Captain Skillings, Deacon Brackett’s nephew had learned the important lesson of obeying orders without question, and, after making certain the steam was not so high that there could be any danger in leaving the engine unattended, he did as his partner commanded. 192 Lobster Catchers. With a short length of iron tubing in his hand, he ascended the companion-way just as Captain Ike came from the wheel-house, armed with what ap- peared to be the leg of a chair. Amidships, clustered on the hatch of the tank, the castaways were standing close together as if for mutual protection, and looking anxiously and nervously from one of their rescuers to the other. ‘** Don’t come for’ard!’’ Captain Ike shouted, as Stephen started toward him. ‘‘ Hold on where you are till we ’ve done a little business with the passengers. They ‘re not sich an honest lookin’ crowd that I care to give “em a chance of gettin’ below ; so stand betwixt them an’ the engine- room!’”’ “What ’s the matter with you?’’ one of the party asked, in what he probably intended should be a tone of defiance, but which really was a token of abject fear. ‘*T’m not allowin’ we ’re anyways out of sorts; but there ’s a little matter of business to be settled between us before this ere craft comes to anchor.”’ ‘““ Your ‘re crazy!’’ the boy cried, in a quavering tone. ‘““ That may be, an’ it makes matters so much the worse for you. My partner an’ I were at Dawson’s lobster farm yesterday, an’ while there a crowd of pirates stole twenty-two dollars from a canvas bag Restoration. 193 what was hid away in the starboard locker. The only craft that came around while we stopped there, was cutter-rigged, much the same, so far as I could make out, as the one you put ashore. Now I ‘ve got it fixed mighty strong in my mind that you ’re the crowd we saw hoverin’ near the steamer.”’ ‘“ We don’t know of such a place as ‘ Dawson’s > 99 farm,’ ’’ one of the party said, stoutly. ““ An’ you ’re ready to swear you did n’t come aboard this craft yesterday an’ steal twenty-two dollars ?”’ “* Of course we are!”’ ‘* I don’t allow we could make any great fist at bringin’ about your arrest unless we had more proof; but seein’ ’s how you ’re aboard our craft, I allow we ll keep you here till we know more or less regardin’ this matter.” ““ Tt ll be a waste of time if you count on keeping us here till we admit having taken the money,’’ the first speaker said sharply; and Stephen understood that the lad was recovering somewhat from his fear. ** You won’t stop aboard this craft any very great spell, unless I hit upon somethin’ in the way of proof that will be enough for any judge in the land. The boat I saw nearabout the Sprzte yesterday had a three-cornered patch near the throat of the main- sail, an’ a square one at peak, while the jib was new. We ’re goin’ to run back an’ have a squint at the 13 194 Lobster Catchers. wreck of your craft, to see if the same marks can be found on her canvas. When we are opposite that part of the reef where these young gentlemen were seen, Stephen,’’ he added, turning toward his part- ner, ‘‘ you ’ll slip into the skiff an’ pull ashore. Ill answer for it our passengers don’t get into the engine-room to make mischief, an’ it may be you can find out more about the wreck than has been told.”’ The castaways looked at each other for an instant in what Stephen fancied was apprehension and fear, and then one of them asked defiantly : ‘* Well, what if you should find the marks, as you callthem ? Is our craft the only one on the coast of Maine that has patches on her sails ?”’ “It don’t stand to reason that two cutter-rigged boats would be so near alike, or have crews who looked to be the same. Get below, Stephen, an’ send her ahead at full speed. We must do up this little job, an’ come to anchor off Kelley’s before dark, if it can be done.” The young engineer hesitated only sufficiently long to ascertain if either of the passengers had any further remark to make, and then turned to obey, Captain Ike calling after him sharply: ‘* Look out for yourself, lad, while in the engine- room, for I have n’t any better opinion of these young gentlemen than to believe they might make Restoration. 195 a rush, if so be there was a chance of gettin’ the best of you.” “Don’t worry about me, Captain Ike. I ’ll put a nozzle on the exhaust cock, and then be prepared to give unwelcome visitors a dose of hot steam such as will cool them down.” ““ Good for you, lad; I always allowed you could take care of yourself”; and the old fisherman was on the point of stepping into the wheel-house when one of the group on the tank-hatch hailed him: “© How much money did you say had been lost ?” ‘“ Twenty-two dollars was what somebody stole.” “* Well, see here, old man: it ’s hard lines for us to lose our boat and then be made prisoners in this fashion. We ’re anxious to get home and, while not over-burdened with money, are willing to pay you that amount rather than stay any longer than necessary.” ‘* Meanin’ you ’ll give us that much rather than that we should overhaul the wreck of your craft ?” “Not exactly that; we ‘ll pay you twenty-two dollars in order to be set ashore somewhere near town.” ““You won’t get any nearer town than Keiley’s landing this night, unless some craft heaves in sight mighty soon; an’ we ‘re not of the kind that can be bought in such a fashion. If you are the fellows who stole our money, we shall soon know it, an’ 196 Lobster Catchers. then it ’ll be a horse of a different color. Put her along, Stephen; we can’t afford to waste any more time!” The lad did not wait to hear anything more. He was now convinced that these four castaways were no other than the pirates who had robbed them, and there was an idea in his mind that it would not be necessary to run back very far. As the engine was started, the Sgrzte swung around in a half-circle, and no sooner had Captain Ike rang the bell for full speed than Stephen heard one of their accused passengers hailing the helms- man. By lowering the forward window he could see and hear all that took place. The lad who had acted as spokesman was stand- ing within a few paces of the wheel-house, on the port side, shouting,— ‘* Look here, old man, we don’t intend to be treated in this fashion!” Captain Ike made no reply; and the Sprzte dashed on, as if eager to be done with this twisting and turning, that she might rest at anchor. ‘We ll give up the money!” the boy shouted, after being convinced that the fisherman could not be intimidated. Not until then did Captain Ike condescend to put his head through the window. Restoration. 197 ““ Do you own up to havin’ stole it ?” he asked. ““We ’ll agree to anything rather than be freighted back and forth in this fashion.” ‘“ That don’t suit me,” the old manreplied. ‘‘ If I’m makin’ a mistake, it ’ll be a case of tryin’ my best to square matters, an’ I ‘ll begin by carryin’ you back to town this very night; for my partner and I are not minded to take money that is n’t ours.” ‘“ What do you want me to say ?” the boy asked impatiently. “If you boys stole the money, confess it, an’ then we ’Il take the cash; but not under other cir- cumstances.” “* Will you carry us back to town ?” “Not a bit of it. You ’ll be landed at Kelley’s place, with good reason to be thankiul that we don’t push the matter any further.” The boy stepped back to consult with his com- panions; but the speed of the Sgrzte was not slackened. A moment later the parley was resumed. ” ‘“ Here ’s your money,” the spokesman of the castaways said, as he approached the wheel-house, holding up something in his hand. ** An’ you stole it ?”” Captain Ike asked; but not offering to receive that which was proffered. The boy hesitated a single instant, and then 198 Lobster Catchers. replied, curtly, but in a muffled voice, as if the con- fession cost him a great effort: “Ves.” Captain Ike took the money. It was a collection of silver coins, the same denomination as those stolen, and he rang the bell to ‘* slow down.”’ Again the Sprzte swung around in a half-circle until she was heading once more for Kelley’s landing, and then came the demand for full speed. Stephen, satisfied that restitution had been made, was both pleased and saddened,—pleased that the money was restored to them, for, in view of all the circumstances, it represented a large amount; and saddened because these young lads had been willing to commit a crime. Captain Ike did not attempt to hold any conver- sation through the tube. He was now bent on arriving at an anchorage be- fore dark, for Kelley’s landing was guarded by so many rocks just beneath the surface of the water that it was not a pleasant or safe task to run in during the night. On the hatch of the tank the castaways yet clus- tered, looking thoroughly ashamed and despondent, and Stephen soon found himself pitying them most sincerely. The shadows of night were lengthening into Restoration. 199 gloom when the lobster-smack glided into the tiny rock-guarded harbor where Seth Kelley moored his boats, and was given such a welcome by the fisher- man as visitors to this lonely place had reason to expect. ““T ’m right glad to see you, Captain Ike!”’ Kelley cried, as Stephen’s partner came out of the wheel-house to let go the anchor. ‘*‘ Comin’ ashore right away, eh?”’ ‘** As soon as we make all snug, Seth.”’ **T ll fry a few lobsters, an’ try my hand at some biscuit, while you ’re gettin’ into shape,’’ Kelley replied, and immediately disappeared in the gloom. Once the Sprzte was moored, Captain Ike came aft, where Stephen was drawing the fire and other- wise doing his share toward ‘‘ making snug.”’ ‘* Here ’s our money, an’ there ’ll be no need of chargin’ ourselves with that amount of cash,’’ the old man said, as he emptied his pocket on the top ~ of the locker. ‘‘ It looks as near like what we lost as any two piles of silver can.”’ Stephen glanced at the money without offering to take it. ‘“* Put the stuff in the bag, partner. We must n’t run the chance of losin’ it a second time.”’ and Stephen turned , ‘* See here, Captain Ike,’ suddenly to face the old man; ‘‘ what ’s to be done with those boys ?”’ 200 Lobster Catchers. “We ’ll tell Seth Kelley the story after we ’ve put ’em ashore, an’ then let them shift for them. selves, with good cause to be thankful that we did n’t notify the police.” ““ But it may be a week before they ’Il find a chance of leaving this reef.” “* Longer than that, lad, unless Kelley is minded to set ‘em ashore.” “* And what about their people ? They came out yachting, and if the wreck of their craft is picked up after it drifts off the ledge, or in case they re- main absent longer than was intended, their folks will believe they ’ve been drowned.”’ ‘“ That ’s none of our lookout, my boy,’’ Captain Ike replied carelessly. ‘* Think of how much my mother would suffer if she failed to hear from me for a week or more!”’ Stephen persisted. “* Her son ain’t a thief, consequently he is n’t in the way to be set ashore at this place.”’ ‘‘But the mothers of these boys don’t know what has been done, and it is cruel to keep them in sus- pense.”’ ““The young thieves deserve worse ’n we ’re dealin’ out to ’em.”’ ““You are punishing their parents more than them.”’ *“ Look you, Stephen,—are you upholdin’ what Restoration. 201 them young scoundrels did ?’’ the old man asked severely. ““ Not a bit of it, Captain Ike; but I don’t want you to do awrong in order to punish them. If this was the main shore, from which point they could walk back to town, I would n’t say a word, no matter how long the distance might be. But to know that the boys’ parents were suffering because of an ab- sence caused by our acts, would take away all the pleasure of getting the money that had been stolen.’’ Captain Ike meditatively rubbed his nose during fully a minute, and then he asked: ‘* What ’s your idee of how the young scoundrels ought ’er be treated ?”’ ‘*T can only say that it would do me solid good to set them ashore somewhere near town.”’ ‘“T reckon I’m bound to give in, no matter how much it may go agin’ the grain; but what ’Il we do with ’em to-night ?”’ ‘“ They can sleep in Kelley’s shanty.”’ ““T don’t reckon he ’d give the villains so much as a shelter, after knowin’ what they ’ve done.”’ ‘* Then, why need you tell any more than that we picked them up on the reef? What was done at Dawson’s farm has nothing to do with the wreck.’’ Again Captain Ike was lost in reflection and, after what seemed to Stephen a very long while, he said, almost angrily: 202 Lobster Catchers. ‘I’m goin’ to let you run this ’ere business after your own fashion, my boy, though I don’t think it’s a wise one. Them as steal should suffer for it; an’ by gettin’ off scot free once, they ’re encouraged to try the same game over again.”’ ‘“ Thank you,’’ Stephen replied, believing it would be unwise to say anything more just at that time; and the old man asked moodily: “* How long before you ’Il be ready to go ashore ?”’ “It will take me half an hour or more to clean up here ready for a fresh start.’’ ““T reckon I ’ll sneak ashore to help Kelley. It is n’t likely he ’Il be countin’ on feedin’ so many. But I ain’t certain it "ll be safe to leave you alone with that gang,’’ he added, as a certain suspicion came into his mind. ‘‘ They may try their hands at stealin’ the smack, seein’ ’s how they got off so easy before.”’ ““T can take care of myself,’’ Stephen replied, with a merry laugh. ‘‘ Stealing a steamer, unless they know how to handle her, would be much like trying to run away with an elephant. Go ashore, and I will look after matters here.’’ The old man unmoored the skiff, and as he pulled toward the beach Stephen lighted the lanterns; for by this time the night had fully come. Then he set about his work, with never a thought of being molested by the four lads on deck; and Restoration. 203 five minutes later he was startled and not a little alarmed by hearing footsteps on the companion-way stairs. . Turning quickly, he saw the boy who had given up the money, and behind him was dimly outlined the forms of his comrades. Stephen seized the iron tubing which had served him as weapon a short time previous, and faced his visitors. ““You need n’t be afraid that we ’d be such sneaks as to jump on you, even though we have proved ourselves thieves,’’ the boy said, noting the fact that Stephen had armed himself. ‘“‘ We ’ve come here to thank you for what you said to the old man in our behalf. The engine-room window was open, and we heard every word.”’ ‘* Well?’’ Stephen asked, not knowing what reply to make. “You ‘ve done us a mighty good turn, after we ’d robbed you. It’s something we sha’n’t forget in a hurry, and perhaps it "ll come in our way to square accounts.”’ “There ’s no need of it. I was sorry for your mothers, and did n’t like the idea of leaving you here where but few craft ever drop anchor.”’ ‘* And you put an end to what the old man would have done, knowing that we stole your money.”’ ‘“ Of course, I knew that. After Captain Ike 204 Lobster Catchers. accused you, I was certain it was your craft that came alongside of us at Dawson’s farm.”’ ‘‘ Saying that we ’re sorry and ashamed don’t mend matters, I know; but yet I want you to under- stand that we ’re not the hardened villains your partner thinks: us, though perhaps the word of thieves—and that is really what we are—don’t count for much. Ten minutes after we took that money, I’d given twice as much if we could have put it back; but I did n’t have the courage to come up like a man and confess to what had been done. The Captain don’t think we ’ve been punished; but he does n’t know all that has been in our minds since then. There is n’t money enough in this world to tempt me after this one experience, and I wish you might believe what I ’m saying.”’ ‘TI don’t doubt it,’’ Stephen replied, and he dropped the iron tube as if ashamed of standing armed before these penitents. ‘*T can’t say what I want to now; but we ’d like to see you in town; and then perhaps you ’ll have a better opinion of us, even though we did steal the money.’’ ‘Of course I ’d be willing to see you anywhere; but I don’t have much time for loitering around town. A fellow who has a living for himself and a family to earn can’t spend many idle hours.’’ ‘“* But you put in there often ?”’ Restoration. 205 “* Yes; every two or three days.”’ ‘* Where do you haul up ?”’ “* At Skillings’s fish dock. Any one around there would be likely to know when we ought to arrive.’’ ‘* We ’ll come and see you,”’ the lad said gravely. ““ And now, would you be willing to shake hands with me?”’ Stephen hesitated only sufficiently long to wipe his grimy hands on a bunch of waste, and then each of the wrongdoers clasped them in turn; but no further conversation was indulged in. The castaways went on deck immediately after thus having given proof of repentance, and again the four gathered on the tank hatch. ““ Why don’t you stay down here?’’ Stephen cried, amoment later. ‘‘ The air is damp at this time of the night, and it ’s better to be under cover.” ‘““ Perhaps the Captain would rather we stayed on deck,’’ one of the party replied, meekly. “*T ll answer for him,’’ Stephen cried, cheerily. ““Come below; for it ‘Il be quite a spell before we ’re ready to go ashore.’’ The lads accepted the invitation without delay. The warm air of the engine-room must have been comforting, for their clothing was saturated with water, and Stephen could well understand that they had suffered from the cold ‘while the steamer was under way. 206 Lobster Catchers. Half an hour later, when Captain Ike came aboard, he found the four whom he believed had not been sufficiently punished, working industriously at whatever came to their hands. One was assist- ing Stephen at cleaning the machinery, another had been sweeping the floor, while the remaining two trimmed lamps, washed windows, and otherwise im- proved the general appearance of the cabin. The old man surveyed the scene in silence a mo- ment or two, and then said gruffly, addressing no one in particular: ‘* Kelley’s supper is ready, an’ the sooner we help him eat it the better he ’Il be pleased.”’ CHAPTER XIII. JETHRO DEARING’S VENTURE. TEPHEN had been doing more work than was really necessary, because the fact of being allowed to help him had appeared to give these penitent lads some satisfaction; but at Captain Ike’s summons he turned quickly, saying to his com- panions as he did so: ‘““Come on, boys. I reckon you ‘re ready for something to eat, and Seth Kelley is famous for his fried lobsters.”’ ‘* I think we had better not go ashore with you, if the Captain is willing for us to stay on board,”’ the eldest of the party said gravely. ‘“Not go ashore? Why, surely you ’re needing supper.”’ ‘* We can get along well enough without it; and just now I don’t think we have any reason to make much display of ourselves.”’ Stephen looked toward Captain Ike; and the latter, understanding that his partner was mutely asking him to second the invitation, said in a tone that was very nearly friendly: ‘* You had best come, lads; and don’t think it ’s 207 208 Lobster Catchers. a case of makin’ a show of yourselves. Most likely my partner has told you what we have decided on doin’, an’ you can be certain I did n’t come round to his way of thinkin’ by halves. That is to say, after agreein’ with him as to what should be done, I was n’t mean enough to tell Seth Kelley the story. He ’ll know you only as four boys we picked up on the reef after their craft had been stove.”’ ** Thank you, sir,’’ the oldest of the party said, in atone which could not be mistaken; and Stephen believed his partner was at that moment very glad he had not managed the affair according to his first proposition. “* You will come ashore with us,’’ the old fisher- man said, and now he spoke heartily. ‘‘ We ’ll try Seth’s fried lobsters,—perhaps make a trade with him,—an’ come back to the Sprzze for a night’s rest, or sleep ashore, as may best suit us.”’ ** Will you let me pull the skiff, sir? She is so small it will be necessary to make three trips in order to get all hands of us on the land,’’ the spokesman of the castaways asked. ‘“ Ay, you may, if it will suit you better; an’ Stephen an’ I will be the first passengers.”’ Captain Ike’s partner looked up at him gratefully. In thus disembarking while the wrongdoers remained on board, the old fisherman was showing that he had full confidence in their repentance, although, as a Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 209 matter of course, not having heard what passed be- tween them and Stephen. The boys understood that this was a show of faith in their honesty which was not really deserved, and Stephen would have been willing to pledge his word that never again would they succumb to such temptation as had been sought out rather than met. In silence the repentant lad pulled the master and engineer of the Sprzze ashore, and Captain Ike said, —as he strode up the beach,—— *“You lads won’t have any trouble in findin’ Kelley’s shanty, if you follow this ‘ere path that ’s marked and broad enough for a coach an’ four.”’ The fisherman whose guest he was welcomed Stephen cheerily; congratulating him upon the venture he was making in company with Captain Tke, and said decidedly: “You will make a go of it, lad, an’ that I ’ll answer for. It ’s goin’ to be a decently rough business this winter; but I reckon you two will pull through all right, an’ that ’ere smack of Captain Skillin’s’s is stout enough to outlive any weather you ’ll be likely to run into.” The table was spread after a clumsy fashion; that is to say, there was a huge pile of lobster meat, fried to a delicate brown after having been boiled, placed in the centre of a small table, and flanked on 14 210 Lobster Catchers. either side by two plates filled with smoking hot biscuit. There was no butter, but plenty of bacon fat to serve in its stead; and seven tin dippers filled with a deep brown mixture, which by courtesy was called tea. Not an inviting looking meal, save to thosé who brought such appetites as did Captain Ike and his partner, and to them it was all that could be de- sired. The four castaways arrived in due season; seated themselves according to Captain Ike’s directions; but then failed in doing that justice which the meal deserved — because, as Stephen believed, of being seriously disturbed in mind. Seth Kelley was ready to make any fair trade which might be proposed. He had from three to four hundred lobsters in his cars, and was thoroughly well pleased at being able to sell them at the price offered by Captain Ike—thirteen cents apiece. “*T ’ll have them aboard of you within an hour after sunrise,’’ he said; and this ended the business portion of the conversation. The owner of the shanty was eager to learn the news from the outside world; and Captain Ike gratified his host in so far as he was able, the re- mainder of the company sitting around the table in silence meanwhile. It was nearly ten o’clock—a late hour for Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 211 fishermen who arose considerably in advance of the sun — when the party broke up, Kelley offering to provide with beds as many as could not well be accommodated on board the steamer. “We have only got two bunks,’’ Captain Ike said; ‘‘ and if you will keep these shipwrecked lads, they ‘ll sleep more comfortably than aboard, for we ‘re not overburdened with beddin’. Then the master and the engineer of the Sprite set off, the castaways shaking hands with Stephen once more; and, until the two were stretched out in their narrow sleeping-places, Captain Ike did not speak. Then it was only to say: **T reckon your way was the best one, after all. The lads we picked up are not so far on the wrong road but that they can make a turn, an’ you have helped them do it.’’ It was hardly more than half an hour after day- light next morning when Seth Kelley arrived with his first dory-load of lobsters, and with him were two of the castaways, who worked manfully at transferring the cargo to the tank of the Sprite, while Captain Ike stood by keeping tally, and Stephen made the necessary preparations for getting under way. Three hundred and fifty lobsters were taken on board, and when Stephen had paid for them, at the rate of thirteen cents apiece, his partner asked, 212 Lobster Catchers. ‘* How much have we put out for what ’s in the tank, lad ?”’ ‘One hundred and ten dollars and fifty cents. Counting in the money we got back last night, there ’s enough on hand to pay for seven hundred more, if we ’re fortunate enough to find them.’’ ‘“We’ll put in at Jethro Dearing’s. He’s doin’ a big business, I ’m told, down at that place he bought last year, settin’ a couple of hundred pots, an’ hirin’ a man to help tend ’em. It stands to reason he ought to have a fair stock on hand, unless some smack has been along lately.’’ The castaways were on board. Seth Kelley parted with his guests reluctantly, after promising the lob- ster buyers that he would have a good stock on hand in the course of a week; and the Sprite was headed down the coast to Jethro Dearing’s, which place, as Stephen knew, was hardly more than three miles from the Ben Jordan farm. Although so near his home, the lad had not visited it since Dearing bought the property, which con- sisted of five or six acres of land, out from which had been built a wharf, and on the latter a storehouse. Jethro Dearing announced at the time of purchas- ing the property that he was going into the lobster business on a scale such as had never been known in that vicinity, and to this end had spent no small amount of money in building a pier, a warehouse, ‘HOVId SONTIYVAG OVHLAL [4 8 g 8 : cece OMIT Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 213 and so many pots that old fishermen from far and near laughed at the idea that any two men could satisfactorily attend to all of them properly. He had not made a great success of this scheme; but yet did a larger business than any one save, perhaps, Tom Dawson. “Tt ’s just the spot I’d choose to start a farm like Tom’s,’’ Captain Ike had said to Stephen, when they were first discussing the scheme of buying lobsters. ‘‘ I reckon by this time Dearing is ready to sell it at a bargain, for he ain’t makin’ as much money as a man who puts out ninety pots an’ can pull ’em every day, to say nothin’ of the fact that he don’t get the time to market his catch.’’ This was the place at which Stephen’s partner proposed to make the next stop; and the lad was rejoiced thereat, for after coming so near, surely he might afford to spend sufficient time to visit his mother, if only for a few moments. ““We can pull in at the red shanty for half an hour,”’ he said to himself, ‘‘ while I run up home; and surely that time won’t be lost.’’ Therefore the lad was in the best of spirits as the yacht ploughed her way toward that portion of the coast on which was situated the Ben Jordan farm; and he took good care to keep a full head of steam, in order that she might arrive in the shortest pos- sible space of time. 214 Lobster Catchers. The castaways, after assisting the engineer as far as was in their power, remained on deck, much as if thinking they would thereby the better please those who had befriended them; and Stephen almost for- got at the time that there were strangers aboard, so occupied was he with anticipations of seeing his mother and the children. It was almost as if Captain Ike could read what was passing in his partner’s mind, for, when the Sprite was near the coast, he shouted through the tube: “*T am minded to look in at the red shanty, lad, after we ’ve seen Dearing; and that would n’t bea bad chance for you to take arun home. Of course, we could n’t afford to hang round very long; but fifteen minutes would cover your comin’ an’ goin’, with twice as long for a stop, an’ then we ’d be squanderin’ lessthan an hour. What do you think ? Can we afford it ?”’ “* IT ’d like very much to go home, Captain Ike,”’ Stephen replied, “‘ and would be willing to come away in ten minutes.”’ ‘* There is no need of any such desperate haste, for we ’re not likely to be able to land our cargo to-night in case Dearing sells us any; so we ’Il leave it that way.’’ In due course of time Captain Skillings’s smack came alongside of the pier Jethro Dearing had built Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 215 when he believed it would be possible to revolution- ize the ‘lobster - catching industry; and Stephen, standing in the after companion-way, gazed about him in surprise at the amount of labor which had been expended upon the place. The pier was not a pretentious one; but it was solidly built of logs and heavy timbers, extending so far out into the harbor that a vessel drawing twenty feet of water might have laid at the head, at low tide, without touching ground; and boasting of what had evidently been intended as a most capacious warehouse, but was as yet in an un- finished condition. On the landward side of it were huge rocks for nets, two of which were already filled, and along the shore, seemingly as far as the eye could reach, piled in tiers, or thrown up carelessly, were lobster- pots in such number that it appeared to the lad as if all the fishermen on the coast might come here for their supply and not diminish the stock per- ceptibly. ** Jethro would have had quite a place, if he ’d finished it up accordin’ to his notions,’’ Captain Ike said, as he joined his partner, after making the Sprite fast on the side of the dock opposite a small fore-and-aft schooner, ‘‘ When a man sets out to build without first countin’ the cost, ac- cordin’ to the rules laid down in the Bible, he most 216 Lobster Catchers. generally makes a mess of it, eh? I allow them lobster-pots cost hard to a thousand dollars, there ’s so many of ’em; an’, take it all in all, the man has spent a pileof money. But whata place this would be for a yard like Tom Dawson’s, keepin’ the pier an’ the warehouse, an’ buildin’ a fence jest round the point where the trees come down to the water!’’ **T don’t suppose there ’s any chance Mr. Dear- ‘ing can do it, for people say he has spent about all his money.”’ ‘““ Yes, an’ more, too, lad, accordin’ to what I hear. He ’s in debt wherever credit can be found, until a dollar no sooner comes in than it has to go out for old scores.”’ At this point, the owner of the property came down on the pier to welcome his visitors, and, as a matter of course, it became necessary to explain why Captain Ike and Stephen were on board the Sprite. ‘* So you ’ve gone into the business on your own account, eh? Well, I’m glad of it. Don’t run in debt, as I ve done, an’ I ’m allowin’ you Il come out at the big end of the horn. My mother used to say that a man in debt was a slave to his creditors, an’ I never realized it till now. What are lobsters worth ?”’ “* Seein’ ’s we ’re so near port, we ’ll give you Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 217 fourteen cents,’’ Captain Ike replied. ‘‘ We ’ve got a matter of eight hundred aboard that cost thirteen. How many have you got ?”’ “Well, there must be a thousand or more, though they ’ve been so long in the cars that I can’t reckon on takin’ out much more ’n half as many asI putin. We don’t get any time to go to market as we should, an’ there ’s no need for me to tell you, Captain Ike, that lobsters won’t live con- tented an’ peaceable when they ’re hived up. If I had the money to build a yard like Tom Dawson’s, T reckon this scheme would go through just as I first figgered.”’ ‘“You ’ve got a pretty chance for one here,”’ Captain Ike said musingly, and the four castaways who had been standing in the bow lounged a trifle farther aft, as if to overhear the conversation. ‘‘ There ’s no better place on the coast. Daw- son’s can’t be mentioned in the same day with it. But, there! It’s no use to talk. I wish I could sell out, an’ go back to lobsterin’ with eighty or ninety pots. There would be more money in my pocket.”’ “Tf I could buy, you would n’t have to wait long for a customer,’’ Captain Ike said, emphatically. ‘* What do you figger this place worth ?’”’ “ Takin’ it all in all, an’ countin’ the schooner, I spent upwards of seven thousand dollars. I owe 218 Lobster Catchers. about four thousand, an’ if I could get enough to pay my debts, I ’d let it go.”’ ‘“ It’s a bargain,’’ Captain Ike said, half to him- self; ‘“‘ but what ’s the use of our spendin’ time talkin’ about that ? All Stephen an’ I are askin’ is to earn day wages, an’ I reckon that ’s about as much as we shall do. Goin’ to let us have the lobsters ?”’ ‘*JT reckon I shall have to. Are you ready to take ‘em aboard now ?”’ ** Yes, we ’Il pull right round to the cars.”’ An hour was spent in transferring to the Sprzte’s tank, and paying for, seven hundred lobsters; after which there was no fair excuse for lingering, and good reason why they should make port with all reasonable speed. They had fifteen hundred and fifty lobsters on board, to pay for which all their capital had been exhausted, and no more business could be done that day. Yet, although intending to call at the red shanty while Stephen visited his mother, Captain Ike de- layed making ready for the start. He surveyed the scene before him with longing eyes, as if it might be possible he could purchase the property and build such a yard as he and his partner had talked about; until the latter said, with just a tinge of impatience in his tones: Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 219 “* We had better be getting under way, had n’t we? That is, if we still count on putting in at the red shanty.”’ “Yes, yes, Stephen. We ’ll get off at once; but I declare it breaks my heart to think that here ’sa chance to buy the best piece of property for our business that can be found in the country, an’ we ain’t able to take advantage of it.” “* Able, Captain Ike?” the lad said, laughingly. ‘* Why, four thousand dollars is a fortune; an’ I’m afraid we zever shall be able to buy anything like it.” It was with evident reluctance that the old man finally tore himself away from the contemplation of the scene; and then the young engineer sent the Sprite ahead at her best speed, for every moment gained now meant so many more that he might re- main at home, and he was hungry for a sight of his mother and the children. The eldest of the castaways came to the hatch of the companion-way stairs after the Sprite was well on her course, and said, in an apologetic tone: ‘It is n’t for us to ask what you are counting on doing; but I heard you speak of running in to see your mother ?” “* Yes, that ’s what I intend to do.” ‘* How far do you live from the city ?” ‘* Only about four miles by the main road, though it ’s twice that distance by water.” 220 Lobster Catchers. ‘Then I think we had best leave you there. I won't say anything more about what has happened, for we shall have better opportunity in town.” ‘“ Why don’t you hold on, and go around in the Sprite? Four miles is quite a bit for fellows who are not in the habit of walking.” ‘* T think the tramp will do us good, and we have already received too many favors at your hands.” ““'No more than you ’re welcome to; and so far as staying on board the steamer until we ’re at Skillings’s dock, why, it does n’t put us out any.” ‘‘ If you are willing, we have decided to go ashore when you next come to anchor. Of course, if the Captain insists upon our staying, for any purpose which he may have in view, we ’re ready to do so.” ‘“ You mean, if he’s thinking of doing anything about what happened over at Dawson’s farm?” Stephen asked quickly, and the boy nodded. ** Well, I can tell you that that business is ended. Captain Ike ain’t a man to jump down on a fellow unless there ’s some good to come of it; an’ he now believes it was best to do just as we have done.” “* Then you are willing we shall go on shore ?” “* Willing ? Why, you are to do as you want to.” “‘T think we had better go,” the boy replied. Therefore, when the Sprzfe came to anchor within Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 221 fifty yards of the red shanty, he and his companions, after thanking Captain Ike for his forbearance, were set ashore, and immediately afterward Stephen Jor- dan started at full speed for his home. It was a happy surprise that he gave his mother and the children, and a loving welcome which he received. This had been the first time he ever remained away from the farm a single night, and it seemed, as he looked around, that he had been absent a full month. Mrs. Jordan plied him with questions concerning the working of his scheme, as if she had not seen him for many a long day and hardly expected to have another opportunity within any reasonable length of time. While the children clambered upon his knees—for Stephen was so much older than his sisters and brother that he appeared in their eyes much like a father—he told his mother all the details of the busi- ness venture, causing the good woman to hold up both hands in astonishment as he spoke of the profits that had already been earned. She had already heard regarding the Vera. Captain Skillings had told her when he brought the ten dollars, with many a word of praise for the ability Stephen displayed, and, from what the mer- chant said, she was almost ready to believe a certain 222 Lobster Catchers. amount of money, say perhaps a hundred dollars, had been honestly earned in the way of salvage. The future looked bright to this little household as they discussed the position of affairs; and, but for the fact that Deacon Brackett still insisted his nephew had no right to engage in an enterprise without his consent, the Jordan family would have been very happy. ‘“ He claims to have the right to prevent you from running the Srzte,” Mrs. Jordan said sadly; ‘“but Captain Skillings has told me that Joshua has no claim whatever upon you.” “* Of course he has n’t, mother; but yet he might be able to make trouble for me. When was he here last ?” ““Vesterday. He came to see if you really had sent me ten dollars.” ‘** And I suppose said all manner of ugly things to make you cry ?” “* He was n’t as kind as I wish he had been,” Mrs. Jordan replied evasively; and then, in order to change the subject, insisted on preparing an early supper, that Stephen might have one more “‘ meal of his mother’s cooking.” “1 ’'d like to stay; but Captain Ike is waiting for me, and we ’ve got half a tank full of lobsters that must be taken out as soon as possible, for we can’t afford to stand any loss on them.” Jethro Dearing’s Venture. 228 ** But to-morrow is Saturday, and surely you can- not go on another cruise. I hope you have n’t any intention of working on the Sabbath, Stephen ?” “* Captain Ike claims that we will take out our cargo in the morning, get fresh coal aboard, an’ run down the bay forty or fifty miles, where we can lay over Sunday, so as to be ready to get to work Monday morning.” ‘“* But you are coming home again soon ?” “* Of course I am, mother; and the next time, if nothing goes against us in the way of business, I ’ll have with me money enough to pay Dyer & Jose, and perhaps buy a barrel of flour.” CHAPTER XIV. MR. HAMILTON. T was destined that the Sprzte should not run down the bay on the following day, and that Stephen would spend the Sabbath in the city rather than at home with his family. When he arrived at the shore, after visiting his mother, he found Captain Ike, who had landed in the skiff, evidently to wait for him, sitting with his eyes fixed upon the surf, and apparently plunged in deep thought. Not until the lad spoke was the fisherman aware of his presence, and then he looked up with a start as he said,— ‘“When an old man like me goes to buildin’ castles in the air, it ’s a pretty serious case, eh, Stephen ?” ‘“Ts that what you have been doing ?” ** Ay, lad; this half hour or more, an’ it ’s time I was ’wakened out of the dream.” ** Figuring how much profit we are to make from this cargo of lobsters ?”” ‘“T was goin’ farther afield than that, lad. I had got down as far as Jethro Dearing’s place, an’ was 224 Mr. Hamilton. 225 dreamin’ we owned it; that we had a yard bigger ’n Tom Dawson’s, an’ was into the lobster business on such a scale that when big dealers like Captain Skillin’s had an order from New York or Boston, they ’d come straight to us with it, payin’ a little more than the average fisherman could get, ’cause our stock, bein’ fatted up, so to speak, was worth a higher price than the general run.” ““T suppose you had counted on owning a craft like the Sprzte, if you got as rich as that, Captain Tke ?” Stephen said laughingly. ““'To be sure, lad, to be sure; although I’m not so certain, while I’m fixin’ this up to suit my own fancy, that I won’t figger for a bigger smack than yonder craft,” and he pointed with his thumb toward the steamer, which yet lay at anchor oppo- site the red shanty. ‘‘ It don’t cost any more, you know, when a man’s layin’ money out in his mind, to have all the modern improvements. I should go in for acraft with a bigger tank, an’ capable of more speed, so that we could run into market from here, say in less than an hour’s time, or make a trip up to Hawk’s Reef in half aday. There’s a good chance for money in this ‘ere business, Stephen Jordan, if a man’s got the capital to invest. Now, say six thousand dollars; it ain’t such a terrible amount of money in the eyes of some people, yet see where it would set us? We could have all I ’ve dreamed of, 15 226 Lobster Catchers. an’ be earnin’ every year half as much as the capital invested.” ‘“T don’t question but all that ’s true, Captain Ike; and yet, do you believe we ’ll ever have as much, however long you and I may be in business together—as much money as that ?”’ ““T don’t s’pose we shall, lad, to tell the truth; but yet many a man has made it before he was as old as I am. You know, I don’t believe in luck, therefore I ’ve got to say it must be my own care- lessness or heedlessness that sets me down here lob- sterin’ on money somebody else has lent us. Capi- tal is a good thing. There ’s the Sprvzte. Captain Skillin’s would be glad to sell her for five hundred dollars, and yet we will have earned for him, by the time this cargo is discharged, nigh on to a fifteenth of that already, and a week has n’t gone by. When aman ’s got capital, the money comes in without his being obliged to do very much work; leastways, that ’s how it seems to me.”’ ** Don’t you think we would get better returns if, instead of hanging around here talking of the im- possible, we got under way and run into town?” Stephen asked laughingly. ‘‘ I want to see those lobsters in Captain Skillings’s cars before the price goes down any.”’ ““ We must hold to eighteen dollars an’ a half, lad, for that ’s what we got yesterday, and then Mr. Hamilton. 227 we ’Il be makin’, as nigh as I reckon it, over seventy- five dollars.”’ ‘* Let us see just exactly what it will come to’’; and after figuring up his accounts, tracing the figures on the sand with a stick, Stephen announced triumphantly : ‘““ It amounts to seventy-eight, twenty-five, Cap- tain Ike; and half of that belongstous. Just think of thirty-nine dollars and twelve cents for two days’ work!”’ ““Yes,’’ the old man replied, with a tinge of sad- ness in his tones; “‘ an’ yet on his investment Cap- tain Skillin’s makes as much without turnin’ a hair as we do with plenty of hard work.”’ “Tt can’t be helped, partner,’’ the lad said cheerily. ‘‘ It can’t be helped; at least, not until we ’ve earned enough to buy the Sprzte; and at the rate we ’re going on it won’t bea great while before we can say to the Captain that we ’re ready to pay him his price for the steamer.’’ ““ How ’s your mother?’’ the old man asked abruptly. ** She ’s well; but Uncle Joshua was around yes- terday making a fuss.’’ ‘* Well, let him keep on a spell longer, an’ then I ’ll take a hand, same ’s I did when he came aboard the Sprite. We ’ll put a damper on him in short order when we ’re a little forehanded; an’ I ’ll 228 Lobster Catchers. be thinkin’ up how it shall be done ’twixt now and Monday mornin’.”’ ‘* Then we ’re ready to start ?”’ ‘* Yes, lad, an’ the sooner we get away the better. It ’s kind of a pity those four boys did n’t hang on an’ go in with us. I’m inclined to think the lads ain’t altogether bad. If they had been in the habit of stealin’, you would n’t have seen em come round the way they did. Reg’larly ashamed an’ sorry, all of ’em acted; an’ this leavin’ when we was a matter of four miles or more from port, shows that they really felt it.” Then Captain Ike pushed off the skiff, Stephen leaped aboard, and ten minutes later the Sprzte was gliding past the red shanty on her way to the port with as large a cargo as the firm of Jordan & Dyer had the capital to purchase. Shortly afterward, Captain Ike whistled down through the tube, as if a sudden and important thought had come to him, and when his partner responded, he said gravely: ““ Look you, Stephen: this is the third cruise we ’ve made with a handsome profit of our own. Now that the twenty-two dollars has come back, we must be pretty near a hundred dollars better off than we was last Monday mornin’; but I don’t want you to get into the habit of thinkin’ this kind of business is goin’ to last. The day must come when Mr. Hamilton. 229 we ’ll go out an’ meet with a loss, or fail to find any lobsters, or somethin’ will turn up to give usa black eye. So it won’t do for you to build any such air castles as I was workin’ out a little while ago.” “Don’t fear, Captain Ike,” Stephen replied cheerily. ‘‘ I sha’n’t get into any bad habits of that kind, for the very good reason that the facts are enough for me. Two weeks ago I would n’t have believed it was possible I could have earned so much money during the whole winter.” ‘* But the day is comin’ when we ’ve got to meet with a loss, lad, so keep your calculations down to proper trim.” Owing to a head wind and a heavy sea, it was late in the evening before the Sgrzte had been made fast to the Skillings dock, and the captain and engineer ““turned in” for a night’s rest which had been thoroughly earned. When morning came, and the old porter from the warehouse awakened them with his gruff ‘‘ How are you, my hearties ?” the sun was shining brightly: altogether too brightly, so Captain Ike thought five minutes later, when he received reply to his question: ‘* What are lobsters worth this mornin’ ?” ‘* They were sellin’ for seventeen and a half last night.” Captain Ike whistled; looked around in an in- jured sort of way at the vessels lying near at hand, 230 Lobster Catchers. and, stooping until he could see the bunk in which Stephen lay, said, with a grimace,— ‘* We counted our chickens a little too soon, lad. There ’s fifteen dollars an’ a half to come off the profits, as you figgered em up. That’s the trouble with this ’ere fish business. A man’s apt to get his hopes ’way up, an’ then have ’em knocked down so far that it makes him quiver.” “* Did n’t you warn me yesterday against expect- ing too much ?” Stephen asked, with no trace of disappointment because the lobster market was not firm. ‘“ Yes, I reckon I did; yet I counted on gettin’ as much for the cargo as was paid day before yester- day. Anyhow, they ’ve got to go into Skillin’s’s cars, no matter what the price is; so turn out, an’ we ‘ll be rid of ’em before breakfast.” When the fish-dealer came to his warehouse on this morning, the Sgrzte’s tank was empty, and the partners were settling accounts with the bookkeeper. ‘* How many did you bring in?” he asked with- out other salutation. ‘* Fifteen, fifty.” ‘© Look here, Captain Ike, you and Stephen Jor- dan are rushin’ business, ain’t you? Forty-eight hours out, an’ picked up near two thousand! How much did you pay for ’em ?” ‘“We gave Jethro Dearing fourteen cents for Mr. Hamilton. 231 seven hundred, and the balance we got for thirteen.” “*T wish all my smacks were doin’ as well as you are,” Captain Skillings said, thoughtfully. ‘‘ I’m not certain but that it would be a good idea to give you two the big steamer. She came in yesterday from Nova Scotia with only thirty-six hundred, and should have had three times as many.” ““T’m not allowin’ we could do as well down in the Provinces, ‘cause, you see, we know ’em round here, an’ it’s dealin’ with old friends; but I’m glad you ‘re satisfied with the work, Captain Skillin’s.” “*T can’t well help bein’ satisfied, and if business keeps on like this we ’ll have to make a new trade, for the Sprzte’s earnin’ too much money accordin’ to her value. Why don’t you buy her outright ?” ‘* Considering the fact that we ’ve been borrowing capital from you to pay for our cargo, I don’t think we ‘re in very good condition for making such a trade,’’ Stephen said, feeling in wonderfully high spirits, even though the price of lobsters had fallen, because the merchant was so well satisfied with their work. ““It would be a poor trade for me to make in view of how much the Sprize is payin’ just now; but whenever you two think I’m gettin’ more than a fair share of the profits, come and say so. Then T’'ll sell you the smack, an’ take your note for her. What are you countin’ on doing to-day ?” 233 Lobster Catchers. ‘* We allowed to put in coal, and then run down the bay twenty miles or more, so ’s to be ready for business early Monday mornin’.” ““T guess you ’d better hang around here for a spell. There ’s a party just come down from Bos- ton who wants to see you.” ““ Wants to see us!” Stephen repeated, in sur- prise. “Ves; it ’s Mr. Hamilton, owner of the Vera, and the father of the girl captain you picked up.” “* What does he want of us?” Captain Ike asked, looking around quickly. “* Well, I can’t say exactly that, though I might come pretty near guessin’ it. His yacht is here in the dry dock, and it may be that his only purpose in comin’ was to look after her; but I fancy the matter of salvage is on his mind, although he has n’t spoken to me about it. What am I to say, in case he does make any talk ?” “© T reckon you know about that better ’n we can tell you,” Captain Ike replied, and immediately, his thoughts going back to those dreams of the previous day, he said, with assumed carelessness: ‘‘ We was lookin’ over Jethro Dearing’s place yesterday. He’s got a mighty fine chance for a scheme like Tom Dawson’s.”’ ‘““ He is in hard lines, is n’t he, with havin’ spent more money than he owned ?” Mr. Hamilton. al ‘Yes, the place cost him seven thousand dollars; and from what he says I reckon he ’ll sell for a little more ’n half that. It would be a big trade for somebody who wanted to go into the business.” ‘* Don’t you spend your money before it’s earned, you two. Thinkin’ of goin’ into the lobster busi- ness on a scale such as Tom Dawson begun, because of havin’ made three payin’ cruises, eh ?” ‘* Not a bit of it,” the old fisherman replied, de- cidedly ; ‘‘ but a man can’t come across such a prop- erty as that without thinkin’ what a chance there is to make money.” ‘** Jethro won't sell his place for quite a spell, no matter how low he puts it; because there ain’t many men who want to go into the business of buyin’ lobsters, an’ less of them who have got capital enough to carry it on. Perhaps by this time next year, you and Stephen can make some kind of a trade. It won’t do any harm to put coal aboard early this mornin’; but after that ’s been done, you had better come back here, because Hamilton is likely to be round decently early.” Then the merchant attended to more important business than that of chatting familiarly with the crew of his lobster-smack, and the partners went on board the steamer, Stephen asking, when they were alone in the engine-room: ““Do you suppose Mr. Hamilton would be 234 Lobster Catchers. willing to pay us as much asa hundred dollars for saving the yacht ?” ‘‘ He ought to give a good deal more, for she ’d have been stove to pieces if we had n’t happened along jest as we did. But what about it, in case we should get a hundred ?” ‘““I was only thinking, that if any such good. fortune did befall us I ’d be able to pay what I owe Dyer & Jose, and buy mother a barrel of flour. ” ‘* You shall do that anyhow, lad; for I m not needin’ my share of the profits, an’ you might as well have ’em as not.” ‘* That would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, and I should n’t be any better off if I owed you than to let the bill stay where it is.” “That ’s all very true; but you ’d have a creditor that you could count on, though I ain’t sayin’ Dyer & Jose don’t make things easy for you.” “* They are not fussing about their money, so far as I know; but I want to be out of debt, Captain Ike, and see mother and the children with the things they need.” “* All that will come in time, am it won’t be such a very long while either, lad, no matter which way the price of lobsters goes, so set your heart at rest; and if this is to be a day of loafin’, as seems likely if we ‘re to hang round for that Boston man, we ’ll try to enjoy it.” Mr. Hamilton. 245 Stephen had already started the fire in the fur- nace, and the little craft was run around to the coal docks, where was taken on a modest supply of fuel sufficient to fill the partially empty bunkers. Then the two came back to Skillings’s dock; the fire was drawn, and the steamer put into the best condition possible for the reception of the Vera’s owner. Mr. Hamilton did not make his appearance until nearly noon, and then Captain Skillings sent for Jordan & Dyer, inviting them into his office. They were introduced in due form to the man whose yacht they had towed into port; and he began the interview by thanking them in no meas- ured terms for having saved his daughter, showing that he understood right well all the dangers to which the pleasure seekers had been exposed, when he said: “* But for you two, I question if we should have heard of the yacht again; for, while reasonably staunch, she was not built for bad weather, and it takes a pretty good craft to wallow in a heavy sea without even so much as screw or canvas to hold her steady.” ‘“There was one spell when I was doubtful whether we could get her into port or not,” Captain Ike said, in a matter-of-fact tone; not for the pur- pose of boasting as to what had been done, but in 236 Lobster Catchers. order that the owner of the Vera might the better understand the situation. ‘‘ The Sprite was n’t built for towin’, as you can fancy, and it seemed little short of wonderful that the bitt which was put in only to serve as somethin’ to which a hawser could be made fast, should have held the strain we set on it, runnin’ against head wind and in a heavy sea.” ““T suppose you two have thought that there should be something coming to you by way of salvage, have n’t you ?” ““ It’s been spoken of between us, sir; but not to any great extent. I’d like to have you an’ Cap- tain Skillin’s understand right here, if you ’re goin’ to talk anythin’ of the kind, that the biggest share of the thanks, or money, or whatever comes out of it, belongs to my partner. If it had n’t been for him, I’d have kept on to Seal Harbor, with the idee that I could n’t be of any service to a steamer in distress, and was bound, seein’ ’s how I was in charge of other people’s property, to look to the interest of my owner. Stephen, here, would n’t hear of holdin’ our course, an’ I was what you might call forced to answer that ’ere signal of dis- tress; so, as I started to say, if there ’s anythin’ comin’, whatever it be, the biggest part of it be- longs to him.” ‘““You and he seem to be pretty good friends,” Mr. Hamilton said smilingly. Mr. Hamilton. 297 ‘* Well, we’re partners; an’ I knew his father, an’ the boy is workin’ hard to get along and keep his mother an’ the children together, an’ he ’s got a curmudgeon of an uncle that ’s jumpin’ down on him, or tryin’ to; an’, take it all in all, he’s a likely lad, who ’s well worth any lift that can be given him.” ‘* Tell me how you two chance to be in business together?” Mr. Hamilton asked ; and Captain Skillings, probably thinking such conversation was neither more nor less than a waste of time, excused himself to attend to some particular duty which was pressing at that moment, leaving the three alone. Then Captain Ike went into the details of his partner’s history, despite the latter’s most earnest protests, and by the time he had come to an end, Mr. Hamilton knew quite as much concerning the history of Ben Jordan’s family as any one not im- mediately connected with it could be expected to know. He had been interested, as was shown by the fact that he asked closely as to the amount of money which had been made since they went into partner- ship; inquired regarding the general working of the lobster-catching and buying industry, and, in fact, seemed bent on gaining all possible information re- garding these two who had rendered him so great a service. 238 Lobster Catchers. It would have been strange if Captain Ike, whose air-castles of the previous day were not yet wholly demolished, had refrained from speaking of the Jethro Dearing property, or neglected to tell of Tom Dawson’s experiment in farming. It would have been equally odd if he had held his peace concern- ing Deacon Joshua Brackett, or failed to mention incidentally the theft of the money, and the sequel to it. In fact, had the old fisherman been doing his best to make the stranger familiar with all Stephen’s life and plans, he could not have succeeded better. And when Captain Skillings returned, after an ab- sence of more than an hour, the story had but just been brought to a conclusion. ““ Well, if Ike Dyer ’s been yarnin’ all this time, Mr. Hamilton, you must be ready to come out for lunch with me. There ’s more than I have ever seen in the lobster business if it takes so long to tell about it.” ‘* I’m quite ready to accompany you, Mr. Skill- ings, and have to thank my friends here for a very pleasant and entertaining visit. I think there is nothing more to be done this morning. If the question of salvage on the Vera arises, I would like to know whether you are impowered to settle with me.” ““T reckon Iam,” the dealer replied. ‘‘ Eh, Cap- tain Ike ?” he added, turning to the fisherman. Mr. Hamilton. 239 ‘“* Whatever Captain Skillin’s says, the lad an’ I will hold to; but, first an’ foremost, let it be under- stood,—an’ I’m sayin’ this on account of the boy, who don’t look at the matter of salvage as it seems to me he ought,—we two ain’t makin’ any claim for what was done when we found the yacht in distress. As Stephen puts it, it was a matter of savin’ lives with us, an’ not the earnin’ of money that sent us down upon the toy yacht.” ‘‘T have said as much as that to Mr. Hamilton already,” Captain Skillings interrupted, ‘‘ and think he understands the matter thoroughly.” Then, without any attempt at ceremony, the mer- chant led his guest out of the office, leaving the partners to follow the dictates of their own fancies. ‘* He’s a nice-spoken kind of a man, eh, lad? ” Captain Ike said, interrogatively, as they went on board the Spreze. ““ He is, indeed; and I hope Captain Skillings won't insist upon our being paid for what we did.” ‘* You can trust him to do the right thing at the right moment, an’ need n’t bother your head about it.” “* IT wish you had n’t told the gentleman so much about me.” “Why not ?” “* Because, first, there was no need of it; and, in 240 Lobster Catchers. the second place, it looked as if I was trying to make myself out something big, when it is n’t true.” ‘‘ Why, bless you, lad, you had nothing to do with it. I did all the talkin’, an’ if we had had more time, I’d have said more. It ain’t jest the thing to praise a lad to his face; but you ’re a good son, Stephen, an’ a honest partner, an’ it ’s my intention that them we come afoul of shall know it. I reckon your uncle Joshua would make the thing out differ- ent, and perhaps some might believe him; so, for that reason, I talk all the louder when the chance comes.” “Well, you talked louder than I deserved this day,” Stephen said laughingly; ‘‘ and it ’s time now we were attending to business. What are we going to do?” “It ’s too late to do anythin’ but lay right here ?” “* Then, there ’s a chance for me to go home ?” **T don’t think so, Stephen. While that ‘ere Mr. Hamilton is in town, or leastways, until next Mon- day mornin’, I ’d like to have you on hand in case he’s got any talk to make. There’s no knowin’ what he may do, and I want to be certain your dish ain’t bottom up when it rains porridge.” CHAPTER XV. OVERBOARD. HERE was no idea in Stephen’s mind that there might be a shower of “‘ porridge ” in his vicinity because of Mr. Hamilton’s arrival. It was, he admitted to himself, possible that the gentleman might pay something for. the labor per- formed in saving the Vera; but that any consider- able amount of money had been earned the young engineer denied. The gentleman had been exceedingly friendly with them, and appeared deeply interested in all Captain Ike had told him; but it would be foolish, simply because of such friendliness, to think that the owner of the Vera had it in his mind to pay out more money than was absolutely necessary. All this Stephen said to himself; to his partner he remarked laughingly : ‘*T’ll keep my dish right side up, Captain Ike; but there won’t be any porridge falling near me, except that which has been earned by hard work.” ‘“ Nobody knows what may happen,” the old fisherman replied, shaking his head with an assump- tion of wisdom or mystery. 16 241 242 Lobster Catchers. ‘* And you, who always have so much to say against loafing, are willing to lie here all the after- noon, when we might be running down the harbor, making ready for Monday’s business.” ““ The way I look at it is like this,” Captain Ike said, speaking slowly, as if weighing well each word: “* Mr. Hamilton is, so to speak, visitin’ us two, an’ it stands us in hand to be perlite to him. I ain't meanin’ to claim he’s come all the way from Boston on purpose to see you an’ me; but inasmuch as he was called here on account of the Vera, he says to himself, says he, ‘ I'll put in some of my time with them ’ere lobster buyers what brought the yacht into port, an’ maybe I can learn a wrinkle or two.’ Then he comes down to the dock, countin’ on havin’ a chat with Captain Skillin’s at the same time, an’ instead of waitin’ till he ’s finished his visitin’, we leave port. Do you think that would be treatin’ him right, lad ?” “* If he really wants to see us, we should stay here at least until Monday,” Stephen replied, thought- fully; ‘‘ but I don’t think he would so much as have stepped foot on this dock if Captain Skillings had n’t been here.” ‘* Perhaps he might n’t, an’ then agin’ perhaps he might. At any rate, we sha’n’t be losin’ such a ter- rible lot of time, an’ I go in for holdin’ on.” By this time the two were on board the Sprite Overboard. 243 once more, and, seating themselves on the deck well aft, where could be had a view of Captain Skillings’s employees, taking lobsters from the cars, or putting more in, the old man resumed work on his air-castle, even while admitting freely that it would probably never be possible he and Stephen could earn sufficient money with which to purchase the Jethro Dearing property. ““ Tf you an’ I had the deed of it in our pockets this very minute, with cash enough to build a fence an’ fix things up a bit, I’d claim that we ’d be rich men in less ’n three years,” he said, meditatively ; _ and Stephen agreed with his partner, at the same time that he declared positively they could never hope to arrive at such a happy stage. The hours passed, and yet neither Captain Skill- ings nor Mr. Hamilton returned. More than once the old fisherman went ashore to have a look in the office, thinking the owner of the Vera might be there with the fish-dealer, and when the night had nearly come, one of the clerks, observ- ing Captain Ike’s inquiring glances, asked: ‘* Looking for the boss ?”’ ‘*T only wanted to know if he ’d got back, that ’s all; there was n’t anythin’ pertic’lar on my mind.”’ ‘“He and the gentleman you were talking with went away in the Vautzlus early this afternoon.”’ The Mautilus was the large steamer Captain 244 Lobster Catchers, Skillings had lately built. She was lying at the head of the dock when the crew of the Sprzte went aboard their craft, and, hidden by the vessels nearabout, had gotten under way unseen by those who believed they were called upon to entertain Mr. Hamilton. Captain Ike was in a disagreeable humor when he returned to his partner. ‘I’m glad we hung round here wastin’ our time with the idee that the Boston chap might want to see us,’’ he said sarcastically; and Stephen asked, with a quiet smile, “Has Mr. Hamilton gone home ?”’ ‘“No; but he an’ Captain Skillin’s have put off for a sail in the Vautzlus, leavin’ us here to cool our heels as best we may.”’ ‘* Did you expect they ’d invite us to go with them ?”’ ‘* T allow they might have told what was goin’ to be done, an’ then we could ’a gone about our busi- ness.”’ ““ It would have been a good chance for me to visit the farm,’’ Stephen said thoughtfully. “* Of course it would; an’ there are a dozen things we might have done with more profit than hangin’ round here.”’ ‘““ IT wonder if it ’s too late for me to go now? I could come back to-morrow evening, in order to be ready for an early start Monday.”’ Page 244. READY FOR SHIPMENT, WEIGHING LOBSTERS. Overboard. 245 ‘“ We ’d better hold on, if only for the sake of showin’ Boston chaps that we know enough to treat them in proper fashion. Here ’s what we ’ll do, lad, for the sake of payin’ ourselves off,’’ the old man added, as a happy thought came to him: “I reckon it ’s been quite a spell since you had a piece of beefsteak such as these city fellers eat, eh ?”’ “* Mother and I have n’t squandered very much on meat these three years past,’’ the lad replied, with a sad smile, as memories of the bitter privations crowded upon him. “‘ Fish have been good enough for us,”’ “‘I’m hankerin’ for a slice of juicy beefsteak, cooked to a turn, an’ smokin’ hot. I ’ve got a little money of my own left, Stephen boy, an’ reckon it won’t be any very great harm to fritter away some of it on what you might call a reg’lar feast. Build up a fire, an’ we ’ll kinder celebrate havin’ been left out in the cold by the Boston chap.”’ “It ’s only right I should pay my share of the bills.’’ ‘Not this time, because I ’m treatin’, the same as I allowed Mr. Hamilton might do.”’ The old man was on the dock before Stephen could interpose any objections, and in less than half an hour had returned with not a trace of ill- humor to be seen on his face. 246 Lobster Catchers. ‘Ts the fire goin’ ?’’ he cried cheerily. ‘“ Yes, and I ‘ve mixed up a pan of hot biscuit. A milk-wagon came down on the dock, and I thought if you could afford to spread yourself on beefsteak, it would n’t do any great harm for me to spend seven cents for a quart of milk, which is enough for the bread, with considerable left over for our coffee.”’ “Good for you, lad. We ’ll have a Christmas dinner in September, an’ give no more heed to Bos- ton men that run around askin’ questions, but have n’t perliteness enough to say when they are through visitin’.” Stephen played the part of cook, and did the work well. His mother had instructed him in the art, and he was an apt pupil. ‘“You ’re as handy as a woman, lad,” Captain Ike said, after watching his partner closely during several moments. ‘‘ There ’s good reason for it,” Stephen replied laughingly. ‘‘ Some one had to help mother after the children came, and I am the oldest, so tried to take the place of a girl. It comes in handy fora fellow to know how such things should be done.” ‘* Indeed it does, lad; an’ boys would be wiser if they put out of their heads the silly idee that it ’s bein’ a sissy to work around the house. A young fellow who can cook, mend his own clothes, an’ Overboard. 247 even wash ’em on a pinch, finds that knowledge of the kind comes in mighty handy now and then.” How thoroughly the partners enjoyed that meal! Beefsteak ‘‘ such as city fellows eat,” biscuit mixed with milk instead of water, and coffee in which was an apology for cream! Captain Ike, evidently having given over attempt- ing to finish his air-castles, told stories of the days when he was master of the Allen Maria, and Stephen listened in a quiet content, which was marred only by the thought that all this time might have been spent with his mother. The crew of the Sprite were not given to late hours, and on this evening, when there was nothing to prevent them from sleeping as long as was pleas- ing, they sought repose in the narrow bunks before the evening was well begun for city lads who were accustomed to turn night into day. It was unusually late for fishermen to be astir when, next morning, Captain Ike aroused his part- ner with a cheery ‘‘ Shipmate, ahoy!” and after a toilet made on deck, with a water bucket for a wash-basin, Stephen set about preparing breakfast. Perhaps both the partners wondered where Mr. Hamilton might be, and if he would visit them that day; but neither gave words to the thought. It was much as if, by mutual consent, his name was not to be mentioned. 248 Lobster Catchers. The sky was cloudless, the air warm as in sum- mer, and altogether the morning was one such as encourages indolence. While the two lounged on the deck aft, Stephen thought, with regret at not being with them, of the little family on the Ben Jordan farm, who at this moment were making ready for a walk to the tiny church on the brow of the hill overlooking the sea; and Captain Ike—well, it is difficult to decide as to what the old fisherman might have been thinking about. There were many loungers on the piers; men, women, and children who had come to enjoy the salt breeze and a view of the harbor, dotted thickly with vessels of every description. Men were discussing this craft or that; women gathered in little groups to exchange confidences, and the younger loungers darted here or there, oftentimes dangerously near the edge of the piers. “* Some of them youngsters will be overboard if they ain’t brought up with a sharp turn,” Captain Ike said, as he lazily surveyed the scene from be- neath his half-closed eyelids. ‘*‘ I wonder why it is that people get careless when they ’re in such places as this ?” ‘* You don’t often hear of a child being drowned from one of these piers,” Stephen replied, thinking of the many times his partner had scolded him, Overboard. 249 when he was a tiny lad, for playing on the rocks in front of the red shanty. ““T reckon that ’s because there ’s always some good-natured idjut who, without bein’ kith or kin, has an eye over ’em.” Then the old man closed his eyes to that which caused him so much disquietude, and Stephen gave himself up wholly to thoughts of his family, heed- ing not the hum of conversation, the laughter, or the cries of merriment everywhere around. During ten minutes or more the crew of the Sprite remained silent and motionless, as if wrapped in slumber, and then sprang to their feet in alarm as a cry of distress and fear rang out on the balmy air. ‘* What is it ?” the lad asked, bewildered for the instant by the babel of cries and shouts from every quarter. ““ One of them youngsters has gone over at last!” Captain Ike replied, hurriedly; and a stranger would have said he was almost rejoicing because his predictions had proven true. ‘‘ There! At the end of the dock is where the mischief has been 1”? done!” and he pointed toward a group of appar- ently distracted men and women who were gazing into the water. Stephen gave one quick glance in the direction indicated, and even while doing so was pulling off his heavy boots. 250 Lobster Catchers. It seemed as if the lad leaped overboard while his partner was yet speaking, and the frightened throng on the pier stared at him in breathless suspense as he forced himself through the water with vigorous strokes, arriving at the head of the dock just as sodden but bright-colored garments, in the midst of which was a small, pallid face, appeared for an instant on the surface. The mass sank again before the swimmer could catch it, and on the instant Stephen half raised him- self from the water in order to gain the necessary impetus for diving. A smothered exclamation burst from the lips of the bystanders, and Captain Ike’s voice rang out like a trumpet, as he shouted: ““ Have a care for the timbers, lad!” Stephen was beneath the surface; but the bubbles of air told that he was mindful of the danger to be incurred by going down headforemost amid the piling of the river. To the eager, anxious ones it was as if many mo- ments elapsed before the lad appeared; and then a great shout of triumph went up from every throat, Captain Ike making twice as much noise as any other spectator, for Stephen held on one arm the apparently lifeless body of a tiny girl. Half a hundred pair of arms were stretched out from the edge of the wharf to relieve him of his Overboard. 251 burden; and, yielding the precious bit of humanity to a woman down whose white cheeks the tears were flowing, the engineer of the Sprite swam back to his steamer, being assisted over the rail by the old fisherman. ‘* That was n’t a bad job, lad, an’ done in what I call good shape,”’ Captain Ike said, approvingly, as he followed his partner into the cabin. ‘‘ The only fear in my mind was that you ’d go down without thinkin’ of the pier timbers.” ““T heard you shout, and but for the warning might have come to grief, for there are a lot of splintered piles near the bottom and if I ’d brought up on one of them you ’d have needed to look out for another partner.” Beyond the danger of diving in that particular place, Captain Ike was not disposed to attach very much importance to what Stephen had done, and before the latter had time to put on dry clothing he was speaking of his plans for the morrow. He did not have an opportunity to go very far into the details, however, for soon the Sprzze was laden with visitors, each of whom had come to thank Stephen for having done so brave a deed, and the lad was literally overwhelmed by the extravagant words of gratitude. As soon as it was possible, he and Captain Ike locked the doors of the cabin and wheel-house and 252 Lobster Catchers. went ashore, with no other aim than to escape from the grateful ones who were so extravagant in their demonstrations. ‘“We ’d go to church, if we looked decent,” Stephen said when they were free from the admir- ing throng; and the old man replied thoughtfully: “*T ’d kinder like it; but, of course, we could n't show up in this rig. We ‘ll walk round till that crowd has simmered down, an’ then go aboard again.” And this they did, returning to the Sgrz¢e an hour before noon, when Stephen set about getting dinner, with boiled salt fish as the principal dish; for they could not afford to feast on beefsteak very often. During the afternoon a young man came aboard and asked many questions about the morning rescue, writing down the answers given, much to Captain Ike’s perplexity. Then he displayed a most extraordinary curiosity regarding themselves and their business, writing rapidly as one or the other spoke; and when finally he took his departure the old fisherman said, in a tone of dissatisfaction: “Tt does beat all how some people like to pry into other folks’s business! That young feller had the impudence to put questions such as I would n’t have asked my best friend! What concern of his is it whether we made one dollar or ten on our last Overboard. 253 cruise; or why should he be botherin’ his head about the price we pay ?” ‘* Perhaps he ’s thinking of going into the busi- ness,” Stephen suggested. “* Well, in that case he knows nigh on to so much as we do, for he pumped me dry, an’ that’s a fact.” Had the two been so inclined, they might have had the little cabin crowded with visitors; but, after the departure of the excessively curious young man, Captain Ike locked the companion-way door on the inside, and ordered his partner to remain perfectly quiet. ““We 'Il make it look as if all hands had gone ashore,” he said, in a tone of ill-temper. ‘“‘I ’d rather stay here, holdin’ my breath half the time, than have folks starin’ at me as if I was a wild man from Borneo, such as I once saw in a show.” Captain Skillings’s employees had not yet arrived at the warehouse next morning when the Sgre¢e left her moorings on the fourth cruise since the firm of Jordan & Dyer had sprung into existence. When Captain Ike aroused Stephen, with the sug- gestion that they get under way at once, and eat breakfast while steaming down the bay, the lad asked innocently if it was not his purpose to wait until something could be heard from Mr. Hamilton. ** Not a bit of it, lad. We ’ve wasted all the time on the Boston swell that I’ve got to spare. It 254 Lobster Catchers. would have been a good ten dollars in our pocket had we been anchored off Starlin’s dock this mornin’, instead of half a day’s run from it, an’ all owin’ to Captain Skillin’s’s visitor. It ‘ll be a long day before I bother myself about him again.” Stephen made no protest against getting under way so early, and the Sgrzte was ten miles distant from her dock when the partners partook of their morning meal. There is no good reason why the details of this cruise should be given, because nothing worth re- cording occurred, and so much time was spent—and time meant coal, for which so many dollars per ton must be paid—that there was very little margin left for profit. “* I told you we could n’t count on makin’ money every trip,” Captain Ike said, as they steamed up the bay after an absence of four days, with only eleven hundred lobsters in the tank. ‘‘ We ’ve been obleeged to pay mighty near the market price for the few we ’ve got aboard, an’ the cost of run- nin’ will eat up the profit. It’s certain that just so much time has been thrown away, an’ it can all be set down to the credit of that Boston swell. We'd been back in port twenty-four hours sooner but for hangin’ round the dock when he had n’t any idee of comin’ back.” ““So that we have n’t lost anything, is good Overboard. 255 enough for me. We ’ll make up for this cruise next time.” ‘* Perhaps,” Captain Ike said, doubtfully, as if he had lost faith in the possibilities of the lobster-buy- ing business. When they arrived at the dock, Stephen saw, to his pleasure and surprise, the Vera lying at the head of the pier; and when the Sprite was made fast to the lobster-cars, that her cargo might be dis- charged, the lad asked of the employee nearest at hand,—— “* When did the yacht come in ?”’ ‘‘ This morning. She’d only lost her screw, and it was n’t a long job to put her in shape.”’ ‘“Is Mr. Hamilton in town ?”’ ‘* T reckon not, else he’d been around here before this.”’ ‘* Any one aboard the yacht ?”’ ‘* No one but old Sawyer, who has been hired as ship-keeper, and he ’ll be discharged to-morrow.”’ ‘Is she to leave port, then ?”’ ‘“No; unless you call it leaving port to go into winter quarters. She ’s to be hauled up over at the Jethro Dearing place.’’ ‘*So he ’s got the job of lookin’ after the toy craft, eh ?’’ Captain Ike asked, jealously. ‘© T don’t reckon he ‘Il have much to do with her. Jethro got a chance to sell out, and he’s waiting to 256 Lobster Catchers. make a trade with you for the use of the red shanty while he ’tends to lobstering in proper fashion. He counts on setting about a hundred pots, and look- ing after them himself. I allow there’s more money in that kind of work, for a man like Jethro, than in trying to make a big spread without the cash to back it up.”’ ** Who bought the place ?’’ Stephen asked, with just a twinge because it had been sold, although he had declared again and again that he and his partner could never hope to own it. ““T don’t know the man’s name. Somebody from up Boston way, I believe.’’ Captain Ike gave vent to a long sigh as the em- ployee turned away, intent on his own duties; and Stephen gazed at him sympathizingly. ** So that chance is shut out from us !’’ the old man exclaimed, with a long-drawn breath. “I can’t say as I ever believed we ’d be able to buy it; but yet there seemed some kind of a show, no mat- ter how small, while it was for sale. Well, there ’s no use in cryin’ over milk that somebody else has spilled. But if the right kind of a man has bought Jethro’s place, he ’ll make a big pile of money.”’ ‘“It must have been some person whom Mr. Hamilton knew, else the Vera would n’t be sent there to go into winter quarters.”’ ‘“T ain’t sure you can reckon it that way, lad. Overboard. 257 Most likely the Boston swell thought it would be cheaper to lay the yacht up here than to take her home. I reckon Captain Skillin’s told him about the place; but I don’t know as it ’s any business of ours,’’ he added sharply. ‘‘ Jethro is fortunate in findin’ a buyer, an’ so is the man who owns it now, while we ’re fools to stand here moonin’ over it. It stands us in hand to unload our cargo, so that the coal can be taken on board before dark. I count on leavin’ port mighty early to-morrow mornin’.’’ Then the two set about their work, in which was little to be earned; and Captain Skillings did not come to greet them as he had previously done. 17 CHAPTER XVI. THE SURPRISE. HE members of the firm of Jordan & Dyer were deeply engaged transferring their un- profitable cargo from the tank of the Sprite to the cars owned by Captain Skillings, when one of the men who was assisting in the work by counting the lobsters as they were taken from one receptacle to the other, said, as if speaking of a matter with which he believed Stephen was already familiar, ‘** So you contrived to make yourself of consider- able importance last Sunday, eh ?’’ ‘“ What do you mean ?’’ the boy asked, in sur- prise. ** Did n’t you pick up a little girl that fell over- board ?”’ ‘* Yes,’’ the lad replied, with a laugh, ‘‘ but how is that making myself of importance ?”’ *“* Tt seems to me, when a lobster-buyer can con- trive it so there ’s more than a column of printed matter about him in the newspapers, that he ’s cut- ting a pretty wide swath, eh ?’’ 258 The Surprise. 259 Stephen looked at the speaker in perplexity, and Captain Ike ceased his labors, to stare in open- mouthed astonishment. ““Who ’s been doin’ anythin’ like that ?’’ the old man asked. ‘“ Why, this partner of yours, of course; and you must have been amblin’ round pretty near, seein’ ’s how the life and adventures of Isaac Dyer is put in with the rest of it.”’ ““ With the rest of what ?’’ Stephen asked, im- patiently. ‘* Why, the story about your picking up the little girl.”’ ‘* Look here, young man,’’ Captain Ike said, im- pressively, as he stepped forward a pace, much as though to inflict direst punishment if his question were not answered immediately and truthfully, ‘* are you tryin’ to insinuate that there was a story about Stephen an’ me in the papers ?”’ ‘Of course there was. Did n’t you know it? Why, I ’d saved you a copy, but it seemed likely you ’d ’ve seen it before I did. There ’s a long account of how Stephen jumped overboard, an’ you stood by to lend a hand; an’ then it goes on to tell that you ’re runnin’ the Sprzze on shares; that Ben Jordan was the boy’s father. It explains how much. there is to be made in the lobster business, and what Captain Skillin’s has done towards helpin’ 260 Lobster Catchers. you with the Sprzte, and—oh, a whole lot of rigma- role that I don’t remember.”’ ‘When did you see all this?’’ Captain Ike asked sceptically. ““It was in the papers last Monday morning, more ’n a column of it, with a picture of the Sprite, though I can’t say it looked very much like her.”’ The partners gazed at each other in surprise and bewilderment during what seemed like a very long time; and then the old fisherman cried emphatically, as he brought his hand down on his knee with a resounding whack: ““T see how it is, lad! That young feller what asked so many questions, an’ writ down what was said, was workin’ for the newspapers; an’ to think that I never had an idee of what he might be upto!”’ ““Do you mean to tell me,’’ Captain Skillings’s employee asked incredulously, ‘‘ that you did n’t know there might be such an article printed ?’’ ““ Never dreamed of it!’’ Captain Ike replied solemnly. ‘‘ It never so much as entered my head that anybody would want to read about that ’ere little thing Stephen did. Of course, any right- minded lad that knew how to swim would have gone over when the youngster dropped, so I don’t see as there ‘s very much to be said about it, though the folks that was here at the time did pester us terribly talkin’ ’bout it.”’ The Surprise. 261 “‘T 'd like to see one of the papers,’’ Stephen said almost timidly. ‘““ Run up to the office, an’ I reckon you ’Il find one. Captain Skillin’s bought more ’n fifty, so ’s to give ’em around to everybody he knew.”’ The engineer of the Sprzte lost no time in acting upon this suggestion; and a few moments later, when he returned with the newspaper in his hand, his partner very nearly forgot that he should trans- fer his cargo before attending to personal matters. ‘* Well, well. I'll stick to takin’ em out, an’ you can keep on countin’; but that won’t prevent Stephen from readin’ what ’s printed there,’’ the old man said, when he was reminded that this particular employee could not afford to spend more time than was absolutely necessary in unloading the steamer. ‘* Go ahead, Stephen, an’ don’t miss a word.”’ The boy did as he was bidden, his cheeks grow- ing crimson with something very like shame as he read the highly colored account of what purported to be a wonderfully brave deed, when in reality it had been to the lad as only a trifling occurrence, so far as he was concerned. As Captain Skillings’s employee had said, there was a full description of the partners who were run- ning the Sprite on shares; a detailed account of their method of transacting business; a brief story of the mortgaged farm, and, in fact, so much of 262 Lobster Catchers. biography and history as could be condensed into a newspaper column. ‘‘ It’s too bad that folks should be allowed to put such things in the paper,’’ Stephen said, in a tone of vexation. ‘‘ What will the people who know us think about a story like that ?” ‘‘ It pleased Captain Skillin’s a heap more ’n it seems to you,” the employee said, looking first at one and then the other, as if thoroughly surprised because they should feel offended at what was to his mind something of which they might well be proud. ‘* IT should think he ’d be angry at reading such stuff!’’ Stephen cried petulantly. ‘* Well, when you catch Sam Skillin’s losing his temper at gettin’ such an advertisement as that all for nothin’, then you ’ll be likely to find a weasel asleep. He ’s been showin’ the story to everybody that came into the office, and he sent five or six of the papers out where you live, Stephen, so ’s your folks would be sure to see it. Why, he’s as tickled as a chicken with six toes. S’posen you put that paper away, an’ sulk over it after we ’ve finished this job, else I Il get an overhaulin’ for loiterin’ around.”’ Stephen did as he was thus virtually bidden, and during the remainder of the time spent in discharg- ing the cargo neither of the partners spoke. But after the work was finished, and the two had gone on board the Sprite, Captain Ike said, The Surprise. 263 reflectively, as he put on a pair of steel-bowed spectacles that he might the more clearly see the picture of the Srzte. ‘“T’m not so certain, lad, but that this ’ere yarn is all right. When you come to think of it, there was a chance you ‘d be drowned, although I s’pose you might as well try to drown an eel; but there was a chance, I say, an’ if this pleases Captain Sam Skil- lin’s, why it ought to please us. I’m certain your mother will take to it kindly, although Deacon Joshua Brackett must be reg’larly foamin’ at the mouth.’”’ “* Hello, aboard the Sprite /’’ some one: shouted from the dock, thus interrupting the old fisherman’s reflections. ‘* Hello, aboard the Sprite /”’ Stephen looked out from the companion-way, when, much to his surprise, he saw the four lads who had robbed him at Tom Dawson’s farm, and afterward been wrecked on Hawk’s Reef. ‘* Can we come aboard ?’’ the eldest of the party asked; and the lad replied, quickly: ‘““Of course you can. Come down this way, across the lobster-cars.”’ Then, in a whisper, Stephen said to his partner: ‘‘ Those young fellows who gave up our twenty- two dollars are coming on board.”’ ‘‘ What do they want ?’’ Captain Ike asked, in what a stranger might have thought to be a surly tone. 264 Lobster Catchers. ““ One of them said he would come down to see us. Perhaps they ’re counting on thanking us again for not making them trouble.’’ “There ’s no need of anythin’ like that. What's done is done, an’ the least said about it the better.’’ But there was considerably more to be said about it, whether Captain Ike liked it or not; for when the four boys came aboard, and both partners had shaken hands with them in a friendly fashion, the eldest said, while his companions stood nearby, to show that his words were to be taken as coming from all hands: ““You two did us a wonderfully big favor when we had gone wrong and deserved rough treatment. We can’t say how thankful we are; and if we do no more than repeat that we shall never do such a thing again, you might rightly say words were cheap. But all of us are anxious you two should know that we appreciate fully all that was done, and we want you to have something as a reminder of our repentance. Therefore we have brought this little present for Stephen, and ask that, whenever he looks at it, it will be with a kindly thought for us, and the confidence that we have not gone wrong again.”’ Having said this, the spokesman handed to the Sprite’s engineer a small package wrapped in white paper; and the four took their departure with almost unseemly haste. The Surprise. 265 ““ Hold on here, lads! What ’s the rush?’’ Captain Ike cried, stepping to the companion-way just as the last of the visitors was scrambling over the lobster-cars to the pier. ‘‘ Let ’s have a look at what you brought.’’ ‘“We ’Il come back some other time, if you ’re willing; but it ’s better not to stop now. See to it that Stephen keeps what we ‘ve given, for it was bought with honest money, and not stolen.”’ “Well, that ’s queer kind of actions,’’ Captain Tke said, turning just as his partner had opened the package, disclosing to view a small silver watch. ‘* Bless my soul, lad, what ’s that? A watch, I do declare; an’ they have give it to you! Well, you deserve it, an’ that ’s a fact.’’ Captain Ike’s partner hesitated and stammered as if finding it impossible to speak, and, as a means of hiding his emotion, opened the watch, finding on the front case the following inscription: To STEPHEN JORDAN AS A REMINDER OF THE GENEROUS STAND HE TOOK SEPTEMBER 21, 1899 Attached to the watch was a small gold chain, from which hung a charm in the form of a fish. ‘* Well, now, that ’s what I call a pretty hand- some thing!’’ Captain Ike said, as he examined critically the token of thankfulness. ‘‘ And to 266 Lobster Catchers. think that but for you, Stephen, I might have pushed them lads to the wall, without givin’ "em a chance to repent the evil thing they did! What with that newspaper story, an’ this "ere watch, I’m beginnin’ to be mighty proud of havin’ you for a partner!’’ ‘* Don’t talk like that, Captain Ike,’’ Stephen said imploringly. ‘‘ It’s nothing that I’ve done; things only happened in a way that made it seem as if—as ifi——” ““T don’t wonder you can’t finish up that ’ere speech, Stephen, ’cause there was no sense in it, to begin with. The story was told in the newspapers owin’ to your bein’ quick-witted enough to jump in an’ save a little girl; an’ this ’ere watch has come to you on account of a kind heart and willin’ness to help another, when an old curmudgeon like my- self, stuck up by his own foolish opinions, was for doin’ the wrong thing at the wrongtime. I wonder what Deacon Brackett would say to this? Well, for a fact, lad, we ’re gettin’ along famously, even though Jethro Dearing has sold his place. It'sa pity that property could n’t have been kept in the market a while longer, cause things are comin’ our way so fast that I’m beginnin’ to really believe we might in time have made a lobster farm out there.” Then Captain Ike fell to musing over what might have been, and Stephen gazed almost affectionately The Surprise. 267 at this token of remembrance from the lads whose friend he had been, until tears of mingled gratitude and pleasure came into his eyes. The two were thus silent, each occupied with his own thoughts, when the sound as of a heavy body clambering over the rail brought both to their feet, and before either could gain the the companion- way, Captain Samuel Skillings’s portly form blocked the exit. ““ Hello, shipmates! I ’m told you didn’t do such a rushin’ business this trip ?” he cried, cheer- ily. ‘‘ Four days out, and only eleven hundred lobsters!” “Yes, an’ had to pay nigh on to fifteen cents for them,” Captain Ike replied moodily. ‘* Then you did n’t make yourselves rich this trip! I don’t know but what it was a good thing; for I was beginnin’ to be afraid so much money might turn your heads, particularly after you had the story of your lives printed.” ‘* Don’t say a word about that thing in the news- papers, Captain Skillings,” Stephen cried quickly. ‘“We did n’t know it was to be there, and never thought the man who questioned us might be going to print it.” ‘“ Tt don’t make any difference whether you knew it or not, lad; it was a good thing all round. I ain’t certain as I shall sell any more fish on account 268 Lobster Catchers. of the advertisin’ I ’ve got; but it is n’t a bad thing to have said about a man, the way that fellow puts the story. Why, since readin’ that, I believe the Sprite is worth a hundred dollars more to me than she was before. I took pains that your mother should have five copies of the paper, Stephen, be- cause I knew it would please her and, contrariwise, give Deacon Brackett the dyspepsia.” ‘“ Have you seen her lately?” Stephen asked eagerly. ‘“T was up to the farm last night for an hour or so.” ““ ‘Were she and the children all right ?”’ ““ Yes, I believe they are now; but she looked kind of down at the heel yesterday, an’ I was glad I went to see her. Ten dollars ain’t such a big amount of money; and, thinkin’ perhaps she might be a little short, I made her take twenty more, tellin’ her it Should be charged to you. There’s that much due you, I reckon, on this trade of ours, even though you did n’t make very big profits the last trip.” ‘But I’m afraid I can’t pay back so much money, Captain Skillings,’”’ Stephen cried, in alarm. ““T thought mother would have a little money from the cabbages, and the first I earned could go to pay Dyer & Jose.” “That part of it will be all right, lad; don’t you The Surprise. 269 worry about the twenty-nine dollars that ’s owin’, for if Dyer & Jose are afraid they won’t be paid I ‘ll take the debt myself. After seein’ your mother, I went and had a talk with the Deacon. He 'd been makin’ himself disagreeable around there; but from this out, you may mark my words, he ’ll hold his tongue.” ‘““ Did you give him a good dressing down, Cap- tain ?”’ the old fisherman asked, rubbing his hands gleefully. ““T told him that, although it was really none of my business, I should take steps for havin’ him put under bonds to keep the peace if he went on the Ben Jordan farm again and said anythin’ that a brother should n’t say to a sister in an affectionate way. Of course, it ’s all nonsense about my bein’ able to do anythin’ of that kind; but the Deacon acted as if he thought I could keep the threat right up to the mark; and pledged his word that he would stop such manceuvrin’s as had been goin’ on since you went aboard the S#rzte.” ‘“Oh, Captain Skillings, you have done me a greater favor than would be possible in any other 1”? way!” Stephen cried; and there was in his tone that which told of the relief he felt because there was no longer danger his uncle would cause unhappiness for the occupants of the Ben Jordan farm. ““ Don’t say a word about it, Stephen; you ’re 270 Lobster Catchers. earnin’ a good bit of money for me, an’ when I see a lad goin’ right I’m glad to put out a helpin’ hand, the same as was done for me years ago, when I started in business. What have you been doin’. Buyin’ finery ?” he added, observing the watch which the lad yet held in his hand. ‘* Buyin’ nothin’,”” Captain Ike replied. ‘‘ That ‘ere has been earned by him in a way to make a man proud,” and without further delay he told the merchant all the story, from the time they had dis- covered the loss of the money, up to the visit of the repentant boys. ‘““Tt’s what you might call a pleasant thing all round,” Captain Skillings said, when the old fisher- man concluded the story. ‘*‘ You behaved about as I might have expected, Stephen. There have been four boys here for the last two days, wantin’ to know when the Sgrzte ought to get in—right decent-lookin’ fellows, whom no one could have fancied could be tempted to steal. But this won’t do for me; I did n’t come down here to chatter like an old woman. There was business on my mind. I suppose you ’ve seen the white yacht layin’ here at the head of the pier ?” “Yes, sir.” ** Well, Hamilton has decided to lay her up for the winter over to Jethro Dearing’s old place, an’ wants some one to take her around. I thought it The Surprise. 271 would be a good job for youtwo. You might get up steam on her, an’ tow the Sprite, so ’’s to have a craft to get back with, or else hook her behind this steamer, just as you choose; that can be settled between yourselves. What do you think it ’s worth to run round there an’ spend, say, eight and forty hours, helpin’ to put her on the shore ?” he asked, turning to Captain Ike. : ‘TI can’t say as to that,’”’ the old man replied re- flectively. ‘‘ It ’s quite a job. Of course there ‘Il be somebody to take charge of haulin’ her up ?” ‘“Oh, yes. There ’s a gang of men at work settin’ Jethro Dearing’s venture into proper shape, an’ like enough the ways are all ready for runnin’ the Vera on.” ‘* You ought to know better what should be paid for that work,” Captain Ike said; and Stephen was secretly delighted at the opportunity of having con- trol, although for so short a time, of such a beauti- ful craft as the white yacht. ‘* Well, I'll say that you might find it in your way to do the work for ten dollars a day, the two of you, an’ charge about five for the use of the Sprite—you to pay for the coal. Allow it takes three days, it won’t be such a bad job; an’ just now the lobster market ain’t very lively, so you can’t lose anything by it.” ‘We'll be glad to take hold of that, or any other 272 Lobster Catchers. work that you want us to do,” Captain Ike replied, and added, “‘ Do you know the folks that bought Jethro Dearing’s property ?” ‘‘ Well, I’ve seen ’em before,” was the evasive reply. ““ Did he get any very big money for it ?” “* He sold for thirty-five hundred dollars cash on the nail.” “It was dirt cheap!” Captain Ike exclaimed. “Yes, it’s what you might call a gilt-edged bar- gain,” the merchant said, with decision; ‘‘ but it ’s a bargain that needs to be made by those who ’ve got capital enough to see it put through.” ‘“ Do the new hands count on runnin’ the lobster business ?” . ““ Oh, yes, else it would n’t have been so desirable. They ’ve got much the same ideas as yourself, Cap- tain Ike—a farm after the Tom Dawson plan; the storehouse to be finished for the keepin’ of nets, boats, an’ such truck; the house to be put into shape, an’ all that sort of thing. I believe there ’s talk of buildin’ a fish-pound close by, seein’s there is net enough, an’ the schooner will come in handy for tendin’ it.” ““ Well, I’ve been fool enough to think, if our business kept on the way it ’s begun, that Stephen an’ J, with perhaps a little help from you, might ’a been able to buy that place in course of time.” The Surprise. 273 “* There ’s quite a bit of money to be laid out on it, Captain Ike. A man who dips into a thing like that wants capital.” ‘“Yes, I know it; but then we could have gone on inasmall way, an’ worked up. There’s no need of a fish-pound, an’ the schooner might have been sold. There ’s a good many chances to cut off on the cost; but it’s gone, an’ there ’s no use talkin’ about it. When do you want us to go with the white yacht ?” ‘* There ’s a moon to-night; your boilers are hot, an’ I don’t see why you should n’t start at once. But take your own time about it. So that the Vera is there within the next two or three days, will an- swer every purpose. Have you been paid for your cargo yet ?” ‘“No, sir; but Captain Ike can attend to that part of the business while I’m getting ready for the trip,” Stephen said, as, putting the watch proudly in his pocket, he began overhauling the fire, and questioning in his own mind whether they should get steam on the white yacht or tow her. . Take a good look around when you get to Jethro’s place, Captain Ike, an’ tell me what you think of the work that’s bein’ done. You see, I ve got a sort of interest in the venture, seein’ ’s how I’m payin’ the bills for those who bought it ” 18 274 Lobster Catchers. ‘* Then the owners ain’t there yet ?’’ Captain Ike asked, with evident disappointment. ‘“ No; but they will be very soon.”’ ‘“T was thinkin’ perhaps, until they got started, so to speak, Stephen an’ I might make a deal with "em for bringin’ their lobsters into market. Of course they ‘Il pull Jethro’s pots, an’ he had four hundred or more out at last accounts.”’ “Yes, Dearing is hired to keep the business goin’ till they take possession; an’, by the way, he wants to make a trade with you for the red shanty. By lettin’ it to him, you ’ll make sure of buyin’ his catch, an’ you two want to take advantage of every opportunity for gettin’ customers, you know. Have a talk with him; take plenty of time, an’ look around the property there, for we can charge it all to the account of layin’ up the Vera, so you won’t be any the losers. Let me see you as soon as you get back.’’ Then Captain Skillings went ashore, as if urgent business demanded his attention, and the old fisher- man followed to settle accounts with the bookkeeper, while Stephen Jordan stood in front of the engine thinking, when not trying to decide the question of whether to get up steam on the white yacht or the Sprite, that he was an exceedingly fortunate boy. HAULING UP A LOBSTER CAR FOR REPAIRS. Page 274. CHAPTER XVII. A SUMMONS. APTAIN IKE’S partner could not decide whether to use the Sprite for towing the Vera, or the Vera for towing the Sprite. He had a strong desire to be on board the white yacht as he had been on the lobster-smack,—to feel her under his control, as when he regulated the speed, stopped the engine, or sent it ahead. Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful craft, and it seemed to him as if to have charge of her engines must be something more pleasurable, more exciting, than would be the same labor on board Captain Skillings’s craft. ‘“ The Vera must be able to run twice as fast as this boat,’’ he said to himself; and then came the question as to whether, with all her dainty fittings, there would be found on board anything to answer the same purpose as the well-tried bitt of the Sprite ; and he decided that the matter could not be settled save by making a personal examination. After this had been done, he understood that there was no good cause for indecision; the white yacht was a most beautiful craft, but, like many 275 276 Lobster Catchers. another beautiful thing, illy adapted to perform hard work. He boarded her while Captain Ike was yet en- gaged in settling accounts, and, marvelling greatly at the fancifulness and wondrous beauty of every- thing around, went into the sumptuously furnished cabins. . From there he passed to the exceedingly com- fortable quarters of the crew, and later descended to the engine-room. Here he was confronted by machinery of a pattern such as he had never before seen, which required no slight amount of study before it was possible to get even so much as an understanding as to its method of working; and the question as to whether fires should be built in the Vera’s furnace or re- vived on board the Sprite was settled. Going on deck, he hesitated once more, so great was his desire to have the Vera under his control for a certain time; and questioned whether he might not find some engineer in the vicinity who could give him such hints or suggestions as would enable him to do the necessary work on board the white yacht during the short run to Jethro Dearing’s former property. Then he looked about for something to which the tow-line might be attached. That portion of the Vera abaft the smoke-stack A Summons. 207 was taken up by a deck-house, which extended within ten or twelve feet of the stern, and this last space, which on a sailing yacht would have been called a cockpit, was fitted up with cushions, folding- chairs, and all the conveniences for lounging; but never so much as the smallest timber to which a hawser might be made fast. ‘‘ She ’s a mighty fine craft,’’ he muttered, “* but when it comes down to real work, the Spree can beat her way out. Well tow her as we did before, without making such hard work of it; but it won’t be as pleasant as when we came from Seal Harbor, for I sha’n’t be able to see the fine ladies and gentle- men moving about on her deck.”’ He came off from the yacht just as his partner had finished settling for the last cargo discharged ; and, in response to the eager questioning made known the result of his investigations. ‘Tt ’s jest as well to stick to the Sgrzte, lad,”’ Captain Ike said cheerily. ‘‘ Gingerbread craft like that are not for such as you an’ I. We belong aboard somethin’ as rough as a lobster-smack, an’ can hold our own there with the rest of ‘em; but set us on that toy steamer, an’ we would come no nearer bein’ at home than is a fish out of water.’’ Stephen hurried on board the Sprite, to brighten the fires and make ready for the task of towing, while his partner got out the hawsers and warped 278 Lobster Catchers. the lobster-smack out of the dock to the head of the pier, where he made fast a tow-line. Captain Ike’s first intention was to put out haw- sers from the Vera’s bow on each side, thus making what seamen call a bridle; but those standing nearby insisted that he could not conveniently tow so large a craft in such a fashion; and, much to his dislike, he found it necessary to hire a third man, as Captain Skillings had suggested. It was not a difficult matter to find, around the dock, an assistant, for the only labor to be per- formed was that of holding, by means of her helm, the white yacht in a direct line with the craft which was towing; and before Stephen announced that there was sufficient steam to begin the task, Captain Ike had made all necessary arrangements. ‘“* I ’d rather we did the job alone,’’ Stephen said, when his partner came into the engine-room. ‘“ And so had I, lad, for we two have worked to- gether alone until I ‘m jealous of having any one come between us; but Dan Holt won’t be in the way, seein’ ’s how he’s bound to stand at the Vera’s helm; an’ we 'll ship him back mighty quick once we arrive. I’ve agreed to pay two dollars; send him to the station from Dearing’s dock—it will be a matter of hirin’ a team I'm afraid—an’ pay the cost of his railroad ticket; so, as a matter of fact, we sha’n't see much of him.”’ A Summons. 279 Shortly afterward the Sprite began the voyage, the white yacht swinging gracefully behind her, but with never a strain or jump at the cable as on that night when the lobster-smack pulled her out of the trough of the sea. There is little to be set down concerning the journey along the coast to the place where Jethro Dearing had begun his venture without first count- ing the cost. The moon was so nearly full that the darkness was almost entirely dispelled; and to perform the task successfully it only required that Captain Ike should steer the proper course and Stephen keep his fires bright without undue expenditure of steam. They arrived at the little dock on the Dearing property shortly before midnight, and there moored the steamers; for nothing more could be done until next morning, when the workmen would be ready to begin the task of hauling her ashore. The partners were awake and stirring as soon as day dawned, both of them eager to see what changes were being made by those who counted on going into the lobster business on an extensive scale. The former owner of the property, who it ap- peared had been expecting them, was early at the dock to act the part of host; and, with many a sigh because it had been impossible to carry out his original plans, he led them from point to point that 280 Lobster Catchers. they might see how vastly the place would be improved once the proposed alterations were com- pleted. Already had the storehouse on the dock been clapboarded and provided with doors and windows. Timbers had been brought to strengthen and other- wise improve the little pier. The vast collection of lobster-pots had been stacked up in a huge, shed- like structure built to receive them, and Jethro Dearing pointed out the spot where was to be built a six-roomed cottage as habitation for those who would care for the farm. Materials for the ‘‘ yard’’ were already on the premises, and a vast enclosure staked out across the mouth of a narrow cove, providing ample place for as many lobsters as the most ambitious farmer would probably care to have on hand at any one time. ‘* The man who looked after this part of the work knew his business,’’ Captain Ike said, as he surveyed the place critically. ‘‘ I never allowed that there was any lobster catchers to speak of round about Boston; but this feller has had a good deal of ex- perience in that line, or I’m mistaken.”’ ‘““T reckon there ’s no mistake about it, Captain Ike, seein’ how it was Samuel Skillin’s himself who superintended the settin’ of them ‘ere stakes.’’ ““ Samuel Skillin’s! Why, what has he got to do with this place, Jethro ?”’ A Summons, 281 “* Well, you see, he ’s kind of an agent, the way I make it, for them as have bought.”’ ‘“ Who did you sell to ?”’ ‘““ Well, now, that ’s where you ’ve got me, Cap- tain Ike; I don’t know. You see, Sam Skillin’s did all the business, an’ I reckon he’s goin’ to have quite a finger in this ’ere pie, ‘cause the deeds were made some way in trust to him—I don’t rightly understand law business. But between you an’ me, the folks what paid me the money don’t count on runnin’ the place themselves.”’ ‘“ How much are they spendin’ roundabout ?”’ “Tt will cost twenty-five hundred dollars, if it costs a cent, to do all that ’s planned; an’ then there won’t be such a lobster farm in this country,— I might say in this world,—for it can’t be beat.”’ ‘‘ Vou ‘re right, Jethro; it can’t be beat; an’ if I ’d been a little forehanded, Stephen an’ me would be the ones as would run it from this day out.”’ ‘‘I’d like to have sold it to you, Captain Ike; but, of course, I had to have the cash, seein’ ’s how there was so many debts; an’ when you come right down to that, I would n’t have sold but for the sake of payin’ my creditors.”’ ‘‘ Did the schooner go into the trade ?’’ the old fisherman asked, observing that a half-dozen men were beginning work on her; for it was now seven o'clock in the morning. 282 Lobster Catchers. ‘“ Ves, I sold everythin’, clear an’ clean, an’ am countin’ on tryin’ to hire your shanty. Captain Skillin’s says you won’t be likely to tend lobster- pots for quite a spell, an’ why should n’t you let me the place? Il give a fair price, an’ take care of it as though it was my own.”’ Then began the bargaining, so dear to Captain Ike’s heart, over the price to be paid for the red shanty; and before any decision had been arrived at the workmen who were to put the Vera into her winter quarters announced that they were ready to begin the task. Stephen had never seen a craft so large as the white yacht taken out of the water, except in the dry-dock, and he was deeply interested in the opera- tion, from the time the huge cradle, designed in such fashion that she would rest steadily and equally upon all portions of her hull, was sunken beneath the keel, until, at the close of the second day, by aid of half a dozen pairs of horses, and many a creaking block and chain, she was dragged out be- yond reach of the tide where, at some later day, a temporary house could be built over her. Again it was Saturday night, so late that there was no possibility the Sprzte could be taken into port in time to get her coal on board; and Captain Ike said discontentedly, after they were certain the white yacht had been cared for in proper fashion: A Summons. 283 ‘“ We ’re goin’ to spend all the forenoon of next Monday the same as last, gettin’ to where business can be done. It’s too bad the work wasn’t finished so that we could have put in this afternoon.”’ ““ Why not run down to the red shanty, and stay there ?’’ Stephen suggested. ‘““ Tt ain’t a bad idee, lad; an’ we ’ll haul up there over Sunday. It will be givin’ you a good twenty- four hours to visit with your mother an’ the children. Do you know, lad, it hurts me to leave this place, an’ think somebody else will make big money run- nin’ it ?”’ ‘* IT don’t know why it should, Captain Ike,’’ the boy said laughingly, ‘* seeing there was no chance you could be its owner. What ’s the use of looking enviously at things we can never have ourselves, and fretting because we were not able to buy them ?”’ ““ Well, there ’s no use, an’ that ’s a fact; yet I ’dso kind ’er set my heart on havin’ a farm like Tom Dawson’s, especially after your scheme turned out to be so good, an’ it did seem as if I was goin’ in time to have what I wanted. But when Jethro sold, it was like as if somebody had defrauded me of my just rights. Strange, that any Boston man should have thought of buyin’ this farm just now! Why, I figgered it would be on the market four or five years, and then he ‘d have to almost give it away, which he has n’t done now. Of course, four 284 Lobster Catchers. thousand dollars did n’t really pay for it; but yet it was a good bargain for a man like Jethro, who could n’t go any further in the business, an’ was bound to see it runnin’ backward every day.”’ ‘“ T reckon the sooner we get under way the bet- ter,’’ Stephen said laughingly, ‘‘ for you ’re work- ing yourself into a fever over this property; but I don’t count on grieving so terribly bad because it’s gone. If we start now, it will be possible to get home in time to have a late supper with mother. I ’ll tell you what we ’ll do! Make the Sprzte fast opposite the shanty, an’ go through the town on our way to the farm. There I'll buy something good, and we ’ll have another feast. You shall sleep in the spare room to-night, and late to-morrow afternoon we "Il come on board again. How does that strike you ?”’ “It ’s a pretty good scheme, so far as I ’m con- cerned, lad; but the question is, how ’ll your mother take it, draggin’ an old chap like me in when she ’s got all one woman ought to do takin’ care of youngsters ?”’ ‘“T ll answer for it that she ’ll be satisfied, and we can go to church to-morrow, no matter if our clothes ain’t quite so fine.’’ This proposition was well calculated to soothe the old man’s grief because of what he insisted upon calling his loss of the Jethro Dearing property; and A Summons. 285 before night had come the partners, having made everything snug aboard the Syrzte, were walking rapidly through the little village on their circuitous route to the Ben Jordan farm. Stephen was as happy as a boy well could be. He met many acquaintances, each of whom appeared to know exactly how much money he was earning, and, in addition, were thoroughly conversant with all the assertions made by the writer for the news- paper. In fact, had Stephen not been a remarkably sen- sible lad, his head might have been turned by the many words of praise, and even flattery, which he heard. As it was, however, he simply laughed when some comrade declared that Captain Skillings had said he was ‘‘ one lad in a thousand,’’ and denied the truth of such statements as that he was ‘* making a hun- dred dollars a week.’’ “‘ Captain Ike and I are earning fair wages, and that ’s about all we dare to count on,” he said, again and again, emphasizing the words in order that they might the better be believed. ‘‘ What you saw in the newspapers don’t amount to anything, for there is n't one fellow in this village who would n’t jump overboard to save a drowning baby.” Captain Ike was more delighted than his partner because they were the objects of so much attention, 286 Lobster Catchers. and he said, with a chuckle of satisfaction, as they neared the Ben Jordan farm: ““T'll tell you, lad, there ’s nothin’ like hearin’ that you ’ve been doin’ a big thing, whether it ’s true or not. I’ve been round this town, man an’ boy, nigh on to fifty years, an’ nobody ever thought I ’mounted to more than enough to run a fishin’ schooner until now. It’s a pity we could n’t come across Deacon Joshua just this minute. Id like to see him after Captain Skillin’s laid down the law.”” But Deacon Joshua Brackett was not abroad on this evening; and even if he had been, it is a ques- tion whether he would have halted for an interview with these two whose plans he had unsuccessfully tried to thwart. Probably the happiest person in the village on this evening was Mrs. Jordan, when her son and his partner arrived with their store of good things in- tended for the evening’s feast, and announced that they had come to spend the Sabbath. She bustled around energetically, making ready this dainty or that, while the children clambered in high glee upon Stephen’s knee; and the good woman would have exhausted all the stores in her scanty larder in the effort to make the meal a culin- ary triumph, had Captain Ike not prevented her by saying: A Summons, 287 ** Now, look here, Letty Jordan,—there ’s no reason for your jumpin’ round in this fashion. Except for the supper of beefsteak Stephen an’ I had a week ago to-night, we ’ve been livin’ on fish an’ lobsters, with now an’ then a pan of biscuit, an’ the meanest thing you ’ve got in this house, though I ain’t sayin’ you cook anythin’ that ain’t up to the mark, will be a luxury to us. We ’d rather spend more time talkin’, an’ have you take things a little easier.”’ Then, after the supper had been eaten, Stephen assisting his mother in washing the dishes, and the children were put to bed, the three older people sat down for a chat, which was not brought to a con- clusion until an unusually late hour, because Mrs. Jordan had insisted upon learning all the details of their work. She had heard from the neighbors of the last interview between Captain Skillings and Deacon Brackett; and while regretting that there had been necessity for speaking harsh words to her brother, rejoiced that he had seemingly concluded to make no further attempt at meddling in the business con- cerns of Jordan & Dyer. Early next morning, Captain Ike went down to the red shanty, in order to ‘‘furbish up,’’ as he called it; which meant that he would change his working garments for a suit of clothes he had worn when 288 Lobster Catchers. captain of the Elen Maria , and two hours later, the old fisherman, in the lee of the Jordan family, set out for church. It seemed to Stephen, when the hour arrived at which they must depart, as if he had been at home simply for a hurried call, so quickly had the time passed; but his heart was light as he turned toward the mooring place of the Sprzte, for he knew now that his mother had all that was absolutely neces- sary, and would no longer be haunted by the fear that the homestead might be taken from her. ‘“If we only have a profitable business next week!’’ the lad said, while they walked slowly along, as if it were profanity to quicken their steps on the Sabbath. ‘‘ If we only can have a profitable business next week! ”’ “Tf only it had been us who bought the Jethro Dearing place!’’ Captain Ike echoed; and then, realizing the absurdity of thus looking at the same moment into the past and the future, the old man burst forth in a cheery laugh. ““ Why, lad, we ’re makin’ a couple of fools of ourselves. It ain’t so many days since we stood nearabout, sayin’ “if we could only get the money with which to buy the Sprzte,’ an’ whinin’ in that senseless fashion. Well, all in good time the Sprzte came to us, so to speak, an’ we ’ve earned money by her, more than you could have made in a year’s A Summons. 289 work on the Ben Jordan farm. I ’ve done as well as aman of my age can expect to do; an’ yet you ‘re cryin’ about what the next week will bring forth, while I ’m howlin’ over somethin’ that ’s ’way beyond my reach. We ’ve reason to be mighty thankful, lad, an’ it comes pretty nigh a sin to look either ahead or behind with regrets, unless it should be we had done somethin’ an honest man ought not.”’ ‘*T won’t look ahead again, Captain Ike.’’ ‘*T don’t mean you should n’t, lad, ‘cause it stands us in hand to lay our plans. What I ’m drivin’ at is, that a man has got no business to cross a bridge before he comes to it, which means, don’t go ahead to find trouble; it ‘ll come soon enough if you ’ve got to meet it. We ’ll do all we can toward makin’ business profitable next week; then, if things don’t come our way, no one is to be blamed.”’ Stephen ‘‘ did all he could toward makin’ busi- »” ness profitable,’ by rising next morning before daylight, and starting the fire in the furnace. Then, after making the coffee, he awakened his partner, and Captain Ike said, with somewhat of dissatisfaction in his tone as he looked around: ‘* Now, see here, lad, there ’s to be no waitin’ on me. You might as well understand that first as last.”’ 19 290 Lobster Catchers. ‘‘T’m not waiting on you, Captain Ike; but was just making things ready so that we could get away before sunrise. I happened to waken, and there was no call to arouse you until breakfast time.”’ ‘“T "ll do my share of the kitchen-work after this,’’ the old man replied decidedly. Thanks to Stephen’s early rising, the Sprite was alongside the coal wharf in port as soon as it was possible to make a purchase. It was Captain Ike’s intention to depart without reporting to the owner of the steamer, so eager was he to be at work again; but Stephen insisted that such a course would not only be unwise, but imprudent. ‘“We don’t even know what price lobsters are likely to fetch this week,’’ he said, while trying to convince the old man they should run into the Skillings’ dock. ‘‘ That must be found out before we can do business intelligently; and then, again, it ’s only right to see Captain Skillings, for his last orders were that we report to him regarding what is being done at Jethro Dearing’s place.’’ ‘* T allow the report can wait till we come back.”’ ‘* Perhaps he ’s in no great hurry; but at the same time our orders were to see him as soon as we were through over there; and he would have good cause for being angry if we started away in such a hurry.”’ ‘ A Summons. 291 ““ But we ’re wastin’ the forenoon again, just as we did last week.”’ “Tt can’t be helped,’’ the lad said, decidedly. ‘Captain Skillings is the owner of the steamer, and we ’re bound to obey his orders. Besides, you and I have earned twenty dollars, in addition to what ’s been paid out, and if we can take that money with us, there will be a chance of buying just so many more lobsters.”’ It was this last argument which convinced the old fisherman; and as they cast off the hawsers after cleaning the coal dust from the decks, he said petulantly : ““We ’Il run round there, lad; but, mark my words, there ’s to be no loiterin’, ’cause we ain’t in a condition to spend the time. A word or two with the bookkeeper, an’ the business part of it is over. If Captain Skillin’s is n’t on hand when we arrive, that ’s his business, not ours.”’ But they did not leave port that day, however good were the old fisherman’s intentions. When the latter entered Captain Skillings’s office he was handed a letter which contained the follow- ing peremptory order: ‘“Do not leave port under any circumstances until you have seen me. (Signed) ‘‘ SAMUEL SKILLINGS.”’ CHAPTER XVIII. A DREAM REALIZED. APTAIN IKE returned to the Sprite in a towering rage. Not a word did he speak, from the moment Stephen read aloud the peremptory order from the merchant, until they were alone in the engine- room, and then he gave way to invectives against such ‘‘ slip-shod ways of runnin’ the lobster busi- ness.”’ ““We ’re not to leave port till we ’ve seen him, eh ?’’ he cried furiously, turning upon his partner as if holding him personally responsible for the delay. ‘‘ We ’re to hang round here till Samuel Skillin’s sees fit to heave in sight, whatever time that may be. A man like him can afford to keep idle a steamer that has been earnin’ more ’n her worth; but why should he take the bread an’ butter out of our mouths ?”’ “Tt is not fair for you to fall into such a rage, Captain Ike,’’ Stephen said soothingly. ‘‘ Most likely there is good reason for an interview—of course there is, else he would n’t have left such a message.”’ 292 A Dream Realized. 293 “* Oh, he would n’t, eh ? Well, I tell you, he’s got some foolish talk to make, an’ seein’ ’s how we ‘re what might be called his servants, he orders us to cool our heels here till he sees fit to loaf down on the dock. In the meantime other smacks are takin’ on board lobsters that by right belong in the Sprite’s tank.”’ ““ Perhaps it won’t pay to buy lobsters yet a while. You remember, and so do I, of many times when a man would lose money by getting a large stock on hand. Who knows but that Captain Skill- ings has more in his cars this morning than can be sold during the week ?”’ “Well, what if he has? I reckon there are other dealers in this port.’’ ‘* But we have no right to sell to them without the Captain’s permission. His ownership of the Sprzte gives him a full half-interest in the whole business we are trying to carry on, which is more than you or I have singly; therefore it is for him to say what we shall or shall not do.”’ Captain Ike was in no humor to listen to his part- ner. He firmly believed the merchant was in a certain sense defrauding them of prospective profits, which seemed all the greater because he could not set about gathering them in. It is quite probable that, but for the firm stand Stephen took, the old man would have put to sea 204 Lobster Catchers. at once, regardless of the merchant’s order to the contrary ; and he did not cease complaining of the in- justice which was being done them until a cheery hail from the dock told that Captain Skillings had arrived. ‘““ Hello, aboard the Sgrite /’’ he cried, in a tone which told that he was in the best of spirits; and when Stephen looked out from the companion-way, for Captain Ike refused to so much as reply, the merchant said, with an unusual degree of friendli- ness in both speech and manner: ‘* Glad to see you, lad! So you got my note, eh ?”’ ““ Yes, sir, and have been waiting since seven o’clock.”’ “Well, you won’t lose anythin’ by holdin’ on a spell longer. I ’ve got a little business to look after here, an’ then we ’Il be off.’’ ‘“Are you going away in the Sprite, sir?’ Stephen asked in astonishment. ‘‘ We three are bound on a little pleasure trip. While I ’m at work in the office let Captain Ike lay in a good supply of stores, for we ain’t likely to get very choice provisions over there.”’ ‘“ What shall he buy, sir?’’ Stephen asked in bewilderment. ‘* Steaks, chops, bread, an’ whatever may serve to set out the table in good style for a couple of days. Use your own money, an’ we ’ll settle ac- counts later.”’ A Dream Realized. 295 Then, without the slightest suspicion that his words were giving Captain Ike yet greater offence, he hurried into his office, leaving Stephen on the companion-way ladder a fairly good picture of per- plexity and astonishment. ‘“ Did you hear what he said ?’’ the lad asked presently, and the old fisherman replied moodily : “Ay; an’ if he thinks we’ve nothin’ to do but freight him from Dan to Beersheba jest because the fancy takes him, it ’s time some plain talk was made. 2 A most difficult task was it for Stephen to bring his partner into a more satisfactory frame of mind, and it was not concluded until he had painted in glowing colors the possible result of neglecting to obey orders. When Captain Ike fully realized that the merchant might refuse to longer do business: with them on shares if his wishes were thus disregarded, and that the end of their lobster scheme had surely come when he withdrew his support, the old fisherman became more amenable to reason, finally setting forth to execute the commission. Half an hour later, nothing had been heard from the merchant; but Captain Ike appeared on the dock, literally weighted down with packages. “What can you have been buying ?’’ Stephen asked in surprise. 296 Lobster Catchers. ‘“ Everythin’ eatable I could find,’’ was the grim reply. ‘‘If we ’re to spend our time freightin’ Samuel Skillin’s round, it shall cost him a pretty penny before the cruise comes to an end. I ’ve got sweetbreads, calves’ livers, an’ a lot of stuff I never tasted, because it come too high, to say no- thin’ of the best beefsteak and the fanciest chops to be found. Paid thirty cents a pound for young lamb, an’ I don’t reckon it ’Il taste as well as sea- soned mutton! Samuel Skillin’s sha’n’t trample on me without payin’ the fiddler!’ The fact that he had avenged himself by purchas- ing luxuries exercised a soothing influence on Cap- tain Ike’s mind, and now he was in a passably good humor. ‘How much did you spend ?’’ Stephen asked in a whisper of dismay, when his partner had come on board. ‘“ Nigh on to six dollars!’ Samuel Skillin’s needs a stiff lesson, an’ I ’ve given it to him!”’ With many a sigh and fear for the result of this reckless extravagance, Stephen stowed the dainties where they would be kept from the steam and dust of the engine-room, after which he went on deck to await the owner’s coming, inwardly trembling with apprehension lest his partner’s insubordination should be noted by Captain Skillings. The forenoon was well-nigh spent when the mer- A Dream Realized. 297 chant came on board the little steamer, his face wreathed in smiles, and every gesture betraying the fact that he was in a remarkably friendly mood. ‘* Well, shipmates,’’ he cried jovially, ‘‘ are we ready for a reg’lar junketin’ ?”’ ‘“* Steam is up, sir, an’ we can start when you say the word,’’ Stephen replied, opening the furnace door as if to prove his statement. ““And we ‘ve plenty on board to keep our stomachs well filled for two days or more ?”’ ‘““T reckon you ’ll think so when it comes to a settlement,’’ Captain Ike said gruffly. ‘“ Then we ’re what might be called in fine shape. I ’ve left matters in the office so that business will go on after a fashion without me, an’ count on takin’ aholiday. How does that strike you, Captain Ike; two old boys like us goin’ off for a good time ?” “It ’s all very well for a rich man like you to fritter away his time on nonsense,”’ the old fisher- man replied; ‘‘ but Stephen an’ I are bound to earn a livin,’ an’ it can’t well be done while we ’re junketin’, as you call it.’’ ‘* So you ’ve lost your temper because we ’re to waste a day or two, eh?”’ and Captain Skillings laughed as if the old man’s surly mood afforded him the more pleasure. ‘‘ There ’s no need of your pullin’ a long face, Ike Dyer, because we three are bound on a frolic, an’ I ’m the skipper. It has 298 Lobster Catchers. been many a long day since I threw business to the winds as I ’m doin’ now, an’ a grumpy old cur- mudgeon like you sha’n’t be allowed to spoil the fun.”’ ‘‘ What are lobsters worth this mornin’ ?’’ Cap- tain Ike asked, much as if to show that he was not minded to throw business to the winds. ‘* It makes no difference to you whether they ’ve dropped to ten dollars, or jumped up to twenty. This is a good time that we ’re bound on, an’ the market don’t cut any figger in the proceedings. Wait till we get back, an’ then I ’Il be as keen as you please for fifty cents more or less, accordin’ to whether I’m buyin’ or sellin’. Are you ready to turn on the steam, lad ?”’ ‘“ We ’ve got fifty pounds pressure, sir.’’ ““ Then let her go, Captain Ike. Send her along moderately, for I ’m takin’ my last run in the Sprite as her owner, an’ don’t want it ended too soon.”’ Stephen was mystified by this remark, and even the old fisherman looked a trifle bewildered as he asked, with more of friendliness in his tone than he had shown since Captain Skillings came aboard: ‘* What ’s the course, sir ?”’ ‘“ We ’ll take a squint at that famous place Jethro Dearing sold, an’ after that — well, after that, per- haps, we sha’n’t want any more merry-makin’. A Dream Realized. 299 Tell me where the provisions are stowed, lad, an’ while Captain Ike steers his course, an’ you have an eye on the engine, I ’ll show you two that I have n’t forgotten how to cook. In the old days, when I was n’t worth a dollar, an’ folks called me ‘ shiftless Sam Skillings,’ I could get up a dinner that would make your mouths water.”’ The orders were obeyed—Stephen and his partner frightened into silence by this sudden change in the merchant, whom some were pleased to call a skin- flint. As the steamer backed out from amid the lobster- cars, Captain Skillings overhauled the purchases made by the old fisherman, and instead of receiving the lesson in the spirit it had been intended, he said in a tone of satisfaction: ““T had no idea Ike Dyer had so much good sense! He has fitted us out in great shape, Stephen Jordan—I could n’t have done better myself; an’ if we don’t make the most of this pleasure trip, it won't be because we have n’t enough to eat.”’ Then he set about playing the part of cook, ap- pearing to find no slight enjoyment in the work, and looking out of the engine-room from time to time to take note of the coast. ‘T ’ve laid in that cove many a night, wonderin’ how I'd get hold of enough money to buy a pair of rubber boots,’’ he said at one portion of the cruise, 300 Lobster Catchers. explaining to Stephen on what “ lay ’’ he was work- ing at the time. ‘‘ Here ’s where I set lobster-pots for a season, an’ over yonder, the other side of that bluff, I began the business of buyin’ fish, leavin’ others the hardest part of the work —the catchin’, ‘T mean.” There was hardly a cove, bay, or point concern- ing which the merchant did not have some story to tell regarding his early struggles, and Stephen be- came so interested in the many stories that the fire was neglected. The steam had fallen low, leaving the Sgrzte almost helpless upon the waters. The deepest mortification seized the lad as Cap- tain Ike made him aware of the disagreeable fact, by asking through the tube if he ‘‘ counted on heavin’ to for a spell ?’’ and he would have atoned for his neglect at once, but that the merchant said in a contented tone: “* Leave things as they are, lad. The power has gone at the right time; dinner is the same as ready. We ’ll eat it while the fires are comin’ up, the three of us, which is what could n’t have been done if she was runnin’. The Sprite won't get into mischief if she ’s allowed to drift around here for an hour, an’ we ‘ll make a comfortable meal of it.”’ The merchant’s humor was irresistible, and more so, perhaps, since he seldom displayed it in such form, and Captain Ike straightway forgot his fancied A Dream Realized. 301 injuries after being helped to his portion of the lamb chops. The Sprite, her screw motionless, gently rose and fell on the lazy swell, while this strangely assorted trio feasted and made merry in the dingy cabin, which was at the same time an engine-room and a forecastle. Then, the meal concluded, the little steamer sped on once more, her bow turned toward that place where Jethro Dearing had made a lamentable failure; but which was to be brought into proper shape by the capital of the ‘‘ Boston folks.”’ Captain Skillings acted alternately as engineer and helmsman, and appeared to be having a most enjoyable time; but the old fisherman was begin- ning to indulge in grave misgivings. Once, while the merchant was at the wheel, Cap- tain Ike came stealthily into the engine-room, and said in a cautious whisper: ‘* Keep a sharp lookout on the Captain, lad. It’s my belief he ’s gone crazy, an’ when this friendly fit passes off he may try to do us a mischief.”’ ‘‘ It appears to me as if he is simply enjoying himself,’’ Stephen suggested, considerably alarmed by his partner’s words. ‘‘ I allow he may be; but somethin’ is wrong with his head, or Sam Skillin’s would n’t be kickin’ up his heels in this fashion. I could understand if he 302 Lobster Catchers. was n’t worth accent; but when a rich man gets to cavortin’ round like this you can set it down asa fact that he ’s lost his wits.”’ The “‘ friendly fit ’’’ did not wear off during the voyage, and when finally the steamer was made fast to the pier on the Jethro Dearing place, Cap- tain Skillings gave evidence of exceedingly sound sense, which could not have been expected from a lunatic, by pointing out in what way the landing- place might be greatly and economically improved. And, save for occasional spasms of silent mirth, which were indulged in even when the conversa- tion was of a most serious nature, the merchant ap- peared to be his old self, scolding a workman here for idling when he should be at work, or demanding that some certain job be attended to more carefully. ““T reckon I was wrong about his bein’ crazy,”’ Captian Ike whispered to Stephen at a convenient opportunity; “‘ but I still hold to it there ’s some- thin’ queer with his head, else why did he cut up so aboard the Sprite ?’’ Captain Skillings pointed out to his companions —for he insisted peremptorily that the old man and Stephen should accompany him on his tour of in- spection —the many changes he intended to make, under direction of the owners, and the partners were speedily convinced that each improvement would be A Dream Realized. 303 of particular value to the property if it was to be conducted as a lobster farm. “It "ll go way ahead of Tom Dawson’s, after you get it into runnin’ order,’’ Captain Ike said enthusi- astically, as, the survey of the grounds being con- cluded, the three stopped at the head of the pier. ““ There won’t be anythin’ like it hereabouts, an’ a good man can make heaps of money.”’ ““ That ’s what he can, by attendin’ to business,’’ the merchant replied emphatically. ‘‘ The yard will hold ten thousand lobsters without overcrowdin’, while by the arrangement for holdin’ back the water of a flood-tide, you can work here twelve hours on a stretch. My idea is that the schooner shall be used in the herrin’ fishery, so we ’ll have food for the stock at all times, and without spendin’ any great amount of money. Feed the lobsters plentifully, and they ’Il live week in an’ week out with never a thought of chewin’ each other to pieces.”’ ‘* Does the new owner count on settin’ pots him- self —I mean, will he go into that part of the busi- ness ?”’ ‘‘ Not unless they are fools. Here are traps enough, an’ you ’Il find three boats in the store- house. It should n’t be hard to get men who ’d work on shares, if they can be provided with good outfits. I ’d guarantee to have a dozen workin’ at the halves for me in less than three weeks, an’ then 304 Lobster Catchers. you can see how the profits will roll up. In the meantime, the Sprzte ought to be run as now, buy- ing on a low market, an’ sellin’ when prices are up. There ’s a good five thousand a year in the plan, if no more.”’ ‘“You spoke of the Sprite running ?’’ Stephen asked tremulously. ‘‘ Have the Boston folks bought her, sir ?”’ : ““ Yes, lad, an’ I count on turnin’ her over this afternoon; that is why I brought you out here.’’ Stephen’s interest in the surroundings suddenly vanished. A big lump came up in his throat as he thus understood that his short-lived scheme was at an end —that he would be forced to go back on the farm, there to idle away his time and run in debt unless, perchance, he made application to the new owners of the Dearing property for a chance to catch lobsters for them on shares. He turned his head lest Captain Skillings should see the tears which were rapidly filling his eyes, and the old fisherman looked in silent sorrow and re- proach at the man who had sold, without warning them, the steamer he once declared they should run during the winter. ‘So we ’re to be turned out of the Sprite — Stephen an’ me, eh?’”’ he asked huskily, not so much as looking at the merchant. A Dream Realized. 305 *‘ That is as them who own the property shall say,’’ Captain Skillings replied. ‘‘ They ’ll be al- lowed to run the place after their own fashion, even though Mr. Hamilton an’ I each hold one third.”’ ““Mr. Hamilton? Him whose toy yacht we picked up ?”’ Captain Skillings nodded, and continued: ““T ’ve had this property in my eye for a year or more, an’ when, Hamilton offered to go into the plan, givin’ you two a full third instead of payin’ salvage, I was agreed. You see, we don’t count on controllin’ the work; but of course would step in if things were goin’ wrong, an’ equally of course, I hold to it I should be allowed first choice when it come to sellin’ lobsters. The Sprite and yonder schooner, the nets, lobster-pots, an’, in fact, every- thing here, together with more to come, all belong with the venture. When things are in shape ac- cordin’ to my notions, the property will stand us a ” little risin’ eight thousand dollars ‘Who did you say would run the place, sir ?”’ Stephen asked, his voice trembling and his face pale. ‘* You two, of course; an’ what ’s more, the deeds ae show you own a full third of everything ‘* Look here, Sam Skillin’s, say that over agin’, will you, an’ remember this ain’t the time for jokes,’’ Captain Ike said, imploringly. 306 Lobster Catchers. ““T never was further from joking in my life, Ike Dyer. You an’ Stephen Jordan own a full third of this property, an’ all that ’s to be put on it until eight thousand, two hundred dollars have been spent. I wanted to buy it last summer; but did n’t see my way clear to put out so much money; an’, what ’s more to the point, I had n’t anybody in view then whom I’d trust to manage it. When ‘* Do you mean that the lad an’ I own a third +” without havin’ to go in debt for it ?’’ Captain Ike cried. ‘“ That ’s it exactly. Hamilton and I are only silent partners, an’ you shall go your own gait in the management unless things get decidedly wrong, when, as a matter of course, we should claim the right to have an equal voice in the business. I’m not afraid but that you and Stephen will get as many dollars out of it as anybody could.’”’ ‘* An’ to think that I tried to get square with him by squanderin’ his money on lamb at thirty cents a pound!’ Captain Ike whispered to Stephen in a tone of deepest self-reproach. ‘* Don’t give me credit for what ain’t deserved,”’ Captain Skillings said quickly. ‘‘ My bank account ain’t big enough to admit of makin’ such presents; I’ve simply put in one third of the amount, as I should do in any ordinary speculation. Hamilton talked with me about payin’ somethin’ in the way A Dream Realized. 307 of salvage, an’ makin’ a present for your havin’ saved his daughter. While we were turnin’ the matter over, I thought of this place, rememberin’ what Id heard Captain Ike say, an’ I proposed that we make a partnership. He jumped at the idea; decided to lay the Vera up here, an’ take it all in all, has n’t made a bad trade, seein’ ’s how he might have been forced to pay perhaps three thousand dollars salvage. I ’ve sold the Sprite at a fair figure, an’ /’m satisfied. You ’ve got a first-class show of makin’ a good many dollars in the next few years, an’ you ought to be satisfied.’’ ‘* Satisfied! ’’ Stephen repeated; ‘‘ I’m as near to being crazy with joy as Captain Ike believed you were! I can’t make it seem possible that so much good fortune has come to us.”’ “Tt has been earned, lad, an’ that fairly,’’ the merchant replied, decisively. ‘‘ You have been a good son, an honest worker, and a faithful partner. Unless I ’d known that much, I never should have made the proposition to Mr. Hamilton that he and I join you in the business. It is his idea that your family had better move over here, in the new house which is to be built, an’ I agree with him. Your mother will make a home for you an’ Ike Dyer, an’ I ’Il set a man at work on the Jordan homestead, with the guaranty that it shall be a profitable farm before three years go by. Now we'll get supper, 308 Lobster Catchers. an’ then I reckon it 'll be time for me to go. I did count on stayin’ away two days or more; but that would be too much neglect of duty. I ’ll get some one to carry me to the station, an’ you must manage affairs here alone from this out.’’ ‘* When shall you come again ?’”’ Stephen asked. ‘“ That ‘s a hard question to answer, seein’ ’s how I find I can’t stay now, after having made all arrange- ments to take a holiday, an’ feel called on in less than seven hours to sneak back to business. Better run down to see your mother to-morrow, and after that, it will be a good idea to stay here on the spot until the workmen have finished their job.”’ The ‘‘ farm’’ is n’t fairly under way as these lines are being written, therefore it is really impos- sible to tell very much more about the partners, or the Jethro Dearing venture; but later, when the scheme shall have proven a success or a failure, the result of the experiment shall be made known. THE END. see oe —— ae a Page Fee : eae Ze ere eee ee etna a