Hi I 
 
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95" S" 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 BY 
 FRANK R. STOCKTON 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 NEW YORK 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER S SONS 
 
 1909 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1896, 1900, 1908, BT 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER S SONS 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 i ALONE WITH HER WEALTH ... 3 
 ii WILLY CROUP DOESN T KNOW . .10 
 
 in Miss NANCY SHOTT 19 
 
 iv A LAUNCH INTO A NEW LIFE . . 28 
 v A FUR-TRIMMED OVERCOAT AND A SILK 
 
 HAT 38 
 
 vi A TEMPERANCE LARK .... 47 
 vii MR. BURKE ACCEPTS A RESPONSIBILITY . 60 
 vin MR. BURKE BEGINS TO MAKE THINGS 
 
 MOVE IN PLAINTON .... 70 
 ix A MEETING OF HEIRS . . . .81 
 x THE INTELLECT OF Miss INCHMAN . 93 
 xi THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW DINING- 
 ROOM 100 
 
 xn THE THORPDYKE SISTERS . . . 110 
 
 xin MONEY-HUNGER 116 
 
 xiv WILLY CROUP AS A PHILANTHROPIC 
 
 DIPLOMATIST 123 
 
 xv Miss NANCY MAKES A CALL . . . 131 
 
 xvi MR. BURKE MAKES A CALL . . . 138 
 
 xvii MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 150 
 
 281721 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 xvin THE DAWN OF THE GROVE OF THE 
 
 INCAS 160 
 
 xix THE "SUMMER SHELTER " . . . 166 
 
 xx THE SYNOD 173 
 
 xxi A TELEGRAM FROM CAPTAIN HORN .178 
 xxn THE "SUMMER SHELTER" GOES TO 
 
 SEA 187 
 
 xxin WILLY CROUP COMES TO THE FRONT . 197 
 xxiv CHANGES ON THE "SUMMER SHEL 
 TER" 209 
 
 xxv A NOTE FOR CAPTAIN BURKE . . 224 
 
 xxvi "WE LL STICK TO SHIRLEY" . . 234 
 
 xxvn ON BOARD THE "DUNKERY BEACON " . 241 
 
 xxvin THE PEOPLE ON THE "MONTEREY" . 253 
 
 xxix THE " VITTORIO " FROM GENOA . . 260 
 
 xxx THE BATTLE OF THE MERCHANT 
 
 SHIPS 270 
 
 xxxi "SHE BACKED!" 279 
 
 xxxn A HEAD ON THE WATER . . . 285 
 xxxin 11 30 19" NORTH LATITUDE BY 
 
 56o 10 49" WEST LONGITUDE . . 292 
 
 xxxiv PLAINTON, MAINE . . . . 304 
 
 VI 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 When Shirley went on deck he was much 
 
 pleased to see the " Summer Shelter" . Frontispiece 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 The gentleman raised his hat and asked if Mrs. 
 Cliff lived there 44 
 
 Mrs. Cliff s invitation was discussed with lively 
 appreciation 174 
 
 Burke determined to get near enough to hail the 
 "Dunkery Beacon" 228 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 CHAPTEE I 
 
 ALONE WITH HEB WEALTH 
 
 N a beautiful September afternoon, in a handsome 
 room of one of the grand, up-town hotels in "New 
 York, sat Mrs. Cliff, widow and millionaire. 
 
 Widow of a village merchant, mistress of an un 
 pretending house in the little town of Plainton, Maine, 
 and, by strange vicissitudes of fortune, the possessor 
 of great wealth, she was on her way from Paris to the 
 scene of that quiet domestic life to which, for nearly 
 thirty years, she had been accustomed. 
 
 She was alone in the hotel. Her friends, Captain 
 Horn and his wife Edna, who had crossed the ocean 
 with her, had stayed but a few days in New York, and 
 had left early that afternoon for Niagara, and she was 
 here by herself in the hotel, waiting until the hour 
 should arrive when she would start on a night train 
 for her home. 
 
 Her position was a peculiar one, altogether new to 
 her. She was absolutely independent. Not only could 
 she do what she pleased, but there was no one to tell 
 
 3 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 her what it would be well for her to do, wise for her 
 to do, or unwise. Everything she could possibly want 
 was within her reach, and there was no reason why 
 she should not have everything she wanted. 
 
 For many months she had been possessed of enor 
 mous wealth, but never until this moment had she 
 felt herself the absolute, untrammelled possessor of it. 
 Until now Captain Horn, to whom she owed her gold, 
 and the power it gave her, had been with her or had 
 exercised an influence over her. Until the time had 
 come when he could avow the possession of his vast 
 treasures, it had been impossible for her to make known 
 her share in them, and even after everything had been 
 settled, and they had all come home together in the 
 finest state-rooms of a great ocean liner, she had still 
 felt dependent upon the counsels and judgment of her 
 friends. 
 
 But now she was left absolutely free and inde 
 pendent, untrammelled, uncounselled, alone with her 
 wealth. 
 
 She rose and looked out of the window, and, as she 
 gazed upon the crowd which swept up and down the 
 beautiful avenue, she could not but smile as she thought 
 that she, a plain New England countrywoman, with 
 her gray hair brushed back from her brows, with 
 hands a little hardened and roughened with many a 
 year of household duties, which had been to her as 
 much a pleasure as a labor, was, in all probability, 
 richer than most of the people who sat in the fine 
 carriages or strolled in their fashionable clothes along 
 the sidewalk. 
 
 "If I wanted to do it," she thought, "I could have 
 one of those carriages with prancing horses and a 
 
 4 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 driver in knee-breeches, or I could buy that house 
 opposite, with its great front steps, its balconies, and 
 everything in it. But there is nobody on this earth 
 who could tempt me to live there." 
 
 "No," said Mrs. Cliff to herself, as she turned from 
 the window, and selecting a fresh easy -chair, sank 
 down into its luxurious depths, "there is nothing in 
 this world so delightful as to go back rich to Plainton. 
 To be rich in Paris or New York is nothing to me. It 
 would simply mean that I should be a common person 
 there, as I used to be at home, and, for the matter of 
 that, a little more common." 
 
 As the good lady s thoughts wandered northward, 
 and spread themselves from the railroad station at 
 Plainton all over the little town, she was filled with a 
 great content and happiness to go to her old home 
 with her new money. This was a joy beyond any 
 thing she had dreamed of as possible in this world. 
 
 But it was the conjunction of the two which pro 
 duced this delightful effect upon her mind. The 
 money anywhere else, or Plainton without it, would 
 not have made Mrs. Cliff the happy woman that she 
 was. 
 
 It pleased her to let her mind wander over the 
 incidents of her recent visit to her old home, the most 
 unhappy visit she had ever made in all her life, but 
 everything that was unpleasant then would help to 
 make everything more delightful in the present home 
 coming. 
 
 She thought of the mental chains and fetters she 
 had worn when she went to Plainton with plenty of 
 money in her purse and a beautiful pair of California 
 blankets in her handsome trunk ; when she had been 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 afraid to speak of the one or to show the other j when 
 she had sat quietly and received charity from people 
 whose houses and land, furniture, horses, and cows, 
 she could have bought and given away without feel 
 ing their loss ; when she had been publicly berated by 
 Nancy Shott for spending on luxuries money which 
 should have been used to pay her debts ; when she 
 had been afraid to put her money in the bank for fear 
 it would act as a dynamite bomb and blow up the 
 fortunes of her friends ; and when she could find no 
 refuge from the miseries brought upon her by the 
 necessity of concealing her wealth, except to go to bed 
 and cover up her head so that she should not hear the 
 knock of some inquiring neighbor upon her front door. 
 
 Then, when she had made this background as dark 
 and gloomy as it was possible to make it, she placed 
 before it the glittering picture of her new existence 
 in Plainton. 
 
 But this new life, bright as it now appeared to her, 
 was not to be begun without careful thought and 
 earnest consideration. Ever since her portion of the 
 golden treasure had been definitely assigned to her, 
 the mind of Mrs. Cliff had been much occupied with 
 plans for her future in her old home. 
 
 It was not to be altogether a new life. All the 
 friends she had in the world, excepting Captain and 
 Mrs. Horn, lived in Plainton. She did not wish to 
 lose these friends she did not wish to be obliged to 
 make new ones. With simple-minded and honest 
 "Willy Croup, who had long lived with her and for 
 her, with Mrs. Perley, the minister s wife, with all 
 her old neighbors and friends, she wished to live as 
 she had always lived, but, of course, with a difference. 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 How to manage, arrange, and regulate that difference 
 was the great problem in her mind. 
 
 One thing she had determined upon : her money 
 should not come between her and those who loved her 
 and who were loved by her. No matter what she 
 might do or what she might not do, she would not 
 look down upon people simply because she was rich. 
 And oh, the blessed thought which followed that ! 
 There would be nobody who could look down upon 
 her because she was not rich ! 
 
 She did not intend to be a fine new woman. She did 
 not intend to build a fine new house. She was going 
 to be the same Mrs. Cliff that she used to be she was 
 going to live in the same house. To be sure, she would 
 add to it. She would have a new dining-room, and a 
 guest-chamber over it, and she would do a great 
 many other things which were needed, but she would 
 live in her old home, where she and her husband had 
 been so happy, and where she hoped he would look 
 down from heaven and see her happy until the end of 
 her days. 
 
 As she thought of the things she intended to do, and 
 of the manner in which she intended to do them, Mrs. 
 Cliff rose and walked the floor. She felt as if she were 
 a bird a common-sized bird, perhaps, but with enor 
 mous wings, which seemed to grow and grow the more 
 she thought of them, until they were able to carry her 
 so far and so high that her mind lost its power of 
 directing them. 
 
 She determined to cease to think of the future, of 
 what was going to be, and to let her mind rest and 
 quiet itself with what really existed. Here she was 
 in a great city full of wonders and delights, of com- 
 
 7 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 forts, conveniences, luxuries, necessities, and all within 
 her power. Almost anything she could think of she 
 might have. Almost anything she wanted to do she 
 might do. A feeling of potentiality seemed to swell 
 and throb within her veins. She was possessed of an 
 overpowering desire to do something now, this mo 
 ment, to try the power of her wealth. 
 
 Near her on the richly papered wall was a little 
 button. She could touch this and order what should 
 she order f A carriage and prancing pair to take her 
 to drive 1 She did not wish to drive. A cab to take 
 her to the shops, or an order to merchants to send her 
 samples of their wares, that here, in her own room, 
 like a queen or a princess, she might choose what she 
 wanted and think nothing f the cost? But no, she 
 did not wish to buy anything. She had purchased 
 in Paris everything that she cared to carry to 
 Plainton. 
 
 She went and stood by the electric button. She 
 must touch it, and must have something ! Her gold 
 must give her an instant proof that it could minister 
 to her desires, but what should she ask for f Her mind 
 travelled over the whole field of the desirable, and yet 
 not one salient object presented itself. There was 
 absolutely nothing that she could think of that she 
 wished to ask for at that moment. She was like a 
 poor girl in a fairy-tale, to whom a good fairy comes 
 and asks her to make one wish and it shall be granted, 
 and who stands hesitating and trembling, not being 
 able to decide what is the one great thing for which 
 she should ask. 
 
 So stood Mrs. Cliff. There was a fairy, a powerful 
 fairy, in her service, who could give her anything she 
 
 8 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 desired, and with all her heart she wanted to want 
 something that minute. What should she want? 
 
 In her agitation she touched the bell. Half fright 
 ened at what she had done, she stepped back and sat 
 down. In a few minutes there was a knock, the door 
 opened, a servant entered. "Bring me a cup of tea," 
 said Mrs. Cliff. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 WILLY CROUP DOESN T KNOW 
 
 THE next afternoon, as the train approached Plainton, 
 Mrs. Cliff found herself a great deal agitated as she 
 thought of the platform at the station. Who would 
 be there? How should she be met? With all her 
 heart she hoped that there would not be anything 
 like a formal reception, and yet this was not improb 
 able. Everybody knew she was coming j everybody 
 knew by what train she would arrive. She had 
 written to Willy Croup, and she was very sure that 
 everybody knew everything that she had written. 
 More than this, everybody knew that she was coming 
 home rich. How rich they were not aware, because 
 she had not gone into particulars on this subject, but 
 they knew that the wealthy Mrs. Cliff would arrive at 
 five-twenty that afternoon, and what were they going 
 to do about it? 
 
 When she had gone home before, all her friends 
 and neighbors, and even distant acquaintances, if 
 such people were possible in such a little town, had 
 come to her house to bid her welcome, and many of 
 them had met her at the station. But then they had 
 come to meet a poor, shipwrecked widow, pitied by 
 
 10 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 most of them and loved by many. Even those who 
 neither pitied nor loved her had a curiosity to see her, 
 for she had been shipwrecked, and it was not known 
 in Plainton how people looked after they had been 
 wrecked. 
 
 But now the case was so different that Mrs. Cliff did 
 not expect the same sort of greeting, and she greatly 
 feared formality. If Mr. Perley should appear on the 
 platform, surrounded by some of the leading members 
 of his congregation, and should publicly take her by 
 the hand and bid her "Welcome home ! " and if those 
 who felt themselves entitled to do so should come 
 forward and shake hands with her, while others, who 
 might feel that they belonged to a different station in 
 life, should keep in the background and wait until she 
 came to speak to them, she would be deeply hurt. 
 
 After all, Plainton and the people in it were dearer 
 to her than anything else in the world, and it would 
 be a great shock if she should meet formality where 
 she looked for cordial love. She wanted to see Mr. 
 Perley, he was the first person she had seen when 
 she came home before, but now she hoped that he 
 would not be there. She was very much afraid that 
 he would make a stiff speech to her, and if he did 
 that, she would know that there had been a great 
 change, and that the friends she would meet were not 
 the same friends she had left. She was almost afraid 
 to look out of the window as the train slowed up at 
 the station. 
 
 The minds of the people of Plainton had been 
 greatly exercised about this home-coming of Mrs. 
 Cliff. That afternoon it was probable that no other 
 subject of importance was thought about or talked 
 
 11 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 about in the town, and for some days before the 
 whole matter had been so thoroughly considered and 
 discussed that the good citizens, without really com 
 ing to any fixed and general decision upon the subject, 
 had individually made up their minds that, no matter 
 what might happen afterwards, they would make no 
 mistake upon this very important occasion which 
 might subsequently have an influence upon their 
 intercourse with their old, respected neighbor, now 
 millionaire. Each one for himself, or herself, decided 
 some of them singly and some of them in groups 
 that as they did not know what sort of a woman Mrs. 
 Cliff had become since the change in her circum 
 stances, they would not place themselves in false 
 positions. Other people might go and meet her at 
 the station, but they would stay at home and see 
 what happened. Even Mr. Perley thought it wise, 
 under the circumstances, to do this. 
 
 Therefore it was that, when Mrs. Cliff stepped down 
 upon the platform, she saw no one there but Willy 
 Croup. If Mrs. Cliff was a little shocked and a good 
 deal surprised to find no one to meet her but that 
 simple-minded dependant and relative, her emotions 
 were excited in a greater degree by the manner in 
 which she was greeted by this old friend and com 
 panion. 
 
 Instead of rushing toward her with open arms, 
 for Willy was an impulsive person and given to suck 
 emotional demonstrations, Miss Croup came forward 
 extending a loosely filled black cotton glove. Her 
 large, light-blue eyes showed a wondering interest, 
 and Mrs. Cliff felt that every portion of her visible 
 attire was being carefully scanned. 
 
 12 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 For a moment Mrs. Cliff hesitated, and then she took 
 the hand of Willy Croup and shook it. But she did not 
 speak. She had no command of words at least, for 
 greeting. 
 
 Willy earnestly inquired after her health, and said 
 how glad she was to see her. But Mrs. Cliff did not 
 listen. She looked about her. For an instant she 
 thought that possibly the train had come in ahead of 
 time. But this, of course, was absurd trains never 
 did that. 
 
 "Willy," she said, her voice a little shaken, "has 
 anything happened ? Is anybody sick ? " 
 
 "Oh, no ! " said Willy. "Everybody is well, so far 
 as I know. I guess you are wondering why there is 
 nobody here to meet you, and I have been wondering 
 at that, too. They must have thought that you did 
 not want to be bothered when you were attending 
 to your baggage and things. Is anybody with 
 you?" 
 
 "With me ! " exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. "Who could be 
 with me?" 
 
 "Oh, I didn t know," replied the other. "I thought 
 perhaps you might have a maid-servant, or some of 
 those black people you wrote about." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was on the point of telling Willy she was 
 a fool, but she refrained. 
 
 "Here is the baggageman," said Willy, "and he 
 wants your checks." 
 
 As Mrs. Cliff took the little pieces of brass from her 
 purse and handed them to the man, Willy looked on 
 in amazement. 
 
 "Good gracious!" she exclaimed. "Seven! I 
 guess you had to pay for extra baggage. Shall I get 
 
 13 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 you a carriage, and where do you want to be driven 
 to to your own house or the hotel?" 
 
 Now Mrs. Cliff could not restrain herself. "What 
 is the matter with you, Willy? Have you gone 
 crazy?" she exclaimed. "Of course, I am going to 
 my own house, and I do not want any carriage. Did 
 I ever need a carriage to take me such a short distance 
 as that ? Tell the man to bring some one with him to 
 carry the trunks up-stairs, and then come on." 
 
 "Let me carry your bag," said Willy, as the two 
 walked away from the station at a much greater pace, 
 it may be remarked, than Willy was accustomed to 
 walk. 
 
 "No, you shall not carry my bag," said Mrs. Cliff, 
 and not another word did she speak until she had en 
 tered the hallway of her home. Then, closing the 
 door behind her, and without looking around at any 
 of the dear objects for a sight of which she had so 
 long been yearning, she turned to her companion. 
 
 "Willy," she cried, "what does this mean? Why 
 do you treat me in this way when I come home after 
 having been away so long, and having suffered so 
 much ? Why do you greet me as if you took me for 
 a tax-collector? Why do you stand there like a a 
 horrible clam ? " 
 
 Willy hesitated. She looked up, and she looked 
 down. 
 
 "Things are so altered," she said, "and I didn t 
 know" 
 
 "Well, know now," said Mrs. Cliff, as she held out 
 her arms. In a moment the two women were clasped 
 in a tight embrace, kissing and sobbing. 
 
 "How should I know? " said poor Willy, as she was 
 14 
 
MRS CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 wiping her eyes. "Chills went down me as I stood 
 on that platform, wondering what sort of a grand lady 
 you would look like when you got out of the car, with 
 two servant- women, most likely, and perhaps a butler, 
 and trying to think what I should say." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff laughed. "You were born addle-pated, 
 and you can t help it. Now, let us go through this 
 house without wasting a minute ! " 
 
 Willy gazed at her in amazement. 
 
 "You re just the same as you always was ! " she cried. 
 
 "Indeed, I am ! " said Mrs. Cliff. "Did you clean 
 this dining-room yourself, Willy? It looks as spick- 
 and-span, as if I had just left it." 
 
 "Indeed, it does," was the proud reply, "and you 
 couldn t find a speck of dust from the ceiling to the 
 floor ! 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff had been up -stairs and down-stairs, 
 and in the front yard, the side yard, and the back 
 yard, and when her happy eyes had rested upon all 
 her dear possessions, she went into the kitchen. 
 
 "Now, Willy," she said, "let us go to work and get 
 supper, for, I must say, I am hungry." 
 
 At this Willy Croup turned pale, her chin dropped, 
 a horrible suspicion took possession of her. Could it 
 be possible that it was all a mistake, or that something 
 dreadful had happened that the riches which every 
 body had been talking about had never existed, or 
 had disappeared? She might want to go to her old 
 home ; she might want to see her goods and chattels, 
 but that she should want to help get supper that 
 was incomprehensible ! At that moment the world 
 looked very black to Willy. If Mrs. Cliff had gone 
 into the parlor, and had sat down in the best rocking - 
 
 15 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 chair to rest herself, and had said to her, "Please get 
 supper as soon as you can," "Willy would have be 
 lieved in everything. But now ! 
 
 The grinding of heavy wheels was heard in front of 
 the house, and Willy turned quickly and looked out 
 of the window. There was a wagon containing seven 
 enormous trunks ! Since the days when Plainton was 
 a little hamlet, up to the present time, when it con 
 tained a hotel, a bank, a lyceum, and a weekly paper, 
 no one had ever arrived within its limits with seven 
 such trunks. Instantly the blackness disappeared 
 from before the mind of Willy Croup. 
 
 "Now, you tell the men where to carry them," she 
 cried, "and I will get the supper in no time ! Betty 
 Handshall stayed here until this morning, but she 
 went away after dinner, for she was afraid if she stayed 
 she would be in the way, not knowing how much help 
 you would bring with you." 
 
 "I wonder if they are all crack-brained," thought 
 Mrs. Cliff, as she went to the front door to attend to 
 her baggage. 
 
 That evening nearly all Plainton came to see Mrs. 
 Cliff. No matter how she returned, as a purse-proud 
 bondholder, as a lady of elegant wealth with her at 
 tendants, as an old friend suddenly grown jolly and 
 prosperous, it would be all right for her neighbors 
 to go in and see her in the evening. There they might 
 suit themselves to her new deportment, whatever it 
 might be, and there would be no danger of any of 
 them getting into false positions, which would have 
 been very likely indeed if they had gone to meet her 
 at the station. 
 
 16 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Her return to her own house gave her real friends 
 a great deal of satisfaction, for some of them had feared 
 she would not go there. It would have been difficult 
 for them to know how to greet Mrs. Cliff at a hotel, 
 even such an unpretentious one as that of Plainton. 
 All these friends found her the same warm-hearted 
 cordial woman that she had ever been. In fact, if 
 there was any change at all in her, she was more 
 cordial than they had yet known her. As in the case 
 of Willy Croup, a cloud had risen before her. She 
 had been beset by the sudden fear that her money 
 already threatened to come between her and her old 
 friends. "ISTot if I can help it ! " said Mrs. Cliff to 
 herself, as fervently as if she had been vowing a vow 
 to seek the Holy Grail. And she did help it. The 
 good people forgot what they had expected to think 
 about her, and only remembered what they had 
 always thought of her. No matter what had hap 
 pened, she was the same. 
 
 But what had happened, and how it had happened, 
 and all about it, up and down, to the right and the 
 left, above and below, everybody wanted to know. 
 And Mrs. Cliff, with sparkling eyes, was only too glad 
 to tell them. She had been obliged to be so reserved 
 when she had come home before, that she was all the 
 more eager to be communicative now, and it was past 
 midnight before the first of that eager and delighted 
 company thought of going home. 
 
 There was one question, however, which Mrs. Cliff 
 successfully evaded, and that was the amount of her 
 wealth. She would not give even an approximate 
 idea of the value of her share of the golden treasure. 
 
 17 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 It was very soon plain to everybody that Mrs. Cliff 
 was the same woman she used to be in regard to 
 keeping to herself that which she did not wish to tell 
 to others, and so everybody went away with imagina 
 tion absolutely unfettered. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 MISS NANCY SHOTT 
 
 THE next morning Mrs. Cliff sat alone in her parlor, 
 with her mind earnestly fixed upon her own circum 
 stances. Out in the kitchen, Willy Croup was dashing 
 about like a domestic fanatic, eager to get the morn 
 ing s work done, and everything put in order, that she 
 might go up -stairs with Mrs. Cliff, and witness the 
 opening of those wonderful trunks. 
 
 She was a happy woman, for she had a new dish- 
 pan, which Mrs. Cliff had authorized her to buy that 
 very morning, the holes in the bottom of the old one 
 having been mended so often that she and Mrs. Cliff 
 both believed that it would be very well to get a new 
 one and rid themselves of further trouble. 
 
 Willy also had had the proud satisfaction of stop 
 ping at the carpenter shop, on her way to buy the 
 dish-pan, and order him to come and do whatever was 
 necessary to the back kitchen door. Sometimes it had 
 been the hinges and sometimes it had been the lock 
 which had been out of order on that door for at least 
 a year, and although they had been tinkering here 
 and tinkering there, the door had never worked 
 properly. But now Mrs. Cliff had said that it must be 
 
 19 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 put in perfect order, even if a new door and a new 
 frame were required, and without any regard to what 
 it might cost. This to Willy was the dawn of a new 
 era, and the thought of it excited her like wine. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff s mind was not excited ; it was disquieted. 
 She had been thinking of her investments and of her 
 deposits, all of which had been made under wise ad 
 vice, and it had suddenly occurred to her to calculate 
 how much richer she was to-day than she had been 
 yesterday. When she appreciated the fact that the 
 interest on her invested property had increased her 
 wealth, since the previous morning, by some hundreds 
 of dollars, it frightened her. She felt as if an irre 
 sistible flood of opulence was flowing in upon her, and 
 she shuddered to think of the responsibility of direct 
 ing it into its proper courses, and so preventing it 
 from overwhelming her and sweeping her away. 
 
 To-morrow there would be several hundred dollars 
 more, and the next day more, and so on always. And 
 what was she doing, or what had she planned to 
 do, to give proper direction to these tidal waves of 
 wealth? She had bought a new dish-pan and ordered 
 a door repaired ! 
 
 To be sure, it was very soon to begin to think of 
 the expenditure of her income, but it was a question 
 which could not be postponed. The importance of it 
 was increasing all the time. Every five minutes she 
 was two dollars richer. 
 
 For a moment she wished herself back in Paris or 
 New York. 
 
 There she might open some flood-gate which would 
 give instant relief from the pressure of her affluence, 
 and allow her time to think. But what could she do in 
 
 20 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Plainton at least, how should she begin to do any 
 thing ? 
 
 She got up and walked about the room. She was 
 becoming annoyed, and even a little angry. She 
 resented this intrusion of her wealth upon her. She 
 wanted to rest quietly for a time, to enjoy her home 
 and friends, and not be obliged to think of anything 
 which it was incumbent upon her to do. From the 
 bottom, of her heart she wished that her possessions 
 had all been solid gold, or in some form in which they 
 could not increase, expand, or change in any way 
 until she gave them leave. Then she would live for 
 a week or two as she used to live, without thought of 
 increment or responsibilities, until she was ready to 
 begin the life of a rich woman, and to set in motion 
 the currents of her exuberant income. 
 
 But she could not change the state of affairs. The 
 system of interest had been set in motion, and her 
 income was flowing in upon her hour by hour, day by 
 day, steadily and irresistibly, and her mind could not 
 be at rest until she had done something at least, 
 planned something which would not only prevent 
 her from being overwhelmed and utterly discouraged, 
 but which would enable her to float proudly, on this 
 grand current of absolute power, over the material 
 interests of the world. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was a woman of good sense. No matter 
 how much money she might possess, she would have 
 considered herself its unworthy possessor if she should 
 spend any of it without proper value received. She 
 might spend it foolishly, but she wanted the worth of 
 her money. She would consider it a silly thing, for 
 instance, to pay a thousand dollars for an India shawl, 
 
 21 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 because few people wore India shawls, and she did not 
 care for them j but if she had done so, she would have 
 been greatly mortified if she found that she had paid 
 too much, and that she might have bought as good a 
 shawl for seven hundred and fifty dollars. 
 
 Since she had been in that room and thinking about 
 these things, enough interest had come to her to en 
 able her to buy a good silver watch for some deserving 
 person. Now, who was there to whom she could give 
 a plain silver watch ? Willy Croup would be glad to 
 have it, but then, it would be better to wait a few 
 hours and give her a gold one. 
 
 Now it was that Willy came into the room with a 
 disappointed expression upon her countenance. 
 
 "I was just coming in to tell you," she said, "that I 
 was ready now to go up and help you open the trunks, 
 but here comes that horrid Miss Shott, and dear knows 
 how long she will stay ! " 
 
 Nancy Shott was the leading spinster of Plainton. 
 In companies where there were married ladies she 
 was sometimes obliged to take a second place, but 
 never among maidens, old or young. There were 
 very few subjects upon which Miss Shott had not an 
 opinion, and whatever this opinion might be, she 
 considered it her first duty in life to express it. As 
 a rule, the expression was more agreeable to her than 
 to others. 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff heard that Miss Shott was ap 
 proaching, she instantly forgot her wealth and all her 
 perplexities concerning it. Miss Shott had not called 
 upon her the previous evening, but she had not ex 
 pected her, nor did she expect her now. 
 
 On her previous visit to Plainton, Mrs. Cliff had 
 
 22 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 been shamefully insulted by Miss Shott, who had 
 accused her of extravagance, and, by implication, of 
 dishonesty, and, in return, the indignant widow had 
 opened upon her such a volley of justifiable retaliation 
 that Miss Shott, in great wrath, had retired from the 
 house, followed, figuratively, by a small coin, which 
 she had brought as a present, and which had been 
 hurled after her. 
 
 But Mrs. Cliff knew that her acrimonious neighbor 
 could never be depended upon to do anything which 
 might be expected of her, and she was not quite so 
 much surprised as she was annoyed. Of course, she 
 had known she must meet Nancy Shott, and she had 
 intended to do nothing which would recall to the mind 
 of any one that she remembered the disagreeable in 
 cident referred to, but she had not expected that the 
 meeting would be in private. 
 
 She knew that Nancy would do something decidedly 
 unpleasant. If she had stayed away because she 
 wanted a chance to reopen the previous quarrel, 
 that would be bad enough, but if she had determined 
 to drop all resentment, and had come prepared to 
 offer honey and sugar, and thus try to make a rich 
 friend out of one she had considered as a poor enemy, 
 that would be still more disagreeable. But by the 
 time the visitor had entered the parlor, Mrs. Cliff had 
 made up her mind to meet her as if nothing unpleasant 
 had ever happened between them, and then to await 
 the course of events. She was not at all pleased with 
 the visit, but, notwithstanding this, she had great 
 curiosity to know what Miss Shott had to say about 
 the change in her circumstances. 
 
 Nancy Shott was different from other people. She 
 
 23 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 was capable of drawing the most astounding inferences, 
 and of coming to the most soul-irritating conclusions, 
 even on subjects which could not be otherwise than 
 pleasant to ordinary people. 
 
 "How do you do 1 ?" said Miss Shott, offering her 
 hand. "I am glad to see you back, Mrs. Cliff." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff replied that she was quite well, and was 
 glad to be back. 
 
 "You are not looking as hale as you did," said the 
 visitor, as she seated herself. "You must have lost a 
 good many pounds. But that was to be expected. 
 From what I have heard, South America must be 
 about as unhealthy a place as any part of the world, 
 and then, on top of that, living in Paris, with water to 
 drink which, I am told, is enough to make anybody 
 sick to look at it, is bound to have some sort of an 
 effect upon a person." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff smiled. She was used to this sort of talk 
 from Nancy Shott. "I am better than I was two 
 years ago," she said, "and the last time I was weighed 
 I found that I had gained seven pounds." 
 
 "Well, there is no accounting for that," said her 
 visitor, "except as we grow old we are bound to show 
 it, and sometimes aging looks like bad health, and as 
 to fat, that often comes as years go on, though, as far 
 as I am concerned, I think it is a great misfortune to 
 have more to carry as you get less and less able to 
 carry it." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff might have said that that sort of thing 
 would not be likely to trouble Miss Shott, whose 
 scantily furnished frame was sure to become thinner 
 and thinner as she became older and weaker, but she 
 merely smiled and waited to hear what would come 
 next. 
 
 24 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "I do not want to worry you," said Miss Shott, 
 "but several people that were here last night said you 
 was not looking as they had hoped to see you look, 
 and I will just say to you, if it is anything connected 
 with your appetite, with a feeling of goneness in the 
 mornings, you ought to buy a quassia cup, and drink 
 the full of it at least three times a day." 
 
 Miss Shott knew that Mrs. Cliff absolutely detested 
 the taste of quassia. Mrs. Cliff was not annoyed. She 
 hoped that her visitor would soon get through with 
 these prefatory remarks, and begin to take the stand, 
 whatever it might be, which she had come there that 
 morning to take. 
 
 "There has been sickness here since you last left," 
 said Miss Shott, "and it has been where it was least to 
 be expected, too. Barney Thompson s little boy, the 
 second son, has had the diphtheria, and where he got 
 it nobody knows, for it was vacation-time, and he did 
 not go to school, and there was no other diphtheria 
 anywhere in all this town, and yet he had it, and had 
 it bad." 
 
 "He did not die?" said Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 "Oh, no, he got over it, and perhaps it was a bad 
 case, and perhaps it was not. But you may be sure I 
 did not go near it, for I considered it my duty to keep 
 away, and I did keep away. But the trouble is 
 
 "And did none of the other children take it?" 
 asked Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 "No, they didn t. But the trouble is that when 
 diphtheria, or anything like it, comes up suddenly like 
 this, without any reason that nobody can see, it is just 
 as likely to come up again without any reason, and I 
 am expecting to hear every day of another of them 
 Thompson children being stricken down. So I was 
 
 25 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 very sorry indeed, Mrs. Cliff, to see, this very morning, 
 Willy Croup coming out of Barney Thompson s house, 
 and to hear from her afterwards that she had been to 
 order him to come here to put up a new kitchen door, 
 which I do not suppose is absolutely needed, and even 
 if it is, I am sure I would wait a good while before I 
 would have Barney Thompson come into my house 
 with diphtheria, that very minute, perhaps, in the 
 throats of one or maybe more of his children. But, of 
 course, if people choose to trifle with their own lives, 
 it is their own business. 7 
 
 "It was not real diphtheria," said Willy Croup, who 
 happened to be passing the open door at this moment. 
 "It was only a bad sore throat, and the child was well 
 in two days." 
 
 "I suppose, of course," said Miss Shott, "that if the 
 disease did get into this house, Willy Croup would be 
 the first to take it, because she is such a spongy person 
 that she takes almost anything that is in the air and 
 is not wholesome. But then, you would not want to 
 lose her, and after a funeral in the house, no matter 
 whose it may be, things is always gloomy for a long 
 time afterwards, and nobody can feel easy if it was a 
 catching disease that the person died of." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was naturally desirous to hear all the 
 domestic news of the town, but she would have liked 
 to have had something pleasant thrown in among the 
 gloomy tidings of which Miss Shott had made herself 
 the bearer, and so she made a little effort to turn the 
 conversation. 
 
 "I shall be glad to go about and see my old friends 
 and neighbors," she said, "for I am interested in every 
 thing which has happened to them. But I suppose it 
 
 26 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 will be some days before I can settle down and feel 
 ready to go on in the old way. It seems to me as if I 
 had been on the move ever since I left here, although, 
 of course, I was not travelling all the time." 
 
 "I suppose nobody has told you," said Miss Shott, 
 "that Edward Barley has ploughed up that little 
 pasture of his, and planted it with young apple-trees. 
 Now, it does seem to me that for a man like Edward 
 Darley, who comes of a consumptive family, and who 
 has been coughing regularly, to my certain knowledge, 
 for more than a year, to go and plant apple-trees, 
 which he can t expect to live to see bear fruit, is 
 nothing more or less than a wicked waste of money, 
 time, and labor. I suppose if I was to go and tell him 
 so, he would not like that. But I do not know as I 
 ught to consider it. There are people in this world 
 who never know anything if they re not told ! " 
 
 Five other topics of the town, each of a doleful 
 nature, and each indicating an evident depravity in a 
 citizen of Plainton, were related by Miss Shott, and 
 then she arose to go. 
 
 "I hope you ll remember what I told you about 
 Thompson s children," she said, as she walked to the 
 front door, "and if I was you, I d have that kitchen 
 fumigated after he has put the door in ! " 
 
 "There, now!" said Miss Shott to herself, as she 
 proudly walked down the street. "The "Widow Cliff 
 can t say I ve done any toadying, and no matter 
 what she s got, and what she hasn t got, she can t say 
 to herself that I consider her any better able to give 
 me twenty-five cents than she was when she was here 
 before, or that it makes any difference to me whether 
 she has much or little ! " 
 
 27 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 A LAUNCH INTO A NEW LIFE 
 
 IT required the greater part of two days for Mrs. Cliff 
 and Willy to open the seven trunks and properly 
 display and dispose of the various articles and goods, 
 astonishing in their variety and beauty, and absolutely 
 amazing when the difference between the price paid 
 for them and what they would have cost in New York 
 was considered. 
 
 During these fascinating operations it so happened 
 that, at one time or another, nearly all of Mrs. Cliff s 
 female friends dropped in, and all were wonderfully 
 impressed by what they saw and what they heard. 
 But although Miss Shott did not come there during 
 the grand opening, it was not long before she knew 
 the price, and something of the general appearance, of 
 nearly everything that Mrs. Cliff had brought with 
 her. 
 
 Among the contents of the trunks were a great 
 many presents for Mrs. Cliff s friends, and whenever 
 Miss Shott heard of one of these gifts, she made a 
 remark to the effect that she had not a doubt in the 
 world that the Widow Cliff knew better than to bring 
 her a present, for she would not want the thing, what- 
 
 28 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 ever it was, whether a glass pitcher or a pin-cushion, 
 flung back at her after the fashion that she had set 
 herself at a time when everybody was trying their 
 best to be kind to her. 
 
 It was clearly a fact that through the influence of 
 the seven trunks Mrs. Cliff was becoming a very popu 
 lar woman, and Miss Shott did not like it at all. She 
 had never had any faith at least, she said so in those 
 lumps of gold found in a hole in some part of the 
 world that nobody had ever heard of, and had not 
 hesitated to say that fortunes founded on such wild- 
 goose stories as these should not even be considered 
 by people of good sense who worked for their living, 
 or had incomes which they could depend on. But the 
 dress-goods, the ribbons, the gloves, the little clocks, 
 the shoes, the parasols, the breast-pins, the portfolios 
 of pictures, the jewelry, the rugs and table-covers, and 
 hundreds of other beautiful and foreign things, were 
 a substantial evidence that Mrs. Cliff s money was not 
 all moonshine. 
 
 It was very pleasant for Mrs. Cliff to bring out her 
 treasures to display them to her enthusiastic friends, 
 and to arrange them in her house, and to behold the 
 rapturous delight of Willy Croup from early morn 
 until bedtime. 
 
 But the seven empty trunks had been carried up 
 into the garret, and now Mrs. Cliff set her mind to the 
 solution of the question : How was she to begin her 
 new life in her old home ? It must be a new life, for 
 to live as she had lived even in the days of her highest 
 prosperity during her husband s life would be absurd 
 and even wicked. With such an income she must 
 endeavor, as far as was possible to her, to live in a 
 
 29 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 manner worthy of it. But one thing she was deter 
 mined upon : she would not alienate her friends by 
 climbing to the top of her money and looking down 
 upon them. None of them knew how high she would 
 be if she were to perch herself on the very top of that 
 money, but even if she climbed up a little way, they 
 might still feel that they were very small in her sight. 
 
 No, the money should always be kept in the back 
 ground. It might be as high as the sky and as glorious 
 as a sunset, but she would be on the ground with the 
 people of Plainton, and, as far as was possible, they 
 should all enjoy the fine weather together. 
 
 She could not repress a feeling of pride, for she 
 would be looked upon as one of the principal persons 
 if not the principal person in Plainton. But she 
 could not believe that any real friend could possibly 
 object to that. 
 
 If her husband had lived and prospered, it was 
 probable he would have been the principal man in 
 Plainton, the minister always excepted. But now 
 there was no reason whatever why any one should 
 object to her being a principal personage, and, in this 
 case, she could not see why the minister s wife should 
 be excepted. 
 
 But Plainton was to be her home, and the Plainton 
 people were to be her friends. How should she set 
 about using her money in such a way that she should 
 not be driven forth to some large city to live as ordi 
 nary wealthy people live, in a fashion to which she 
 was utterly unsuited, and which possessed for her no 
 attractions whatever? 
 
 Of course, she had early determined to devote a 
 large sum to charitable purposes, for she would have 
 
 30 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 thought herself a very unworthy woman if her wealth 
 had not benefited others than herself. But this was 
 an easy matter to attend to. The amount she had set 
 aside for charity was not permanently invested, and 
 through the advice of Mr. Perley, there would be no 
 difficulty in devoting this to suitable objects. Already 
 she had confidentially spoken to her pastor on the sub 
 ject, and had found him enthusiastic in his desire to 
 help her in every possible way in her benevolent pur 
 poses. But who was there who could help her in 
 regard to herself? Who was there who could tell her 
 how she ought to live so as to gain all the good that 
 her money should give her, and yet not lose that which 
 was to her the highest object of material existence 
 a happy and prosperous life among her old friends in 
 her native town? 
 
 Should she choose to elevate herself in the social 
 circle by living as ordinary very rich people live, she 
 could not hope to elevate her friends in that way, 
 although she would be glad enough to do it in many 
 cases, and there would be a gap between them which 
 would surely grow wider and wider. And yet, here 
 was this money coming in upon her in a steady stream 
 day by day, and how was she going to make herself 
 happier with it? 
 
 She must do that, or, she believed, it would be her 
 duty to hand it over to somebody else who was better 
 adapted by nature to use it. 
 
 "If I did not take so much pleasure in things which 
 cost so little and which are so easy for me to buy," 
 said poor Mrs. Cliff to herself, "or if I did not have so 
 much money, I am sure I should get on a great deal 
 better." 
 
 31 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Mrs. Cliff s belief that she must not long delay in 
 selecting some sort of station in life, and endeavoring 
 to live up to it, was soon strengthened by Willy 
 Croup. During the time of the trunk- opening, and 
 for some days afterwards, when all her leisure hours 
 were occupied with the contemplation and considera 
 tion of her own presents, Willy had been perfectly 
 contented to let things go on in the old way, or any 
 way. But now the incongruity of Mrs. Cliff s present 
 mode of living, and the probable amount of her for 
 tune, began to impress itself upon her. 
 
 "It does seem to me," said she, "that it s a sin and 
 a shame that you should be goin about this house just 
 as you used to do, helpin me up -stairs and down-stairs, 
 as if you couldn t afford to hire nobody. You ought 
 to have a girl, and a good one, and, for the matter of 
 that, you might have two of em, I suppose. And even 
 if it wasn t too much for you to be workin about when 
 there s no necessity for it, the people are beginnin to 
 talk, and that ought to be stopped." 
 
 "What are they talking about?" asked Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 "Well, it s not everybody that s talkin ," returned 
 Willy, "and I guess that them that does gets their opin 
 ions from one quarter, but I ve heard people say that 
 it s pretty plain that all you got out of that gold-mine 
 you spent in buyin the things you brought home in 
 your trunks, for if you didn t, you wouldn t be livin 
 like this, helpin to do your own housework and 
 cookin ." 
 
 In consequence of this conversation, a servant of 
 all work was employed, for Mrs. Cliff did not know 
 what she would do with two women until she had 
 made a change in her household arrangements j and 
 
 32 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 with this as a beginning, our good widow determined 
 to start out on her career as a rich woman who in 
 tended to enjoy herself in the fashion she liked 
 best. 
 
 She sent for Mr. Thompson, the carpenter, and con 
 sulted with him in regard to the proposed additions 
 to her house. But when she had talked for a time, she 
 became disheartened. She found that it would be 
 necessary to dig a new cellar close to her present 
 premises, that there would be stones, and gravel, and 
 lime, and sand, and carts and horses, and men, and 
 dirt, and that it would be some months before all the 
 hammering, and the sawing, and the planing, and the 
 plastering, and tinwork could be finished, and all this 
 would be going on under her eye, and close to her 
 ears, during those first months in which she had pro 
 posed to be so happy in her home. She could not 
 bear to give the word to dig, and pound, and saw. It 
 was not like building a new house, for that would not 
 be near her, and the hubbub of its construction would 
 not annoy her. 
 
 So she determined she would not begin a new 
 dining-room at present. She would wait a little while, 
 until she had had some good of her house as it was, 
 and then she would feel better satisfied to live in the 
 midst of pounding, banging, and all-pervading dust, 
 But she would do something. She would have the 
 fence which separated the sidewalk from her front 
 yard newly painted. She had long wanted to have 
 that done, but had not been able to afford it. 
 
 But when Mr. Thompson went to look at the fence, 
 he told her that it would be really a waste of money 
 to paint it, for in many places it was old and decayed, 
 
 33 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 and it would be much wiser to put up a new one, and 
 paint that. 
 
 Again Mrs. Cliff hesitated. If that fence had to be 
 taken down, and the posts dug up, and new posts put 
 in, and the flower-bed which ran along the inside of 
 it destroyed, it would be just as well to wait until the 
 other work began, and have it all done at once. So 
 she told Mr. Thompson he need not send a painter, 
 for she would make the old fence do for a while. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff sighed a little as the carpenter walked 
 away, but there were other things to do. There was 
 the pasture-lot at the rear of her garden, and she could 
 have a cow, and there was the little barn, and she 
 could have a horse. The idea of the horse pleased her 
 more than anything she had yet thought of in connec 
 tion with her wealth. 
 
 In her days of prosperity it had been her greatest 
 pleasure to drive in her phaeton with her good brown 
 horse, generally with "Willy Croup by her side, to stop 
 at shops or to make calls upon friends, and to make 
 those little excursions into the surrounding country in 
 which she and Willy both delighted. They had some 
 times gone a long distance, and had taken their dinner 
 with them, and Willy was really very good in unhar 
 nessing the horse and watering him at a brook, and in 
 giving him some oats. 
 
 To return to these old joys was a delightful prospect, 
 and Mrs. Cliff made inquiries about her horse, which 
 had been sold in the town. But he was gone. He had 
 been sold to a drover, and his whereabouts no one 
 knew. 
 
 So she went to Mr. Williams, the keeper of the 
 hotel, who knew more about horses than anybody 
 
 34 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 else, and consulted with him on the subject of a new 
 steed. She told him just what she wanted : a gentle 
 horse which she could drive herself, and one which 
 Willy could hold when she went into a house or a 
 shop. 
 
 Now, it so happened that Mr. "Williams had just 
 such a horse, and when Mrs. Cliff had seen it, and 
 when Willy had come up to look at it, and when the 
 matter had been talked about in all the aspects in 
 which it presented itself to Mrs. Cliff s mind, she 
 bought the animal, and it was taken to her stable, 
 where Andrew Marks, a neighbor, was engaged to 
 take care of it. 
 
 The next morning Mrs. Cliff and Willy took a drive 
 a little way out of town, and they both agreed that 
 this horse, which was gray, was a great deal better 
 traveller than the old brown, and a much handsomer 
 animal ; but both of them also agreed that they did 
 not believe that they would ever learn to love him as 
 they had their old horse. 
 
 Still, he was very easy to drive, and he went along 
 so pleasantly, without needing the whip in the least, 
 that Mrs. Cliff said to herself that, for the first time 
 since her return, she really felt herself a rich woman. 
 
 "If everything," she thought, "should come to me 
 as this horse came to me, how delightful my life 
 would be ! When I wanted him, I found him. I did 
 not have to trouble myself in the least about the price. 
 I simply paid it, and ordered him sent home. Now, 
 that sort of thing is what makes a person feel truly 
 rich. 7 
 
 When they had gone far enough, and had reached 
 a wide place in the road, Mrs. Cliff turned and started 
 
 35 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 back to Plainton. But now the horse began to be a 
 different kind of a horse. With his face toward his 
 home, he set out to trot as fast as he could, and when 
 Mrs. Cliff, not liking such a rapid pace, endeavored 
 to pull him in, she found it very hard to do, and when 
 she began to saw his mouth, thinking that would 
 restrain his ardor, he ambled and capered, and Mrs. 
 Cliff was obliged to let him resume his rapid gait. 
 
 He was certainly a very hard-mouthed horse going 
 home, and Mrs. Cliff s arms ached, and Willy Croup s 
 heart quaked, long before they reached the town. 
 When they reached Plaiuton, Mrs. Cliff began to be 
 afraid that he would gallop through the streets, and 
 she told Willy that, if he did, she must not scream, but 
 must sit quietly, and she would endeavor to steer him 
 clear of the vehicles and people. 
 
 But although he did not gallop, the ardent gray 
 seemed to travel faster after he entered the town, and 
 Mrs. Cliff, who was getting very red in the face from 
 her steady tugging at the reins, thought it wise not to 
 attempt to go home, but to let her horse go straight 
 to the hotel stables where he had lived. 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff had declared to Mr. Williams that 
 that horse would never suit her, that she would not be 
 willing to drive it, and would not even think of going 
 into a house and leaving Willy Croup to hold him, he 
 was very much surprised, and said that he had not a 
 gentler horse in his stable, and he did not believe 
 there was one in the town. 
 
 "All horses," said he, "want to go home, especially 
 at dinner-time." 
 
 "But the old brown did not," urged Mrs. Cliff. 
 "That is the sort of horse I want." 
 
 36 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Some very old beast might please you better," said 
 he, "but really, Mrs. Cliff, that is not the sort of horse 
 you should have. He would die or break down in a 
 little while, and then you would have to get another. 
 What you should do is to have a good horse and a 
 driver. You might get a two-seated carriage, either 
 open or closed, and go anywhere and everywhere, and 
 never think of the horse." 
 
 That was not the thing she longed for. That would 
 not bring back the happy days when she drove the 
 brown through the verdant lanes. If she must have 
 a driver, she might as well hire a cab and be driven 
 about. But she told Mr. Williams to get her a suitable 
 vehicle, and she would have Andrew Marks to drive 
 her, and she and Willy Croup walked sadly home. 
 
 As to the cow she succeeded better. She bought a 
 fairly good one, and Willy undertook to milk her and 
 to make butter. 
 
 "Now, what have I done so far ? " said Mrs. Cliff, on 
 the evening of the day when the cow came home. "I 
 have a woman to cook, I have a new kitchen door, 
 and I have a cow ! I do not count the horse and the 
 wagon, for if I do not drive myself, I shall not feel 
 that they are mine in the way that I want them 
 to be." 
 
 37 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 JL PUB-TRIMMED OVERCOAT AND A SILK HAT 
 
 MRS. CLIFF now began to try very hard to live as she 
 ought to live, without pretensions or snobbery, but in 
 a style becoming, in some degree, her great fortune. 
 
 There was one thing she determined to do immedi 
 ately, and that was to begin a series of hospitalities 
 and it made her feel proud to think that she could 
 do this, and do it handsomely, and yet do it in the old 
 home where everybody knew she had for years been 
 obliged to practise the strictest economy. 
 
 She gave a dinner to which she invited her most 
 select friends. Mr. and Mrs. Perley were there, and 
 the Misses Thorpdyke, two maiden ladies who consti 
 tuted the family of the highest social pretension of 
 Plainton. There were other people who were richer, 
 but Miss Eleanor Thorpdyke, now a lady of nearly 
 seventy, and her sister Barbara, some ten years 
 younger, belonged to the very best family in that 
 part of the country, and were truly the aristocrats of 
 the place. 
 
 But they had always been very friendly with Mrs. 
 Cliff, and they were glad to come to her dinner. The 
 other guests were all good people, and a dinner-party 
 
 38 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 of more distinction could not have been collected in 
 that town. 
 
 But this dinner did not go off altogether smoothly. 
 If the people had come merely to eat, they must have 
 been abundantly satisfied, for everything was of the 
 very best and well cooked, Mrs. Cliff and Willy having 
 seen to that. But there were certain roughnesses and 
 hitches in the management of the dinner which dis 
 turbed Mrs. Cliff. In her travels and at the hotels 
 where she had lived she had seen a great deal of good 
 service, and she knew what it was. 
 
 Willy, who, being a relative, should really have 
 come to the table, had decidedly declined to do so, 
 and had taken upon herself the principal part of the 
 waiting, assisted by the general servant and a small 
 girl who had been called in. But the dining-room 
 was very small, some of the chairs were but a little 
 distance from the wall, and it was evident that Willy 
 had not a true appreciation of the fact that in recent 
 years she had grown considerably rounder and plumper 
 than she used to be, and it made Mrs. Cliff s blood run 
 cold to see how she bumped the back of Mr. Perley s 
 chair, as she thrust herself between it and the wall. 
 
 The small girl had to be told almost everything 
 that she must do, and the general servant, who did 
 not like to wait on table, only came in when she was 
 called, and left immediately when she had done what 
 she had been called for. 
 
 When the guests had gone, Mrs. Cliff declared to 
 Willy that that was the last large dinner she would 
 give in that house. "It was not a dinner which a 
 woman of my means should offer to her friends." 
 
 Willy was amazed. 
 
 39 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "I don t see how it could have been better/ said 
 she, "unless you had champagne, and I know Mr. 
 Perley wouldn t have liked that. Everything on the 
 table was just as good as it could be." 
 
 But Mrs. Cliff shook her head. She knew that she 
 had attempted something for which her present 
 resources were insufficient. After this she invited 
 people to dinner once or twice a week, but the com 
 pany was always very small and suited to the re 
 sources of the house. 
 
 "I will go on this way for a while," thought the 
 good lady, "and after a time I will begin to spread 
 out and do things in a different style." 
 
 Several times she drove over to Harrington, a large 
 town some five miles away, which contained a furni 
 ture factory, and there she purchased many articles 
 which would be suitable for the house, always securing 
 the best things for her purposes, but frequently regret 
 ting that certain beautiful and imposing pieces of 
 furniture were entirely unsuited to the capacity of 
 her rooms and hallways. But when her dining-room 
 should be finished, and the room above it, she would 
 have better opportunity of gratifying her taste for 
 handsome wood in imposing designs. Then it might 
 be that Harrington would not be able to give her 
 anything good enough. 
 
 Her daily mail was now much larger than it ever 
 had been before. Business people sent her cards and 
 circulars, and every now and then she received letters 
 calling her attention to charities or pressing personal 
 needs of the writers ; but there were not very many of 
 these, for although it was generally known that Mrs. 
 Cliff had come into a fortune, her manner of living 
 
 40 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 seemed also a matter of public knowledge. Even the 
 begging letters were couched in very moderate terms ; 
 but all these Mrs. Cliff took to Mr. Perley, and, by his 
 advice, she paid attention to but very few of them. 
 
 Day by day Mrs. Cliff endeavored to so shape and 
 direct her fortunes that they might make her happy 
 in the only ways in which she could be happy, but 
 her efforts to do so did not always gain for her the 
 approval of her fellow-townspeople. There were 
 some who thought that a woman who professed to 
 have command of money should do a good many 
 things which Mrs. Cliff did not do, and there were 
 others who did not hesitate to assert that a woman 
 who lived as Mrs. Cliff lived should not do a great 
 many things which she did do, among which things 
 some people included the keeping of a horse and 
 carriage. 
 
 It was conceded, of course, that all this was Mrs. 
 Cliff s own business. She had paid the money she had 
 borrowed to go to South America. She had been very 
 kind to some of the poor people of the town, and it 
 was thought by some had been foolishly munificent to 
 old Mrs. Bradley, who, from being a very poor person 
 threatened with the loss of her home, was now an 
 independent householder, and enjoyed an annuity 
 sufficient to support her. 
 
 More than that, Mrs. Cliff had been very generous 
 in regard to the church music. It was not known 
 exactly how much she had given toward this object, 
 but there were those who said that she must have 
 given her means a considerable strain when she made 
 her contribution that is, if the things were to be 
 done which Mr. Perley talked about. 
 
 41 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff heard what had been said upon this 
 subject, and "Willy Croup was generally very well 
 able to keep her informed in regard to what the 
 people of the town said about her, she thought that 
 the gossips would have been a good deal astonished 
 if they had known how much she had really given to 
 the church, and that they would have been absolutely 
 amazed if they knew how much Mr. Perley had re 
 ceived for general charities. And then she thought, 
 with a tinge of sadness, how very much surprised Mr. 
 Perley would have been if he had known how much 
 more she was able to give away without feeling its loss. 
 
 "Weeks passed on. The leaves turned red and yellow 
 upon the trees, the evenings and mornings grew colder 
 and colder, and Mrs. Cliff did everything she could 
 toward the accomplishment of what now appeared to 
 her in the light of a great duty in her life the proper 
 expenditure of her income and appropriation of her 
 great fortune. 
 
 Her labors were not becoming more cheerful. Day 
 after day she said to herself that she was not doing 
 what she ought to do, and that it was full time that 
 she should begin to do something better, but what that 
 better thing was she could not make up her mind. 
 Even the improvements she contemplated were, 
 after all, such mere trifles ! 
 
 It was a very cold morning in October when Mrs. 
 Cliff went into her parlor and said to Willy that there 
 was one thing she could do : she could have a rousing, 
 comfortable fire without thinking whether wood was 
 five, ten, or twenty dollars per cord. When Willy 
 found that Mrs. Cliff wanted to make herself comfort 
 able before a fine, blazing fire, she seemed in doubt. 
 
 42 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "I don t know about the safety of it," she said. 
 "That chimney s in a pretty bad condition. The 
 masons told us so years ago, and nothin has ever 
 been done to it. There have been fires in it, but 
 they have been little ones ; and if I was you, I 
 wouldn t have too large a blaze in that fireplace until 
 the chimney has been made all right." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was annoyed. "Well, then, Willy, I wish 
 you would go for the mason immediately, and tell him 
 to come here and repair the chimney. It s perfectly 
 ridiculous that I can t have a fire in my own parlor, 
 when I am able to have a chimney as high and as big 
 as Bunker Hill Monument if I wanted it ! " 
 
 Willy Croup smiled. She did not believe that Mrs 
 Cliff really knew how much such a chimney would 
 cost, but she said, "You have got to remember, you 
 know, that we can t have the Cuthberts here to dinner 
 to-morrow if the masons come to work at that chim 
 ney. Ten to one, they will have to take the most part 
 of it down, and we shall be in a general mess here for 
 a week." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff sat down with a sigh. "You need not 
 mind to have the wood brought in," she said. "Just 
 give me a few sticks and some kindling, so that I can 
 give things a little air of cheerfulness." 
 
 As she sat before the gently blazing little fire, Mrs. 
 Cliff felt that things needed an air of cheerfulness. 
 She had that morning been making calculations, and, 
 notwithstanding all she had bought, all she had done, 
 and even including with the most generous margin all 
 she had planned to do, her income was gaining upon 
 her in a most discouraging way. 
 
 "I am not fit for it," she said to herself. "I don t 
 43 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 know how to live as I want to live, and I won t live 
 as I don t want to live. The whole business is too 
 big for me. I don t know how to manage it. I ought 
 to give up my means to somebody who knows how to 
 use them, and stay here myself with just enough money 
 to make me happy." 
 
 For the fortieth time she considered the question of 
 laying all her troubles before Mr. Perley ? but she knew 
 her pastor. The great mass of her fortune would 
 quickly be swallowed up in some grand missionary 
 enterprise, and this would not suit Mrs. Cliff. No 
 matter how much she was discouraged, no matter how 
 difficult it was to see her way before her, no matter 
 how great a load she felt her wealth to be, there was 
 always before her a glimmering sense of grand possi 
 bilities. "What they were she could not now see or 
 understand, but she would not willingly give them up. 
 
 She was an elderly woman, but she came of a long- 
 lived family, all of whom had lived in good health 
 until the end of their days, and if there was any grand, 
 golden felicity which was possible to her, she felt that 
 there was reason to believe she would live long to 
 enjoy it when she wanted it. 
 
 One morning, as Mrs. Cliff sat thinking over these 
 things, there was a knock at the front door, and, of 
 course, Willy Croup ran to open it. No matter where 
 she was, or no matter what she was doing, Willy al 
 ways went to the door if she could, because she had so 
 great a desire to know who was there. 
 
 This time it was a gentleman, a very fine gentleman, 
 with a high silk hat and a handsome overcoat trimmed 
 with fur fur on the collar, fur on the sleeves, and fur 
 down the front. Willy had never seen such a coat. 
 
 44 
 
The gentleman raised his hat and asked if Mrs. Cliff 
 lived there. 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 It was October and it was cool, but there was no man 
 in Plainton who would have worn such a coat as that 
 so early in the season, even if he had one. 
 
 The gentleman had dark eyes and a very large mus 
 tache, and he carried a cane and wore rather bright 
 tan-colored gloves. All these things Willy observed 
 in an instant, for she was very quick in taking notice 
 of people s clothes and general appearance. 
 
 The gentleman raised his hat and asked if Mrs. Cliff 
 lived there. Now Willy thought he must be an ex 
 traordinary fine gentleman, for how should he know 
 that she was not a servant, and in those parts gentle 
 men did not generally raise their hats to girls who 
 opened front doors. 
 
 The gentleman was admitted, and was ushered into 
 the parlor, where sat Mrs. Cliff. She was a little sur 
 prised at the sight of this visitor, who came in with 
 his hat on, but who took it off and made her a low bow 
 as soon as he saw her. But she thought she appre 
 ciated the situation, and she hardened her heart. 
 
 A strange man, so finely dressed, and with such man 
 ners, must have come for money, and Mrs. Cliff had 
 already learned to harden her heart toward strangers 
 who solicited. But the hardness of her heart utterly 
 disappeared in her amazement when this gentleman, 
 having pulled off his right glove, advanced toward 
 her, holding out his hand. 
 
 "You don t remember me, Mrs. Cliff? " he said in a 
 loud, clear voice. "No wonder, for I am a good deal 
 changed. But it is not the same with you. You are 
 the same as ever I declare you are ! " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff took the proffered hand, and looked into 
 the face of the speaker. There was something there 
 
 45 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 which seemed familiar, but she had never known such 
 a fine gentleman as this. She thought over the people 
 whom she had seen in France and in California, but 
 she could not recollect this face. 
 
 "It s a mean thing to be puzzlin you, Mrs. Cliff," 
 said the stranger, with a cheery smile. "I m George 
 Burke, seaman on the Castor, where I saw more of you, 
 Mrs. Cliff, than I ve ever seen since ; for though we 
 have both been a good deal jumbled up since, we 
 haven t been jumbled up together, so I don t wonder 
 if you don t remember me, especially as I didn t wear 
 clothes like these on the Castor not by any means, 
 Mrs. Cliff!" 
 
 "I remember you," she said, and she shook his hand 
 warmly. "I remember you, and you had a mate 
 named Edward Shirley." 
 
 "Yes, indeed ! " said Mr. Burke, "and he s all right, 
 and I m all right, and how are you?" 
 
 The overcoat with the fur trimmings came off, and, 
 with the hat, the cane, and the gloves, was laid upon 
 a chair, and Burke and Mrs. Cliff sat down to talk 
 over old times and old friends. 
 
 46 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 A TEMPERANCE LARK 
 
 As Mrs. diff sat and talked with George Burke, she 
 forgot the calculations she had been making, she forgot 
 her perplexities and her anxieties concerning the rapid 
 inroads which her income was making upon her ability 
 to dispose of it, in the recollection of the good-fellow 
 ships which the presence of her companion recalled. 
 
 But Mr. Burke could give her no recent news of 
 Captain Horn and Edna, she having heard from them 
 later than he had, and the only one of the people of 
 the Castor of whom he could tell her was Edward 
 Shirley, who had gone into business. 
 
 He had bought a share in a shipyard, and as he was 
 a man who had a great idea about the lines of a vessel, 
 and all that sort of thing, he had determined to put 
 his money into that business. He was a long-headed 
 fellow, and Burke had no doubt but that he would 
 soon hear of some fine craft coming from the yard of 
 his old shipmate. 
 
 "But how about yourself, Mr. Burke? I want to 
 know what has happened to you, and what you intend 
 doing, and how you chanced to be coming this way." 
 
 "Oh, I will tell you everything that has happened 
 to me," said Mr. Burke, "and it won t take long. But 
 
 47 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 first let me ask you something, Mrs. Cliff/ and as he 
 spoke he quietly rose and shut the parlor door. 
 
 "Now, then," said he, as he seated himself, "we have 
 all been in the same box, or, I should say, in the same 
 boxes of different kinds, and although I may not have 
 the right to call myself a friend, I am just as friendly 
 to you as if I was, and feel as ii people who have been 
 through what we have ought to stand by each other 
 even after they ve got through their hardest rubs. 
 Now, Mrs. Cliff, has anything happened to you? 
 Have you had any set-backs ? I know that this is a 
 mighty queer world, and that even the richest people 
 can often come down with a sudden thump, just as if 
 they had slipped on the ice." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff smiled. "Nothing has happened to me," 
 she said. "I have had no set-backs, and I am just as 
 rich to-day I should say a great deal richer than I 
 was on the day when Captain Horn made the division 
 of the treasure. But I know very well why you 
 thought something had happened to me. You did 
 not expect to find me living in this little house." 
 
 "No, by the Lord Harry, I didn t ! " exclaimed 
 Burke, slapping his knee. "You must excuse me, 
 Mrs. Cliff, for speaking out in that way, but really I 
 never was so much surprised as when I came into 
 your front yard. I thought I would find you in the 
 finest house in the place until you could have a stately 
 mansion built somewhere in the outskirts of the town, 
 where there would be room enough for a park. But 
 when I came to this house, I couldn t help thinking 
 that perhaps some beastly bank had broke, and that 
 your share of the golden business had been swept 
 away. Things like that do happen to women, you 
 
 48 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 know, and I suppose they always will. But I am 
 mighty glad to hear you are all right! 
 
 "But, as you have asked me to tell you my story, I 
 will make short work of it, and then I would like to 
 hear what has happened to you, as much as you please 
 to tell me about it. 
 
 "Now, when I got my money, Mrs. Cliff, which, when 
 compared to what your share must have been, was like 
 a dory to a three-mast schooner, but still quite enough 
 for me, and perhaps more than enough if a public 
 vote could be taken on the subject, I was in Paris, a 
 jolly place for a rich sailor, and I said to myself: 
 
 " Now, Mr. Burke/ said I, for I might as well begin 
 by using good manners, the general disposition of a 
 seafaring man with a lot of money is to go on a lark, 
 or perhaps a good many larks, and so get rid of it, 
 and then ship again before the mast for fourteen dol 
 lars per month, or thereabouts. 7 
 
 "But I made up my mind right there on the spot 
 that that sort of thing wouldn t suit me. The very 
 idea of shipping again on a merchant- vessel made the 
 blood run cold inside of me, and I swore to myself 
 that I wouldn t do it. 
 
 "To be sure, I wouldn t give up all notion of a lark. 
 A sailor with money and I don t believe there ever 
 was an able-bodied seaman with more money than I 
 had who doesn t lark, at least to some degree, has 
 no right to call himself a whole-souled mariner. So I 
 made up my mind to have one lark, and then stop." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff s countenance clouded. "I am sorry, Mr. 
 Burke," said she, "that you thought it necessary to do 
 that. I do hope you didn t go on one of those hor 
 riblesprees, do they call them?" 
 
 49 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 "Oh, no ! " interrupted Burke, "I didn t do anything 
 of that kindo If I d begun with a bottle, I d have 
 ended with nothing but a cork, and a badly burnt one 
 at that. No, ma am ! drinking isn t in my line. I 
 don t take anything of that sort, except at meals, and 
 then only the best wine in genteel quantities. But I 
 was bound to have one lark, and then I would stop, 
 and begin to live like a merchant tailor with no family 
 nor poor relations." 
 
 "But what did you do 1 " asked Mrs. Cliff. "If it was 
 a lark without liquor, I want to hear about it." 
 
 "It was a temperance lark, ma am," said Burke, 
 "and this is what it was. 
 
 "Now, though I have been to sea ever since I was 
 a boy, I never had command of any kind of craft, and 
 it struck me that I would like to finish up my life on 
 the ocean wave by taking command of a vessel. It is 
 generally understood that riches will give you any 
 thing you want, and I said to myself that my riches 
 should give me that. I didn t want a sailin - vessel. 
 I was tired of sailin - vessels. I wanted a steamer. And 
 when I commanded a steamer for a little while, I would 
 stop short, and be a landsman for the rest of my 
 life. 
 
 "So I went up to Brest, where I thought I might 
 find some sort of steamer which might suit me, and in 
 that harbor I did find an English steamer, which had 
 discharged her cargo, and was expectin to sail again, 
 pretty much in ballast and brandy, so far as I could 
 make out. I went to this vessel, and I made an offer 
 to her captain to charter her for an excursion of one 
 week that was all I wanted. 
 
 "Well, I m not going to bother you, Mrs. Cliff, with 
 
 50 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 all that was said and done about this little business, 
 which seemed simple enough, but which wasn t. 
 There are people in this world who think that if you 
 have money you can buy anything you want, but such 
 people might as well get ready to change their opin 
 ions if they ever expect to come into money." 
 
 "That is true," said Mrs. Cliff. "Every word of it 
 is true, as I have found out for myself ! " 
 
 "Well," continued Burke, "there had to be a lot 
 of telegraphin to the owners in London, and a general 
 fuss with the officers of the port about papers, and all 
 that, but I got the business through all right, for if 
 money won t get you everything, it s a great help in 
 making things slip along easy. And so one fine after 
 noon I found myself on board that steamer as com 
 mander for one week. 
 
 "Of course, I didn t want to give orders to the 
 crew, but I intended to give my orders to the captain, 
 and tell him what he was to do, and what he was not 
 to do, for one week. He didn t like that very much, 
 for he was inclined to bulldogism, but I paid him 
 extra wages, and he agreed to knuckle under to me. 
 
 "So I gave him orders to sail out of the harbor and 
 straight to the island of Ushant, some twenty-five miles 
 to the west of northwest. 
 
 111 There s no use going there, said the captain his 
 name was Dork. ( There s nothing on that blasted bit 
 of rock for you to see. There s no port I could run 
 this steamer into. 
 
 "I had been studying out my business on the chart, 
 and this little island just suited my idea, and though 
 the name was Ushant, I said to him, { You shall, and 
 I ordered him to sail to that island and lay to a mile or 
 
 51 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 two to the westward, and as to the landing, he needn t 
 talk about that until I mentioned it myself. 
 
 "So when we got about a couple of miles to the 
 west of Ushant, we lay to. Now, I knew we were on 
 the forty-eighth parallel of latitude, for I had looked 
 that out on the chart, so I said to Captain Dork : 
 
 " Now, sir! says I, I want you to head your 
 vessel, sir, due west, and then to steam straight ahead 
 for a hundred miles, keepin your vessel just as near 
 as you can on that line of latitude. " 
 
 "I see ! " said Mrs. Cliff, very much interested. "If 
 he once got on that line of latitude, and kept sailing 
 west without turning one way or the other, he would 
 be bound to keep on it." 
 
 "That s exactly it!" said Mr. Burke. " Twas 
 pretty near midnight when we started off to run along 
 the forty-eighth parallel, but I kept my eyes on the 
 man at the wheel, and on the compass, and I let them 
 know that that ship was under the command of an 
 able-bodied seaman who knew what he was about, and 
 if they skipped to one side of that line or to the other 
 he would find it out in no time. 
 
 "I went below once to take a nap, but, as I promised 
 the fellow at the wheel ten shillings if he would keep 
 her head due west, and told him he would be sure to 
 wake me up if he didn t, I felt certain we wouldn t 
 skip the line of latitude. 
 
 "Well, that steamer, which was called the Duke of 
 Dorchester, and which was a vessel of not more than a 
 thousand tons, wasn t much of a sailer, or perhaps 
 they was saving coal, I don t know which, and, not 
 knowing how much coal ought to be used, I kept my 
 mouth shut on that point. But I had the log thrown 
 
 52 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 a good deal, and I found that we never quite came 
 up to ten knots an hour, and when we took an obser 
 vation at noon the next day, we saw that we hadn t 
 quite done the hundred miles ; but a little before one 
 o clock we did it, and then I ordered the captain to 
 stop the engine and lay to. 
 
 "There was a brig about a mile away, and when 
 she saw us layin to, she put about and made for us, 
 and when she was near enough she hailed to know if 
 anything was the matter. She was a French brig, but 
 Captain Dork understood her, and I told him to bid 
 her good morning, and to tell her that nothin was 
 the matter, but that we were just stoppin to rest. I 
 don t know what he did tell her, but she put about 
 her helm and was off again on her own business. 
 
 " Now, said I to Captain Dork, <I want you to back 
 this steamer due east to the island of Ushant. 
 
 "He looked at me and began to swear. He took me 
 for a maniac, a wild, crazy man, and told me the best 
 thing I could do would be to go below and turn in, 
 and he would take me back to my friends, if I had 
 any. 
 
 "I didn t want to tell him what I was up to, but I 
 found I had to, and so I explained to him that I was 
 a rich sailor takin a lark, and the lark I wanted to 
 take was to sail on a parallel of latitude a hundred 
 miles in a steamer, and then to back that steamer 
 along that same parallel to the place where she started 
 from. I didn t believe that there was ever a ship in 
 the world that had done that, and bein on a lark, I 
 wanted to do it, and was willin to pay for it ; and if 
 his engineers and his crew grumbled about backing 
 the steamer for a hundred miles, he could explain to 
 
 53 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 them how the matter stood, and tell them that, bein> 
 on a lark, I was willin to pay for all extra trouble I 
 might put them to, and for any disturbances in their 
 minds which might rise from sailin a vessel in a way 
 which didn t seem to be accordin to the ordinary rules 
 of navigation. 
 
 "Now, when Captain Dork knew that I was a rich 
 sailor on a lark, he understood me, and he made no 
 more objections, though he said he wouldn t have 
 spent his money in that way ; and when he told his 
 crew and his engineers and men about the extra pay, 
 they understood the matter, and they agreed to back 
 her along the forty-eighth parallel just as nigh as they 
 could until they lay to two miles west of the island of 
 Ushant. 
 
 "So back we went, and they kept her due east just 
 as nigh as they could, and they seemed to take an 
 interest in it, as if all of them wanted me to have as 
 good a lark as I could for my money, and we didn t 
 skip that parallel very much, although it wasn t an 
 easy job, I can tell you, to keep her head due west 
 and her stern due east, and steam backwards. They 
 had to do a lot of things that you wouldn t understand, 
 madam, such as running a spar out to stern to take 
 sight by." 
 
 "I declare," said Mrs. Cliff, "that sort of sailing 
 must have astonished any ship that saw it. Did you 
 meet any other vessels ? " 
 
 "Oh, yes," said Burke. "After daybreak we fell in 
 with a good many sail and some steamers, and most of 
 them ran close and hailed us, but there wasn t any 
 answer to give them, except that we were returning 
 to port, and didn t want no help. But some of the 
 
 54 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 skippers of the smaller crafts were so full of curiosity 
 that they stuck to us, and when we arrived off Ushant, 
 which wasn t until nearly dark the next day, the Diike 
 of Dorchester had a convoy of five sloops, two schoon 
 ers, a brig, eight pilot-boats, and four tugs. 7 
 
 Although Mr. Burke had said that he was going to 
 make very short work with his story, it had already 
 occupied a good deal of time, and he was not half 
 through with it 5 but Mrs. Cliff listened with the 
 greatest interest, and the rich sailor went on with his 
 recital of adventures. 
 
 "Now, when I had finished scoring that forty-eighth 
 parallel backward and forward for a hundred miles, I 
 took out my purse and I paid that captain and all the 
 crew what I promised to give them, and then we 
 steamed back to Brest, where I told him to drop an 
 chor and make himself comfortable. 
 
 "I stayed on board for a day and a night, just to get 
 my fill feeling I was in command of a steamer, before 
 I gave up a seafaring life forever. I threw up the 
 rest of the week that I was entitled to, and went 
 ashore, and my lark was over. 
 
 "I went to England and took passage for home, and 
 I had a first-class state-room, and laid in a lot of good 
 clothes before I started. I don t think I ever had 
 greater comfort in my life than sittin on deck, 
 smokin 7 a good cigar, and watchin the able-bodied 
 seamen at their work. 
 
 "I hope I m not tiring you, madam, but I m trying 
 to cut things as short as I can. It s often said that a 
 sailor is all at sea when he is on shore, but I was a 
 country fellow before I was a sailor, and land doings 
 come naturally to me when I fix my mind on them. 
 
 55 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "I d made up my mind I was going to build my 
 mother a house on Cape Cod, but when I got home 1 
 thought it better to buy her one already built, and 
 that s what I did, and I stayed there with her a little 
 while, but I didn t like it. I d had a notion of having 
 another house near my mother s, but I gave up that. 
 There s too much sea about Cape Cod. 
 
 "Now, she liked it, for she s a regular sailor s 
 mother, but I couldn t feel that I was really a rich 
 fellow livin ashore until I got out of hearin of the 
 ocean, and out of smellin of salt and tar. So I made 
 up my mind that I d go inland, and settle somewhere 
 on a place of my own, where I might have command 
 of some sort of farm. 
 
 "I didn t know just exactly what I wanted, nor just 
 exactly where I wanted to go, so I thought it best to 
 look around a little and hold council with somebody 
 or other. I couldn t hold council with my mother, 
 because she wanted me to buy a ship and take com 
 mand of her. And then I thought of Captain Horn, 
 and goin to ask him. But the captain is a great 
 man" 
 
 "Indeed, he is ! " exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. "We all 
 know that ! " 
 
 "But he is off on his own business," continued 
 Burke, "and what sort of a princely concern he s got 
 on hand I don t know. Anyway, he wouldn t want 
 me followin him about and botherin him. So I 
 thought of everybody I could, and at last it struck me 
 that there wasn t anybody better than you, Mrs. Cliff, 
 to give me the points I wanted, for I always liked you, 
 Mrs. Cliff, and I consider you a woman of good sense 
 down to the keel. And as I heard you were livin iu 
 
 56 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 sort of a country place, I thought you d be the very 
 person that I could come and talk to and get points. 
 
 "I felt a hankering anyway, after some of the old 
 people of the Castor ; for, after having had all that 
 money divided among us, it made me feel as if we 
 belonged to the same family. I suppose that was one 
 reason why I felt a sort of drawing to you, you know. 
 Anyway, I knew where you lived, and I came right 
 here, and arrived this morning. After I d taken a 
 room at the hotel, I asked for your house and came 
 straight here." 
 
 "And very glad am I to see you, Mr. Burke ! " said 
 Mrs. Cliff, speaking honestly from the bottom of her 
 heart. 
 
 She had not known Burke very well, but she had 
 always looked upon him as a fine, manly sailor ; and 
 now that he had come to her, she was conscious of the 
 family feeling which he had spoken of, and she was 
 very glad to see him. 
 
 She saw that Burke was very anxious to know why 
 she was living in a plain fashion in this unpretentious 
 house, but she found it would be very difficult to ex 
 plain the matter to him. Hers was not a straightfor 
 ward tale, which she could simply sit and tell, and, 
 moreover, although she liked Burke, and thought it 
 probable that he was a man of a very good heart, she 
 did not believe that he was capable of advising her in 
 the perplexities which her wealth had thrown about 
 her. 
 
 Still, she talked to him, and told him what she 
 thought she could make him properly understand, and 
 so, from one point to another, she went on until she 
 had given the ex-sailor a very good idea of the state 
 
 57 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 of her mind in regard to what she was doing, and 
 what she thought she ought to do. 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff had finished speaking, Burke thrust 
 his hands into his pockets, leaned back in his chair, 
 and looked at the ceiling of the room, the walls, and 
 the floor. He wanted to say something, but he was 
 not prepared to do so. His mind, still nautical, desired 
 to take an observation and determine the latitude and 
 longitude of Mrs. Cliff, but the skies were very much 
 overcast. 
 
 At this moment Willy Croup knocked at the parlor 
 door, and when Mrs. Cliff went to her, she asked if the 
 gentleman was going to stay to dinner. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was surprised. She had no idea it was so 
 late, but she went back to Mr. Burke and urged him 
 to stay to dinner. He consented instantly, declaring 
 that this was the first time that anybody not his 
 mother had asked him to dinner since he came into 
 his fortune. 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff had excused herself to give some 
 directions about the meal, Burke walked about the 
 parlor, carefully examining everything in it. When 
 he had finished his survey, he sat down and shook his 
 head. 
 
 "The trouble with her is," he said to himself, "that 
 she s so dreadfully afraid of running ashore that she 
 will never reach any port, that s what s the matter ! " 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff returned, she asked her visitor if 
 he would like to see her house, and she showed him 
 over it with great satisfaction, for she had filled every 
 room with all the handsome and appropriate things she 
 could get into it. Burke noticed everything, and 
 spoke with approbation of many things, but as he 
 
 58 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 walked behind his hostess, he kept shaking his 
 head. 
 
 He went down to dinner, and was introduced to 
 Willy Croup, who had been ordered to go and dress 
 herself, that she might appear at the meal. He shook 
 hands with her very cordially, and then looked all 
 around the little dining-room, taking in every feature 
 of its furnishing and adornment. When he had fin 
 ished, he would have been glad to shake his head again, 
 but this would have been observed. 
 
 When the dinner came on, however, Mr. Burke had 
 no desire to shake his head. It was what might have 
 been called a family dinner, but there was such a 
 variety, such an abundance, everything was so admi 
 rably cooked, and the elderberry wine, which was pro 
 duced in his honor, was so much more rich and fragrant 
 to his taste than the wines he had had at hotels, that 
 Mr. Burke was delighted. 
 
 Now he felt that in forming an opinion as to Mrs. 
 Cliffs manner of living he had some grounds to stand 
 upon. a What she wants," thought he, "is all the 
 solid, sensible comfort her money can give her, and 
 where she knows what she wants, she gets it. But the 
 trouble seems to be that in most things she doesn t 
 know what she wants ! " 
 
 When Mr. Burke, that afternoon, walked back to the 
 hotel, wrapped in his fur-trimmed coat, and carefully 
 puffing a fine Havana cigar, he had entirely forgotten 
 his own plans and purposes in life, and was engrossed 
 in those of Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 59 
 
CHAPTER YII 
 
 ME. BURKE ACCEPTS A RESPONSIBILITY 
 
 WILLY CROUP was very much pleased with Mr. Burke, 
 and she was glad that she had allowed herself to be 
 persuaded to sit at table with such a fine gentleman. 
 
 He treated her with extreme graciousness of man 
 ner, and it was quite plain to her that if he recognized 
 her in her silk gown as the person who, in a calico 
 dress, had opened the front door for him, he had de 
 termined to make her feel that he had not noticed 
 the coincidence. 
 
 He was a good deal younger than she was, but 
 "Willy s childlike disposition had projected itself into 
 her maturer years, and in some respects there was a 
 greater sympathy, quickly perceived by both, between 
 her and Mr. Burke than yet existed between him and 
 Mrs. Cliff. After some of the amusing anecdotes which 
 he told, the visitor looked first toward Willy to see 
 how she appreciated them ; but it must not be sup 
 posed that he was not extremely attentive and deferen 
 tial to his hostess. 
 
 If Willy had known what a brave, gallant, and dar 
 ing sailor he was, she would have made a hero of him ; 
 but Mrs. Cliff had never said much about Burke, and 
 
 60 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Willy simply admired him as the best specimen of the 
 urbane man of the world with whom she had yet met. 
 
 The two women talked a good deal about their 
 visitor that evening, and Mrs. Cliff said that she hoped 
 he was not going to leave town very soon, for it was 
 possible that she might be of help to him if he wanted 
 to settle down in that part of the country. 
 
 The next morning, soon after breakfast, when Willy 
 opened the front gate of the yard and stepped out 
 upon the street with a small covered basket in her 
 hand, she had gone but a very little distance when she 
 met Mr. Burke, with his furs, his cane, and his silk 
 hat. The latter was lifted very high as its owner 
 saluted Miss Croup. 
 
 Willy, who was of a fair complexion, reddened 
 somewhat as she shook hands with the gentleman, 
 informed him, in answer to his questions, that Mrs. 
 Cliff was very well, that she was very well, that the 
 former was at home and would be glad to see him, 
 and that she herself was going into the business part 
 of the town to make some little purchases. 
 
 She would have been better pleased if she had not 
 been obliged to tell him where she was going, but she 
 could not do otherwise when he said he supposed she 
 was walking for the benefit of the fresh morning air. 
 He added to her discomfiture by requesting to be 
 allowed to walk with her, and by offering to carry 
 her basket. This threw Willy s mind into a good 
 deal of a flutter. Why could she not have met this 
 handsomely dressed gentleman sometime when she 
 was not going to the grocery store to buy such things 
 as stove -blacking and borax? It seemed to her as if 
 these commodities must suggest, to the mind of any 
 
 61 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 one, rusty iron and obtrusive insects, and as articles 
 altogether outside the pale of allusion in high-toned 
 social intercourse. 
 
 It also struck her as a little odd that a gentleman 
 should propose to accompany a lady when she was 
 going on domestic errands ; but then, this gentleman 
 was different from any she had known, and there were 
 many ways of the world with which she was not at all 
 acquainted. 
 
 Mr. Burke immediately began to speak of the visit 
 of the day before. He had enjoyed seeing Mrs. Cliff 
 again, and he had never sat down to a better dinner. 
 
 "Yes," said Willy, "she likes good eatin , and she 
 knows what it is, and if she had a bigger dining-room 
 she would often invite people to dinner, and I expect 
 the house would be quite lively, as she seems more 
 given to company than she used to be, and that s all 
 right, considerin she s better able to afford it." 
 
 Mr. Burke took a deep, satisfied breath. The op 
 portunity had already come to him to speak his mind. 
 
 "Afford it ! " said he. "I should think so ! Mrs. 
 Cliff must be very rich. She is worth, I should say 
 well, I don t know what to say, not knowing exactly 
 and precisely what each person got when the grand 
 division was made." 
 
 Willy s loyalty to Mrs. Cliff prompted her to put 
 her in as good a light as possible before this man of 
 the world, and her own self-esteem prompted her to 
 show that, being a friend and relative of this rich lady, 
 she was not ignorant of her affairs in life. 
 
 "Oh, she s rich!" said Willy. "I can t say, of 
 course, just how much she has, but I m quite sure 
 that she owns at least" 
 
 62 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Willy wished to put the amount of the fortune at 
 one hundred thousand dollars, but she was a little 
 afraid that this might be too much, and yet she did 
 not wish to make the amount any smaller than could 
 possibly be helped. So she thought of seventy-five, 
 and then eighty, and finally remarked that Mrs. Cliff 
 must be worth at least ninety thousand dollars. Mr. 
 Burke looked up at the sky and wanted to whistle. 
 
 a Ninety thousand dollars ! " he said to himself. "I 
 know positively that it was at least four millions at 
 the time of the division, and she says she s richer now 
 than she was then, which is easy to be accounted for 
 by the interest coming in. I see her game ! She 
 wants to keep shady about her big fortune because 
 her neighbors would expect her to live up to it, 
 and she knows it isn t in her to live up to it. Now 
 I m beginning to see through the fog." 
 
 "It seems to me," said he, "that Mrs. Cliff ought to 
 have a bigger dining-room." 
 
 This remark pulled up the flood-gate to Willy s ac 
 cumulated sentiments on the subject, and they poured 
 forth in a rushing stream. 
 
 Yes, indeed, Mrs. Cliff ought to have a bigger din 
 ing-room, and other rooms to the house, and there 
 was the front fence, and no end of things she ought to 
 have, and it was soon made clear to Mr. Burke that 
 Willy had been lying awake at night thinking, and 
 thinking, and thinking about what Mrs. Cliff ought to 
 have and what she did not have. She said she really 
 and honestly believed that there was no reason at all 
 why she did not have them, except that she did not 
 want to seem to be setting herself up above her neigh 
 bors. In fact, Mrs. Cliff had told Willy two or three 
 
 63 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 times, when there had been a discussion about prices, 
 that she was able to do anything she wanted, and if 
 she could do that, why did she not do it? People 
 were all talking about it, and they had talked and 
 talked her fortune down until in some families it was 
 not any more than ten thousand dollars. 
 
 On and on talked Willy, while Mr. Burke said 
 scarcely a word, but he listened with the greatest 
 attention. They had now walked on until they had 
 reached the main street of the little town, gone 
 through the business part where the shops were, and 
 out into the suburbs. Suddenly Willy stopped. 
 
 "Oh, dear ! " she exclaimed, "I ve gone too far ! I 
 was so interested in talking that I didn t think." 
 
 "I m sorry," said Mr. Burke, "that I ve taken you 
 out of your way. Can t I get you what you want and 
 save you the trouble ? " 
 
 Now Willy was in another flutter. After the walk 
 with the fur-trimmed coat, and the talk about dollars 
 by thousands and tens of thousands, she could not 
 come down to mention borax and blacking. 
 
 "Oh, no, thank you ! " said she, trying her best to 
 think of some other errand than the one she had come 
 upon. "I don t believe it s finished yet, and it s 
 hardly worth while to stop. There was one of those 
 big cushion-covers that she brought from Paris that 
 was to be filled with down, but I don t believe it s 
 ready yet, and I needn t stop." 
 
 Mr. Burke could not but think it a little odd that 
 such a small basket should be brought for the purpose 
 of carrying home a large down cushion, but he said 
 nothing further on the subject. He had had a most 
 gratifying conversation with this communicative and 
 
 64 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 agreeable person, and his interest in Mrs. Cliff was 
 greatly increased. 
 
 When he neared the hotel, he took leave of his com 
 panion, saying that he would call in the afternoon, 
 and Willy, after she had looked back and was sure he 
 was out of sight, slipped into the grocery store and got 
 her borax and blacking. 
 
 Mr. Burke called on Mrs. Cliff that afternoon, and 
 the next morning, and two or three times the day 
 after. They came to be very much interested in each 
 other, and Burke in his mind compared this elderly 
 friend with his mother, and not to the advantage of 
 the latter. 
 
 Burke s mother was a woman who would always 
 have her own way, and wanted advice and counsel 
 from no one, but Mrs. Cliff was a very different 
 woman. She was so willing to listen to what Burke 
 said, and his remarks were nearly always on the 
 subject of the proper expenditure of money, and ap 
 peared to attach so much importance to his opin 
 ions, that he began to feel that a certain responsibility, 
 not at all an unpleasant one, was forcing itself upon 
 him. 
 
 He did not think that he should try to constitute 
 himself her director, or even to assume the position of 
 professional suggester, but in an amateur way he sug 
 gested, and she, without any idea of depending upon 
 him for suggestions, found herself more and more in 
 clined to accept them as he continued to offer them. 
 
 She soon discovered that he was the only person in 
 Plainton who knew her real fortune, and this was a 
 bond of sympathy and union between them, and she 
 became aware that she had succeeded in impressing 
 
 65 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 him with her desire to live upon said fortune in such 
 a manner that it would not interfere with her friend 
 ships or associations, and her lifelong ideas of comfort 
 and pleasure. 
 
 The people of the town talked a great deal about the 
 fine gentleman at the hotel, but they knew he was one 
 of the people who had become rich in consequence 
 of Captain Horn s discovery, and some of them, good 
 friends of Mrs. Cliff, felt sorry that she had not prof 
 ited to as great a degree by that division as this gen 
 tleman of opulent taste, who occupied two of the 
 best rooms in the hotel, and obliged Mr. "Williams to 
 send to Harrington, and even to Boston, for provisions 
 suitable to his epicurean tastes, and who drove around 
 the country with a carriage and pair at least once a 
 day. 
 
 When Burke was ready to make his suggestions, he 
 thought he would begin in a mild fashion, and see how 
 Mrs. Cliff would take them. 
 
 "If I was in your place, madam," said he, "the first 
 thing I would do would be to have a lot of servants. 
 There s nothin money can give a person that s better 
 than plenty of people to do things lots of them on 
 hand all the time, like the crew of a ship." 
 
 "But I couldn t do that, Mr. Burke," said she. "My 
 house is too small. I haven t any place for servants 
 to sleep. When I enlarge my house, of course, I may 
 have more servants." 
 
 "Oh, I wouldn t wait for that," said he. "Until then 
 you could board them at the hotel." 
 
 This suggestion was strongly backed by Willy 
 Croup, and Mrs. Cliff took the matter to heart. She 
 collected together a domestic establishment of as many 
 
 66 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 servants as she thought her establishment could pos 
 sibly provide with work, and although she did not 
 send them to be guests at the hotel, she obtained 
 lodging for them at the house of a poor woman in the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 When she had done this, she felt that she had made 
 a step in the direction of doing her duty by her 
 money. 
 
 Mr. Burke made another suggestion. "If I was 
 you," said he, "I wouldn t wait for times or seasons, 
 for in these days people build in winter the same as in 
 summer. I would put up that addition just as soon 
 as it could be done." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff sighed. "I suppose that s what I should 
 do," said she. "I feel that it is. But you know how I 
 hate to begin it." 
 
 "But you needn t hate it," said he. "There isn t 
 the least reason in the world for any objection to it. 
 I ve a plan which will make it all clear sailin . I ve 
 been thinkin it out, and this is the way I ve thought 
 it." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff listened with great attention. 
 
 "Now, then," said Burke, "next to you on the west 
 is your own lot that you re going to put your new 
 dining-room on. Am I right there ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Mrs. Cliff, "you are right there." 
 
 "Well, next to that is the little house inhabited by 
 a family named Barnard, I m told, and next to that 
 there s a large corner lot with an old house on it that s 
 for sale. Now, then, if I was you, I d buy that corner 
 lot, and clear away the old house, and I d build my 
 dining-room right there. I d get a good architect, and 
 let him plan you a first-class, A No. 1 dining-room, 
 
 67 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 with other rooms to it above it and below it and 
 around it, with porticos, and piazzas, and little bal 
 conies to the second story, and everything that any 
 body might want attached to a first-class dining- 
 
 room." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff laughed. "But what good would it be 
 to me away up there at the corner of the next 
 street?" 
 
 "The reason for putting it there," said Burke, "is to 
 get clear of all the noise and dirt of building, and the 
 fuss and bother, that you dislike so much. And then, 
 when it was all finished, and painted and papered, 
 and the carpets down, if you like, I d have it moved 
 right up here against your house, just where you want 
 it. When everything was in order, and you was 
 ready, you could cut a door right through into the 
 new dining-room, and there you d be. They ve got so 
 in the way of slidin buildings along on timbers now 
 that they can travel about almost like the old stage 
 coaches, and you needn t have your cellar dug until 
 you re ready to clap your new dining-room right 
 over it." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff smiled, and Willy listened with open 
 eyes. "But how about the Barnard family and their 
 house ? " said she. 
 
 "Oh, I d buy them a lot somewhere else," said he, 
 "and move their house. They wouldn t object if you 
 paid them extra. What I d have if I was in your 
 place, Mrs. Cliff, would be a clear lot down to the 
 next street, and I d have a garden in it, with flowers, 
 and gravel walks, and greenhouses, and all that sort 
 of thing." 
 
 "All stretching itself out in the sunshine under the 
 68 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 new dining-room windows ! " cried "Willy Croup, with 
 sparkling eyes. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff sat and considered, a cheerful glow in her 
 veins. Here, really, was an opportunity of stemming 
 the current of her income without shocking any of her 
 social instincts ! 
 
CHAPTEK VIII 
 
 MB. BURKE BEGINS TO MAKE THINGS 
 MOVE IN PLAINTON 
 
 IT was not long before Mr. Burke began to be a very 
 important personage in Plainton. It was generally 
 known that he intended to buy land and settle in the 
 neighborhood, and as he was a rich man ; evidently 
 inclined to be liberal in his expenditures, this was a 
 matter of great interest both in social and business 
 circles. 
 
 He often drove out to survey the surrounding coun 
 try, but when he was perceived several times standing 
 in front of an old house at the corner of the street near 
 Mrs. Cliff s residence, it was supposed that he might 
 have changed his mind in regard to a country place, 
 and was thinking of building in the town. 
 
 He was not long considered a stranger in the place. 
 Mrs. Cliff frequently spoke of him as a valued friend, 
 and there was reason to believe that, in the various 
 adventures and dangers of which they had fteard, 
 Mr. Burke had been of great service to their old 
 friend and neighbor, aad it was not unlikely that his 
 influence had had a good deal to do with her receipt 
 
 70 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 of a portion of the treasure discovered by the com 
 mander of the expedition. 
 
 Several persons had said more than once that they 
 could not see why Mrs. Cliff should have had any 
 claim upon this treasure, except, perhaps, to the ex 
 tent of her losses. But if she had had a friend in 
 camp, and Mr. Burke was certainly a friend, it was 
 easy to understand why he would do the best he could, 
 at a time when money was so plenty, for the benefit 
 of one whom he knew to be a widow in straitened 
 circumstances. 
 
 So Mr. Burke was looked upon not only as a man of 
 wealth and superior tastes in regard to food and per 
 sonal comfort, but as a man of a liberal and generous 
 disposition. Furthermore, there was no pride about 
 him. Often, on his return from his drives, his barouche 
 and pair, which Mr. Williams had obtained in Har 
 rington for his guest s express benefit, would stop in 
 front of Mrs. ClifFs modest residence, and two or 
 three times he had taken that good lady and Willy 
 Croup to drive with him. 
 
 But Mrs. Cliff did not care very much for the ba 
 rouche. She would have preferred a little phaeton 
 and a horse which she could drive herself. As for 
 her horse and the two-seated wagon, that was declared 
 by most of the ladies of the town to be a piece of ab 
 solute extravagance. It was used almost exclusively 
 by Willy, who was known to deal with shops in the 
 most distant part of the town in order that she might 
 have an excuse, it was said, to order out that wagon 
 and have Andrew Marks to drive her. 
 
 Of course, they did not know how often Mrs. Cliff 
 had said to herself that it was really not a waste of 
 
 71 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 snoney to keep this horse, for Willy was no longer 
 young, and if she could save her any weary steps, she 
 ought to do it, and at the same time relieve a little 
 the congested state of her income. 
 
 Mr. Burke was not of an unknown family. He 
 was quite willing to talk about himself, especially 
 to Mr. Williams, as they sat and smoked together in 
 the evening, and he said a good deal about his father, 
 who had owned two ships at Nantucket, and who, 
 according to his son, was one of the most influential 
 citizens of the place. 
 
 Mr. Williams had heard of the Burkes of Nan- 
 tucket, and he did not think any the less of the one 
 who was now his guest, because his father s ships had 
 come to grief during his boyhood, and he had been 
 obliged to give up a career on shore, which he would 
 have liked, and go to sea, which he did not like. A 
 brave spirit in poverty, coupled with a liberal disposi 
 tion in opulence, was enough to place Mr. Burke on a 
 very high plane in the opinions of the people of 
 Plainton. 
 
 Half a mile outside the town, upon a commanding 
 eminence, there was a handsome house which belonged 
 to a family named Buskirk. These people were really 
 not of Plainton, although their post- office and railroad 
 station were there. They were rich city people who 
 came to this country place for the summer and au 
 tumn, and who had nothing to do with the town folks, 
 except in a limited degree to deal with some of them. 
 
 This family lived in great style, and their coachman 
 and footman in knee-breeches, their handsome horses 
 with docked tails, the beautiful grounds about their 
 house, a feebly shooting fountain on the front lawn, 
 
 72 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 were a source of anxious disquietude in the mind of 
 Mrs. Cliff. They were like the skeletons which were 
 brought in at the feasts of the ancients. 
 
 "If I should ever be obliged to live like the Bus- 
 kirks on the hill," the good lady would say to herself r 
 "I would wish myself back to what I used to be, ask 
 ing only that my debts be paid." 
 
 Even the Buskirks took notice of Mr. Burke. In 
 him they thought it possible they might have a neigh 
 bor. If he should buy a place and build a fine house 
 somewhere in their vicinity, which they thought the 
 only vicinity in which any one should build a fine 
 house, it might be a very good thing, and would cer 
 tainly not depreciate the value of their property. A 
 wealthy bachelor might, indeed, be a more desirable 
 neighbor than a large family. 
 
 The Buskirks had been called upon when they 
 came to Plainton, a few years before, by several fami 
 lies. Of course, the clergyman, Mr. Perley, and his wife, 
 paid them a visit, and the two Misses Thorpdyke 
 hired a carriage and drove to the house, and, although 
 they did not see the family, they left their cards. 
 
 After some time these and other calls were returned, 
 but in the most ceremonious manner, and there ended 
 the social intercourse between the fine house on the 
 hill and the town. 
 
 As the Buskirks drove to Harrington to church, 
 they did not care about the Perleys, and although 
 they seemed somewhat inclined to cultivate the 
 Thorpdykes, who were known to be of such an excel 
 lent old family, the Thorpdykes did not reciprocate 
 the feeling, and, having declined an invitation to tea, 
 received no more. 
 
 73 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 But now Mr. Buskirk, who had come up on Satur 
 day to spend Sunday with his family, actually called 
 on Mr. Burke at the hotel. The wealthy sailor was 
 not at home, and the city gentleman left his card. 
 
 When Mr. Burke showed this card to Mrs. Cliff, her 
 face clouded. "Are you going to return the visit?" 
 said she. 
 
 "Oh, yes ! " answered Burke. "Some of these days 
 I will drive up and look in on them. I expect they 
 have got a fancy parlor, and I would like to sit in it 
 awhile and think of the days when I used to swab the 
 deck. There s nothin more elevating to my mind, 
 than just that sort of thing. I do it sometimes when I 
 am eatin my meals at the hotel, and the better I can 
 bring to mind the bad coffee and hardtack, the better 
 I like what s set before me." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff sighed. She wished Mr. Buskirk had kept 
 away from the hotel. 
 
 As soon as Mrs. Cliff had consented to the erection 
 of the new dining-room on the corner lot, and she 
 did not hesitate after Mr. Burke had explained to her 
 how easy it would be to do the whole thing almost 
 without her knowing anything about it, if she did not 
 want to bother herself in the matter, the enterprise 
 was begun. 
 
 Burke, who was of an active mind, and who de 
 lighted in managing and directing, undertook to ar 
 range everything. There was no agreement between 
 Mrs. Cliff and himself that he should do this, but it 
 pleased him so much to do it, and it pleased her so 
 much to have him do it, that it was done as a thing 
 which might be expected to happen naturally. 
 
 Sometimes she said he was giving her too much of 
 74 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 his time, but lie scorned such an idea. He had noth 
 ing to do, for he did not believe that he should buy 
 a place for himself until spring, because he wanted to 
 pick out a spot to live in when the leaves were coming 
 out instead of when they were dropping off, and the 
 best fun he knew of would be to have command of a 
 big crew, and to keep them at work building Mrs. 
 Cliff s dining-room. 
 
 "I should be glad to have you attend to the con 
 tracts," said Mrs. Cliff, "and all I ask is that, while 
 you don t waste anything, for I think it is a sin to 
 waste money, no matter how much you may have, 
 you will help me as much as you can to make me feel 
 that I really am making use of my income." 
 
 Burke agreed to do all this, always under her ad 
 vice, of course, and very soon he had his crew, and 
 they were hard at work. He sent to Harrington and 
 employed an architect to make plans, and as soon as 
 the general basis of these was agreed upon, the build 
 ing was put in charge of a contractor, who, under Mr. 
 Burke, began to collect material and workmen from 
 all available quarters. 
 
 ""We ve got to work sharp, for the new building 
 must be moored alongside Mrs. Cliff s house before the 
 first snow-storm." 
 
 A lawyer of Plainton undertook the purchase of the 
 land, and as the payments were to be made in cash, 
 and as there was no chaffering about prices, this busi 
 ness was soon concluded. 
 
 As to the Barnard family, Mr. Burke himself under 
 took negotiations with them. When he had told them 
 of the handsome lot on another street which would be 
 given them in exchange, and how he would gently 
 
 75 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 slide their house to the new location, and put it down 
 on any part of the lot which they might choose, and 
 guaranteed that it should be moved so gently that the 
 clocks would not stop ticking, nor the tea or coffee 
 spill out of their cups, if they chose to take their 
 meals on board during the voyage, and as, further 
 more, he promised a handsome sum to recompense 
 them for the necessity of leaving behind their well, 
 which he could not undertake to move, and for any 
 minor inconveniences and losses, their consent to the 
 change of location was soon obtained. 
 
 Four days after this Burke started the Barnard 
 house on its travels. As soon as he had made his 
 agreement with the family, he had brought a man 
 down from Harrington whose business it was to move 
 houses, and had put the job into his hands. He stipu 
 lated that at 1 P. M. on the day agreed upon the house 
 was to begin to move, and he arranged with the mason 
 to whom he had given the contract for preparing the 
 cellar on the new lot, that he should begin operations 
 at the same hour. 
 
 He then offered a reward of two hundred dollars to 
 be given to the mover if he got his house to its desti 
 nation before the cellar was done, or to the mason if he 
 finished the cellar before the house arrived. 
 
 The Barnards had an early dinner, which was cooked 
 on a kerosene stove, their chimney having been taken 
 down, but they had not finished washing the dishes 
 when their house began to move. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff and Willy ran to bid them good-by, and 
 all the Barnards, old and young, leaned out of a back 
 window and shook hands. 
 
 Mr. Burke had arranged a sort of gang-plank with 
 
 76 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 a railing, if any of them wanted to go on shore that 
 is, step on terra firma during the voyage. But 
 Samuel Kolands, the mover, heedful of his special 
 prize, urged upon them not to get out any oftener 
 than could be helped, because when they wished to 
 use the gang-plank he would be obliged to stop. 
 
 There were two boys in the family, who were able to 
 jump off and on whenever they pleased j but boys are 
 boys, and very different from other people. 
 
 Houses had been moved in Plainton before, but 
 never had any inhabitants of the place beheld a build 
 ing glide along upon its timber course with, speaking 
 comparatively, the rapidity of this travelling home. 
 
 Most of the citizens of the place who had leisure 
 came at some time that afternoon to look at the mov 
 ing house, and many of them walked by its side, 
 talking to the Barnards, who, as the sun was warm, 
 stood at an open window, very much excited by the 
 spirit of adventure, and quite willing to converse. 
 
 Over and over they assured their neighbors that 
 they would never know they were moving if they did 
 not see the trees and things slowly passing by them. 
 
 As they crossed the street and passed between two 
 houses on the opposite side, the inhabitants of these 
 gathered at their windows, and the conversation was 
 very lively with the Barnards, as the house of the 
 latter passed slowly by. 
 
 All night that house moved on, and the young 
 people of the village accompanied it until eleven 
 o clock, when the Barnards went to bed. 
 
 Mr. Burke divided his time between watching the 
 moving house at which all the men who could be em 
 ployed in any way, and all the horses which could be 
 
 77 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 conveniently attached to the windlasses, were working 
 in watches of four hours each, in order to keep them 
 fresh and vigorous and the lot where the new cellar 
 was being constructed, where the masons continued 
 their labors at night, by the light of lanterns and a 
 blazing bonfire fed with resinous pine. 
 
 The excitement caused by these two scenes of activ 
 ity was such that it is probable that few of the people 
 of the town went to bed sooner than the Barnard 
 family. 
 
 Early the next morning the two Barnard boys looked 
 out of the window of their bedroom, and saw beneath 
 them the Hastings barn-yard, with the Hastings boy 
 milking. They were so excited by this vision that 
 they threw their shoes and stockings out at him, hav 
 ing no other missiles convenient, and for nearly half 
 an hour he followed that house, trying to toss the 
 articles back through the open window, while the cow 
 stood waiting for the milking to be finished. 
 
 On the evening of the third day after its departure 
 from its original position, the Barnard house arrived 
 on the new lot, and, to the disgust of Samuel Kolands, 
 he found the cellar entirely finished and ready for him 
 to place the house upon it. But Mr. Burke, who had 
 been quite sure that this would be the result of the 
 competition, comforted him by telling him that, as he 
 had done his best, he too should have a prize equal 
 to that given to the mason. This had been suggested 
 by Mrs. Cliff, because, she said, they were both hard 
 working men with families, and although the house- 
 mover was not a citizen of Plainton, he had once 
 lived there, and therefore she was very glad of this 
 opportunity of helping him along. 
 
 78 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 As soon as this important undertaking had been 
 finished, Mr. Burke was able to give his sole attention 
 to the new dining-room on the corner lot. He and 
 the architect had worked hard upon the plans, and 
 when they were finished they had been shown to Mrs. 
 Cliff. She understood them in a general way, and was 
 very glad to see that such ample provisions had been 
 made in regard to closets, though she was not able to 
 perceive with her mind s eye the exact dimensions of 
 a room nineteen by twenty-seven, nor to appreciate 
 the difference between a ceiling twelve feet high and 
 another which was nine. 
 
 However, having told Mr. Burke and the architect 
 what she wanted, and both of them having told her 
 what she ought to have, she determined to leave the 
 whole matter in their hands. This resolution was 
 greatly approved by her sailor friend, for, as the 
 object of the plan of construction was to relieve her 
 of all annoyance consequent upon building operations, 
 the more she left everything to those who delighted 
 in the turmoil of construction, the better it would be 
 for all. 
 
 Everything had been done in the plans to prevent 
 interference with the neatness and comfort of Mrs. 
 Cliff s present abode. The door of the new dining- 
 room was so arranged that when it was moved up to 
 the old house it would come against a door in the 
 latter which opened from a side hall upon a little 
 porch. This porch being removed, the two doors 
 would fit exactly to each other, and there would be 
 none of the dust and noise consequent upon the cut 
 ting away of walls. 
 
 So Mrs. Cliff and Willy lived on in peace, comfort, 
 79 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 and quiet in their old home, while on the corner lot 
 there was hammering, and banging, and sawing all 
 day. Mr. Burke would have had this work go on by 
 night, but the contractor refused. His men would 
 work extra hours in consideration of extra induce 
 ments, but good carpenter work, he declared, could 
 not be done by lantern-light. 
 
 The people of Plainton did not at all understand 
 the operations on the corner lot. Mr. Burke did not 
 tell them much about it, and the contractor was not 
 willing to talk. He had some doubts in regard to 
 the scheme, but as he was well paid, he would do his 
 best. It had been mentioned that the new building 
 was to be Mrs. Cliff s dining-room, but this idea soon 
 faded out of the Plainton mind, which was not adapted 
 to grasp and hold it. 
 
 Consequently, as Mr. Burke had a great deal to do 
 with the building, and as Mrs. Cliff did not appear to 
 be concerned in it at all, it was generally believed 
 that the gentleman at the hotel was putting up a 
 house for himself on the corner lot. This knowledge 
 was the only conclusion which would explain the fact 
 that the house was built upon smooth horizontal 
 timbers, and not upon a stone or brick foundation. 
 A man who had been a sailor might fancy to build a 
 liouse something as he would build a ship in a ship 
 yard, and not attach it permanently to the earth. 
 
 80 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 A MEETING OF HEIRS 
 
 WHILE the building operations were going on at such 
 a rapid rate on the corner lot, Mrs. Cliff tried to make 
 herself as happy as possible in her own home. She 
 liked having enough servants to do all the work, and 
 relieve both her and Willy. She liked to be able to 
 drive out when she wanted to ; or to invite a few of her 
 friends to dinner or to tea, and to give them the 
 very best the markets afforded of everything she 
 thought they might like. But she was not a satisfied 
 woman. 
 
 It was true that Mr. Burke was doing all that he 
 could with her money, and doing it well, she had not 
 the slightest doubt ; but, after all, a new dining-room 
 was a matter of small importance. She had fears that, 
 even after it was all finished and paid for, she would 
 find that her income had gained upon her. 
 
 As often as once a day the argument came to her 
 that it would be wise for her to give away the bulk 
 of her fortune in charity, and thus rid herself of the 
 necessity for this depressing struggle between her 
 desire to live as she wanted to live, and the obliga 
 tions to herself under which her fortune placed her. 
 
 81 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 But she could not consent to part thus with her great 
 fortune. She would not turn her back upon her 
 golden opportunities. As soon as she had so deter 
 mined her life that the assertion of her riches would 
 not interfere with her domestic and social affairs, she 
 would be charitable enough she would do good works 
 upon a large scale. But she must first determine what 
 she was to do for herself, and so let her charities begin 
 at home. 
 
 This undecided state of mind did not have a good 
 effect upon her general appearance, and it was fre 
 quently remarked that her health was not what it 
 used to be. Miss Nancy Shott thought there was 
 nothing to wonder at in this. Mrs. Cliff had never 
 been accustomed to spend money, and it was easy to 
 see, from the things she had bought abroad and put 
 into that little house, that she had expended a good 
 deal more than she could afford, and no wonder she 
 was troubled, and no wonder she was looking thin and 
 sick. 
 
 Other friends, however, did not entirely agree with 
 Miss Shott. They thought their old friend was 
 entirely too sensible a woman to waste a fortune, 
 whether it had been large or small, which had come 
 to her in so wonderful a manner, and they believed 
 she had money enough to live on very comfortably. 
 If this were not the case, she would never consent to 
 keep a carriage almost for Willy Croup s sole use. 
 
 They thought, perhaps, that the example and com 
 panionship of Mr. Burke might have had an effect 
 upon her. It was as likely as not that she had borne 
 part of the expense of moving the Barnard house, so 
 that there should be nothing between her and the 
 
 82 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 new building. But this, as they said themselves, was 
 mere surmise. Mr. Burke might fancy large grounds, 
 and he was certainly able to have them if he wanted 
 them. Whatever people said and thought about Mrs. 
 Cliff and her money, it was generally believed that 
 she was in comfortable circumstances. Still, it had to 
 be admitted that she was getting on in years. 
 
 Now arose a very important question among the 
 gossips of Plainton : Who was to be Mrs. Cliff s heir ? 
 
 Everybody knew that Mrs. Cliff had but one blood- 
 relation living, and that was Willy Croup, and no one 
 who had given any thought whatever to the subject 
 believed that Willy Croup would be her heir. Her 
 husband had some distant relatives, but, as they had 
 had nothing to do with Mrs. Cliff during the days of 
 her adversity, it was not likely that she would now 
 have anything to do with them, especially as any 
 money she had to leave did not come through her 
 husband. 
 
 But although the simple-minded Willy Croup was 
 a person who would not know how to take care of 
 money if she had it, and although everybody knew 
 that if Mrs. Cliff made a will she would never think 
 of leaving her property to Willy, still, everybody who 
 thought or talked about the matter saw the appalling 
 fact staring them in their faces, that if Mrs. Cliff died 
 without a will, Willy would inherit her possessions ! 
 
 The more it was considered, the more did this un 
 pleasant contingency trouble the minds of certain of 
 the female citizens of Plainton. Miss Gushing, the 
 principal dressmaker of the place, was greatly con 
 cerned upon this subject, and as her parlor, where she 
 generally sat at her work, was a favorite resort of 
 
 83 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 certain ladies, who sometimes had orders to give, and 
 always had a great deal to say, it was natural that 
 those good women who took most to heart Mrs. Cliffs 
 heiiiess condition should think of Miss Gushing when 
 ever they were inclined to talk upon the subject. 
 
 Miss Shott dropped in there one day with a very 
 doleful countenance. That very morning she had 
 passed Mrs. Cliff s house on the other side of the way, 
 and had seen that poor widow standing in her front 
 yard, with the most dejected and miserable counte 
 nance she had ever seen on a human being. 
 
 People might talk as much as they pleased about 
 Mrs. Cliff being troubled because she had spent too 
 much money. That all might be, or it might not be, 
 but it was not the reason for that woman looking as if 
 she was just ready to drop into a sick-bed. "When 
 people go to the most unhealthy regions in the whole 
 world, and live in holes in the ground like hedgehogs, 
 they cannot expect to come home without seeds of 
 disease in their system, which are bound to come out. 
 And that those seeds were now coming out in Mrs. 
 Cliff no sensible person could look at her and deny. 
 
 When Miss Gushing heard this, she felt more strongly 
 convinced than ever of the importance of the subject 
 upon which she and some of her friends had been talk 
 ing. But she said nothing in regard to that subject to 
 Miss Shott. What she had to say, and what she had 
 already said, about the future of Mrs. ClifPs property, 
 and what her particular friends had said, were mat 
 ters which none of them wanted repeated, and when 
 a citizen of Plainton did not wish anything repeated, 
 it was not told to Miss Shott. 
 
 But after Miss Shott had gone, there came in Mrs. 
 
 84 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Ferguson, a widow lady, and shortly afterwards 
 Miss Inchman, a middle-aged spinster, accompanied by 
 Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Archibald, these latter both 
 worthy matrons of the town. Mrs. Archibald really 
 came to talk to Miss Gushing about a winter dress, but 
 during the subsequent conversation she made no refer 
 ence to this errand. 
 
 Miss Gushing was relating to Mrs. Ferguson what 
 Nancy had told her when the other ladies came in, but 
 Nancy Shott had stopped in at each of their houses 
 and had already given them the information. 
 
 "Nancy always makes out things a good deal worse 
 than they are," said Mrs. Archibald, "but there s 
 truth in what she says. Mrs. Cliff is failing ; every 
 body can see that ! " 
 
 "Of course they can," said Miss Gushing, "and I say 
 that if she has any friends in Plainton, and every 
 body knows she has, it s time for them to do some 
 thing ! " 
 
 "The trouble is what to do, and who is to do it," 
 remarked Mrs. Ferguson. 
 
 ""What to do is easy enough," said Miss Gushing, 
 "but who is to do it is another matter." 
 
 "And what would you do ! " asked Mrs. Wells. "If 
 she feels she needs a doctor, she has sense enough to 
 send for one without waiting until her friends speak 
 about it." 
 
 "The doctor is a different thing altogether ! " said 
 Miss Gushing. "If he comes and cures her, that s 
 neither here nor there. It isn t the point ! But the 
 danger is that, whether he comes or not, she is a 
 woman well on in years, with a constitution breaking 
 down under her, that is, as far as appearances go, for, 
 
 85 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 of course, I can t say anything positive about it, and 
 she has nobody to inherit her money, and, as far as 
 anybody knows, she has never made a will ! " 
 
 "Oh, she has never made a will," said Mrs. Wells, 
 "because my John is in the office, and if Mrs. Cliff 
 had ever come there on such business, he would know 
 about it." 
 
 "But she ought to make a will," said Miss Gushing. 
 "That s the long and short of it. And she ought to 
 have a friend who would tell her so. That would be 
 no more than a Christian duty which any one of us 
 would owe to another, if cases were changed." 
 
 "I don t look upon Mrs. Cliff as such a very old 
 woman," said Miss Inchman, "but I agree with you 
 that this thing ought to be put before her. Willy 
 Croup will never do it, and really, if some one of us 
 don t, I don t know who will." 
 
 "There s Mrs. Perley," said Mrs. Archibald. 
 
 "Oh, she d never do ! " struck in Miss Gushing. 
 "Mrs. Perley is too timid. She would throw it off on 
 her husband, and if he talks to Mrs. Cliff about a will, 
 her money will all go to the church or to some charity. 
 I should say that one of us ought to take on herself 
 this friendly duty. Of course, it would not do to go 
 to her and blurt out that we all thought she would 
 not live very long, and that she ought to make her 
 will, but conversation could be led to the matter, and 
 when Mrs. Cliff got to consider her own case, I haven t 
 a doubt but that she would be glad to have advice 
 and help from an old friend. T 
 
 All agreed that this was a very correct view of the 
 case, but not one of them volunteered to go and talk 
 to Mrs. Cliff on the subject. This was not from timid- 
 
 86 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 ity, nor from an unwillingness to meddle in other 
 people s business, but from a desire on the part of 
 each not to injure herself in Mrs. ClifFs eyes by any 
 action which might indicate that she had a personal 
 interest in the matter. 
 
 Miss Gushing voiced the opinion of the company 
 when she said : "When a person has no heirs, rela 
 tives ought to be considered first, but if there are 
 none of these, or if they aren t suitable, then friends 
 should come in. Of course, I mean the oldest and 
 best friends of the party without heirs." 
 
 No remark immediately followed this, for each lady 
 was thinking that she, probably more than any one 
 else in Plainton, had a claim upon Mrs. Cliff s atten 
 tion if she were leaving her property to her friends, 
 as she certainly ought to do. 
 
 In years gone by Mrs. Cliff had been a very kind 
 friend to Miss Gushing, she had loaned her money, 
 and assisted her in various ways, and since her return 
 to Plainton she had put a great deal of work into Miss 
 Cushing s hands. Dress after dress for Willy Croup 
 had been made, and material for others was still lying 
 in the house ; and Mrs. Cliff herself had ordered so 
 much work that at this moment Miss Cushing had 
 two girls up-stairs sewing diligently upon it. 
 
 Having experienced all this kindness, Miss Cushing 
 felt that if Mrs. Cliff left any of her money to her 
 friends, she would certainly remember her, and that 
 right handsomely. If anybody spoke to Mrs. Cliff 
 upon the subject, she would insist, and she thought 
 she had a right to insist, that her name should be 
 brought in prominently. 
 
 Mrs. Ferguson had also well-defined opinions upon 
 87 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 the subject. She had two daughters who were more 
 than half grown, who had learned all that they could be 
 taught in Plainton, and she was very anxious to send 
 them away to school, where their natural talents could 
 be properly cultivated. She felt that she owed a deep 
 and solemn duty to these girls, and she had already 
 talked to Mrs. Cliff about them. 
 
 The latter had taken a great deal of interest in the 
 matter, and although she had not said she would help 
 Mrs. Ferguson properly to educate these girls, for she 
 had not asked her help, she had taken so much interest 
 in the matter that their mother had great hopes. 
 And if this widow without any children felt inclined 
 to assist the children of others during her life, how 
 much more willing would she be likely to be to ap 
 propriate a portion of what she left behind her to such 
 an object ! 
 
 Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Archibald had solid claims 
 upon Mrs. Cliff. It was known that shortly after the 
 death of her husband, when she found it difficult to 
 make collections, and was very much in need of money 
 for immediate expenses, they had each made loans to 
 her. It is true that even before she started for South 
 America she had repaid these loans with full legal 
 interest. But the two matrons could not forget that 
 they had been kind to her, nor did they believe that 
 Mrs. Cliff had forgotten what they had done, for the 
 presents she had brought them from France were 
 generally considered as being more beautiful and 
 more valuable than those given to anybody else ? 
 except the Thorpdykes and the Perleys. This indi 
 cated a very gratifying gratitude, upon which the two 
 
 88 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 ladies, each for herself, had every right to build very 
 favorable hopes. 
 
 Miss Inchman and Mrs. Cliff had been school-fellows, 
 and when they were both grown young women there 
 had been a good deal of doubt which one of them 
 William Cliff would marry. He made his choice, and 
 Susan Inchman never showed by word or deed that 
 she begrudged him to her friend, to whom she had 
 always endeavored to show just as much kindly feeling 
 as if there had been two William Cliffs, and each of 
 the young women had secured one of them. If Mrs. 
 Cliff, now a widow with money enough to live well 
 upon and keep a carriage, was making out her will, 
 and was thinking of her friends in Plainton, it would 
 be impossible for her to forget one who was the oldest 
 friend of all. 
 
 So it is easy to see why she did not want to go to 
 Mrs. Cliff and prejudice her against herself by stating 
 that she ought to make a will for the benefit of the 
 old friends who had always loved and respected her. 
 
 Miss Gushing now spoke. She knew what each 
 member of the little company was thinking about, 
 and she felt that it might as well be spoken of. 
 
 "It does seem to me," said she, "and I never would 
 have thought of it if it hadn t been for the talk we 
 had, that we five are the persons that Mrs. Cliff 
 would naturally mention in her will, not, perhaps, 
 regarding any money she might have to leave" 
 
 "I don t see why ! " interrupted Mrs. Ferguson. 
 
 "Well, that s neither here nor there," continued 
 Miss Gushing. "Money is money, and nobody knows 
 what people will do with it when they die, and if she 
 
 89 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 leaves anything to the church or to charity, it s her 
 money ! But I m sure that Mrs. Cliff has too much hard 
 sense to order her executors to sell all the beautiful 
 rugs, and table-covers, and glass, and china, and the 
 dear knows what besides is in her house at this mo 
 ment ! They wouldn t bring anything at a sale, and 
 she would naturally think of leaving them to her 
 friends. Some might get more and some might get 
 less, but we five in this room at this present moment 
 are the old friends that Mrs. Cliff would naturally 
 remember. And if any one of us ever sees fit to speak 
 to her on the subject, we re the people who should be 
 mentioned when the proper opportunity comes to 
 make such mention." 
 
 "You re forgetting Willy Croup," said Mrs. Wells. 
 
 "No," answered Miss Gushing, a little sharply, "I 
 don t forget her, but I ll have nothing to do with her. 
 I don t suppose she ll be forgotten, but whatever is 
 done for her, or whatever is not done for her, is not 
 our business. It s my private opinion, however, that 
 she s had a good deal already ! " 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Ferguson, "I suppose that what 
 you say is all right at least, I ve no objections to any 
 of it ; but whoever s going to speak to her, it mustn t 
 be me, because she knows I ve daughters to educate, 
 and she d naturally think that if I spoke I was prin 
 cipally speaking for myself, and that would set her 
 against me, which I wouldn t do for the world. And, 
 whatever other people may say, I believe she will have 
 money to leave." 
 
 Miss Cushing hesitated for a moment, and then 
 spoke up boldly. 
 
 "It s my opinion," said she, "that Miss Inchman is 
 
 90 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 the proper person to speak to Mrs. Cliff on this im 
 portant subject. She s known her all her life, from 
 the time when they were little girls together, and 
 when they were both grown she made sacrifices for 
 her which none of the rest of us had the chance to 
 make. Now, for Miss Inchman to go and open the 
 subject in a gradual and friendly way would be the 
 right and proper thing, no matter how you look at it, 
 and it s my opinion that we who are now here should 
 ask her to go and speak, not in our names, perhaps, 
 but out of good will and kindness to us as well as to 
 Mrs. Cliff." 
 
 Mrs. Wells was a lady who was in the habit of say 
 ing things at the wrong time, and she now remarked : 
 "We ve forgotten the Thorpdykes ! You know, Mrs. 
 Cliff" 
 
 Miss Cushing leaned forward, her face reddening. 
 "Bother the Thorpdykes ! " she exclaimed. "They re 
 no more than acquaintances, and ought not to be 
 spoken of at all. And as for Mrs. Perley, if any one s 
 thinking of her, she s only been here four years, and 
 that gives her no claim whatever, considering that 
 we ve been lifelong friends and neighbors of Sarah Cliff. 
 And now, in behalf of all of us, I ask you, Miss 
 Inchman, will you speak to Mrs. Cliff? " 
 
 Miss Inchman was rather a small woman, spare in 
 figure, and she wore glasses, which seemed to be of a 
 peculiar kind, for while they enabled her to see 
 through them into surrounding space, they did not 
 allow people who looked at her to see through them 
 into her eyes. People often remarked that you could 
 not tell the color of Miss Inchman s eyes when she had 
 her spectacles on. 
 
 91 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 Thus it was that, although her eyes were sometimes 
 brighter than at other times, and this could be noticed 
 through her spectacles, it was difficult to understand 
 her expression and to discover whether she was angry 
 or amused. 
 
 Now Miss Inchman s eyes behind her spectacles 
 brightened very much as she looked from Miss Gush 
 ing to the other members of the little party who had 
 constituted themselves the heirs of Mrs. Cliff. None 
 of them could judge from her face what she was likely 
 to say, but they all waited to hear what she would 
 say. At this moment the door opened, and Mrs. Cliff 
 entered the parlor. 
 
CHAPTEK X 
 
 THE INTELLECT OF MISS INCHMAN 
 
 IT was true that on that morning Mrs. Cliff had been 
 standing in her front yard, looking as her best friends 
 would not have liked her to look. There was nothing 
 physically the matter with her, but she was dissatis 
 fied and somewhat disturbed in her mind. Mr. Burke 
 was so busy nowadays that when he stopped in to see 
 her it was only for a few minutes, and Willy Croup 
 had developed a great facility in discovering things 
 which ought to be attended to in various parts of the 
 town, and of going to attend to them, with Andrew 
 Marks to drive her. 
 
 Not only did Mrs. Cliff feel that she was left more 
 to herself than she liked, but she had the novel ex 
 perience of not being able to find interesting occupa 
 tion. She was glad to have servants who could perform 
 all the household duties, and could have done more if 
 they had had a chance. Still, it was unpleasant to 
 feel that she herself could do so little to fill up her 
 unoccupied moments. So she put on a shawl and 
 went into her front yard, simply to walk about and 
 get a little of the fresh air. But when she went out 
 
 93 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 of the door, she stood still, contemplating the front 
 fence. 
 
 Here was a fence which had been an eyesore to her 
 for two or three years ! She believed she had money 
 enough to fence in the whole State, and yet those 
 shabby palings and posts must offend her eye every 
 time she came out of her door ! The flowers were 
 nearly all dead now, and she would have had a new 
 fence immediately, but Mr. Burke had dissuaded her, 
 saying that when the new dining-room was brought 
 over from the corner lot, there would have to be a 
 fence around the whole premises, and it would be 
 better to have it all done at once. 
 
 "There are so many things which I can afford just 
 as well as not," she said to herself, "and which I can 
 not do ! " And it was the unmistakably doleful ex 
 pression upon her countenance, as she thought this, 
 which was the foundation of Miss Shott s remarks to 
 her neighbors on the subject of Mrs. ClifPs probable 
 early demise. 
 
 Miss Shott was passing on the other side of the 
 street, and she was walking rapidly, but she could see 
 more out of the corner of her eye than most people 
 tiould see when they were looking straight before them 
 at the same things. 
 
 Suddenly Mrs. Cliff determined that she must do 
 something. She felt blue she wanted to talk to 
 somebody. Feeling thus, she naturally went into the 
 house, put on her bonnet and her wrap, and walked 
 down to see Miss Gushing. There was not anything 
 in particular that she wanted to see her about, but 
 there was work going on, and she might talk about it, 
 or it might happen that she would be inclined to give 
 
 94 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 some orders. She was always glad to do anything she 
 could to help that hard-working and kind-hearted 
 neighbor ! 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff entered the parlor of Miss Gushing, 
 five women each gave a sudden start. The dress 
 maker was so thrown off her balance that she dropped 
 her sewing on the floor, and, rising, went forward to 
 shake her visitor by the hand, a thing she was not in 
 the habit of doing to anybody, because, as is well 
 known to all the world, a person who is sewing for a 
 livelihood cannot get up to shake hands with the 
 friends and acquaintances who may happen in upon 
 her. At this the other ladies rose and shook hands, 
 and it might have been supposed that the newcomer 
 had just returned from a long absence. Then Miss 
 Gushing gave Mrs. Cliff a chair, and they all sat down 
 again. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff looked about her with a smile. The sight 
 of these old friends cheered her. All her blues were 
 beginning to fade, as that color always fades in any 
 kind of sunshine. 
 
 "I m glad to see so many of you together," she said. 
 "It almost seems as if you were having some sort of 
 meeting. What is it about can t I join in? " 
 
 At this there was a momentary silence which threat 
 ened to become very embarrassing if it continued a 
 few seconds more, and Miss Gushing was on the point 
 of telling the greatest lie of her career, trusting that 
 the other heirs would stand by her and support her 
 in whatever statements she made, feeling as they 
 must the absolute necessity of saying something in 
 stantly. But Miss Inchman spoke before any one else 
 had a chance to do so. 
 
 95 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "You re right, Mrs. Cliff/ 7 said she, "we are con 
 sidering something. We didn t come here on purpose 
 to talk about it, but we happened in together, and so 
 we thought we would talk it over. And we all came 
 to the conclusion that it was something which ought 
 to be mentioned to you, and I was asked to speak to 
 you about it." 
 
 Four simultaneous gasps were now heard in that 
 little parlor, and four chills ran down the backs of 
 four self-constituted heirs. 
 
 "I must say, Susan," remarked Mrs. Cliff, with a 
 good-humored smile, "if you want me to do anything, 
 there s no need of being so wonderfully formal about 
 it ! If any one of you, or all of you together, for that 
 matter, have anything to say to me, all you had to do 
 was to come and say it." 
 
 "They didn t seem to think that way," said Miss 
 Inchman. "They all thought that what was to be 
 said would come better from me, because I d known 
 you so long, and we had grown up together." 
 
 "It must be something out of the common," said 
 Mrs. Cliff. "What in the world can it be? If you 
 are to speak, Susan, speak out at once ! Let s have 
 it I " 
 
 "That s just what I m going to do," said Miss Inch 
 man. 
 
 If Mrs. Cliff had looked around at the four heirs, 
 who were sitting upright in their chairs, gazing in 
 horror at Miss Inchman, she would have been startled, 
 and, perhaps, frightened. But she did not see them. 
 She was so much interested in what her old friend 
 Susan was saying that she gave to her her whole 
 attention. 
 
 96 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 But now that their appointed spokeswoman had 
 announced her intention of immediately declaring 
 the object of the meeting, each one of them felt that 
 this was no place for her ! But, notwithstanding this 
 feeling, not one of them moved to go. Miss Gushing, 
 of course, had no excuse for leaving, for this was her 
 own house ; and although the others might have 
 pleaded errands, a power stronger than their disposi 
 tion to fly stronger even than their fears of what 
 Mrs. Cliff might say to them when she knew all kept 
 them in their seats. The spell of self-interest was upon 
 them and held them fast. Whatever was said and 
 whatever was done, they must be there ! At this 
 supreme moment they could not leave the room. 
 They nerved themselves, they breathed hard, and 
 listened ! 
 
 "You see, Sarah," said Miss Inchman, "we must all 
 die!" 
 
 "That s no new discovery," answered Mrs. Cliff, 
 and the remark seemed to her so odd that she looked 
 around at the rest of the company to see how they 
 took it, and she was thereupon impressed with the 
 idea that some of them had not thought of this great 
 truth of late, and that its sudden announcement had 
 thrown them into a shocked solemnity. 
 
 But the soul of Miss Gushing was more than shocked 
 it was filled with fury ! If there had been in that 
 room at that instant a loaded gun pointed toward 
 Miss Inchman, Miss Gushing would have pulled the 
 trigger. This would have been wicked, she well 
 knew, and contrary to her every principle, but never 
 before had she been confronted by such treachery ! 
 
 "Well," continued Miss Inchman, "as we must die, 
 97 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 we ought to make ourselves ready for it in every way 
 that we can. And we ve been thinking" 
 
 At this moment the endurance of Mrs. Ferguson 
 gave way. The pace and the strain were too great for 
 her. Each of the others had herself to think for, but 
 she had not only herself, but two daughters. She 
 gave a groan, her head fell back, her eyes closed, and, 
 with a considerable thump, she slipped from her chair 
 to the floor. Instantly every one screamed and sprang 
 toward her. 
 
 "What in the world is the matter with her f " cried 
 Mrs. Cliff, as she assisted the others to raise the head 
 of the fainting woman and to loosen her dress. 
 
 "Oh, I suppose it s the thought of her late hus 
 band ! " promptly replied Miss Inchman, who felt that 
 it devolved on her to say something, and that quickly. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff looked up in amazement. 
 
 "And what has Mr. Ferguson to do with anything? " 
 she asked. 
 
 "Oh, it s the new cemetery I was going to talk to 
 you about," said Miss Inchman. "It has been spoken 
 of a good deal since you went away, and we all thought 
 that if you d agree to go into it" 
 
 "Go into it ! " cried Mrs. Cliff, in horror. 
 
 "I mean, join with the people who are in favor of 
 it," said Miss Inchman. "I haven t time to explain 
 she s coming to now, if you ll all let her alone. All 
 I ve time to say is that those who had husbands in 
 the old graveyard, and might perhaps be inclined to 
 move them and put up monuments, had the right to 
 be first spoken to although, of course, it s a subject 
 which everybody doesn t care to speak about, and as 
 for Mrs. Ferguson, it s no wonder, knowing her as we 
 
 98 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 do, that she went off in this way when she knew what 
 I was going to say, although, in fact, I wasn t in the 
 least thinking of Mr. Ferguson ! " 
 
 The speaker had barely time to finish before the 
 unfortunate lady who had fainted opened her eyes, 
 looked about her, and asked where she was. And 
 now that she had revived, no further reference could 
 be made to the unfortunate subject which had caused 
 her to swoon. 
 
 "I don t see," said Mrs. Cliff, as she stood outside 
 with Miss Inchman, a few minutes later, "why Mr. 
 Ferguson s removal I m sure it isn t necessary to 
 make it if she doesn t want to should trouble Mrs. 
 Ferguson any more than the thought of Mr. Cliff s 
 removal troubles me. I m perfectly willing to do 
 what I can for the new cemetery, and nobody need 
 think I m such a nervous, hysterical person that I m 
 in danger of popping over if the subject is mentioned 
 to me. So when you all are ready to have another 
 meeting, I hope you will let me know ! " 
 
 When Mrs. Ferguson felt herself well enough to sit 
 up and take a glass of water with something stimu 
 lating in it, she was informed of the nature of the 
 statements which had been finally made to Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 "You know, of course," added Miss Gushing, still 
 pale from unappeased rage, "that that Susan Inchman 
 began as she did just to spite us ! " 
 
 "It s just like her I " said Mrs. Archibald. "But I 
 never could have believed that such a dried codfish of 
 a woman could have so much intellect ! " 
 
 99 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE AERITAL OF THE NEW DINING-ROOM 
 
 THE little meeting at the house of Miss Gushing re 
 sulted in something very different from the anticipa 
 tions of those ladies who had consulted together for 
 the purpose of constituting themselves the heirs of 
 Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 That good lady, being then very much in want of 
 something to do, was so pleased with the idea of a new 
 cemetery that she entered into the scheme with great 
 earnestness. She was particularly pleased with this 
 opportunity of making good use of her money, be 
 cause, having been asked by others to join them in this 
 work, she was not obliged to pose as a self-appointed 
 public benefactor. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff worked so well in behalf of the new ceme 
 tery, and subscribed so much money toward it, through 
 Mr. Perley, that it was not many months before it 
 became the successor to the little crowded graveyard 
 near the centre of the town, and the remains of Mr. 
 Cliff were removed to a handsome lot and overshad 
 owed by a suitable monument. 
 
 Mrs. Ferguson, however, in speaking with Mrs. Cliff 
 
 100 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 upon the subject, was happy to have an opportunity of 
 assuring her that she thought it much better to devote 
 her slender means to the education of her daughters 
 than to the removal of her late husband to a more 
 eligible resting-place. 
 
 "I m sure he s done very well as he is for all these 
 years/ 7 she said, "and if he could have a voice in the 
 matter, I m quite sure that he would prefer his 
 daughters education to his own removal." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff did not wish to make any offer which 
 might hurt Mrs. Ferguson s very sensitive feelings, 
 but she said that she had no doubt that arrangements 
 could be made by which Mr. Ferguson s transfer could 
 be effected without interfering with any plans which 
 might have been made for the benefit of his daughters ; 
 but although this remark did not satisfy Mrs. Fergu 
 son, she was glad of even this slight opportunity of 
 bringing the subject of her daughters education be 
 fore the consideration of her friend. 
 
 As to the other would-be heirs, they did not imme 
 diately turn upon Miss Inchman and rend her, in 
 revenge for the way in which she had tricked and 
 frightened them, for there was no knowing what such 
 a woman would do if she were exasperated, and not 
 for the world would they have Mrs. Cliff find out the 
 real subject of their discussion on that unlucky morn 
 ing when she made herself decidedly one too many in 
 Miss Cushing s parlor. 
 
 Consequently, all attempts at concerted action were 
 dropped, and each for herself determined that Mrs. 
 Cliff should know that she was a true friend, and to 
 trust to the good lady s well-known gratitude and 
 friendly feeling when the time should come for her to 
 
 101 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 apportion her worldly goods among the dear ones she 
 would leave behind her. 
 
 There were certain articles in Mrs. Cliff s house for 
 which each of her friends had a decided admiration, 
 and remarks were often made which it was believed 
 would render it impossible for Mrs. Cliff to make a 
 mistake when she should be planning her will, and 
 asking herself to whom she should give this, and to 
 whom that. 
 
 It was about a week after the events in Miss Cash- 
 ing s parlor that something occurred which sent a 
 thrill through the souls of a good many people in 
 Plainton, affecting them more or less, according to 
 their degree of sensibility. 
 
 "Willy Croup, who had been driven about the town 
 attending to various matters of business and pleasure, 
 was informed by Andrew Marks, as she alighted about 
 four o clock in the afternoon at the house of an ac 
 quaintance, that he hoped she would not stop very 
 long, because he had some business of his own to attend 
 to that afternoon, and he wanted to get the horse 
 cared for and the cow milked as early as possible, so 
 that he might lock up the barn and go away. To this 
 Willy answered that he need not wait for her, for she 
 could easily walk home when she had finished her visit. 
 
 But when she left the house, after a protracted call, 
 she did not walk very far, for it so happened that Mr. 
 Burke, who had found leisure that afternoon to take 
 a drive in his barouche, came up behind her, and, very 
 naturally, stopped and offered to take her home. 
 Willy, quite as naturally, accepted the polite proposi 
 tion, and seated herself in the barouche by the side of 
 the fur-trimmed overcoat and the high silk hat. 
 
 102 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Thus it was that the people of the town who were 
 in the main street that afternoon, or who happened 
 to be at doors or windows, that the very birds of the 
 air, hopping about on trees or housetops, that the 
 horses, dogs, and cats, that even the insects whose 
 constitutions were strong enough to enable them to 
 buzz about in the autumn sunlight, beheld the star 
 tling sight of Willy Croup and the fine gentleman at 
 the hotel riding together, side by side, in broad day 
 light, through the most public street of the town ! 
 
 Once before these two had been seen together out 
 of doors, but then they had been walking, and almost 
 any two people who knew each other, and who might 
 be walking in the same direction, could, without im 
 propriety, walk side by side, and converse as they 
 went. But now the incident was very different. 
 
 It created a great impression, not all to the advan 
 tage of Mr. Burke, for, after the matter had been 
 very thoroughly discussed, it was generally conceded 
 that he must be no better than a fortune-hunter. 
 Otherwise, why should he be paying attention to 
 Willy Croup, who, as everybody knew, was not a 
 day under forty-five years old, and therefore at least 
 ten years older than the gentleman at the hotel. 
 
 In regard to the fortune which he was hunting 
 there was no difference of opinion. Whatever Mrs. 
 Cliff s fortune might be, this Mr. Burke wanted it. 
 Of course, he would not endeavor to gain his object 
 by marrying the widow, for she was entirely too old 
 for him ; but if he married Willy, her only relative, 
 that would not be quite so bad as to age, and there 
 could be no doubt that these two would ultimately 
 come into Mrs. Cliff s fortune, which was probably 
 
 103 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 more than had been generally supposed She had 
 always been very close-mouthed about her affairs, 
 and there were some who said that even in her early 
 days of widowhood she might have been more stingy 
 than she was poor. She must have considerable 
 property, or Mr. Burke would not be so anxious to 
 get it. 
 
 Thus it happened that the eventful drive in the 
 barouche had a very different effect upon the repu 
 tations of the three persons concerned. Mr. Burke 
 was lowered from his position as a man of means en 
 joying his fortune, for even his building operations 
 were probably undertaken for the purpose of settling 
 himself in Mrs. Cliff s neighborhood, and so being able 
 to marry Willy as soon as possible. 
 
 Willy Croup, although everybody spoke of her con 
 duct as absolutely ridiculous and even shameful, rose 
 in public estimation simply from the belief that she 
 was about to marry a man who, whatever else he 
 might be, was of imposing appearance and was likely 
 to be rich. 
 
 As to Mrs. Cliff, there could be no doubt that the 
 general respect for her was on the increase. If she 
 were rich enough to attract Mr. Burke to the town, 
 she was probably rich enough to do a good many 
 other things, and, after all, it might be that that new 
 house at the corner was being built with her money. 
 
 Miss Shott was very industrious and energetic in 
 expressing her opinion of Mr. Burke. "There s a 
 chambermaid at the hotel," she said, "who s told me 
 a lot of things about him, and it s very plain to my 
 mind that he isn t the gentleman that he makes him 
 self out to be ! His handkerchiefs and his hair-brush 
 
 104 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 aren t the kind that go with fur overcoats and high 
 hats, and she has often seen him stop in the hall down 
 stairs and black his own boots ! Everybody knows he 
 was a sailor, but as to his ever having commanded a 
 vessel, I don t believe a word of it ! But Willy Croup 
 and that man needn t count on their schemes coming 
 out all right, for Sarah Cliff isn t any older than I am, 
 and she s just as likely to outlive them as she is to die 
 before them ! " 
 
 The fact that nobody had ever said that Burke had 
 commanded a vessel, and that Miss Shott had started 
 the belief that Mrs. Cliff was in a rapid decline, en 
 tirely escaped the attention of her hearers, so inter 
 ested were they in the subject of the unworthiness of 
 the fine gentleman at the hotel. 
 
 Winter had not yet really set in when George 
 Burke, who had perceived no reason to imagine that 
 he had made a drop in public estimation, felt himself 
 stirred by emotions of triumphant joy. The new 
 building on the corner lot was on the point of com 
 pletion ! 
 
 Workmen and master workmen, mechanics and 
 laborers, had swarmed in, over, and about the new 
 edifice in such numbers that sometimes they impeded 
 each other. Close upon the heels of the masons came 
 the carpenters, and following them the plumbers 
 and the plasterers, while the painters impatiently 
 restrained themselves in order to give their prede 
 cessors time to get out of their way. 
 
 The walls and ceilings were covered with the plaster 
 which would dry the quickest, and the paper-hangers 
 entered the rooms almost before the plasterers could 
 take away their trowels and their lime-begrimed hate 
 
 105 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 and coats. Cleaners with their brooms and pails 
 jostled the mechanics, as the latter left the various 
 rooms. And everywhere strode Mr. Burke. He had 
 made up his mind that the building must be ready 
 to move into the instant it arrived at its final 
 destination. 
 
 It was a very different building from what Mrs, 
 Cliff had proposed to herself when she decided to add 
 a dining-room to her old house. It was so different, 
 indeed, that, after having gone two or three times to 
 look upon the piles of lumber and stone, and the 
 crowds of men digging, and hammering, and sawing 
 on the corner lot, she had decided to leave the whole 
 matter in the hands of Mr. Burke, the architect, and 
 the contractor. And when "Willy Croup endeavored 
 to explain to her what was going on, she always 
 stopped her, saying that she would wait until it was 
 done, and then she would understand it. 
 
 Mr. Burke, too, had urged her, especially as the 
 building drew near to completion, not to bother her 
 self in the least about it, but to give him the pleasure 
 of presenting it to her entirely finished and ready for 
 occupancy. So even the painting and paper-hanging 
 had been left to a professional decorator, and Mrs. 
 Cliff assured Burke that she was perfectly willing to 
 wait for the new dining-room until it was ready for 
 her. 
 
 This dining-room, large and architecturally hand 
 some, was planned, as has been said, so that one of its 
 doors should fit exactly against the side hall door of 
 the little house, but the other door of the dining-room 
 opened into a wide and elegant hall, at one end of 
 which was a portico and spacious front steps. On the 
 
 106 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 other side of this hall was a handsome drawing-room, 
 and behind the drawing-room, and opening into it, an 
 alcove library with a broad piazza at one side of it. 
 Back of the dining-room was a spacious kitchen, with 
 pantries, closets, scullery, and all necessary adjuncts. 
 
 In the second and third stories of the edifice were 
 large and beautiful bedrooms, small and neat bed 
 rooms, bath-rooms, servarts rooms, trunk-rooms, and 
 every kind of room that modern civilization demands. 
 
 Now that the building was finished, Mr. Burke al 
 most regretted that he had not constructed it upon 
 the top of a hill, in order that he might have laid his 
 smooth and slippery timbers from the eminence to 
 the side of Mrs. ClifPs house, so that, when all should 
 be ready, he could have knocked away the blocks 
 which held the building in place, and so have launched 
 it as if it had been a ship, and everybody could have 
 beheld it sliding gracefully and rapidly from its stocks 
 into its appointed position. But as this would prob 
 ably have resulted in razing Mrs. Cliff s old house to 
 the level of the ground, he did not long regret that 
 he had not been able to afford himself and the towns 
 people the pleasure of this grand spectacle. 
 
 The night before the day on which the new building 
 was to be moved, the lot next to Mrs. Cliff s house was 
 covered by masons, laborers, and wagons hauling 
 stones, and by breakfast-time the next morning the 
 new cellar was completed. 
 
 Almost immediately the great timbers, which, 
 polished and greased, had been waiting for several 
 days, were put in their places, and the great steam- 
 engines and windlasses, which had been ready as long 
 a time, were set in motion. And, as the house began 
 
 107 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 to move upon its course, it almost missed a parting 
 dab from the brush of a painter who was at work 
 upon some final trimming. 
 
 That afternoon, as Mrs. Cliff happened to be in her 
 dining-room, she remarked to Willy that it was get 
 ting dark very early, but she would not pull up the 
 blind of the side window, because she would then look 
 out on the new cellar, and she had promised Mr. 
 Burke not to look at anything until he had told her 
 to do so. Willy, who had looked out of the side door 
 at least fifty times that day, knew that the early dark 
 ness was caused by the shadows thrown by a large 
 building slowly approaching from the west. 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff came down-stairs the next morning, 
 she was met by Willy, very much excited, who told 
 her that Mr. Burke wished to see her. 
 
 "Where is he?" said she. 
 
 "At the dining-room door," answered Willy, and as 
 Mrs. Cliff turned toward the little room in which she 
 had been accustomed to take her meals, Willy seized 
 her hand and led her into the side hall. There, in the 
 open doorway, stood Mr. Burke, his high silk hat in 
 one hand, and the other outstretched toward her. 
 
 "Welcome to your new dining-room, madam!" 
 said he, as he took her hand and led her into the great 
 room, which seemed to her, as she gazed in amazement 
 about her, like a beautiful public hall. 
 
 We will not follow Mrs. Cliff, Willy, and the whole 
 body of domestic servants, as they pass through the 
 halls and rooms of that grand addition to Mrs. Cliff s 
 little house. 
 
 "Carpets and furniture is all that you want, 
 madam," said Burke, "and then you re at home 1 n 
 
 108 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff had been up -stairs and down-stairs, 
 and into every chamber, and when she had looked out 
 of the window, and had beheld hundreds of men at 
 work upon the grounds and putting up fences, and 
 when Mr. Burke had explained to her that the people 
 at the back of the lot were beginning to erect a stable 
 and carriage -house, for no dining-room such as she 
 had was complete, he assured her, without handsome 
 quarters for horses and carriages, she left him and 
 went down-stairs by herself. 
 
 As she stood by the great front door and looked up 
 at the wide staircase, and into the lofty rooms upon 
 each side, there came to her, rising above all senti 
 ments of amazement, delight, and pride in her new 
 possessions, a feeling of animated and inspiring en 
 couragement. The mists of doubt and uncertainty, 
 which had hung over her, began to clear away. This 
 noble edifice must have cost grandly ! And, for the 
 first time, she began to feel that she might yet be 
 equal to her fortune. 
 
 109 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE THOBPDYKE SISTERS 
 
 THE new and grand addition to Mrs. Cliff s house, 
 which had been so planned that the little house to 
 which it had been joined appeared to be an architec 
 turally harmonious adjunct to it, caused a far greater 
 sensation in Plainton than the erection of any of the 
 public buildings therein. 
 
 Its journey from the corner lot was watched by hun 
 dreds of spectators, and now Mrs. Cliff, Willy, and 
 Mr. Burke spent day and evening in exhibiting and 
 explaining this remarkable piece of building enter 
 prise. 
 
 Mr. Burke was very jolly. He took no credit to 
 himself for the planning of the house, which, as he 
 truthfully said, had been the work of an architect, 
 who had suggested what was proper, and had been 
 allowed to do it. But he did feel himself privileged 
 to declare that if every crew building a house were 
 commanded by a person of marine experience, things 
 would move along a good deal more briskly than they 
 generally did, and to this assertion he found no one 
 to object. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was very happy in wandering over her 
 new rooms, and in assuring herself that no matter 
 
 110 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 how grand they might be when they were all fur 
 nished and fitted up, nothing had been done which 
 would interfere with the dear old home which she 
 had loved so long. It is true that one of the win 
 dows of the little dining-room was blocked up, but 
 that window was not needed. 
 
 Mr. Burke was not willing to give Mrs. Cliff more 
 than a day or two for the contemplation of her new 
 possessions, and urged upon her that while the chim 
 neys were being erected and the heating apparatus 
 was being put into the house, she ought to attend to 
 the selection and purchase of the carpets, furniture, 
 pictures, and everything which was needed in the 
 new establishment. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff thought this good advice, and proposed a 
 trip to Boston. But Burke did not think that would 
 do at all, and declared that New York was the only 
 place where she could get everything she needed. 
 Willy, who was to accompany Mrs. Cliff, had been 
 to Boston, but had never visited New York, and she 
 strongly urged the claims of the latter city, and an 
 immediate journey to the metropolis was agreed 
 upon. 
 
 But when Mrs. Cliff considered the magnitude and 
 difficulties of the work she was about to undertake, 
 she wished for the counsel and advice of some one 
 besides Willy. This good little woman was energetic 
 and enthusiastic, but she had had no experience in 
 regard to the furnishing of a really good house. 
 
 When, in her mind, she was running over the 
 names of those who might be able and willing to go 
 with her and assist her, Mrs. Cliff suddenly thought of 
 the Thorpdyke ladies, and there her mental category 
 
 111 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 stopped, as she announced to Willy that she was 
 going to ask these ladies to go with them to New 
 York. 
 
 Willy thought well of this plan, but she had her 
 doubts about Miss Barbara, who was so quiet, domestic, 
 and unused to travel that she might be unwilling to 
 cast herself into the din and whirl of the metropolis. 
 But when she and Mrs. Cliff went to make a call upon 
 the Thorpdykes, and put the question before them, 
 she was very much surprised to find that, although 
 the elder sister, after carefully considering the subject, 
 announced her willingness to oblige Mrs. Cliff, Miss 
 Barbara agreed to the plan with an alacrity which 
 her visitors had never known her to exhibit before. 
 
 As soon as the necessary preparations could be 
 made, a party of five left Plainton for New York, and 
 a very well-assorted party it was ! Mr. Burke, who 
 guided and commanded the expedition, supplied the 
 impelling energy. Mrs. Cliff had her check-book with 
 her. Willy was ready with any amount of enthusiasm. 
 And the past life of Miss Eleanor Thorpdyke and her 
 sister Barbara had made them most excellent judges 
 of what was appropriate for the worthy furnishing of 
 a stately mansion. 
 
 Their youth and middle life had been spent near 
 Boston, in a fine old house which had been the home 
 of their ancestors, and where they had been familiar 
 with wealth, distinguished society, and noble hospi 
 tality. But when they had been left the sole repre 
 sentatives of their family, and when misfortune after 
 misfortune had come down upon them and swept 
 away their estates and nearly all of their income, they 
 
 112 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 had retired to the little town of Plainton, where they 
 happened to own a house. 
 
 There, with nothing saved from the wreck of their 
 prosperity but their family traditions, and some of 
 the old furniture and pictures, they had settled down 
 to spend in quiet the rest of their lives. 
 
 For two weeks our party remained in New York, 
 living at one of the best hotels, but spending nearly 
 all their time in shops and streets. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was rapidly becoming a different woman 
 from the old Mrs. Cliff of Plainton. At the time she 
 stepped inside of the addition to her house the change 
 had begun, and now it showed itself more and more 
 each day. She had seen more beautiful things in 
 Paris, but there she looked upon them with but little 
 thought of purchasing. In New York whatever she 
 saw and desired she made her own 
 
 The difference between a mere possessor of wealth 
 and one who uses it became very apparent to her. 
 Not until now had she really known what it was to be 
 a rich woman. Not only did this consciousness of 
 power swell her veins with a proud delight, but it 
 warmed and invigorated all her better impulses. She 
 had always been of a generous disposition, but now 
 she felt an intense good will toward her fellow-beings, 
 and wished that other people could be as happy as 
 she was. 
 
 She thought of Mrs. Ferguson, and remembered what 
 she had said about her daughters. To be sure, Mrs. 
 Ferguson was always trying to get people to do things 
 for her, and Mrs. Cliff did not fancy that class of 
 women, but now her wealth- warmed soul inclined her 
 
 113 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 to overlook this prejudice, and she said to herself 
 that when she got home she would make arrangements 
 for those two girls to go to a good school ; and, more 
 than that, she would see to it that Mr. Ferguson was 
 moved. It seemed to her just then that it would be 
 a very cheerful thing to make other people happy. 
 
 The taste and artistic judgment of the elder Miss 
 Thorpdyke, which had been dormant for years, 
 simply because there was nothing upon which they 
 could exercise themselves, now awoke in their old 
 vigor, and with Mrs. Cliff s good sense, reinforced by 
 her experience gained in wandering among the treas 
 ures of Paris, the results of the shopping expedition 
 were eminently satisfactory. And, with the plan of 
 the new building, which Mr. Burke carried always 
 with him, everything which was likely to be needed 
 in each room, hall, or stairway was selected and pur 
 chased, and, as fast as this was done, the things were 
 shipped to Plainton, where people were ready to put 
 them where they belonged. 
 
 Willy Croup was not always of service in the pur 
 chasing expeditions, for she liked everything that she 
 saw, and no sooner was an article produced than she 
 went into ecstasies over it. But as she had an intense 
 desire to see everything which New York contained, 
 she did not at all confine herself to the shops and 
 bazaars. She went wherever she could, and saw all 
 that it was possible for her to see $ but in the midst 
 of the sights and attractions of the metropolis, she was 
 still Willy Croup. 
 
 One afternoon, as she and Miss Barbara were passing 
 along one of the side streets, on their return from an 
 attempt to see how the poorer people lived, Willy 
 
 114 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 stopped in front of a blacksmith s shop, where a man 
 was shoeing a horse. 
 
 "There!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with 
 delight, "that s the first thing I ve seen that reminds 
 me of home ! " 
 
 "It is nice, isn t it ! " said gentle Miss Barbara. 
 
 115 
 
CHAPTEE XIII 
 
 MONEY-HUNGER 
 
 DURING the latter part of their sojourn in the city, 
 Willy went about a good deal with Miss Barbara, 
 because she thought this quiet, soft-spoken lady was 
 not happy, and did not take the interest in handsome 
 and costly articles which was shown by her sister. 
 She had been afraid that this noisy, bustling place 
 would be too much for Miss Barbara, and now she 
 was sure she had been right. 
 
 The younger Miss Thorpedyke was unhappy, and 
 with reason. For some months a little house in 
 Boston which had been their principal source of in 
 come had not been rented. It needed repairs, and 
 there was no money with which to repair it. The 
 agent had written that some one might appear who 
 would be willing to take it as it stood, but that this 
 was doubtful, and the heart of Miss Barbara sank very 
 low. She was the business woman of the family. She 
 it was who had always balanced the income and the 
 expenditureSo This adjustment had now become very 
 difficult indeed, and was only accomplished by adding 
 a little debt to the weight on the income scale. 
 
 She had said nothing to her sister about this sad 
 
 116 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 change in their affairs, because she hoped against hope 
 that soon they might have a tenant, and she knew 
 that her sister Eleanor was a woman of such strict and 
 punctilious honor that she would insist upon living 
 upon plain bread, if their supply of ready money was 
 insufficient to buy anything else. To see this sister 
 insufficiently nourished was something which Miss 
 Barbara could not endure, and so, sorely against her 
 disposition and her conscience, she made some little 
 debts ; and these grew and grew, until at last they 
 weighed her down until she felt as if she must always 
 look upon the earth, and could never raise her head 
 to the sky. And she was so plump, and so white, and 
 gentle, and quiet, and peaceful-looking that no one 
 thought she had a care in the world until Willy 
 Croup began to suspect, in New York, that something 
 was the matter with her, but did not in the least at 
 tribute her friend s low spirits to the proper cause. 
 
 "When Miss Barbara had favored so willingly and 
 promptly the invitation of Mrs. Cliff, she had done so 
 because she saw in the New York visit a temporary 
 abolition of expense, and a consequent opportunity to 
 lay up a little money by which she might be able to 
 satisfy for a time one of her creditors, who was begin 
 ning to suspect that she was not able to pay his bill, 
 and was therefore pressing her very hard. Even while 
 she had been in New York, this many-times rendered 
 bill had been forwarded to her, with an urgent request 
 that it be settled. 
 
 It was not strange, therefore, that a tear should 
 sometimes come to the eye of Miss Barbara when she 
 stood by the side of her sister and Mrs. Cliff, and lis 
 tened to them discussing the merits of some rich rugs 
 
 117 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 or pieces of furniture, and when she reflected that the 
 difference in price between two articles, one appar 
 ently as desirable as the other, which was discussed 
 so lightly by Mrs. Cliff and Eleanor, would pay that 
 bill which was eating into her soul, and settle, more 
 over, every other claim against herself and her sister. 
 But the tears were always wiped away very quickly, 
 and neither Mrs. Cliff nor the elder Miss Thorpdyke 
 ever noticed them. 
 
 But although Willy Croup was not at all a woman 
 of acute perceptions, she began to think that perhaps 
 it was something more than the bustle and noise of 
 New York which was troubling Miss Barbara. And 
 once, when she saw her gazing with an earnest, eager 
 glare and whoever would have thought of any sort 
 of a glare in Miss Barbara s eyes? upon some bank 
 notes which Mrs. Cliff was paying out for a carved 
 cabinet for which it was a little doubtful if a suitable 
 place could be found, but which was bought because 
 Miss Eleanor thought it would give an air of dis 
 tinction in whatever room it might be placed, Willy 
 began to suspect the meaning of that unusual exhi 
 bition of emotion. 
 
 "She s money -hungry," she said to herself, "that s 
 what s the matter with her ! " Willy had seen the 
 signs of such hunger before, and she understood what 
 they meant. 
 
 That night Willy lay in her bed, having the very 
 unusual experience of thinking so much that she could 
 not sleep. Her room adjoined Miss Barbara s, and the 
 door between them was partly open, for the latter 
 lady was timid. Perhaps it was because this door was 
 not closed that Willy was so wakeful and thoughtful, 
 
 118 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 for there was a bright light in the other room, and 
 she could not imagine why Miss Barbara should be 
 sitting up so late. It was a proceeding entirely at 
 variance with her usual habits. She was in some sort 
 of trouble, it was easy to see that, but it would be 
 a great deal better to go to sleep and try to forget it. 
 
 So, after a time, Willy rose, and, softly stepping over 
 the thick carpet, looked into the other room. There 
 was Miss Barbara, in her day-dress, sitting at a table, 
 her arms upon the table, her head upon her arms, 
 fast asleep. Upon her pale face there were a great 
 many tear-marks, and Willy knew that she must have 
 cried herself to sleep. A paper was spread out near 
 her. 
 
 Willy was sure that it would be a very mean and 
 contemptible thing for her to go and look at that 
 paper, and so, perhaps, find out what was troubling 
 Miss Barbara, but, without the slightest hesitation, she 
 did it. Her bare feet made no sound upon the carpet, 
 and as she had very good eyes, it was not necessary 
 for her to approach close to the sleeper. 
 
 It was a bill from William Bullock, a grocer and 
 provision-dealer of Plainton. It contained but one 
 item, "To bill rendered," and at the bottom was a 
 statement in Mr. Bullock s own handwriting to the 
 effect that if the bill was not immediately paid he 
 would be obliged to put it into the hands of a 
 collector. 
 
 Willy turned and slipped back into her room. 
 Then, after sitting down upon her bed and getting 
 up again, she stepped boldly to the door and knocked 
 upon it. Instantly she heard Miss Barbara start and 
 push back her chair. 
 
 119 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "What are you doing up so late?" cried Willy, 
 cheerfully. "Don t you feel well?" 
 
 "Oh, yes," replied the other, "I accidentally fell 
 asleep while reading, but I will go to bed instantly." 
 
 The mind of Willy Croup was a very small one, and 
 had room in it for but one idea at a time. For a good 
 while she lay putting ideas into this mind, and then 
 taking them out again. Having given place to the 
 conviction that the Thorpdykes were in a very bad 
 way, indeed, for if that bill should be collected, they 
 would not have much left but themselves, and Mr. 
 Bullock was a man who did collect when he said he 
 would, she was obliged to remove this conviction, 
 which made her cry, in order to consider plans of 
 relief ; and while she was considering these plans, one 
 at a time, she dropped asleep. 
 
 The first thing she thought of, when she opened her 
 eyes in the morning, was poor Miss Barbara in the 
 next room, and that dreadful bill ; and then, like a 
 flash of lightning, she thought of a good thing to do 
 for the Thorpdykes. The project which now laid 
 itself out, detail after detail, before her seemed so 
 simple, so sensible, so absolutely wise and desirable in 
 every way, that she got up, dressed herself with great 
 rapidity, and went in to see Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 That lady was still asleep, but Willy awakened her, 
 and sat on the side of the bed. "Do you know what 
 I think? "said Willy. 
 
 "How in the world should I ! " said Mrs. Cliff. "Is 
 it after breakfast-time ? " 
 
 "No," said Willy, "but it s this ! What are you 
 going to do in that big house, with all the bedrooms, 
 parlor, library, and so forth? You say that you are 
 
 120 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 going to have one room, and that I m to have an 
 other, and that we ll go into the old house to feel at 
 home whenever we want to. But I believe we ll be 
 like a couple of flies in a barrel. You re going to 
 furnish your new house with everything but people. 
 You ought to have more people. You ought to have 
 a family. That house will look funny without 
 people. You can t ask Mr. Burke, because it would 
 be too queer to have him come and live with us, and, 
 besides, he ll want a house of his own. Why don t 
 you ask the Thorpdykes to come and live with us? 
 Their roof is dreadfully out of repairs. I know to 
 my certain knowledge that they have to put tin wash 
 basins on every bed in the second story when it rains, 
 on account of the holes in the shingles ! If they had 
 money to mend those holes, they d mend them, but as 
 they don t mend them, of course they haven t the 
 money. It strikes me that they aren t as well 
 off as they used to be, and they ll have a hard time 
 gettin through this winter. Now, there isn t any 
 piece of furniture that you can put in your house that 
 will give it such an air of distinction, as Miss 
 Eleanor calls it, as she herself will give it, if you put 
 her there. If you could persuade Miss Eleanor to 
 come and sit in your parlor when you are having 
 company to see you, it would set you up in Plainton 
 a good deal higher than any money can set you up." 
 
 "They would never agree to anything of the kind," 
 said Mrs. Cliff, "and you know it, Willy ! " 
 
 "I don t believe it," said Willy. "I believe they d 
 come ! Just see how willing they were to come here 
 with you ! I tell you, Sarah, that the older and 
 older those Thorpdyke ladies get, the more timid 
 
 121 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 they get, and the more unwilling to live by them 
 selves ! If you make Miss Eleanor understand that it 
 would be the greatest comfort and happiness to both 
 of us if she would come and spend the winter with 
 you, and so help you to get used to your great big 
 new house, and, more than that, if they d bring with 
 them some of their candlesticks and pictures on ivory, 
 and that sort of thing, which everybody knows can t 
 be bought for money, it would be the great accommo 
 dation to you, and make your house look something 
 like what you would like to have it. I believe that 
 old-family lady would come and stay with you this 
 winter, and think all the time that she was giving you 
 something that you ought to have, and which nobody 
 in Plainton could give you but herself. And as to 
 Miss Barbara, she d come along as quick as lightning ! " 
 
 "Willy," said Mrs. Cliff, very earnestly, "have you 
 any good reason to believe that the Thorpdykes are 
 in money trouble ? " 
 
 "Yes, I have," said Willy, "I m positive of it, and, 
 what s more, it s only Miss Barbara who knows it ! " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff sat for some minutes without answering, 
 and then she said, "Willy, you do sometimes get into 
 your head an idea that absolutely sparkles ! " 
 
 122 
 
CHAPTEB XIV 
 
 WILLY GROUP AS A PHILANTHROPIC DIPLOMATIST 
 
 MRS. CLIFF was late to breakfast that day, and the 
 reason was that, thinking so much about what Willy 
 had said to her, she had been very slow in dressing. 
 As soon as she had a chance, Mrs. Cliff took Willy 
 aside and told her that she had determined to adopt 
 her advice about the Thorpdykes. 
 
 "The more I think of the plan," she said, "the 
 better I like it ! But we must be very, very careful 
 about what we do. If Miss Eleanor suspects that I 
 invite them to come to my house because I think 
 they are poor, she will turn into solid stone, and we 
 will find we cannot move her an inch. But I think I 
 can manage it ! When we go home, I will tell them 
 how pleasant we found it for us all to be together, and 
 speak of the loneliness of my new big house. If I can 
 get Miss Eleanor to believe that she is doing me a 
 favor, she may be willing to come. But on no account, 
 Willy, do you say a word to either of them about this 
 plan. If you do, you will spoil everything, for that s 
 your way, Willy, and you know it ! " 
 
 Willy promised faithfully that she would not inter 
 fere in the least ; but although she was perfectly satis- 
 
 123 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 fied with this arrangement, she was not happy c How 
 could she be happy, knowing what she did about Miss 
 Barbara? That poor lady was looking sadder than 
 ever, and Willy was very much afraid that she had 
 had another letter from that horrid Mr. Bullock, with 
 whom, she was delighted to think, Mrs. Cliff had 
 never dealt. 
 
 It would be some days yet before they would go 
 home and make the new arrangement, and then there 
 would be the bill and the collector, and all that horrid 
 business, and if Miss Eleanor found out the condition 
 of affairs, and if the bill was not paid, she must find 
 out, she would never come to them. She would 
 probably stay at home and live on bread ! 
 
 Now, it so happened that Willy had in her own 
 possession more than enough money to pay that 
 wretched Bullock bill. Mrs. Cliff made her no 
 regular allowance, but she had given her all the 
 money that she might reasonably expect to spend in 
 New York, and Willy had spent but very little of it, 
 for she found it the most difficult thing in the world 
 to select what it was she wanted out of all the desirable 
 things she saw. 
 
 It would rejoice her heart to transfer this money to 
 Miss Barbara, but how in the world could she do it? 
 She first thought that she might offer to buy something 
 that was in the Thorpdyke house, but she knew this 
 idea was absurd. Then she thought of mentioning, 
 in an offhand way, that she would like to put some 
 money out at interest, and thus, perhaps, induce Miss 
 Barbara to propose a business transaction. But this 
 would not do. Even Miss Barbara would suspect 
 some concealed motive. Idea after idea came to her, 
 
 124 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 but she could think of no satisfactory plan of getting 
 that money into Miss Barbara s possession. 
 
 She did not go out with the party that morning, 
 but sat in her room trying in vain to solve this prob 
 lem. At last she gave it up, and determined to do 
 what she wanted to do without any plan whatever. 
 
 She went into Miss Barbara s room, and placed upon 
 the table, in the very spot where the bill had been 
 lying, some bank-notes, considerably more than suffi 
 cient to pay the amount of the bill, which amount 
 she well remembered. It would not do to leave just 
 money enough, for that would excite suspicion. And 
 so, placing Miss Barbara s hair-brush upon the bank 
 notes, so that she would be sure not to overlook them, 
 for she would not think of going down to luncheon 
 without brushing her hair, Willy retired to her own 
 room, nearly closing the door, leaving only a little 
 crack through which she might see if any servant 
 entered the room before -Miss Barbara came back. 
 
 Then Willy set herself industriously to work hem 
 ming a pocket-handkerchief. She could not do this 
 very well, because she was not at all proficient in fine 
 sewing, but she worked with great energy, waiting 
 and listening for Miss Barbara s entrance. 
 
 At last, after a long time, Willy heard the outer 
 door of the other room open, and glancing through 
 the crack, she saw Miss Barbara enter. Then she 
 twisted herself around toward the window, and began 
 to sew savagely, with a skill much better adapted to 
 the binding of carpets than to any sort of work upon 
 cambric handkerchiefs. 
 
 In a few minutes she heard a little exclamation in 
 the next room, and then her door was opened sud- 
 
 125 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 denly, without the customary knock, and Miss Barbara 
 marched in. Her face was flushed. 
 
 "Willy Croup/ said she, "what is the meaning of 
 that money on my table ? " 
 
 "Money?" said Willy, turning toward her with as 
 innocent an expression as her burning cheeks and 
 rapidly winking eyes would permit. "What do you 
 mean by money?" 
 
 Miss Barbara stood silent for some moments, while 
 Willy vainly endeavored to thread the point of her 
 needle. 
 
 "Willy," said Miss Barbara, "did you come into 
 my room last night, and look at the bill which was 
 on my table ? " 
 
 Now Willy dropped her needle, thread, and hand 
 kerchief, and stood up. 
 
 "Yes, I did ! " said she. 
 
 Miss Barbara was now quite pale. 
 
 "And you read the note which Mr. Bullock had put 
 at the bottom of it?" 
 
 "Yes, I read it ! " said Willy. 
 
 "And don t you know," said the other, "that to do 
 such a thing was most" 
 
 " Yes, I do ! " interrupted Willy. "I knew it then, 
 and I know it now, but I don t care any more now 
 than I did then ! I put it there because I wanted to ! 
 And if you ll take it, Miss Barbara, and pay it back 
 to me any time when you feel like it and you can 
 pay me interest at ten per cent., if you want to, and 
 that will make it all right, you know. And oh, Miss 
 Barbara ! I know all about that sort of bill, because 
 they used to come when my father was alive. If you d 
 only take it, you don t know how happy I would be !" 
 
 126 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 At this she began to cry, and then Miss Barbara 
 burst into tears, and the two sat down beside each 
 other on a lounge and cried earnestly, hand in hand, 
 for nearly ten minutes. 
 
 "I m so glad you ll take it ! " said Willy, when Miss 
 Barbara went into her room, "and you may be just as 
 sure as you re sure of anything that nobody but our 
 two selves will ever know anything about it ! " 
 
 Immediately after luncheon Miss Barbara went by 
 herself to the post-office, and when she came back her 
 sister said to her that New York must just be begin 
 ning to agree with her. 
 
 "It is astonishing," said Miss Eleanor, "how long it 
 takes some people to get used to a change, but it often 
 happens that if one stays long enough in the new 
 place, great benefit will be experienced, whereas, if 
 the stay is short, there may be no good result what 
 ever ! " 
 
 That afternoon Mrs. Cliff actually laughed at Miss 
 Barbara a thing she had never done before. They 
 were in a large jewelry store, where they were looking 
 at clocks, and Miss Barbara, who had evinced a sudden 
 interest in the beautiful things about her, called Mrs. 
 CliiFs attention to a lovely necklace of pearls. 
 
 "If I were you," said Miss Barbara, "I would buy 
 something like that ! I should not want to wear it, 
 perhaps, but it would be so delightful to sit and look 
 at it ! " 
 
 The idea of Miss Barbara thinking of buying neck 
 laces of pearls ! No wonder Mrs. Cliff laughed. 
 
 When the party returned to Plainton, Mrs. Cliff 
 was amazed to find her new house almost completely 
 furnished j and no time was lost in proposing the 
 
 127 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 Thorpdyke project, for Mrs. Cliff felt that it would 
 be wise to make the proposition while the sense of 
 companionship was still fresh upon them all. 
 
 Miss Thorpdyke was very much surprised when 
 the plan was proposed to her, but it produced a pleas 
 ant effect upon her. She had much enjoyed the com 
 pany she had been in. She had always liked society, 
 and lately had had very little of it, for no matter 
 how good and lovable sisters may be, they are some 
 times a little tiresome when they are sole companions. 
 
 As to Barbara, she trembled as she thought of Mrs. 
 Cliff s offer trembled with joy, which she could not 
 repress, and trembled with fear that her sister might 
 not accept it. But it was of no use for her to say any 
 thing, and she said nothing. Eleanor always decided 
 such questions as these. 
 
 After a day s consideration, Miss Thorpdyke came 
 to a conclusion, and she sent Miss Barbara with a mes 
 sage to Mrs. Cliff to the effect that as the winters were 
 always lonely, and as it would be very pleasant for 
 them all to be together, she would, if Mrs. Cliff thought 
 it would be an advantage to her, come with her sister 
 and live in some portion of the new building which 
 Mrs. Cliff did not intend to be otherwise occupied, 
 and that they would pay whatever board Mrs. Cliff 
 thought reasonable and proper, but in order to do 
 this, it would be necessary for them to rent their pres 
 ent home. They would offer this house fully fur 
 nished, reserving the privilege of removing the most 
 valuable heirlooms which it now contained, and, as 
 soon as such an arrangement could be made, they 
 would be willing to come to Mrs. Cliff and remain 
 with her during the winter. 
 
 128 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 When Miss Barbara had heard this decision her 
 heart had fallen. She knew that it would be almost 
 impossible to find a tenant who would take that house, 
 especially for winter occupancy, and that even if a 
 tenant could be found the rent would be very little. 
 She knew, moreover, that having come to a decision, 
 Eleanor could not be moved from it. 
 
 She found Mr. Burke and Willy with Mrs. Cliff, 
 but as he knew all about the project, and had taken 
 great interest in it, she did not hesitate to tell her 
 message before him. Mrs. Cliff was very much dis 
 appointed. 
 
 "That ends the matter ! " said she. " Your house 
 cannot be rented for the winter ! " 
 
 "I don t know about that ! " exclaimed Mr. Burke 
 "By George ! I ll take the house myself! I want a 
 house I want just such a house. I want it furnished, 
 except I don t want to be responsible for old heir 
 looms, and I m willing to pay a fair and reasonable 
 rent for it. And I m sure, although I never had the 
 pleasure of being in it, it ought to bring rent enough 
 to pay the board of any two ladies any winter, wher 
 ever they might be ! " 
 
 "But, Mr. Burke," Miss Barbara said, her voice 
 shaking as she spoke, "I must tell you that the roof 
 is very much out of repair, and " 
 
 "Oh, that doesn t matter at all ! " said Burke. "A 
 tenant, if he s the right sort of tenant, is bound to put 
 a house into repair to suit himself. I ll attend to the 
 roof, if it needs it you may be sure of that ! And if 
 it doesn t need it, I ll leave it just as it is ! That ll be 
 all right and you can tell your sister that you ve 
 found a tenant. I m getting dreadfully tired of living 
 
 129 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 at that hotel, and a house of my own is something that 
 I ve never had before ! But one thing I must ask of 
 you, Miss Thorpdyke : don t say anything to your 
 sister about tobacco smoke, and perhaps she will 
 never think of it ! " 
 
 130 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 MISS NANCY MAKES A CALL 
 
 IT was a day or two after the most satisfactory arrange 
 ment between the Thorpdykes, Mrs. Cliff, and Mr. 
 Burke had been concluded, and before it had been 
 made public, that Miss Nancy Shott came to call 
 upon Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 As she walked, stiff as a grenadier, and almost as 
 tall, she passed by the new building without turning 
 her head even to glance at it, and going directly up 
 to the front door of the old house, she rang the bell. 
 
 As Mrs. Cliff s domestic household were all engaged 
 in the new part of the building, the bell was not 
 heard, and after waiting nearly a minute, Miss Shott 
 rang it again, with such vigor that the door was soon 
 opened by a maid, who informed her that Mrs. Cliff 
 was not at home, but that Miss Croup was in. 
 
 "Very well," said Miss Shott, "I ll see her ! And, 
 passing the servant, she entered the old parlor. 
 
 The maid followed her. 
 
 "There s no fire here," she said. "Won t you please 
 walk into the other part of the house, which is heated? 
 Miss Croup is over there." 
 
 "No ! " said Miss Shott, seating herself upon the 
 131 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 sofa. "This suits me very well, and Willy Croup can 
 come to me here as well as anywhere else ! " 
 
 Presently Willy arrived, wishing very much that 
 she also had been out. 
 
 "Do come ove^j to the other parlor, Miss Shott ! " 
 said she. "There s no furnace heat here, because Mrs. 
 Cliff didn t want the old house altered, and we use 
 this room so little that we haven t made a fire." 
 
 "I thought you had the chimney put in order ! " 
 said Miss Shott, without moving from her seat. 
 "Doesn t it work right?" 
 
 Willy assured her visitor that the chimney was in 
 good condition, so far as she knew, and repeated her 
 invitation to come into a warmer room, but to this 
 Miss Shott paid no attention. 
 
 "It s an old saying," said she, "that a bad chimney 
 saves fuel ! I understand that you ve all been to New 
 York shopping ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Willy, laughing, "it was a kind of 
 shopping, but that s not exactly what I d call it ! " 
 And perceiving that Miss Shott intended to remain 
 where she was, she took a seat. 
 
 "Well, of course," said Miss Shott, "everybody s got 
 to act according to their own judgments and con 
 sciences ! If I was going to buy winter things, I d do 
 what I could to help the business of my own town, 
 and if I did happen to want anything I couldn t get 
 here, I d surely go to Harrington, where the people 
 might almost be called neighbors ! " 
 
 Willy laughed outright. "Oh, Miss Shott," she 
 said, "you couldn t buy the things we bought, in Har 
 rington ! I don t believe they could be found in 
 Boston!" 
 
 132 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "I was speaking about myself/ 7 said Miss Nancy. 
 "I could find anything I wanted in Harrington, and 
 if my wants went ahead of what they had there, I 
 should say that my wants were going too far, and 
 ought to be curbed ! And so you took those poor old 
 Thorpdyke women with you. I expect they must 
 be nearly fagged out. I don t see how the oldest one 
 ever stood being dragged from store to store all over 
 New York, as she must have been ! She s a pretty 
 old woman, and can t be expected to stand even what 
 another woman, younger than she is, but old enough, 
 and excited by having money to spend, can stand ! 
 It s a wonder to me that you brought her back alive ! " 
 
 "Miss Eleanor came back a great deal better than 
 she was when she left ! " exclaimed Willy, indignantly. 
 "She ll tell you, if you ask her, that that visit to New 
 York did her a great deal of good." 
 
 "No, she won t ! " said Miss Shott, "for she don t 
 speak to me. It s been two years since I had any 
 thing to do with her ! " 
 
 Willy knew all about the quarrel between the 
 Thorpdyke ladies and Nancy, and wished to change 
 the subject. 
 
 "Don t you want to go and look at the new part of 
 the house? " she said. "Perhaps you d like to see the 
 things we ve bought in New York, and it s cold here ! " 
 
 To this invitation and the subsequent remark Miss 
 Shott paid no attention. She did not intend to give 
 Willy the pleasure of showing her over the house, and 
 it was not at all necessary, for she had seen nearly 
 everything in it. During the absence of Mrs. Cliff she 
 had made many visits to the house, and as she was 
 acquainted with the woman who had been left in 
 
 133 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 charge, she had examined every room, from ground 
 to roof, and had scrutinized and criticised the carpets 
 as they had been laid, and the furniture as it had been 
 put in place. 
 
 She saw that Willy was beginning to shiver a little, 
 and was well satisfied that she should feel cold. It 
 would help take the conceit out of her. As for herself, 
 she wore a warm cloak and did not mind a cold room. 
 
 "I m told," she said, "that Mrs. Cliff s putting up a 
 new stable. What was the matter with the old one ? " 
 
 "It wasn t big enough," said Willy. 
 
 "It holds two horses, don t it? and what could any 
 body want more than that, I d like to know ! " 
 
 Willy was now getting a little out of temper. 
 
 "That s not enough for Mrs. Cliff," she said. "She s 
 going to have a nice carriage and a pair of horses, and 
 a regular coachman, not Andrew Marks ! " 
 
 "Well ! " said Miss Shott, and for a few moments 
 she sat silent. Then she spoke: "I suppose Mrs. 
 Cliff s goin to take boarders." 
 
 "Boarders !" cried Willy. "What makes you say 
 such a thing as that ? " 
 
 " If she isn t," said Miss Shott, "I don t see what she ll 
 do with all the rooms in that new part of the house." 
 
 "She s goin to live in it," said Willy. "That s 
 what she s goin to do with it ! " 
 
 "Boarders are very uncertain," remarked Miss 
 Shott, "and just as likely to be a loss as a profit. Mr. 
 Williams tried it at the hotel summer after summer, 
 and if he couldn t make anything, I don t see how 
 Mrs. Cliff can expect to." 
 
 "She doesn t expect to take boarders, and you know 
 it ! " said Willy. 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Miss Shott folded her hands upon her lap. 
 
 "It s goin to be a dreadful hard winter. I never 
 did see so many acorns and chestnuts, and there s 
 more cedar berries on the trees than I ve ever known 
 in all my life ! I expect there ll be awful distress 
 among the poor, and when I say poor I don t mean 
 people that s likely to suffer for food and a night s 
 lodging, but respectable people who have to work hard, 
 and calculate day and night how to make both ends 
 meet. These re the folks that re goin to suffer in body 
 and mind this winter. And if people that s got more 
 money than they know what to do with, and don t 
 care to save up for old age and a rainy day, would 
 think sometimes of their deserving neighbors who 
 have to pinch and suffer when they re goin round 
 buyin rugs that must have cost at least as much as 
 twenty dollars apiece, and which they don t need at 
 all, there bein carpet already on the floor, it would 
 be more to their credit and benefit to their fellow- 
 beings. But, of course, one person s conscience isn t 
 another person s, and we ve each got to judge for 
 ourselves, and be judged afterwards ! " 
 
 Now Willy leaned forward in her chair, and her 
 eyes glistened. As her body grew colder, so did her 
 temper grow warmer. 
 
 "If it s Mrs. Cliff you re thinkin about, Nancy 
 Shott," said she, "I ll just tell you that you re as 
 wrong as you can be ! There isn t a more generous 
 and a kinder person in this whole town than Mrs. 
 Cliff is, and she isn t only that way to-day, but she s 
 always been so, whether she s had little or whether 
 she s had much ! " 
 
 "What did she ever do, I d like to know?" said 
 135 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Miss Nancy. "She s lined her own nest pretty well, 
 but what s she ever done for anybody else" 
 
 "Now, Nancy Shott," said Willy, "you know she s 
 been doin for other people all her life, whenever she 
 could ! She s done for you more than once, as I hap 
 pen to know, and she s done for other neighbors and 
 friends. And, more than that, she s gone abroad to do 
 good, and that s more than anybody else in this town s 
 done, as I know of ! " 
 
 "She didn t go to South America to do good to any 
 body but herself," coolly remarked the visitor. 
 
 "I m not thinking of that ! " said Willy. "She went 
 there on business, as everybody knows ! But you 
 remember well enough, when she was in the city, and 
 I was with her, when the dreadful cholera times came 
 on ! Everybody said that there wasn t a person who 
 worked harder and did more for the poor people who 
 were brought to the hospital than Sarah did. She 
 worked for them night and day, before they were 
 dead and after they were dead ! I did what I could, 
 but it wasn t no thin to what she did! Both of 
 us had been buyin things, and makin them up for 
 ourselves, for cotton and linen goods was so cheap 
 then. If it hadn t been for the troubles which came 
 on, we d had enough to last us for years ! But Sarah 
 Cliff isn t the kind of woman to keep things for herself 
 when they re wanted by others, and when she had 
 given everything that she had to those poor creatures 
 at the hospitals, she took my things, without as much 
 as takin the trouble to ask me, for in times like that 
 she isn t the woman to hesitate when she thinks she s 
 doin what ought to be done, and at one time, in that 
 hospital, there was eleven corpses in my night-gowns ! " 
 
 136 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Horrible ! " exclaimed Miss Shott, rising to her 
 feet. "It would have killed me to think of such a 
 thing as that ! " 
 
 "Well, if it would have killed you," said Willy, 
 "there was another night-gown left." 
 
 "If you re going to talk that way," said Miss Shott, 
 "I might as well go. I supposed that when I came 
 here I would at least have been treated civilly ! " 
 
 137 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ME. BUKKE MAKES A CALL 
 
 MRS. CLIFF now began her life as a rich woman. The 
 Thorpdykes were established in the new building ; 
 her carriage and horses, with a coachman in plain 
 livery, were seen upon the streets of Plainton ; she 
 gave dinners and teas, and subscribed in a modestly 
 open way to appropriate charities ; she extended suit 
 able aid to the members of Mrs. Ferguson s family, 
 both living and departed ; and the fact that she was 
 willing to help in church- work was made very plain 
 by a remark of Miss Shott, who, upon a certain Sun 
 day morning, at the conclusion of services, happened 
 to stop in front of Mrs. Cliff, who was going out of the 
 church. 
 
 "Oh," said Miss Shott, suddenly stepping very much 
 to one side, "I wouldn t have got in your way if I d 
 remembered that it was you who pays the new choir ! " 
 
 Mr. Burke established himself in the Thorpdyke 
 house, which he immediately repaired from top to bot 
 tom. But although he frequently repeated to himself 
 and to his acquaintances that he had now set up 
 housekeeping in just the way that he had always 
 wished for, with plenty of servants to do everything 
 
 138 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 just as lie wanted it done, he was not happy, never 
 theless. He felt the loss of the stirring occupation 
 which had so delighted him, and his active mind con 
 tinually looked right and left for something to do. 
 
 He spoke to Mrs. Cliff in regard to the propriety 
 of proposing to the Thorpdykes that he should build 
 an addition to their house, declaring that such an 
 addition would make the old mansion ever so much 
 more valuable, and as to the cost, he would arrange 
 that so that they would never feel the payment of it. 
 But this suggestion met with no encouragement, and 
 poor Burke was so hard put to it for something to 
 occupy his mind that one day he asked Mrs. Cliff if 
 she had entirely given up her idea of employing some 
 of her fortune for the benefit of the native Peruvians, 
 stating that if she wanted an agent to go down there 
 to attend to that sort of thing, he believed he would 
 be glad to go himself. 
 
 But Mrs. Cliff did not intend to send anything to 
 the native Peruvians. According to the arrangements 
 that Captain Horn had made for their benefit, they 
 would have as large a share of the Incas gold as they 
 could possibly claim, and, therefore, she did not feel 
 herself called upon to do anything. "If we had kept 
 it all," she said, "that would have been a different 
 thing ! 
 
 In fact, Mrs. Cliff s conscience was now in a very 
 easy and satisfied condition. She did not feel that 
 she owed anything to her fellow-beings that she 
 was not giving them, or that she owed anything to 
 herself that she was not giving to herself. The ex 
 penses of building and of the improvements to her 
 spacious grounds had been of so much assistance in 
 
 139 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 removing the plethora of her income that she was 
 greatly encouraged. She felt that she now had her 
 fortune under control, and that she herself might be 
 able to manage it for the future. Already she was 
 making her plans for the next year. 
 
 Many schemes she had for the worthy disposition of 
 her wealth, and the more she thought of them and 
 planned their details, the less inclined she felt to leave 
 for an hour or two her spacious and sumptuous apart 
 ments in the new building, and go back to her little 
 former home, where she might think of old times, 
 and relieve her mind from the weight of the novelty 
 and the richness of her new dining-room and its 
 adjuncts. 
 
 Often, as she sat in her stately drawing-room, she 
 longed for her old friend Edna, and wished that she 
 and the captain might come and see how well she had 
 used her share of the great fortune. 
 
 But Captain Horn and his wife were far away. Mrs. 
 Cliff had frequent letters from Edna, which described 
 their leisurely and delightful travels in the South and 
 West Their minds and bodies had been so strained 
 and tired by hard thinking and hard work that all 
 they wanted now was an enjoyment of life and the 
 world as restful and as tranquil as they could make 
 it. After a time they would choose some happy spot, 
 and make for themselves a home. Three of the negroes, 
 Maka and Cheditafa and Mok, were with them, and 
 the others had been left on a farm where they might 
 study methods of American agriculture until the 
 time should come when the captain should require 
 their services on his estate. Kalph was in Boston, 
 where, in spite of his independent ideas in regard to 
 
 140 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 his education, lie was preparing himself to enter 
 Harvard. 
 
 "I know what the captain means when he speaks of 
 settling down ! " said Burke, when he heard of this. 
 " He ll buy a canon and two or three counties, and 
 live out there like a lord ! And if he does that, I ll 
 go out and see him. I want to see this Inca money 
 sprouting and flourishing a good deal more than it has 
 done yet ! " 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Cliff. "Don t 
 you call this splendid house and everything in it a 
 sign of sprouting and flourishing ? " 
 
 "Oh, my dear madam," said Burke, rising from his 
 seat and walking the floor, "if you could have looked 
 through the hole in the top of the mound, and have 
 seen under you cart-loads and cart-loads of pure gold, 
 and had let your mind rest on what might have grown 
 out of it, a house like this would have seemed like an 
 acorn on an oak-tree ! " 
 
 "And you think the captain will have the oak- 
 tree ? " she asked. 
 
 "Yes," said Burke, "I think he s the sort of man to 
 want it, and if he wants it he ll have it ! " 
 
 There were days when the weather was very bad, 
 and time hung unusually heavy upon Mr. Burke s 
 hands, when he thought it might be a good thing to 
 get married. He had a house, and money enough to 
 keep a wife as well as any woman who would have 
 him had any reason to expect. But there were two 
 objections to this plan : in the first place, what would 
 he do with his wife after he got tired of living in the 
 Thorpdyke house ; and secondly, where could he find 
 anybody he would like to marry ? 
 
 141 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 He had female acquaintances in Plainton, but not 
 one of them seemed to have the qualifications he would 
 desire in a wife. Willy Croup was a good-natured 
 and pleasant woman, and he always liked to talk to 
 her, but she was too old for him. He might like to 
 adopt her as a maiden aunt, but then that would not 
 be practicable, for Mrs. Cliff would not be willing to 
 give her up. 
 
 At this time Burke would have gone to make a 
 visit to his mother, but there was also an objection to 
 this. He would not have dared to present himself 
 before her in his fur-trimmed overcoat and his high 
 silk hat. She was a true sailor s mother, and she 
 would have laughed him to scorn, and so habituated 
 had he become to the dress of a fine gentleman that it 
 would have seriously interfered with his personal 
 satisfaction to put on the rough winter clothes in 
 which his mother would expect to see him. 
 
 The same reason prevented him from going to his 
 old friend Shirley. He knew very well that Shirley 
 did not wear a high silk hat and carry a cane, and 
 he had a sufficient knowledge of human nature and 
 of himself to know that if his present personal ap 
 pearance were made the subject of ridicule, or even 
 inordinate surprise, it would not afford him the 
 same stimulating gratification which he now derived 
 from it. 
 
 Fortunately, the weather grew colder, and there 
 was snow and excellent sleighing, and now Burke 
 sent for a fine double sleigh, and, with a fur cap, a 
 great fur collar over his overcoat, fur gloves, and an 
 enormous lap-robe of fur, he jingled and glided over 
 the country in great delight, enjoying the sight of the 
 
 142 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 fur-garbed coachman in front of him almost as much 
 as the glittering snow and the crisp, fresh air. 
 
 He invited the ladies of the Cliff mansion to accom 
 pany him in these sleigh-rides, and although the Misses 
 Thorpdyke did not fancy such cold amusement, Mrs. 
 Cliff and Willy went with him a few times, and once 
 Willy accompanied him alone. 
 
 This positively decided the opinion of Plainton in 
 regard to his reason for living in that town. But 
 there were those who said that he might yet discover 
 that his plans would not succeed. Mrs. Cliff now 
 seemed to be in remarkably good health, and as it 
 was not likely that Mr. Burke would actually propose 
 marriage to Willy until he saw some signs of failing 
 in Mrs. Cliff, he might have to wait a long, long time, 
 during which his intended victim would probably grow 
 so wrinkled and old that even the most debased of 
 fortune-hunters would refuse to have her. Then, of 
 course, the fine gentleman would find out that he had 
 lost all the time he had spent scheming here in 
 Plainton. 
 
 The Buskirks were spending this winter in their 
 country home, and one afternoon Mr. Burke thought 
 he would drive up in his sleigh and make a call upon 
 them. He had been there before, but had seen no 
 one, and some weeks afterwards Mr. Buskirk had 
 dropped in at the hotel, but had not found him. 
 This sort of visiting did not suit our friend Burke, 
 and he determined to go and see what a Buskirk was 
 really like. 
 
 Having jingled and pranced up to the front of the 
 handsome mansion on the hill, and having been in 
 formed that the gentleman of the house was not at 
 
 143 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 home, he asked for his lady, and, as she was in, he was 
 ushered into a parlor. Here, having thrown aside 
 some of his superincumbent furs, George Burke sat 
 and looked about him. He had plenty of time for 
 observation, for it was long before Mrs. Buskirk made 
 her appearance. 
 
 With the exception of Mrs. Cliff s house, with which 
 he had had so much to do, Burke had never before 
 been inside a dwelling belonging to a very rich per 
 son, and the Buskirk mansion interested him very 
 much. Although he was so little familiar with fine 
 furniture, pictures, and bric-a-brac, he was a man of 
 quick perceptions and good judgment, and it did not 
 take him long to discover that the internal furnish 
 ings of the Buskirk house were far inferior to those 
 of the addition to Mrs. Cliff s old home. 
 
 The room in which he sat was large and pretentious, 
 but when it had been furnished there had been no 
 lady of good family, accustomed to the furnishings of 
 wealth and culture, and with an artistic taste gained 
 in travel at home and abroad, to superintend the 
 selection of these pictures, this carpet, and the cover 
 ings of this furniture. 
 
 He laughed within himself as he sat, his fur cape on 
 his knees and his silk hat in his hand, and he was so 
 elated and pleased with the knowledge of the superi 
 ority of Mrs. Cliff s home over this house of the proud 
 city people who had so long looked down upon Plain- 
 ton, that he entirely forgot his intention of recalling, 
 as he sat in the fine parlor of the Buskirks, the olden 
 times when he used to get up early in the morning 
 and swab the deck. 
 
 " These people ought to come down and see Mrs. 
 144 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Cliff s house/ thought Burke, "and I ll make them do 
 it, if I can ! " 
 
 When Mrs. Buskirk, a lady who had always found 
 it necessary to place strong guards around her social 
 position, made her appearance, she received her 
 visitor with an attentive civility. She had been im 
 pressed by his appearance when she had seen him 
 grandly careering in his barouche 01 his sleigh, and 
 she was still more impressed as she saw him in her 
 parlor with additional furs. She had heard he had 
 been a sailor, and now, as she talked to him, the belief 
 grew upon her that he might yet make a very good 
 sailor. He was courteous, entirely at his ease, and 
 perhaps a little too bland, and Mrs. Buskirk thought 
 that although her husband might like to sit and 
 smoke with this well-dressed, sunburnt man, he was 
 not a person very desirable for the society of herself 
 and daughters. 
 
 But she was willing to sit and talk to Mr. Burke, 
 for she wanted to ask him some questions about Mrs. 
 Cliff. She had heard about that lady s new house, or 
 rather the improvement to her old one, and she had 
 driven past it, and she did not altogether understand 
 the state of affairs. 
 
 She had known that Mrs. Cliff was the widow of a 
 storekeeper of the town, and that she had come into 
 possession of a portion of a treasure which had been 
 discovered somewhere in the West Indies or South 
 America, but those portions of treasures which might 
 be allotted to the widow of a storekeeper in a little 
 country town were not likely to be very much, and 
 Mrs. Buskirk was anxious to know something definite 
 about Mrs. Cliff s present circumstances. 
 
 145 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 Burke felt a little embarrassed in regard to his 
 answers. He knew that Mrs. Cliff was very anxious 
 not to appear as a millionaire in the midst of the 
 friends and associations of her native town at least, 
 that she did not desire to do so until her real financial 
 position had been gradually understood and accepted. 
 She would dislike nothing so much as to be regarded 
 as the people in her social circle regarded the Bus- 
 kirks on the hill. 
 
 So Burke did not blaze out as he would have liked 
 to do with a true and faithful statement of Mrs. Cliff s 
 great wealth, far in excess, he was very sure, of that 
 of the fine lady with whom he was talking, but he 
 said everything he could in a modest way, or what 
 seemed so to him, in regard to his friend s house and 
 belongings. 
 
 "But it seems to me," said Mrs. Buskirk, "that it s 
 a very strange thing for any one to build a house 
 such as the one you describe in such a neighborhood, 
 when there are so many desirable locations on the 
 outskirts of the town. The houses on the opposite 
 side of the street are very small some of them even 
 mean. If I am not mistaken, there is a little shop some 
 where along there ! I should consider that that sort 
 of thing would spoil any house, no matter how good 
 it might be in itself ! " 
 
 "Oh, that makes no difference whatever!" said 
 Burke, with a wave of his hand, and delighted to 
 remember a proposition he had made to Mrs. Cliff, 
 and which she had viewed with favor. " Mrs. Cliff 
 will soon settle all that! She s going to buy that 
 whole block opposite to her and make a park of it. 
 She ll clear away all the houses, and everything be- 
 
 146 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 longing to them, and she ll plant trees, and lay out 
 lawns and driveways, and have a regular landscape- 
 gardener who ll superintend everything. And she s 
 going to have the water brought in pipes which will 
 end in some great rocks, which we ll have hauled from 
 the woods, and from under these rocks a brook will 
 flow and meander through the park. And there ll be 
 flowers, and reeds, and rushes, and, very likely, a 
 fountain with the spare water. That will be a 
 public park for the use of the whole town, and you 
 can see for yourself, madam, that it ll be a grand 
 thing to look out from Mrs. Cliff s windows on such a 
 beautiful place ! It will be fitted up and railed off 
 very much after the style of her own grounds, so that 
 the whole thing will be like a great estate right in 
 the middle of the town. She s thinkin of callin the 
 park the Grove of the Incas. That sounds nice, 
 don t you think so, madam?" 
 
 "It sounds very well, indeed/ said Mrs. Buskirk. 
 She had heard before of plans made by people who 
 had suddenly come into possession of money. 
 
 Burke saw that he had not yet made the impres 
 sion that he desired. He wanted, without actually 
 saying so, to let this somewhat supercilious lady know 
 that if the possession of money was a reason for social 
 position, and he knew of no other reason for the 
 Buskirks position, Mrs. Cliff would be aft, talking to 
 the captain, while the Buskirks would be walking 
 about by themselves arnidship. 
 
 But he did not know how to do this. He knew it 
 would be no use to talk about horses and carriages, 
 and all that sort of thing, for these the Buskirks pos 
 sessed, and their coachman wore top-boots a thing 
 
 147 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Mrs. Cliff would never submit to. He was almost on 
 the point of relinquishing his attempt to make Mrs. 
 Buskirk call upon the widow of the storekeeper, when 
 the lady helped him by asking, in a casual way, if Mrs. 
 Cliff proposed living winter and summer in her new 
 house. 
 
 "No," said Burke, "not in the summer. I hear 
 Plainton is pretty hot in the summer, and she ll 
 go" (a radiant thought came to him) "I expect 
 she ll cruise about in her yacht during the warm 
 weather." 
 
 "Her yacht ! " exclaimed Mrs. Buskirk, for the first 
 time exhibiting marks of actual interest. "Has Mrs. 
 Cliff a yacht?" 
 
 "She s going to have one," said Burke to himself, 
 "and I ll put her up to it before I go home this 
 day." 
 
 "Yes," he said aloud, "that is, she hasn t got it yet, 
 but she s going to have it as soon as the season opens. 
 I shall select it for her. I know all about yachts and 
 every other kind of craft, and she ll have one of the 
 very finest on this coast. She s a good sailer, Mrs. 
 Cliff is, for I ve cruised with her ! And nothing will 
 she enjoy better in hot weather than her noble yacht 
 and the open sea ! " 
 
 Now, this did make an impression upon Mrs. Bus 
 kirk. A citizen of Plainton who possessed a yacht 
 was not to be disregarded. After this she was rather 
 abstracted, and the conversation fell off. Burke saw 
 that it was time for him to go, and as he had now said 
 all he cared to say, he was willing to do so. 
 
 In parting with him Mrs. Buskirk was rather more 
 gracious than when she received him. "I hope, when 
 
 148 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 you call again/ she said, "that you may find my hus 
 band at home. I know he will be glad to see you ! " 
 
 As Burke jingled and pranced away, he grinned 
 behind his great fur collar. "She ll call ! " said he to 
 himself. "She ll caU on the yacht, if she doesn t call 
 on anything else 1 " 
 
 149 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 WHEN the interview with Mrs. Buskirk was reported 
 that afternoon to Mrs. Cliff, the good lady sat aghast. 
 "I ve decided about the park," she said, "and that is 
 all very well. But what do you mean by a yacht? 
 What could be more ridiculous than to talk about me 
 and a yacht ! " 
 
 "Ridiculous ! " exclaimed Burke. "It s nothing of 
 the kind ! The more I think of the idea, the better 
 I like it, and if you ll think of it soberly, I believe 
 you ll like it just as much as I do ! In the first place, 
 you ve got to do something to keep your money from 
 being dammed up and running all over everything. 
 This house and furniture cleared away things for a 
 time, but the whole business will be just as much 
 clogged up as it was before, if you don t look out. I 
 don t want to give advice, but it does strike me that 
 anybody as rich as you are oughtn t to feel that they 
 could afford to sit still here in Plainton, year in and 
 year out, no matter how fine a house they might have ! 
 They ought to think of that great heap of gold in the 
 mound, and feel that it was their duty to get all the 
 grand and glorious good out of it that they knew 
 
 how!" 
 
 150 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "But it does seem to me," said Mrs. Cliff, "that a 
 yacht would be an absolute extravagance and waste of 
 money. And, you know, I have firmly determined I 
 will not waste my money." 
 
 "To call sittin in a beautiful craft, on a rollin sea, 
 with a spankin* breeze, a waste of money, is some 
 thing I can t get into my brain ! " said Mr. Burke. 
 "But you could do good with a yacht. You could 
 take people out on cruises who would never get out if 
 you didn t take them ! And now I ve an idea ! It s 
 just come to me. You might get a really big yacht. 
 If I was you, I d have a steam-yacht, because you d 
 have more control over that than you d have over a 
 sailin - vessel, and, besides, a person can get tired of 
 sailin - vessels, as I ve found out myself. And then 
 you might start a sort of summer shelter for poor 
 people not only very poor people, but respectable 
 people who never get a chance to sniff salt air. And 
 you might spend part of the summer in giving such 
 people what would be the same as country weeks, 
 only you d take them out to sea instead of shipping 
 them inland to dawdle around farms. I tell you, 
 that s a splendid idea, and nobody s done it." 
 
 Day after day, the project of the yacht was discussed 
 by Mrs. Cliff and Burke, and she was beginning to 
 view its benevolent features with a degree of favor 
 when Mrs. Buskirk called. That lady s visit was 
 prompted partly by a curiosity to see what sort of a 
 woman was the widow of the Plainton storekeeper 
 who would cruise the next summer in her yacht, and 
 partly by a feeling that to such a person a certain 
 amount of respect was due, even from a Buskirk. 
 
 But when she entered the house, passed through 
 151 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 the great hall, and seated herself in the drawing-room, 
 she saw more than she had expected to see. She saw 
 a house immeasurably better fitted out and furnished 
 than her own. She knew the value of the rugs which 
 Miss Shott had declared must have cost at least twenty 
 dollars each, and she felt, although she did not thor 
 oughly appreciate, the difference in artistic merit 
 between the pictures upon her walls and the masterly 
 paintings which had been selected by the ladies 
 Thorpdyke for the drawing-room of Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 The discovery startled her. She must talk to her 
 husband about it as soon as he reached home. It was 
 not only money, but a vast deal of money, and some 
 thing more, which had done all this. 
 
 She had asked for the ladies, knowing that Mrs. 
 Cliff did not live alone, and all the ladies were at 
 home. Amid those surroundings, the elder Miss 
 Thorpdyke, most carefully arrayed, made an im 
 pression upon Mrs. Buskirk very different from that 
 she had produced on the occasion of their single 
 former interview in the darkened little parlor of the 
 Thorpdyke house. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff, in a costume quite simple, but as rich as 
 her conscience would allow, felt within herself all the 
 uplifting influence of her wealth, as she stepped for 
 ward to salute this lady who had always been so 
 uplifted by her wealth. 
 
 In the course of the conversation, the yacht was 
 mentioned. The visitor would not go away with 
 out being authoritatively informed upon this sub 
 ject. 
 
 "Oh, yes," said Mrs. Cliff, promptly, "I shall have a 
 yacht next summer. Mr. Burke will select one for 
 
 152 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 me, and I know it will be a good one, for lie thor 
 oughly understands such matters. 7 
 
 Before she left, Mrs. Buskirk invited Mrs. Cliff, the 
 Misses Thorpdyke, and Miss Croup to take luncheon 
 with her quite informally on the following Tuesday. 
 She would have made it a dinner, but in that case 
 her husband would have been at home, and it would 
 have been necessary to invite Mr. Burke, and she was 
 not yet quite sure about Mr. Burke 
 
 This invitation, which soon became known through 
 out the town, decided the position of Mrs. Cliff at 
 Plainton. When that lady and her family had gone, 
 with her carriage and pair, to the mansion of the 
 Buskirks on the hill, and had there partaken of 
 luncheon, very informally, in company with three of 
 the most distinguished ladies of Harrington, who had 
 also been invited very informally, and when the news 
 of the magnificent repast which had been served on 
 the occasion, with flowers from the greenhouse nearly 
 covering the table, with everything tied up with 
 ribbons which could possibly be so decorated, and 
 with a present for each guest ingeniously concealed 
 under her napkin, floated down into the town, there 
 was no woman in that place who could put her hand 
 upon her heart and honestly declare that hereafter 
 Mrs. Cliff could look up to anybody in Plainton. 
 
 This recognition, which soon became obvious to 
 Mrs. Cliff, was a source of genuine gratification to 
 that good lady She had never been inclined to put 
 herself above her neighbors on account of her fortune, 
 and would have been extremely grieved if she had 
 been convinced that her wealth would oblige her to 
 assume a superior position ; but when that wealth 
 
 153 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 gradually and easily, without creating any disturb, 
 ance or commotion in her circle, raised her of itself, 
 without any action on her part, to the peak of social 
 eminence in her native place, her genuine satisfaction 
 was not interfered with in the least degree by her 
 conscience. Her position had come to her, and she 
 had assumed it as if she had been born to it. 
 
 But whenever she thought of her preeminence, 
 and she did not think of it nearly so often as other 
 people thought of it, she determined that it should 
 make no difference to her, and when next she gave a 
 high tea, not the grand repast to which she intended 
 to invite the Buskirks on the hill, she invited Miss 
 Gushing. Now, there were people in Plainton who 
 did not invite the dressmaker to their table, but Mrs. 
 Cliff had asked her when they were all poor together, 
 and she would have her now again when they were 
 not all poor together. 
 
 As the winter went on, Burke became more and 
 more interested in Mrs. Cliff s yacht, and if he had 
 not had this subject to talk about, and plan about, 
 and to go at all hours to see Mrs. Cliff about, it , is 
 likely that he would have been absolutely obliged to 
 leave Plainton for want of occupation. But the idea 
 of commanding a steam-yacht was attraction enough 
 to keep him where he could continually consider it. 
 
 He assured Mrs. Cliff that it was not at all neces 
 sary to wait until pleasant weather before undertaking 
 this great enterprise. As soon as the harbors were 
 reasonably free of ice, it would be well for him to go 
 and look at yachts, and then, when he found one 
 which suited him, Mrs. Cliff could go and look at it, 
 ,and if it suited her, it could be immediately put into 
 
 154 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 commission. They could steam down into Southern 
 waters, and cruise about there. The spring up here 
 in the North was more disagreeable than any other 
 season of the year, and why should they not go and 
 spend that season in the tranquil and beautiful waters 
 of Florida or the West Indies ? 
 
 Mrs. Cliff had now fully determined to become the 
 owner of a yacht, but she would not do so unless she 
 saw her way clear to carry out the benevolent features 
 of the plan which Mr. Burke had suggested. 
 
 "What I want/ said Mrs. Cliff, "is to have the 
 whole thing understood ! I am perfectly willing to 
 spend some of the pleasant months sailing about the 
 coast, and feeling that I m giving health and pleasure 
 to poor and deserving people, especially children, but 
 I am not willing to consider myself a rich woman who 
 keeps an expensive yacht just for the pleasure of 
 cruising around when she feels like it ! But I do like 
 the plan of giving country weeks at sea." 
 
 "Very good, madam," he said, "and we can fix that 
 thing so that nobody can possibly make any mistake 
 about it. What do you say to calling your yacht the 
 Summer SJwlterf We ll paint the name in white 
 letters on the bows and stern, and nobody can take us 
 for idle sea loafers with more money than we know 
 what to do with ! " 
 
 "I like that ! " said Mrs. Cliff, her face brightening. 
 "You may buy me a yacht as soon as you please, and 
 we ll call her the Summer Shelter ! " 
 
 In consequence of this order, Mr. Burke departed 
 from Plainton the next day, and began a series of ex 
 peditions to the seaport towns on the Atlantic coast 
 in search of a steam-yacht for sale. 
 
 155 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 The winter grew colder, and the weather was very 
 bad. There were heavy snows and drifts, and many 
 hardships. There were cases of privations and suffer 
 ing, and never did she hear of one of these cases that 
 a thankful glow did not warm the heart of Mrs. Cliff 
 as she thought that she was able to relieve it. 
 
 But Mrs. Cliff knew, and if she had not known she 
 would have soon found out, that it was often very diffi 
 cult to relieve distress of body without causing distress 
 of mind. However, she and Willy and the Misses 
 Thorpdyke had known all phases of the evil which 
 has its root in the want of money, and they always 
 considered people s sensibilities when they held 
 charitable councils. There was one case in which Mrs. 
 Cliff felt that she must be very careful, indeed. 
 
 Old Nancy Shott was not standing the winter well. 
 She had a bad cold, and was confined to her bed, and 
 one day Miss Inchman mentioned, during a call on 
 Mrs. Cliff, that she did not believe the poor old thing 
 was able to keep herself warm. She had been to see 
 her, and the coverings on her bed were very insuffi 
 cient, she thought. 
 
 The Shotts never did keep a warm house, nor did 
 they care to spend their money upon warm clothes ; 
 but although that sort of thing might do very well 
 while they were in health and were constantly on the 
 move, it did not do when they were sick in bed. 
 "When Miss Inchman had gone, Mrs. Cliff called 
 Willy. 
 
 "Where are we using those California blankets 
 which I brought home with me ? " she asked. 
 
 "Using them ! " exclaimed Willy. "We aren t 
 using them anywhere. I m sure nobody would think 
 
 156 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 of using such blankets as those, except when some 
 extra company might happen to come. It ought to be 
 a long time before those blankets would have to go 
 into the wash, and I ve kept them covered up on the 
 top shelf of the linen-closet ! " 
 
 "Well, I wish you would go and get them," said 
 Mrs. Cliff, "and then wrap them up and take them 
 to Miss Shott as a present from me." 
 
 "Take them to Nancy Shott!" cried Willy. "I 
 never heard of such a thing in my life ! She s able to 
 buy blankets, dozens of them, if she wants them, 
 and to take to her such blankets as the ones you 
 brought from California why, it takes my breath 
 away to think of it ! " 
 
 "But you must take them to her," said Mrs. Cliff. 
 "She may be stingy, but she is suffering, and I want 
 her to have those blankets because they are the very 
 best that I could possibly send her. You can get 
 Andrew Marks to drive you there, but stop two or 
 three doors from the house. She will think you are 
 putting on airs if you drive up to the door. And I 
 wish you would give her the blankets just as if it was 
 a matter of course that anybody would send things to 
 a sick person." 
 
 "Oh, yes ! " said Willy. "As if you hadn t a pot of 
 jelly to spare, and so sent her these blankets fit for an 
 emperor on his throne ! " 
 
 That very evening the reluctant Willy took the 
 blankets to Miss Shott, for Mrs. Cliff knew it was 
 going to be a very cold night, and she wanted her to 
 have them as soon as possible. 
 
 When Nancy Shott beheld the heavy and beautiful 
 fabrics of fine wool which Willy spread out upon her 
 
 157 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 bed in order that she might better examine them, the 
 eyes of the poor old woman flashed with admiring 
 delight. 
 
 "Well," said she, "Sarah Cliff has got a memory ! " 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Willy. 
 
 "Why, she remembers," said Miss Shott, "that I 
 once joined in to give her a pair of blankets ! " 
 
 "Good gracious ! " exclaimed Willy, and she was on 
 the point of speaking her mind in regard to the salient 
 points in the two transactions, but she refrained. The 
 poor old thing was sick, and she must not say anything 
 to excite her. 
 
 "I suppose," said Miss Shott, after lifting a corner of 
 a blanket and rubbing and pinching it, "that these 
 are all wool ! " 
 
 Then Willy thought herself privileged to speak, 
 and for some minutes she dilated on the merits of those 
 superb blankets, the like of which were not to be 
 found in the whole State, and, perhaps, not in any 
 State east of the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 "Well," said Miss Shott, "you may tell her that I 
 will not throw her present back at her, as she once 
 threw one back at me ! And now that you re here, 
 Willy Croup, I may as well say to you what I ve in 
 tended to say to you the next time I saw you. And 
 that is that when I was at your house you told me an 
 out-and-out falsehood, I won t use any stronger word 
 than that, and how you could sleep after having 
 done it I m sure I don t know ! " 
 
 "Falsehood ! " cried Willy. "What do you mean ? " 
 
 "You told me," said Nancy, "that Mrs. Cliff wasn t 
 goin to take boarders and now look at those 
 Thorpdykes! Not two days after you tried to de- 
 
 158 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 ceive me, they went there to board ! And now, what 
 have you got to say to that? " 
 
 Willy had not a word to say. She sprang to her 
 feet, she glared at the triumphant woman in the bed, 
 and, turning, went down-stairs. 
 
 159 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE DAWN OF THE GROVE OF THE INOAS 
 
 A MAN may have command of all the money necessary, 
 and he may have plenty of knowledge and experience 
 in regard to the various qualities of sea-going vessels, 
 but even with these great advantages he may find it 
 a very difficult thing to buy, ready to his hand, a 
 suitable steam-yacht. The truth of this statement was 
 acknowledged by Mr. Burke after he had spent nearly 
 a month in Boston, New York, and various points 
 between these cities, and, after advertising, inquiring, 
 and investigating the subject in all possible ways, 
 found nothing which he could recommend Mrs. Cliff 
 to purchase. 
 
 He wrote to her a great many letters during this 
 period, all of which were interesting, although there 
 were portions of many of them which she did not 
 quite understand, being expressed in a somewhat 
 technical fashion. Burke liked to write letters. It 
 was a novel experience for him to have time to write 
 and something to write about. He had been better 
 educated than the ordinary sailor, and his intelligence 
 and habits of observation enabled him to supplement 
 to a considerable extent what he had learned at 
 
 160 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 school. His spelling and grammar were sometimes 
 at fault, but his handwriting was extremely plain and 
 distinct, and Willy Croup, who always read his letters, 
 declared that it was much better to write plainly than 
 to be always correct in other respects, for what was 
 the good of proper spelling and grammar, if people 
 could not maj^e out what was written ? 
 
 Mrs. Cliif was not at all disturbed by the delay in 
 the purchase of a yacht, for, according to her idea, it 
 would be a long time yet before it was pleasant to 
 sail upon the sea, and if it was interesting to Mr. 
 Burke to go from place to place, and have interviews 
 with ship-owners and seafaring people, she was glad 
 that she was able to give him an opportunity to do so. 
 
 As for herself, she was in a pleasant state of feminine 
 satisfaction. Without any sort of presumption or 
 even effort on her part, she had attained a high and 
 unquestioned position among her fellow- citizens, and 
 her mind was not set upon maintaining that position 
 by worthy and unofiensive methods of using her 
 riches. 
 
 She now had a definite purpose in life. If she 
 could make herself happy and a great many other 
 people happy, and only a few people envious or 
 jealous, and, at the same time, feel that she was living 
 and doing things as a person of good common sense 
 and great wealth ought to live and do things, what 
 more could be expected of her in this life f 
 
 Thus backed up by her conscience and her check 
 book, she sat, morning after morning, before a cheerful 
 fire of hickory logs and outlined her career. This was 
 in the parlor of her old house, which she now deter 
 mined to use as an office or business-room. She could 
 
 Ifil 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 afford the warmest fire of the best-seasoned wood, her 
 chimney was in perfect order, and she was but fifty-five 
 years old and in excellent health. Why should she 
 not enjoy the exhilarating blaze, and plan for years of 
 exhilarating occupation I 
 
 Soon after Mr. Burke left Plainton Mrs. Cliff began 
 work upon the new park. This she could do without 
 his assistance, and it was work the mere contempla 
 tion of which delighted her. She had legal assistance 
 in regard to the purchase of the grounds and build 
 ings of the opposite block, and while this was in the 
 hands of her lawyers, she was in daily consultation 
 with an eminent landscape-constructor who had come 
 to Plainton for the purpose. He lodged at the hotel, 
 and drew most beautiful plans of the proposed park. 
 
 In the happy morning hours during which Mrs. 
 Cliff s mind wandered over the beautiful drives, or 
 stood upon the rustic bridges which crossed the stream 
 dashing among its rocks and spreading itself out into 
 placid pools, or when, mentally, she sat in the shade 
 of the great trees and looked out upon the wide 
 stretches of verdant lawn, relieved by the brilliant 
 colors of the flower-beds, she often felt it was almost 
 the same thing as if it were actually summer, and 
 that she really saw the beautiful grass and flowers, 
 heard the babbling of the stream, and felt the refresh 
 ing breezes which rustled the great limbs of the trees. 
 
 She did not selfishly keep these pleasures to herself, 
 but often, on the stormy evenings, she and Willy and 
 the Misses Thorpdyke would go over the brilliantly 
 colored plans of the Incas Grove, admire what had 
 been proposed, and suggest things which they thought 
 would be desirable. Miss Thorpdyke, who had a vivid 
 
 162 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 recollection of the Gardens of the Luxembourg, spoke 
 of many of their beautiful and classic features which 
 she would recommend for the new park if it were not 
 that they would cost so much money. All these were 
 noted down with great care by Mrs. Cliff, and men 
 tioned to the landscape-constructor the next day. 
 
 Thus at home, in church circles, in the society of 
 the town, and in the mental contemplation of the 
 charming landscape which, in consequence of her own 
 will and command, would soon spread itself out before 
 her windows, Mrs. Cliff was very happy. But among 
 all her sources of enjoyment there was nothing, per 
 haps, which pleased her better than to think, on a cold 
 winter s night, when the piercing winds were roaring 
 about the house, that poor old Nancy Shott was lying 
 warm and comfortable under two of the finest blan 
 kets which ever came from Californian looms. 
 
 The great object of Willy Croup s thoughts at this 
 time was not the park, for she could not properly 
 appreciate trees and grass in this shivery weather, 
 but the entertainment, the grand lunch or the very 
 high tea, which was to be given to Mrs. Buskirk and her 
 daughters on the hill. This important event had been 
 postponed because the sleighing had become rather 
 bad and the Buskirks had gone to the city. 
 
 But as soon as they returned, Willy hoped with all 
 her heart that Mrs. Cliff would be able to show them 
 what might be done in the line of hospitable entertain 
 ment by people who had not only money but some 
 thing more. There had been a time when Willy 
 thought that when people wished to entertain there 
 was nothing needed but money, but then she had 
 not lived in the house with the Misses Thorpdyke, 
 
 163 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 and had not heard them and Mrs. Cliff discuss such 
 matters. 
 
 The peace of mind of Mrs. Cliff was disturbed one 
 day by the receipt of a letter from Mr. Burke, who 
 wrote from New York and informed her that he had 
 found a yacht which he believed would suit her, and 
 he wished very much that she would come and look 
 at it before he completed the purchase. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff did not wish to go to New York and look 
 at yachts. She had then under consideration the plan 
 of a semicircular marble terrace which was to overlook 
 one end of a shaded lakelet, which Mr. Humphreys, 
 her professional adviser, assured her she could have 
 just as well as not, by means of a dam, and she did 
 not wish to interrupt this most interesting occupation. 
 Mr. Humphreys had procured photographs of some of 
 the romantic spots of the Luxembourg, and Mrs. Cliff 
 felt within herself the gladdening impulses of a good 
 magician as she planned the imitation of all this 
 classic beauty. 
 
 Besides, it was the middle of March, and cold, and 
 not at all the season in which she would be able to 
 appreciate properly the merits of a yacht. Still, as 
 Mr. Burke had found the vessel, and wanted her to see 
 it, and as there was a possibility, he had written, that 
 delay might cause her to lose the opportunity of get 
 ting what she wanted, and as she was very desirous of 
 pleasing him, she decided that she and Willy would 
 go to New York and look at the vessel. 
 
 It would not take long, because, of course, Mr. 
 Burke had already found out everything that was 
 necessary in regard to its sea-going qualities, and a 
 great many other things of which she would not be a 
 
 164 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 judge. In fact, it was not necessary for her to go at 
 all, but as she was to pay for it, Mr. Burke would be 
 better satisfied if she saw it before doing so. 
 
 It was very pleasant to think that she could go 
 away whenever she pleased, and leave her house in the 
 care of two such ladies as Miss Eleanor Thorpdyke 
 and her sister. 
 
 165 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE "SUMMER SHELTER" 
 
 WHEN Mrs. Cliff and Willy, as well wrapped up in 
 handsome furs as Mr. Burke himself, who accompanied 
 them, left their New York hotel to drive over to 
 Brooklyn and examine the yacht which had been 
 selected, Willy s mind vainly endeavored to form 
 within itself an image of the object of the expedition. 
 
 She was so thoroughly an inland woman, and had so 
 little knowledge of matters connected with the sea, 
 that when she first heard the mention of the yacht, it 
 had brought into her mind the idea of an Asiatic 
 animal with long hair, and used as a beast of burden, 
 which she had read about in her school-books. But 
 when she had discovered that the object in question 
 was a vessel, and not a bovine ruminant, her mind 
 carried her no farther than to a pleasure boat with a 
 sail to it. 
 
 Even Mrs. Cliff, who had travelled, had inadequate 
 ideas concerning a steam-yacht. She had seen the 
 small steamers which ran upon the Seine, and she had 
 taken little trips upon them, and if she had given the 
 subject careful consideration she might have thought 
 that the yacht intended for the use of a private indi 
 vidual would be somewhat smaller than one of these, 
 
 166 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 It would be difficult, therefore, to imagine the sur 
 prise and even amazement of Mrs. Cliff and Willy 
 Croup when they beheld the vessel to which Mr. 
 Burke conducted them. It was, in fact, a sea-going 
 steamer of small comparative size, it is true, but of 
 towering proportions when compared with the ideals 
 in the minds of the two female citizens of Plainton who 
 had come, the one to view it and the other to buy it. 
 
 "Before we go on board," said Mr. Burke, as he 
 proudly stood upon the pier, holding fast to his silk 
 hat in the cold breeze which swept along the water 
 front, "I want you to take a general look at her. I 
 don t suppose you know anything about her lines and 
 build, but I can tell you they re all right ! But you 
 can see for yourselves that she s likely to be a fine, 
 solid, comfortable craft, and won t go pitchin and 
 tossin around like the crafts that some people go to 
 sea in ! " 
 
 "Why, the name is on it ! " cried Willy. "Summer 
 Shelter ! How did you happen to find one with that 
 name, Mr. Burke?" 
 
 "Oh, I didn t," said he. "She had another name, 
 but I wanted you to see her just as she d look if she 
 really belonged to you, so I had the other name 
 painted out and this put on in good, big white letters 
 that can be seen for a long distance. If you don t buy 
 her, Mrs. Cliff, of course I ll have the old name put 
 back again. Now, what do you think of her, Mrs. 
 Cliff, lookin at her from this point of view ? " 
 
 The good lady stood silent. She gazed at the long, 
 high hull of the steamer, she looked up at the black 
 smoke-stack, and at the masts which ran up so shapely 
 and so far, and her soul rose higher than it had been 
 
 167 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 uplifted even by the visions of the future Grove of 
 the Incas. 
 
 "I think it is absolutely splendid ! " said she. "Let 
 us go in ! " 
 
 "On board, madam," said Burke, gently correcting 
 her. "This way to the gang-plank ! " 
 
 For nearly two hours Mrs. Cliff and Willy wandered 
 over the upper and lower decks of the yacht, ex 
 amined its pretty little state-rooms, sat excitedly 
 upon the sofas of its handsomely decorated saloon, 
 examined the folding tables and all the other wonder 
 ful things which shut themselves up out of the way 
 when they were not needed, tapped the keys of the 
 piano, investigated the store-rooms, lockers, and all 
 the marine domestic conveniences, and forgot it was 
 winter, forgot that the keen wind nearly blew their 
 bonnets off as they walked the upper deck, and felt 
 what a grand thing it would be to sail upon the sea 
 upon such a noble vessel. 
 
 To all this there was added, in Mrs. Cliff s mind, the 
 proud feeling that it would be her own, and in it she 
 could go wherever she pleased, and come back again 
 when it suited her. 
 
 Willy, who had never been to sea, was perfectly 
 free to form an idea of an ocean voyage as delightful 
 and charming as she pleased, and this she did with 
 great enthusiasm. Even had it been necessary that 
 this perfectly lovely vessel should remain moored at 
 the pier, it would have given joy to her soul to live 
 in it, to sleep in one of those sweet little rooms, and to 
 eat and read and sew in that beautiful saloon. 
 
 "Mr. Burke," said Mrs. Cliff, "I don t believe you 
 168 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 could find any vessel better suited to our purpose than 
 this one, and I wish you would buy it ! " 
 
 "Madam," said Burke, "I ll do it immediately f 
 And I tell you, madam, that this is a wonderful 
 chance for this time of the year, when yachts and 
 pleasure crafts in this part of the world are generally 
 laid up and can t be seen properly, and, what s more, 
 would have to be docked and overhauled generally 
 before they would be ready for sea. But here is a 
 yacht that s been cruising down South and in the 
 West Indies, and has just come up here, and is all 
 ready to go to sea again whenever you like it. If you 
 don t mind going home by yourselves, I ll go to the 
 office of the agent of the owner, and settle the busi 
 ness at once ! " 
 
 It would have been impossible for any purchase or 
 any possession of palace, pyramid, or principality to 
 make prouder the heart of Mrs. Cliff than did the 
 consciousness that she was the owner of a fine sea- 
 vessel worked by steam. She acknowledged to her 
 self that if she had been at home she could not have 
 prevented herself from putting on those airs which 
 she had been so anxious to avoid. But these would 
 wear off very soon, she knew, and so long as there was 
 no one, except Willy, to notice a possible change of 
 manner, it did not matter. 
 
 Now that Mrs. Cliff and Willy were in New York, 
 they agreed that it would be well for them to 
 attend to some shopping for which they had intended 
 coming to the city later in the spring. It had been 
 found that there were many things wanted to sup 
 plement the furnishing of the new house, and to the 
 
 169 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 purchase of these the two ladies now devoted their 
 mornings. 
 
 But every afternoon, in company with Mr. Burke, 
 they went on board the Summer Shelter to see what he 
 had been doing, and to consult with him about what 
 he was going to do. It was astonishing how many 
 little things were needed to be done to a yacht just 
 returned from a cruise, and how interesting all these 
 things were to Mrs. Cliff and Willy, considering that 
 they knew so little about them. 
 
 The engineer and fireman had not been discharged, 
 but were acting as watchmen, and Burke strongly 
 recommended that they should be engaged immedi 
 ately, because, as he said, if Mrs. Cliff were to let 
 them go, it would be difficult to get such men again. 
 " It is a little expensive, to be sure, but when a yacht 
 is not laid up," he said, "there should always be men 
 aboard of her." And so the painting, and the clean 
 ing, and the necessary fitting up went on, and Mr. 
 Burke was very happy, and Mrs. Cliff was very proud, 
 although the external manifestation of this feeling 
 was gradually wearing off. 
 
 "I don t want to give advice, madam," said Burke, 
 one evening, as the little party sat together discuss 
 ing nautical matters, "but if I was in your place, I 
 wouldn t go back to Plainton before I had taken a 
 little trial-trip on the yacht. It doesn t matter a bit 
 about the weather ! After we get out to sea, it will 
 be only a few days before we find we re in real spring 
 weather and the warm water of the Gulf Stream. We 
 can touch at Savannah, and cruise along the Florida 
 coast, and then go over to the Bahamas, and look 
 around as long as we feel like. And when we get 
 
 170 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 back here it will be beginning to be milder, and then 
 you can go home and arrange for the voyages you re 
 goin to make in her during the summer." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff considered. This was a tempting proposi 
 tion. And while she considered, Willy sat and looked 
 at her with glowing cheeks and half-open mouth. It 
 would not have required one second for her to decide 
 such a question. 
 
 "You know/ said Mr. Burke, "it wouldn t take me 
 long to get her ready for sea. I could soon coal her 
 and put her stores aboard, and as to a crew, I can get 
 one in no time. We could leave port in a week just 
 as well as not ! " 
 
 "Let s go ! " said Willy, seizing the hand of her 
 friend. "It need only be a little trip, just to see how 
 it would all feel." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff smiled. "Very good," said she, "we ll 
 take a little trial-trip just as soon as you are ready, 
 Captain Burke ! that is, if you have not made any 
 plans which will prevent you from accepting the posi 
 tion." 
 
 "Madam," said Burke, springing to his feet and 
 standing proudly before Mrs. Cliff, "I d throw up the 
 command of the finest liner on the Atlantic to be cap 
 tain of the Summer Shelter for this summer ! I see far 
 more fun ahead in the cruises that you re going to 
 make than in any voyage I ve looked forward to yet, 
 and when people have a chance to mix fun and charity 
 as we re goin to mix them, I say such people ought to 
 call themselves lucky ! This is Wednesday. Well, 
 now, madam, by next Wednesday the Summer Shelter 
 will be all fitted out for the cruise, and she ll be ready 
 to sail out of the harbor at whatever hour you 
 
 171 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 name, for the tide won t make any difference to 
 her ! " 
 
 "There is only one thing I don t like about the ar 
 rangement," said Mrs. Cliff, when the captain had left 
 them, "and that is that we will have to take this trip 
 by ourselves. It seems a pity for three people to go 
 sailing around in a big vessel like that, with most of 
 the state-rooms empty. But, of course, people are not 
 prepared yet for country weeks at sea ! And it will 
 take some time to make my plans known in the proper 
 quarters." 
 
 "I don t suppose," said Willy, "that there s any 
 body in Plainton that we could send for on short 
 notice. People there want so much time to get ready 
 to do anything ! " 
 
 "But there is nobody in the town that I would care 
 to take on a first voyage," said Mrs. Cliff. "You 
 know, something might go wrong, and we would have 
 to come back, and if it is found necessary to do that, 
 I don t want any Plainton people on board ! " 
 
 "No, indeed ! " exclaimed Willy, her mind involun 
 tarily running toward Nancy Shott, to whom a voyage 
 to the West Indies would doubtless be of great ser 
 vice. "Don t let s bother about anything of that 
 kind. Let s make the first trip by ourselves. I 
 think that will be glorious ! " 
 
 172 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE SYNOD 
 
 As most of Mrs. ClifPs business in New York was now 
 finished, and as she and Willy were waiting there only 
 for the yacht to be made ready for sea, she had a good 
 deal of time on her hands. 
 
 On the Saturday following her decision to make a 
 trial-trip on the Summer Shelter, when returning from 
 the daily visit to the yacht, Mrs. Cliff stopped in at a 
 Brooklyn church in which a Synod was at that time 
 convened. She had read of the proceedings of this 
 body in the papers, and as the deliberations con 
 cerned her own denomination, she thought she would 
 be interested in them. Willy, however, preferred to 
 go on by herself to New York, as she had something 
 to do there which she thought would be more to her 
 taste than the proceedings of a Synod. 
 
 It was not long after she had been seated in the 
 church that Mrs. Cliff began to regret that she had 
 not attended some of the earlier meetings, for the 
 questions debated were those in which she took an 
 interest. 
 
 After a time she saw near her Mrs. Arkwright, a 
 lady who had visited Mrs. Perley some years before, 
 and with whom she had then become acquainted. 
 
 173 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Joining her, Mrs. Cliff found Mrs. Arkwright able to 
 give her a great deal of information in regard to the 
 members of the Synod, and as the two sat and talked 
 together in whispers, a desire arose in the mind of 
 Mrs. Cliff that she and her wealth might in some way 
 join in the work in which all these people were en 
 gaged. As her mind rested upon this subject, there 
 came into it a plan which pleased her. Here were all 
 these delegates, many of them looking tired and pale, 
 as if they had been hard worked during the winter, 
 and here was she, the mistress of the Summer Shelter, 
 about to take a trip to warm and sunny regions in 
 an almost empty vessel. 
 
 As soon as the meeting adjourned, Mrs. Cliff, accom 
 panied by Mrs. Arkwright, made her way to the front, 
 where many of the members were standing together, 
 and was introduced by her friend to several clergymen 
 with whom Mrs. Arkwright was acquainted. As soon 
 as possible, Mrs. Cliff referred to the subject which was 
 upon her mind, and informed the gentlemen with 
 whom she had just been made acquainted that, if they 
 thought well of it, she would like to invite a party of 
 such of the delegates who would care for such an ex 
 cursion at this season to accompany her on a short 
 trip to the West Indies. Her vessel would easily ac 
 commodate twelve or fifteen of the gentlemen, and 
 she would prefer to offer her invitation first to the 
 clerical members of the Synod. 
 
 The reverend gentlemen to whom this offer was 
 made were a little surprised by it, but they could not 
 help considering it a most generous and attractive 
 proposition, and one of them undertook to convey the 
 invitation to some of his brethren of the Synod. 
 
 174 
 
Mrs. Cliff s invitation was discussed with lively appreciation. 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Although the Synod had adjourned, many of the 
 delegates remained for a considerable time, during 
 which Mrs. Cliff s invitation was discussed with lively 
 appreciation, some of the speakers informing her that, 
 if they could make the arrangements necessary for 
 their pulpits and their families during a short absence, 
 they would be delighted to accept her invitation. 
 The Synod would finally adjourn on the next Tues 
 day, and she was promised that before that time she 
 would be informed of the exact number of guests she 
 might expect. 
 
 The next day, when Mr. Burke appeared to ac 
 company the ladies to the yacht, he found Willy 
 Croup alone in their parlor. 
 
 "Do you know what s happened?" cried Willy, 
 springing toward him as he entered. "Of course you 
 don t, for Mrs. Cliff is going to give the first country 
 week on the Summer Shelter to a Synod ! " 
 
 "To a what!" cried Burke. 
 
 "A Synod," explained Willy. "It s a congregation, 
 I mean a meeting, mostly of ministers, come together 
 to settle church matters. She invited the whole lot 
 of them, but, of course, they all can t come, for there 
 are more than a hundred of them, but there will be 
 about a dozen who can sail with us next Wednes 
 day ! " 
 
 Mr. Burke s jaw dropped. "A dozen ministers ! 7T 
 he exclaimed. "Sail with us ! By George ! Miss 
 Croup, will you excuse me if I sit down? " 
 
 "You know," said Willy, "that the Summer Shelter 
 was bought for this sort of thing that is, to do good 
 to people who can t get that sort of good in other 
 ways ! And if Mrs. Cliff takes out poor children from 
 
 175 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 the slums, and hard-working shop-girls and seam 
 stresses, why shouldn t she take hard-working minis 
 ters and give them some fresh air and pleasure f" 
 
 "A dozen ministers ! " groaned Mr. Burke. "I tell 
 you, Miss Croup, I can t take them in ! " 
 
 "Oh, there ll be room enough ! " said Willy, mis 
 taking his meaning, "for Mrs. Cliff says that each of 
 those little rooms will easily hold two." 
 
 "Oh, it isn t that ! " said Burke, his eyes fixed stead 
 fastly upon a chair near him, as if it had been some 
 thing to look at. "But twelve ministers coming 
 down on me so sudden rather takes me aback, Miss 
 Croup ! " 
 
 "I don t wonder," said Willy, "for I don t believe 
 that a Synod ever went out yachting before in a 
 bunch ! " 
 
 Mr. Burke rose and looked out of the window. 
 "Miss Croup," said he, "do you remember what I 
 said about mixin fun and charity in these cruises? 
 Well, I guess we ll have to take our charity straight 
 this time ! " 
 
 But when Mrs. Cliff had come in, and had talked 
 with animation and enthusiasm in regard to her plan, 
 the effects of the shock which Mr. Burke had received 
 began to wear off. 
 
 "All right, madam ! " said he. "You re owner, and 
 I m captain, and I ll stand by you ! And if you take 
 it into your head to ship a dozen popes on the Summer 
 Shelter, I ll take them where you want them to go to, 
 ani I ll bring them back safe. I suppose we ll have 
 all sorts of customers on the yacht this season, and if 
 we ve got to get used to queer passengers, a Synod 
 will do very well to begin with ! If you ll find out 
 
 176 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 who s goin ; and will write to them to be on hand 
 Tuesday night, I ll see that they re taken care of." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff s whole heart was now in the projected 
 cruise of the Summer Shelter. When she had thought 
 of it with only Willy and herself as passengers, she 
 could not help considering it was a great extrava 
 gance. Now she was going to begin her series of sea 
 trips in a fashion far superior and more dignified than 
 anything yet thought of. To be able to give such an 
 invitation to a Synod was something of which she 
 might well be proud, and she was proud. 
 
 177 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 A TELEGRAM FROM CAPTAIN HORN 
 
 IT was early Tuesday morning, and Mrs. Cliff and 
 Willy, having just finished their breakfast, were busily 
 engaged in packing the two trunks they proposed 
 taking with them, and the elder lady was stating that 
 although she was perfectly willing to dress in the blue 
 flannel suit which had been ordered, she was not 
 willing to wear a white cap, although Willy urged 
 that this was the proper thing, as they had been told 
 by the people where they had bought their yachting 
 suits, and Mrs. Cliff was still insisting that although 
 it would do very well for Willy to wear a white cap, 
 she would wear a hood, the same kind of a hood 
 which she had worn on all her other voyages, which 
 was more like a bonnet, and more suitable to her on 
 that account than any other kind of head-covering, 
 when Mr. Burke burst, actually burst, without 
 knocking, into the room. His silk hat was on the 
 back of his head, and he wore no overcoat. 
 
 "Mrs. Cliff," he exclaimed, "I ve just seen Shirley ! 
 You remember Shirley 1 " 
 
 "Indeed, I do," said Mrs. Cliff. "I remember him 
 very well, and I always thought him to be a remark- 
 
 178 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 ably nice man ! But where did you see him, and what 
 in the world did he tell you to throw you into such 
 a flurry?" 
 
 "He said a lot to me ! " replied Burke. "And I ll 
 try to make as straight a tale of it as I can ! You 
 see, about a week ago Shirley got a telegraphic mes 
 sage from Captain Horn" 
 
 "Captain Horn!" exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. "Where 
 is he, and what did he say ? " 
 
 "He s in Mexico/ said Burke, "and the telegram 
 was as long as a letter, that s one advantage in not 
 being obliged to think of what things cost, and he 
 told Shirley a lot" 
 
 "How did he say they were?" asked Mrs. Cliff, 
 eagerly. "Or did he say anything about Mrs. Horn? 
 Are they well?" 
 
 "Oh, I expect they re all right," said Burke, "but 
 I don t think he treated that subject. It was all 
 about that gold, and the part of it that was to go to 
 Peru! 
 
 "When the business of dividing up the treasure was 
 settled in London in the way we know all about, word 
 was sent to the Peruvian government to tell them 
 what had happened, and to see what they said about 
 it. And when they heard the news, they were a 
 good deal more than satisfied, as they ought to have 
 been, I m sure, and they made no bones about the 
 share we took. All they wanted was to have their 
 part sent to them just as soon as could be, and I don t 
 wonder at it, for all those South American countries 
 are as poor as beggars, and if any one of them got a 
 sum of money like that, it could buy up all the others, 
 if it felt like spending the money in that way I 
 
 179 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Those Peruvians were in such a hurry to get the 
 treasure that they wouldn t agree to have the gold 
 coined into money, or to be sent a part at a time, or 
 to take drafts for it, but they wanted it just as it was, 
 as soon as they could get it, and as it was their own, 
 nobody could hinder them from doing what they 
 pleased with it. Shirley and I have made up our 
 minds that most likely the present government 
 thought that they wouldn t be in office when the 
 money arrived if they didn t have it on hand in 
 pretty short order, and, of course, if they got their 
 fingers on that treasure, they could stay in power as 
 long as they pleased. 
 
 "It is hard to believe that any government could be 
 such fools for they ordered it all shipped on an 
 ordinary merchant vessel, an English steamer, the 
 Dunkery Beacon, which was pretty nigh ready to sail 
 for Lima. Now, any other government in this world 
 would have sent a man-of-war for that gold, or some 
 sort of an armed vessel to convoy it, but that wasn t 
 the way with the Peruvians ! They wanted their 
 money, and they wanted it by the first steamer which 
 could be got ready to sail. They weren t going to 
 wait until they got one of their cruisers over to Eng 
 land not they ! 
 
 "The quickest way, of course, would have been to 
 ship it to Aspinwall, and then take it by rail to 
 Panama, and from there ship it to Lima. But I sup 
 pose they were afraid to do that. If that sort of 
 freight had been carried overland, they couldn t have 
 hindered people from finding out what it was, and 
 pretty nearly everybody in Central America would 
 have turned train-robber. Anyway, the agents over 
 
 180 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 there got the Durikery Beacon to sail a little before 
 her regular time. 
 
 "Now here comes the point ! They actually shipped 
 a hundred and sixty million dollars worth of pure 
 gold on a merchant steamer that was going on a regu 
 lar voyage, and would actually touch at Jamaica and 
 Rio Janeiro on account of her other freight, instead 
 of buying her outright, or sending her on the straight- 
 est cruise she could make for Lima ! Just think of 
 that ! More than that, this business was so talked 
 about by the Peruvian agents, while they were trying 
 to get the earliest steamer possible for it, that it was 
 heard of in a good many more ports than one ! 
 
 "Well, this steamer, with all the gold on board, sailed 
 just as soon as it could, and the very next day our 
 London bankers got a telegram from Paris, from the 
 head of a detective bureau there, to tell them that 
 no less than three vessels were fitting out in the big 
 gest kind of hurry to go after that slow merchant 
 steamer with the millions on board ! " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff and Willy uttered a simultaneous cry of 
 horror. "Do you mean they re pirates, and are going 
 to steal the gold? " cried Mrs, Cliff. 
 
 "Of course they are ! " continued Burke. "And I 
 don t wonder at it ! Why, I don t believe such a 
 cargo of gold ever left a port since the beginning 
 of the world ! Such a thing as that is enough to 
 tempt anybody with the smallest streak of rascal 
 blood in him, and who could get hold of a ship ! 
 
 "Well, these three vessels were fitting out hard as 
 they could two in France, at Toulon and Marseilles, 
 and one in Genoa ; and although the detectives were 
 almost positive what their business was, they were 
 
 181 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 not sure that they could get proof enough to stop 
 them. If the Durikery Beacon had been going on a 
 straight voyage, even to Eio Janeiro, she might have 
 got away from them, but, you see, she was goin to 
 touch at Jamaica ! 
 
 "And now, now, this very minute, that slow old 
 steamer and those three pirates are on the Atlantic 
 Ocean together ! "Why, it makes your blood creep to 
 think of it ! " 
 
 "Indeed, it does ! It s awful ! " cried Mrs. Cliff. 
 "And what are the London people going to do? " 
 
 " They re not going to do anything, so far as I 
 know ! " said Burke. "If they could get through 
 with the red-tape business necessary to send any sort 
 of a cruiser or war-vessel after the Durikery Beacon to 
 protect her, and I m not sure that they could do it 
 at all, it would be a precious long time before such 
 a vessel would leave the English Channel ! But I 
 don t think that they ll try anything of the sort. All I 
 know is that the London people sent a cable message 
 to Captain Horn. I suppose that they thought he 
 ought to know what was likely to happen, con- 
 siderin that he was the head man in the whole 
 business ! " 
 
 "And what did the captain do!" cried Mrs. Cliff. 
 "What could he do?" 
 
 "I don t know," answered Burke. "I expect he did 
 everything that could be done in the way of sending 
 messages, and, among other things, he sent that tele 
 gram, about a thousand words, more or less, to Shirley. 
 He might have telegraphed to me, perhaps, but he 
 didn t know my address, as I was wandering around. 
 
 182 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 But Shirley, you know, is a fixture in his shipyard, 
 and so he sent it to him ! " 
 
 "I haven t a doubt," said Mrs. Cliff, "that he would 
 have telegraphed to you if he had known where you 
 were." 
 
 "I hope so," said Burke. "And when he had told 
 Shirley all that had happened, he asked him to pull 
 up stakes, and sail by the first steamer he could catch 
 for Jamaica. There was a chance that he might get 
 there before the Dunkery Beacon arrived, or while she 
 was in port, and then he could tell everything to make 
 her captain understand that he needn t be afraid to 
 lose anything on account of his ship stopping in 
 Kingston harbor until arrangements could be made 
 for his carrying his gold in safety to Lima. Captain 
 Horn didn t think that the pirates would try to do 
 anything before the Dunkery Beacon left Kingston. 
 They would just follow her until she got into the 
 South Atlantic, and then board her, most likely ! 
 
 "Captain Horn said that he was going to Jamaica, 
 too, but as he didn t know how soon he would be able 
 to sail from Vera Cruz, he wanted Shirley to go ahead 
 without losing a minute. And then Shirley he tele 
 graphed to me up at Plainton, thinking I was there 
 and that I ought to know all about it, and the women 
 at my house took so long forwarding it that I did not 
 get it until yesterday evening, and then I rushed 
 around to where Shirley was staying, and got there 
 just in time to catch him, for the next steamer to 
 Jamaica sailed early this morning. But he had plenty 
 of time to tell me everything. 
 
 "The minute he got the captain s telegram, he just 
 183 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 dropped everything and started for New York. And 
 I can tell you, Mrs. Cliff, I d have done the same, for 
 I don t know what I wouldn t do to get the chance to 
 see Captain Horn again ! " 
 
 "And you wanted to go with Mr. Shirley?" said 
 Mrs. Cliff, with an eager light in her eyes. 
 
 "Indeed, I did!" said Burke. "But, of course, I 
 wouldn t think of such a thing as going off and leaving 
 you here with that yacht on your hands, and no know 
 ing what you would do with the people on board, and 
 everything else ! So I saw Shirley off about seven 
 o clock this morning, and then I came to report to 
 you." 
 
 "That was too much to expect, Mr. Burke," said 
 Mrs. Cliff, "but it was just like you, and I shall never 
 forget it ! But now, tell me one thing : is Mrs. Horn 
 going to Jamaica with the captain ! " 
 
 "I don t know," said Burke, "but, of course, she 
 must be he wouldn t leave her alone in Mexico ! " 
 
 "Of course she is ! " cried Mrs. Cliff. "And Mr. 
 Shirley will see them ! And oh, Mr. Burke, why 
 can t we see them ? Of all things in the world, I want 
 to see Edna, and the captain, too ! And why can t we 
 go straight to Jamaica in the Summer Shelter, instead 
 of going anywhere else? We may get there before 
 they all leave. Don t you think we could do that ? " 
 
 The eyes of Captain Burke fairly blazed. "Do it ! " 
 he cried, springing to his feet. "I believe we can do 
 it. At any rate, we can try ! The same to you, madam, 
 I would do anything in the world to see Captain Horn, 
 and nobody knows when we will have the chance ! 
 Well, madam, it s all the plainest kind of sailing. We 
 can get off at daylight to-morrow morning, and if that 
 
 184 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 yacht sails as they told me she sails, I believe we may 
 overhaul Shirley, and perhaps we will get to King 
 ston before any of them ! And now I ve got to bounce 
 around, for there s a good deal to be done before night 
 fall!" 
 
 "But what about the Synod?" asked Willy Croup. 
 
 "Bless my soul ! " exclaimed Mr. Burke, stopping 
 suddenly on his way to the door. "I forgot the 
 Synod." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff hesitated for a moment, "I don t think 
 it need make any difference ! It would be a great 
 shame to disappoint all those good men. Why couldn t 
 we take them along, all the same? Their weight 
 wouldn t make the yacht go any slower, would it, Mr. 
 Burke?" 
 
 "Not a bit of it ! " said he. "But they may not 
 want to go so far. Besides, if we find the captain at 
 Kingston, we mayn t feel like going back in a hurry. 
 I ll tell you what we could do, Mrs. Cliff! We 
 wouldn t lose any time worth speaking of if we 
 touched at Nassau that s in the Bahamas, and a jolly 
 place to go to. Then we might discharge our cargo of 
 ministers, and if you paid their board until the next 
 steamer sailed for New York, and their passage home, 
 I should think they would be just as well satisfied as 
 if they came back with us ! " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff reflected. "That s true ! " said she, pres 
 ently. "I can explain the case to them, and I don t 
 see why they should not be satisfied. And as for me, 
 nobody could be more willing than I am to give pleas 
 ure to those ministers, but I don t believe that I could 
 give up seeing Edna and Captain Horn for the sake of 
 any members of any Synod ! " 
 
 185 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "All right; madam ! " cried the impatient Burke. 
 "You settle the matter with the parsons, and I 
 haven t a doubt you can make it all right, and I ll 
 be off ! Everything has got to be on board to-night. 
 I ll come after you early this evening." With this he 
 departed. 
 
 When Mr. Burke had gone, Mrs. Cliff, very much 
 excited by what she had heard, and by the thought of 
 what she was going to do, told Willy that she could 
 go on with the packing, while she herself went over to 
 the church in Brooklyn and explained matters to the 
 members of the Synod who intended to go with her, 
 and gave them a chance to decide whether or not the 
 plan proposed by Mr. Burke would suit them. 
 
 She carried out this intention, and drove to Brooklyn 
 in a carriage, but having been delayed by many things 
 which Willy wanted to know about the packing, and 
 having forgotten in what street the church was situ 
 ated, she lost a good deal of time, and when she 
 reached her destination she found that the Synod had 
 adjourned sine die. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff sighed. It was a great pity to have taken 
 so much trouble, especially when time was so precious, 
 but she had done what she could. It would be im 
 possible for her to find the members in their tem 
 porary places of abode, and the only thing she could 
 do now was to tell them the change in her plans when 
 they came on board that evening, and then, if they 
 did not care to sail with her, they would have plenty 
 of time to go on shore again. 
 
 186 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE "SUMMER SHELTER" GOES TO SEA 
 
 MR. BURKE did not arrive to escort Mrs. Cliff and 
 Willy Croup to the yacht until nearly nine o clock in 
 the evening. They had sent their baggage to the 
 vessel in the afternoon, and had now been expecting 
 him, with great impatience, for nearly an hour. But 
 when Mr. Burke arrived, it was impossible to find 
 fault with him, for he had been busy, he said, every 
 minute of the day. 
 
 He had made up a full crew. He had a good sailing- 
 master, and the first mate who had been on the yacht 
 before. Everything that he could think of in the way 
 of provisions and stores was on board, and there was 
 nothing to prevent their getting out of the harbor 
 early in the morning. 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff stepped on board her yacht, the 
 Summer Shelter, her first thought was directed to 
 ward her guests of the Synod ; and when the mate, 
 Mr. Burdette, had advanced and been introduced to 
 her, she asked him if any of the clergymen had yet 
 appeared. 
 
 "They re all aboard, madam," said he, "fourteen 
 of them ! They came aboard about seven o clock, and 
 
 187 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 they stayed in the saloon until about half-past nine, 
 and one of them came to me and said that, as they 
 were very tired, they thought they d go to bed, think 
 ing, most likely, as it was then so late, you wouldn t 
 come aboard until morning. So the steward showed 
 them their state-rooms, and we had to get one more 
 ready than we expected to, and they re now all fast 
 asleep $ but I suppose I could arouse some of them up, 
 if you want to see them ! " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff turned to Burke with an expression of 
 despair on her face. "What in the world shall I do ? " 
 said she. "I wanted to tell them all about it, and let 
 them decide ; but it would be horrible to make any of 
 them who didn t care to go get up and dress, and go 
 out into this damp night air to look for a hotel ! " 
 
 "Well," said Burke, "all that s going ashore has got 
 to go ashore to-night. We ll sail as soon as it is day 
 light ! If I was you, Mrs. Cliff, I wouldn t bother 
 about them. You invited them to go to the Bahamas, 
 and you re going to take them there, and you re going 
 to send them back the best way you can, and I m 
 willing to bet a clipper ship against your yacht that 
 they will be just as well satisfied to come back in a 
 regular steamer as to come back in this ! You might 
 offer to send them over to Savannah, and let them 
 come up by rail. They might like that for a change. 
 The way the thing looks to me, madam, you re pro 
 posing to give them a good deal more than you 
 promised." 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Cliff, "one thing is certain: I m 
 not going to turn any of them out of their warm beds 
 this night, and we might as well go to our rooms, for 
 it must be a good deal after ten." 
 
 188 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 When Willy Croup beheld her little state-room, she 
 stood at the door and looked in at it with rapture. 
 She had a beautiful chamber in Mrs. Cliff s new house, 
 fully and elegantly furnished, but there was something 
 about this little bit of a bedroom, with all its nautical 
 conveniences, its hooks and shelves and racks, its dear 
 little window, and its two pretty berths, each just 
 big enough and not a bit too big, which charmed her 
 as no room she had ever seen had charmed her. 
 
 The Summer Shelter must have started, Mrs. Cliff 
 thought, before daylight the next morning, for when 
 she was awakened by the motion of the engine it was 
 not light enough to distinguish objects in the room. 
 But she lay quietly in her berth, and let her proud 
 thoughts mount high and spread wide. As far as the 
 possession of wealth and the sense of power could ele 
 vate the soul of woman, it now elevated the soul of 
 Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 This was her own ship which was going out upon 
 the ocean ! This was her engine which was making 
 everything shake and tremble ! The great screw 
 which was dashing the water at the stern and forcing 
 the vessel through the waves belonged to her ! Every 
 thingthe smoke-stacks, the tall masts, the nautical 
 instruments was her property ! The crew, the 
 stewards, and the engineers, were all in her service ! 
 She was going to the beautiful island of the sunny 
 tropics because she herself had chosen to go there ! 
 
 It was with great satisfaction, too, that she thought 
 of the cost of all this. A great deal of money had 
 been paid for that yacht, and it had relieved, as 
 scarcely any other expenditure she would be likely to 
 make could have relieved, the strain upon her mind 
 
 189 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 occasioned by the pressure of her income. Even afte 
 the building of her new apartments, her money had 
 been getting the better of her. Now she felt that she 
 was getting the better of her money. 
 
 By the way the yacht rolled and, at the same time, 
 pitched and tossed, Mrs. Cliff thought it likely that 
 they must be out upon the open sea, or, at least, well 
 down the outer bay. She liked the motion, and the 
 feeling that her property, moving according to her 
 will, was riding dominant over the waves of the sea, 
 sent a genial glow through every vein. It was now 
 quite light, and when Mrs. Cliff got up and looked 
 out of her round window, she could see, far away to 
 the right, the towering lighthouses of Sandy Hook. 
 
 About eight o clock she dressed and went out on 
 deck. She was proud of her good sailing qualities. 
 As she went up the companionway, holding firmly to 
 the bright brass rail, she felt no more fear of falling 
 than if she had been one of the crew. When she came 
 out on the upper deck, she had scarcely time to look 
 about her when a man, whom at first sight she took 
 to be a stranger, came forward with outstretched hand. 
 But in an instant she saw it was not a stranger. It 
 was Captain Burke, but not as she had ever seen him 
 before. He was dressed in a complete suit of white 
 duck with gold buttons, and he wore a white cap 
 trimmed with gold an attire so different from his 
 high silk hat and the furs that it was no wonder that 
 at first she did not recognize their wearer. 
 
 "Why, Captain Burke," she cried, "I didn t know 
 you ! " 
 
 "No wonder," said he. "This is a considerable 
 change from my ordinary toggery. But it s the uni- 
 
 190 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 form of a captain of a yacht. You see, that s different 
 from what it would be if I commanded a merchant 
 vessel, or a liner, or a man-of-war ! " 
 
 "It looks awfully cool for such weather," said she. 
 
 "Yes," said the captain, "but it s the proper thing ; 
 and yachts, you know, generally cruise around in 
 warmish weather. However, we re getting south as 
 fast as we can. I tell you, madam, this yacht is a 
 good one ! We ve just cast the log, and she s doing 
 better than fourteen knots an hour, and we haven t 
 got full steam on, either ! It seems funny, madam, 
 for me to command a steamer, but I ll get used to it 
 in no time. If it was a sailin - vessel, it wouldn t be 
 anything out of the way, because I ve studied naviga 
 tion, and I know more about a ship than many a 
 skipper. But a steam-yacht is different ! However, 
 I ve got men under me who know how to do what I 
 order them to do, and, if necessary, they re ready to 
 tell me what I ought to order ! " 
 
 "I don t believe there could be a better captain," 
 said Mrs. Cliff, "and I do hope you won t take cold ! 
 And now I want to see the ministers as soon as they 
 are ready. I think it will be well for me to receive 
 them up here. I am not sure that I remember prop 
 erly the names of all of them, but I shall not hesitate 
 to ask them, and then I shall present each one of them 
 to you. It will be a sort of a reception, you know ! 
 After that we can all go on pleasantly like one family. 
 We will have to have a pretty big table in the saloon, 
 but I suppose we can manage that." 
 
 "Oh, yes," said Mr. Burke. "And now I ll see the 
 steward, and tell him to let the parsons know that 
 you re ready to receive them." 
 
 191 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 About a quarter of an hour after this the steward 
 appeared on deck, and, approaching Mrs. Cliff and the 
 captain, touched his hat. "Come to report, sir," said 
 he, "the ministers are all seasick ! There ain t none 
 of them wants to get out of their berths, but some of 
 them want tea." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff and the captain could not help laughing, al 
 though the former declared it was not a laughing matter. 
 
 "But it isn t surprising," said the captain. "It s 
 pretty rough, and I suppose they re all thoroughbred 
 landsmen. But they ll get over it before long, and 
 when they come on deck it s likely it will be pleas- 
 anter weather. We re having a considerable blow 
 just now, and it will be worse when we get farther 
 out. So I should say that you and Miss Croup and 
 myself had better have our breakfast." 
 
 The steward was still standing by, and he touched 
 his hat again, this time to Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 "The other lady is very seasick. I heard her 
 groaning fearfully as I passed her door." 
 
 "Oh, I must go down to Willy," said Mrs. Cliff. 
 "And, captain, you and I will have to breakfast 
 together." 
 
 As Mrs. Cliff opened the door of Willy Croup s 
 state-room, a pale, white face in the lower berth was 
 turned toward her, and a weak and trembling voice 
 said to her : "Oh, Sarah, you have come at last ! Is 
 there any way of getting me out of this horrible little 
 hole?" 
 
 For two days Mrs. Cliff and Captain Burke break 
 fasted, dined, and supped by themselves. They had 
 head winds, and the sea was very rough, and although 
 the yacht did not make the time that might have 
 
 192 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 been expected of her in fair weather, she did very 
 well, and Burke was satisfied. The two stewards 
 were kept very busy with the prostrate and dejected 
 members of the Synod, and Mrs. Cliff and the steward 
 ess devoted their best efforts to the alleviation of the 
 woes of Willy, which they were glad to see were daily 
 dwindling. 
 
 They had rounded Cape Hatteras. The sea was 
 smoother, the cold wind had gone down, and Willy 
 Croup, warmly wrapped up, was sitting in a steamer- 
 chair on deck. The desire that she might suddenly 
 be transferred to Plainton or to heaven was gradually 
 fading out of her mind, and the blue sky, the distant 
 waves, and the thought of the approaching meal were 
 exercising a somewhat pleasurable influence upon her 
 dreamy feeling, when Captain Burke, who stood near 
 with a telescope, announced that the steamer over 
 there on the horizon line was heading south, and that 
 he had a notion she was the Antoninaj the vessel on 
 which Shirley had sailed. 
 
 "I believed that we could overhaul her !" said he 
 to Mrs. Cliff. "I didn t know much about her sailing 
 qualities, but I had no reason to believe she has the 
 speed of this yacht, and as we re on the same course, 
 I thought it likely we would sight her, and, what s 
 more, pass her. We ll change our course a little, so 
 that we will be closer to her when we pass." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff, who had taken the glass, but could not 
 see through it very well, returned it to the captain, 
 and remarked : "If we can go so much faster than she 
 does, why can t we take Mr. Shirley on board when 
 we catch up to her?" 
 
 "I don t know about that," said Burke. "To do 
 193 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 that, both vessels would have to lay to and lose time, 
 and she might not want to do it, as she s a regular 
 steamer, and carries the mail. And besides, if Shir 
 ley s under orders that is, the same thing as orders 
 to go straight to Jamaica, I don t know that we 
 have any right to take him off his steamer and carry 
 him to Nassau. Of course, he might get to Jamaica 
 just as soon, and perhaps sooner, if he sailed with us, 
 but we don t know it. We may be delayed in some 
 way $ there re lots of things that might happen, and, 
 anyway, I don t believe in interfering with orders, 
 and I know Shirley doesn t, either. I believe he 
 would want to keep on. Besides, we don t really 
 know yet that that s the Antonina." 
 
 A couple of hours, however, proved that Captain 
 Burke s surmise had been correct, and it was not long 
 before the two vessels were abreast of each other. 
 The yacht had put on all steam, and had proved her 
 self capable of lively speed. As the two vessels ap 
 proached within hailing distance, Captain Burke went 
 up on the little bridge, with a speaking-trumpet, and 
 it was not long before Shirley was on the bridge of 
 the other steamer, with another trumpet. 
 
 To the roaring conversation which now took place, 
 everybody on each vessel who was not too sick, who had 
 no duties, or who could be spared from them, listened 
 with the most lively interest. A colloquy upon the 
 lonely sea between two persons, one upon one vessel 
 and the other upon another, must always be an inci 
 dent of absorbing importance. 
 
 Very naturally Shirley was amazed to find it was 
 his friend Burke who was roaring at him, and de 
 lighted when he was informed that the yacht was also 
 
 194 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 on its way to Jamaica to meet Captain Horn. After 
 a quarter of an hour of high-sounding talk, during 
 which Shirley was informed of Burke s intention to 
 touch at Nassau, the interview terminated. The Sum 
 mer Shelter shaping her course a little more to the 
 south, by nightfall the Antonina had faded out of sight 
 on the northeast horizon. 
 
 "I shouldn t wonder," said Captain Burke, at dinner, 
 "if we got to Jamaica before her anyway, although 
 we re bound to lose time in the harbor at Nassau." 
 
 The company at the dinner-table was larger than it 
 had yet been. Five members of the Synod had ap 
 peared on deck during the speaking-trumpet conver 
 sation, and feeling well enough to stay there, had been 
 warmly greeted and congratulated by Mrs. Cliff. The 
 idea of a formal reception had, of course, been given 
 up, and there was no need of presenting these gentle 
 men to the captain, for he had previously visited all 
 of his clerical passengers in their berths, and was thus 
 qualified to present them to Mrs. Cliff as fast as they 
 should make their appearance. At dinner-time two 
 more came into the saloon, and the next morning at 
 breakfast the delegation from the Synod were all pres 
 ent, with the exception of two whose minds were not 
 yet quite capable of properly appreciating the subject 
 of nutrition. 
 
 When at last the Summer Shelter found herself in 
 the smoother waters and the warmer air of the Gulf 
 Stream, when the nautilus spread its gay-colored sail 
 in the sunlight by the side of the yacht, when the 
 porpoises flashed their shining black bodies out of 
 the water and plunged in again as they raced with 
 the swiftly moving vessel, when great flocks of flying- 
 
 195 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 fish would rise into the air, skim high above the 
 water, and then all fall back again with a patter as of 
 big raindrops, and the people on the deck of the 
 Summer Shelter took off their heavy wraps and unbut 
 toned their coats, it was a happy company which sailed 
 with Mrs. Cliff among the beautiful isles of the West 
 Indies. 
 
 196 
 
CHAPTER XXIH 
 
 WILLY CROUP COMES TO THE FRONT 
 
 THE pleasant rays of the semi-tropical sun so warmed 
 and subsequently melted the varied dispositions of 
 the company on board the Summer Shelter that, in spite 
 of their very different natures, they became fused, as 
 it were, into a happy party of friends. 
 
 Willy Croup actually felt as if she were a young 
 woman in a large party of gentlemen, with no rivals. 
 She was not young, but many of her youthful qualities 
 still remained with her, and under the influence of 
 her surroundings they all budded out and blossomed 
 bravely. At the end of a day of fine weather there 
 was not a clergyman on board who did not wish that 
 Miss Croup belonged to his congregation. 
 
 As for the members of the Synod, there could be no 
 doubt that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. 
 Tired with the long winter s work, and rejoiced, al 
 most amazed, to be so suddenly freed from the cold 
 wintry weather of their homes, all of their spirits rose, 
 and most of their hearts were merry. 
 
 There were but few gray heads among these clergy 
 men, and the majority of them were under middle age. 
 Some of them had been almost strangers to each other 
 when they came on board, but now there were no 
 
 197 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 strangers on the Summer Shelter. Some of them had 
 crossed the Atlantic, but not one had ever taken a 
 coastwise voyage on a comparatively small vessel, and 
 although the consequence of this new experience, their 
 involuntary seclusion during the first days of the trip, 
 and their consequent unconventional and irregular 
 acceptance of Mrs. Cliff s hospitality, had caused a little 
 stiffness in their demeanor at first, this speedily disap 
 peared, hand in hand with the recollection of that 
 most easily forgotten of human ills which had so rudely 
 interfered with their good manners. 
 
 As far as the resources of their portmanteaus would 
 allow, these reverend clergymen dressed themselves 
 simply and in semi-nautical costumes. Some played 
 quoits upon the upper deck, in which sport Willy 
 joined. Others climbed up the shrouds, preferably on 
 the inside this method of exercise, although very 
 difficult, being considered safer in case of a sudden 
 lurch of the vessel. And the many other sportive 
 things they did, and the many pleasant anecdotes 
 they told, nearly all relating to the discomfiture of 
 clergymen under various embarrassing circumstances, 
 caused Captain Burke to say to Mrs. Cliff that he had 
 never imagined that parsons were such jolly fellows, 
 and, so far as he was concerned, he would be glad to 
 take out another party of them. 
 
 "But if we do," he said, "I think we d better ship 
 them on a tug and let them cruise around the light 
 ship for two or three days. Then, when they hoisted 
 a signal that they were all well on board, we could go 
 out and take them off. In that way. you see, they d 
 really enjoy a cruise on the Summer Shelter." 
 
 As the sun went down behind the distant coast of 
 198 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Florida, they were boarded by a negro pilot, and in the 
 morning they awoke to find themselves fast to a pier oi 
 the city of Nassau, lying white in the early daylight. 
 
 The members of the Synod had readily agreed to 
 Mrs. Cliff s plan to leave them at Nassau and let them 
 return by a regular passenger steamer, and they all 
 preferred to go by sea to Savannah and then to their 
 homes by rail. With expenses paid, none but the 
 most unreasonable of men could have objected to such 
 a plan. 
 
 As Captain Burke announced that he would stop at 
 Nassau for a day to take in some fresh stores, espe 
 cially of fruit and vegetables, and to give Mrs. Cliff 
 and Willy Croup an opportunity to see the place, the 
 Summer Shelter was soon deserted. But in the evening 
 everybody returned on board, as the company wished 
 to keep together as long as possible, and there would 
 be plenty of time in the morning for the members of 
 the Synod to disembark and go to the hotel. 
 
 Very early in the morning, Captain Burke was 
 aroused by the entrance of the sailing-master, Mr. 
 Portman, into his state-room. " Morning, sir," said 
 Mr. Portman. "I want you to come out here and look 
 at something ! " 
 
 Perceiving by the manner and tones of the other 
 that there was something important to be looked at, 
 Captain Burke jumped up, quickly dressed himself, 
 and went out on deck. There, fastened against the 
 foremast, was a large piece of paper on which were 
 written these words : 
 
 " We don t intend to sail on a filibustering cruise. We 
 know what it means when you take on arms in New 
 York, and discharge your respectable passengers in 
 
 199 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Nassau. "We don t want nothing to do with your next 
 lot of passengers, and don t intend to get into no scrapes. 
 So good-by! THE CREW." 
 
 "You don t mean to say/ cried Burke, "that the 
 crew has deserted the vessel ! " 
 
 "That s what it is, sir," said Mr. Burdette, the first 
 mate, who had just joined them. "The crew has 
 cleared out, to a man ! Mr. Portman and I are left, 
 the engineer s left, and his assistant they belonged to 
 the yacht, and didn t have much to do with the crew. 
 But the rest s all gone deck-hands, stewards, and 
 even the cook ! The stewardess must have gone, too, 
 for I haven t seen her." 
 
 "What s the meaning of all this?" shouted Burke, 
 his face getting very red. "When did they go, and 
 why did they go ! " 
 
 "It s the second mate s watch, and he is off with 
 them," said Mr. Burdette. "I expect he s at the 
 bottom of it. He s a mighty wary fellow. Just as 
 like as not, he spread the report that we were going 
 on a filibustering expedition to Cuba, and the ground 
 for it, in my opinion, is those cases of arms you opened 
 the other day." 
 
 "I think that is it, sir," said Mr. Portman. "You 
 know, there s a rising in Cuba, and there was lots of 
 talk about filibustering before we left. I expect the 
 people thought that the ladies were going on shore 
 the same as the parsons." 
 
 Burke was confounded. He knew not what to say 
 or what to think, but seeing Mrs. Cliff appearing at 
 the head of the companionway, he thought it his first 
 duty to go and report the state of affairs to her, which 
 
 200 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 he did. That lady s astonishment and dismay were 
 very great. 
 
 "What are we going to do?" she asked. "And 
 what do you mean by the cases of arms? " 
 
 "I m afraid that was a piece of folly on my part," 
 said Burke. 
 
 "I didn t know we had arms on board ! " 
 
 "Well, what we have don t amount to much," said 
 Burke. "But this was the way of it. After I heard; 
 the message from Captain Horn about the pirates, and 
 everything, and as I didn t know exactly what sort of 
 craft we would meet round about Jamaica, I thought 
 we would feel a good deal safer, especially on account 
 of you and Miss Croup, if we had some firearms 
 aboard. So I put in some repeating rifles and ammu 
 nition, and I paid for them out of my own pocket. 
 Such things always come in useful, and while I was 
 commanding the vessel on which you were sailing, 
 Mrs. Cliff, I didn t want to feel that I d left anything 
 undone which ought to be done. Of course, there 
 was no reason to suppose that we would ever have to 
 use them, but I knew I would feel better if I had 
 them. But there was one thing I needn t have done, 
 and that was, I needn t have opened them, which I 
 did the other day, in company with Mr. Burdette, 
 because I hadn t had time before to examine them, 
 and I wanted to see what they were. Some of the 
 crew must have noticed the guns, and as they couldn t 
 think why we wanted them, unless we were going on 
 a filibustering expedition, they got that notion into 
 their heads, and so cut the ship. It was easy enough 
 to do it, for we were moored to a pier, ana the second 
 
 201 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 mate, whose watch they went away in, was most likely 
 at the head of the whole business ! " 
 
 "But what are we going to do? " asked Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 "I must get another crew just as soon as I can," said 
 he, "and there isn t a minute to be lost ! I was 
 stretching a point when I agreed to stop over a day, 
 but I thought we could afford that and reach King 
 ston as soon as Shirley does. When he gets there 
 with his message to the captain of the Durikery Beacon 
 I want to be on hand. There s no knowing what will 
 have to be done, or what will have to be said. I don t 
 want Shirley to think that he s got nobody to stand 
 by him ! " 
 
 "Indeed," said Mrs. Cliff, "we ought to lose no time, 
 for Captain Horn may be there. It is a most dreadful 
 misfortune to lose the crew this way ! Can t you find 
 them again? Can t you make them come back? " 
 
 "If they don t want to be found," said Burke, "it 
 will take a good while to find them. But I m going 
 on shore this minute, and I wish you would be good 
 enough to tell Miss Croup and the ministers how 
 matters stand." 
 
 The news of the desertion of the crew, when told by 
 Mrs. Cliff to those of the passengers who had come on 
 deck, and speedily communicated by these to their 
 companions, created a great sensation. Willy Croup 
 was so affected that she began to cry. "Is there any 
 danger? " she said, "and hadn t we better go on shore? 
 Suppose some other vessel wanted to come up to this 
 wharf, and we had to move away there s nobody to 
 move us ! And suppose we were to get loose in some 
 way there s nobody to stop us ! " 
 
 "You are very practical, Miss Croup," remarked the 
 
 202 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Kev. Mr. Hodgson, the youngest clergyman on board. 
 "But I am sure you need not have the least fear. 
 We are moored firm and fast, and I have no doubt 
 Captain Burke will soon arrive with the necessary 
 men to take you to Jamaica. 7 
 
 Willy dried her eyes, and then she said : "There s 
 another practical thing I m thinking of there isn t 
 any breakfast, and the cook s gone ! But I believe we 
 can arrange that. I could cook the breakfast myself 
 if I had anybody to help me. I ll go speak to Mrs. 
 Cliff." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff was decidedly of the opinion that they all 
 ought to have breakfast, and that she and Willy could 
 at least make coffee, and serve the passengers with 
 bread and butter and preserved meats, but she re 
 marked to Mr. Hodgson that perhaps the gentlemen 
 would rather go to their hotels and get their breakfast. 
 
 "No, indeed," said Mr. Hodgson, a stout, sun- 
 browned fellow, who looked more like a hunter than 
 a clergyman. l We have been talking over the matter, 
 and we are not going to desert you until the new men 
 come. And as to breakfast, here are Mr. Litchfield 
 and myself ready to serve as stewards, assistants, 
 cooks, or in any culinary capacity. We both have 
 camped out and are not green hands. So you must 
 let us help you, and we shall consider it good fun." 
 
 "It will be funny," said Willy, "to see a minister 
 cook ! So let s go down to the kitchen. I know 
 where it is, for I ve been in it ! " 
 
 "I think, Miss Croup," said Mr. Litchfield, a tall 
 young man with black hair and side-whiskers, and a 
 good deal of manner, "that you should say galley or 
 caboose, now that we are all nautical together." 
 
 203 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Well, I can t cook nautical," said Willy, "and I 
 don t intend to try ! But I guess you can eat the food, 
 if it isn t strictly naval." 
 
 In a few minutes the volunteer cooks were all at 
 work, and Willy s familiarity with household affairs, 
 even when exhibited under the present novel condi 
 tions, shone out brightly. She found some cold boiled 
 potatoes, and soon set Mr. Hodgson to work frying 
 them. Mrs. Cliff took the coffee in hand with all her 
 ante -millionaire skill, and Willy skipped from one 
 thing to another, as happy as most people are whose 
 ability has suddenly forced them to the front. 
 
 "Oh, you ought to see the Synod setting the table ! " 
 she cried, bursting into the galley. "They re getting 
 things all wrong, but it doesn t matter, and they seem 
 to be enjoying it. Now, then, Mr. Litchfield, I think 
 you have cut all the bread that can possibly be eaten." 
 
 Mr. Burdette had gone on shore with the captain, 
 and Mr. Portman considered it his duty to remain on 
 deck, but the volunteer corps of cooks and stewards 
 did their work with hearty good will, and the break 
 fast would have been the most jolly meal that they 
 had yet enjoyed together, if it had not been for the 
 uncertainty and uneasiness naturally occasioned by 
 the desertion of the crew. 
 
 It was after ten o clock when Captain Burke and 
 Mr. Burdette returned. "We re in a bad fix," said 
 the former, approaching Mrs. Cliff, who, with all the 
 passengers, had been standing together watching them 
 come down the pier. "There was a steamer cleared 
 from here the day before yesterday which was short- 
 handed, and seems to have carried off all the available 
 able seamen in the port. But I believe that is all 
 
 204 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 stuff and nonsense ! The real fact seems to be and 
 Mr. Burdette and I ve agreed on that point that the 
 report has got out that we re filibusters, and nobody 
 wants to ship with us ! Everything looks like it, you 
 see. Here we come from New York with a regular 
 lot of passengers, but we ve got arms on board, and we 
 drop the passengers here and let them go home some 
 other way, and we sail on, saying we re bound for 
 Jamaica for Cuba is a good deal nearer, you know. 
 But the worst thing is this, and I m bound to tell it, 
 so that you can all know how the case stands, and take 
 care of yourselves as you think best. There s reason 
 to believe that if the government of this place has not 
 already had its eye on us, it will have its eye on us 
 before very long, and, for my part, I d give a good deal 
 of money to be able to get away before they do. But 
 without a crew we can t do it ! " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff and Burke now retired to consult. 
 "Madam," said he, "I m bound to ask you, as owner, 
 what do you think we ought to do f If you take my 
 advice, the first thing to be done is to get rid of the 
 ministers. You can settle with them about their 
 travelling, and let them go to their hotels. Then 
 perhaps I can rake up a few loafers, landsmen or 
 anybody who can shovel coal or push on a capstan- 
 bar, and by offering them double wages get them to 
 ship with us. Once in Jamaica, we shall be all 
 right." 
 
 "But don t you think it will be dangerous," said 
 Mrs. Cliff, "to go around offering extra pay in this 
 way?" 
 
 "That may be," he answered, "but what else is 
 there to do ? " 
 
 205 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 At this moment Mr. Litchfield approached. 
 "Madam/ said he, "we have been discussing the 
 unfortunate circumstances in which you find yourself 
 placed, and we now ask if you have made any plans 
 in regard to your future action f " 
 
 "The circumstances are truly unfortunate," replied 
 Mrs. Cliff, "for we are anxious to get to Jamaica as 
 soon as possible, on account of very important business, 
 and I don t see how we are to do it. We have made 
 no plans, except that we feel it will be well for you 
 gentlemen to leave us and go to your hotel, where 
 you can stay until the steamer will sail for Savannah, 
 day after to-morrow. As for ourselves, we don t know 
 what we are going to do unless, indeed, some sort 
 of a vessel may be starting for Jamaica, and in that 
 case we could leave the Summer Shelter here and go 
 on her." 
 
 "No," said Burke, "I thought of that, and in 
 quired. Nothing will sail under a week, and in 
 that time everybody we want to see may have left 
 Jamaica ! " 
 
 "Will you excuse me for a few minutes ?" said Mr. 
 Litchfield, and with that he returned to his com 
 panions. 
 
 "Captain," said Willy, "won t you come down and 
 have your breakfast? I don t believe you have eaten 
 a thing, and you look as if you needed it ! " 
 
 Captain Burke really did look as if he needed a 
 good many things among others, a comb and a brush. 
 His gold-trimmed cap was pushed on the back of 
 his head, his white coat was unbuttoned and the 
 collar turned in, and his countenance was troubled 
 by the belief that his want of prudence had brought 
 
 206 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Mrs. Cliff and her property into a very serious pre 
 dicament. 
 
 "Thank you," said he, "but I can t eat. Breakfast 
 is the last thing I can think of just now ! " 
 
 Now approached Mr. Litchfield, followed by all his 
 clerical brethren. "Madam," said he, "we have had 
 a final consultation, and have come to make a proposi 
 tion to you and the captain. We do not feel that we 
 would be the kind of men we would like to think we 
 are if, after all your kindness and great consideration, 
 we should step on shore and continue the very de 
 lightful programme you have laid out for us, while 
 you are left in doubt, perplexity, and perhaps danger, 
 on your yacht. There are five of us who feel that 
 they cannot join in the offer which I am about to 
 make to you and the captain, but the rest of us wish 
 most earnestly and heartily to offer you our services 
 if you think they are worth anything to work this 
 vessel to Jamaica. It is but a trip of a few days, I am 
 told, and I have no doubt that we can return to New 
 York from Kingston almost as conveniently as we can 
 from here. We can all write home and arrange for 
 any contingencies which may arise on account of the 
 delay in our return. In fact, it will not be difficult 
 for most of us to consider this excursion as a part, or 
 even the whole, of our annual vacation. Those of us 
 who can go with you are all able-bodied fellows, and 
 if you say so, captain, we will turn in and go to work 
 this moment. We have not any nautical experience, 
 but we all have powers of observation, and, so far as I 
 am able to judge, I believe I can do most of the things 
 I have seen done on this vessel by your common sea 
 men, if that is what you call them." 
 
 207 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Mrs. Cliff looked at Captain Burke, and he looked 
 at her. "If it was a sailin - vessel," lie exclaimed, "I d 
 say she couldn t be worked by parsons, but a steamer s 
 different ! By George ! madam, let s take them, and 
 get away while we can ! " 
 
 208 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 CHANGES ON THE " SUMMER SHELTER" 
 
 WHEN Captain Burke communicated to Mr. Portman 
 and Mr. Burdette the news that nine of their pas 
 sengers had offered to ship as a crew, the sailing- 
 master and the first mate shook their heads. They 
 did not believe that the vessel could be worked by 
 parsons. 
 
 "But there isn t anybody else ! " exclaimed Burke. 
 "We ve got to get away, and they re all able-bodied, 
 and they have more sense than most landsmen we can 
 ship. And besides, here are five experienced seamen 
 on board, and I say, let s try the parsons." 
 
 "All right," said Mr. Burdette. "If you re willing 
 to risk it, I am." 
 
 Mr. Portman also said he was willing, and the en 
 gineer and his assistant, who were getting very ner 
 vous, agreed to the plan as soon as they heard of it. 
 
 Captain Burke shook himself, pulled his cap to the 
 front of his head, arranged his coat properly and but 
 toned it up, and began to give orders. "Now, then," 
 said he, "all passengers going ashore, please step 
 lively ! " And while this lively stepping was going 
 on, and during the leave-taking and rapid writing of 
 
 209 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 notes to be sent to the homes of the clerical crew, he 
 ordered Mr. Burdette to secure a pilot, attend to the 
 clearance business, and make everything ready to 
 cast off and get out of the harbor as soon as possible. 
 
 When the five reverend gentlemen who had decided 
 not to accompany the Summer Shelter in her further 
 voyaging had departed for the hotel, portmanteaus in 
 hand, and amply furnished by Mrs. Cliff with funds 
 for their return to their homes, the volunteer crew, 
 most of them without coats or waistcoats, and all in a 
 high picnic spirit, set to work with enthusiasm, doing 
 more things than they knew how to do, and embar 
 rassing Mr. Burdette a good deal by their over- will 
 ingness to make themselves useful. But this untrained 
 alacrity was soon toned down, and early in the after 
 noon the hawsers of the Summer Shelter were cast off, 
 and she steamed out of the eastern passage of the harbor. 
 
 There were remarks made in the town after the 
 departure of the yacht, but when the passengers who 
 had been left behind, all clergymen of high repute, 
 had related the facts of the case, and had made it 
 understood that the yacht, whose filibustering pur 
 pose had been suspected by its former crew, was now 
 manned by nine members of the Synod recently con 
 vened in Brooklyn, and under the personal direction 
 of Mrs. Cliff, an elderly and charitable resident of 
 Plainton, Maine, all distrust was dropped, and was 
 succeeded, in some instances, by the hope that the 
 yacht might not be wrecked before it reached Jamaica. 
 
 The pilot left the Summer Shelter. Three of the clergy 
 men shovelled coal, four of them served as deck-hands, 
 and two others ran around as assistant cooks and 
 stewards ; Mr. Portman and Mr. Burdette lent their 
 
 210 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 hands to things which were not at all in their line of 
 duty j Mrs. Cliff and Willy pared the vegetables, and 
 cooked without ever thinking of stopping to fan them 
 selves ; wiiile Captain Burke flew around like half a 
 dozen men, with a good word for everybody, and a 
 hand to help wherever needed. It was truly a jolly 
 voyage from Nassau to Kingston. 
 
 The new crew was divided into messes, and Mrs. 
 Cliff insisted that they should come to the table in the 
 saloon, no matter how they looked or what they had 
 been doing, on her vessel a coal-heaver off duty was 
 as good as a captain, while the clergymen good- 
 humoredly endeavored to preserve the relative low 
 liness of their positions, each actuated by a zealous 
 desire to show what a good deck-hand or steward he 
 could make when circumstances demanded it. 
 
 "Working hard, laughing much, eating most heartily, 
 and sleeping well, the busy and hilarious little party 
 on board the Summer Shelter steamed into the harbor 
 of Kingston, after a much shorter voyage than is gen 
 erally made from Nassau to that port. 
 
 "If I could get a crew of jolly parsons," cried Cap 
 tain Burke, "and could give them a month s training 
 on board this yacht, I d rather have them than any 
 crew that could be got together from Cape Horn to 
 the North Pole ! " 
 
 "And by the time you had made able seamen of 
 them," said Mr. Burdette, who was of a conventional 
 turn of mind, "they d all go back to their pulpits and 
 preach ! " 
 
 "And preach better ! " said Mr. Litchfield, who was 
 standing by. "Yes, sir, I believe they would all 
 preach better ! " 
 
 211 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 When the anchor was dropped, not quite so 
 promptly as it would have been done if the clerical 
 crew had had any previous practice in this operation, 
 Mr. Burke was about to give orders to lower a boat, 
 for he was anxious to get on shore as soon as possible, 
 when he perceived a large boat, rowed by six men, 
 and with a man in the stern, rapidly approaching the 
 yacht. If they were port officials, he thought, they 
 were extremely prompt, but he soon saw that the 
 man in the stern, who stood up and waved a hand 
 kerchief, was his old friend Shirley. 
 
 "He must have been watching for us," said Captain 
 Burke to Mrs. Cliff, "and he put out from one of the 
 wharves as soon as we hove in sight. Shirley is a good 
 fellow. You can trust to him to look out for his 
 friends ! " 
 
 In a very short time the six powerful negro oars 
 men had Shirley s boat alongside, and in a few seconds 
 after that he stood upon the deck of the Summer 
 Shelter. Burke was about to spring forward to greet 
 his old comrade, but he stepped back to give way to 
 Mrs. Cliff, who seized the hand of Shirley and bade 
 him a most hearty welcome, although, had she met 
 him by herself elsewhere, she would not have recog 
 nized him in the neat travelling suit which he now 
 wore. 
 
 Shirley was delighted to meet Burke and Mrs. Cliff, 
 he expressed pleasure in making the acquaintance of 
 Miss Croup, who, standing by Mrs. ClifFs side, was 
 quickly introduced, and he looked with astonishment 
 at the body of queer-looking men who were gathered 
 on the deck, and who appeared to be the crew of the 
 yacht. But he wasted no time in friendly greetings 
 
 212 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 nor in asking questions, but quickly informed Burke 
 that they were all too late, and that the Durikery 
 Beacon had sailed two days before. 
 
 "And weren t you here to board her ? " cried Burke. 
 
 "No," said Shirley. "Our steamer didn t arrive 
 until last night ! " 
 
 Burke and Mrs. Cliff looked at each other in dismay. 
 Tears began to come into Willy Croup s eyes, as they 
 nearly always did when anything unusual suddenly 
 happened. And all the members of the Synod, together 
 with Mr. Portman and Mr. Burdette, and even the 
 two engineers, who had come up from below, pressed 
 close around Shirley, eager to hear what next should 
 be said. 
 
 Everybody on board had been informed during the 
 trip from Nassau of the errand of the yacht, for Mrs. 
 Cliff thought she would be treating those generous 
 and kind-hearted clergymen very badly if she did 
 not let them know the nature of the good work in 
 which they were engaged. And so it had happened 
 that everybody who had sailed from Nassau on the 
 yacht had hoped more than that, had even expected, 
 for the Durikery Beacon was known to be a very slow 
 steamer to find her in the harbor of Kingston, taking 
 on goods or perhaps coaling, and now all knew that 
 even Shirley had been too late. 
 
 "This is dreadful !" exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, who was 
 almost on the point of imitating Willy in the matter 
 of tears. "And they haven t any idea, of course, of 
 the dangers which await them." 
 
 "I don t see how they could know," said Shirley, 
 "for, of course, if they had known, they wouldn t have 
 sailed." 
 
 213 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Did you hear anything about her?" asked Burke. 
 "Was she all right when she arrived? 77 
 
 "I have no doubt of that," was the answer. "I 
 made inquiries last night about the people who would 
 most likely be consignees here, and this morning I 
 went to a house on Harbor Street Beaver & Hughes. 
 This house, in a way, is the Jamaica agent of the 
 owners. I got there before the office was open, but I 
 didn t find out much. She had delivered some cargo 
 to them, and had sailed on time ! " 
 
 "By George!" cried Burke, "Captain Horn was 
 right ! They could hardly get a chance to safely 
 interfere with her until she had sailed from Kingston, 
 and now I bet they are waiting for her outside the 
 Caribbees ! " 
 
 "That s just what I thought," said Shirley, "but, of 
 course, I didn t say anything to these people, and I 
 soon found out they didn t know much, except so far 
 as their own business was concerned. It s pretty 
 certain, from what I have heard, that she didn t find 
 any letters here that would make her change her 
 course or do anything out of the way. But I did find 
 something ! While I was talking with one of the 
 heads of the house, the mail from New York, which 
 had come over in my steamer too late to be delivered 
 the night before, was brought in, and one of the let 
 ters was a cable message from London to New York, 
 to be forwarded by mail to Jamaica, and it was 
 directed to Cap tain Hagar of the Durikery Beacon, 
 care of Beaver & Hughes. As I had been asking 
 about the steamer, Beaver or Hughes, whichever it 
 was, mentioned the message. I told him on the spot 
 that I thought it was his duty to open it, for I was 
 
 214 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 very sure it was on important business. He con 
 sidered for a while, saying that perhaps the proper 
 thing was to send it on after Captain Hagar by mail ; 
 but when he had thought about it a little, he said per 
 haps he had better open it, and he did. The words 
 were just these : 
 
 " On no account leave Kingston harbor until further 
 orders. BLACKBURN. 
 
 " Blackburn is the head owner." 
 
 "What did you say then?" asked Mrs. Cliff, very 
 earnestly, "and what did he say?" 
 
 "I didn t say anything about her being a treasure- 
 ship," replied Shirley. "If it was not known in 
 Jamaica that she was carrying that gold, I wasn t 
 going to tell it, for there are as many black-hearted 
 scoundrels here as in any other part of the world ! 
 But I told the Beaver & Hughes people that I also 
 had a message for Captain Hagar, and that a friend of 
 mine was coming to Kingston in a yacht, and that if 
 he arrived soon I hadn t a doubt that we could over 
 haul the Dunkery Beacon, and give the captain my 
 message and the one from London besides, and that 
 we d try to do it, for it was very important. But they 
 didn t know me, and they said they would wait until 
 my friend s yacht should arrive, and then they would 
 see about sending the message to Captain Hagar. 
 Now, I ve done enough talking, and we must do some 
 thing ! " 
 
 "What do you think we ought to do?" asked 
 Burke. 
 
 "Well, I say," answered Shirley, "if you have any 
 passengers to put ashore here, put them ashore, and 
 
 215 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 then let s go after the Durikery Beacon and deliver the 
 message. A stern chase is a long chase, but if I m to 
 judge by the way this yacht caught up to the Antonina 
 and passed her, I believe there s a good chance of over 
 hauling the Durikery Beacon before the pirates get hold 
 of her. Then all she s got to do is to steam back to 
 Kingston." 
 
 "But suppose the pirates come before she gets 
 back? "said Mrs. Cliff. 
 
 "Well, they won t fool with her if she is in com 
 pany," replied Shirley. "Now, and what do you 
 say?" he asked, addressing Burke, but glancing 
 around at the others. "I don t know how this ship s 
 company is made up, or how long a stop you are 
 thinking of making here, or anything about it ! But 
 you re the owner, Mrs. Cliff, and if you lend Burke 
 and me your yacht, I reckon he ll be ready enough to 
 steam after the Durikery Beacon and deliver the mes 
 sages. It s a thing which Captain Horn has set his 
 heart upon, and it s a thing which ought to be done if 
 it can be done, and this yacht, I believe, is the vessel 
 that can do it ! " 
 
 During this speech Mr. Burke, generally so eager to 
 speak and to act, had stood silent and troubled. He 
 agreed with Shirley that the thing to do was to go 
 after the Durikery Beacon at the best speed the yacht 
 could make. He did not believe that Mrs. Cliff would 
 object to his sailing away with her yacht on this most 
 important errand, but he remembered that he had no 
 crew. These parsons must be put off at Kingston, and 
 although he had had no doubt whatever that he could 
 get a crew in this port, he had expected to have a 
 week, and perhaps more, in which to do it. To col- 
 
 216 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 iect in an hour or two a crew which he could trust 
 with the knowledge, which would most likely come to 
 them in some way or other, that the steamer they were 
 chasing carried untold wealth, was hardly to be 
 thought of. 
 
 "As far as I am concerned," cried Mrs. Cliff, "my 
 yacht may go after that steamer just as soon as she 
 can be started away ! " 
 
 "And what do you say, Burke? " exclaimed Shirley. 
 
 Burke did not answer. He was trying to decide 
 whether or not he and Shirley, with Burdette and 
 Portman and the two engineers, could work the yacht. 
 But before he had even a chance to speak, Mr. Hodg 
 son stepped forward and exclaimed : 
 
 "I ll stick to the yacht until she has accomplished 
 her business ! I d just as soon make my vacation a 
 week longer as not. I can cut it off somewhere else. 
 If you are thinking about your crew, captain, I want to 
 say that, so far as I am concerned, I am one volunteer ! " 
 
 "And I am another ! " said Mr. Litchfield. "Now 
 that I know how absolutely essential it is that the 
 Dunkery Beacon should be overtaken, I would not for 
 a moment even consider the surrender of my position 
 upon this vessel, which I assure you, madam, I con 
 sider as an honor ! " 
 
 Mr. Shirley stared in amazement at the speaker. 
 What sort of a seaman was this ? His face and hands 
 were dirty, for he had been shovelling coal, but such 
 speech Shirley had never heard from mariner s lips. 
 The rest of the crew seemed very odd, and now he 
 noticed for the first time that, although many of them 
 were in their shirt-sleeves, nearly all wore black 
 trousers. He could not understand it. 
 
 217 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Mr. Litchfield, sir," said a large, heavy man with 
 a nose burnt very red, a travelling cap upon his head, 
 and wearing a stiffly starched shirt which had once 
 been white, no collar, and a waistcoat cut very straight 
 in front, now opened, but intended to be buttoned up 
 very high, "I believe Mr. Litchfield has voiced the 
 sentiments of us all. As he was speaking, I looked 
 from one brother to another, and I think I am right." 
 
 "You are right ! " cried every one of the sturdy fel 
 lows who had so recently stepped from Synod to 
 yacht. 
 
 "I knew it ! " exultingly exclaimed the speaker. 
 "I felt it in my heart of hearts ! Madam and cap 
 tain, knowing what we do, we are not the men to 
 desert you when it is found necessary to continue the 
 voyage for a little ! " 
 
 "And what would happen to us if we did leave the 
 yacht?" said another. ""We might simply have to 
 remain at Kingston until you returned. Oh, no ! we 
 wouldn t think of it ! " 
 
 "Burke," said Shirley, in a low tone, "who are these 
 people ? " 
 
 "Can t tell you now," said Burke, his eyes glisten 
 ing, "you might tumble overboard backward if I did ! 
 Gentlemen," he cried, turning to his crew, "you re a 
 royal lot ! And if any of you ever ask me to stand by 
 you, I ll do it while there s breath in my body ! And 
 now, madam," said he, his doubt and perplexity gone, 
 and his face animated by the necessity of immediate 
 action, "I can t now say anything about your kind 
 ness in lending us your yacht, but if you and Miss 
 Croup want to go ashore, there is a boat alongside." 
 
 "Go ashore ! " screamed Mrs. Cliff. "What are you 
 218 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 talking about? If anybody stays on this yacht, I do ! 
 I wouldn t think of such a thing as going ashore ! " 
 
 "Nor I ! " cried Willy. "What s got into your head, 
 Mr. Burke ? Do you intend to go without eating ? " 
 
 "Ladies/ cried Burke, "you are truly trumps, and 
 that s all I ve got to say ! And we ll get out of this 
 harbor just as fast as we can ! " 
 
 "Look here," cried Shirley, running after Burke to 
 the captain s room, "I ve got to go ashore again and 
 get that cable message, we must have authority to 
 turn that steamer back, if we overhaul her, and I ve 
 got to have somebody to go with me. But before we 
 do anything, you must take time to tell me who these 
 queer-looking customers are that you ve got on board." 
 
 Burke shut the door of his room, and in as few 
 words as possible he explained how some of the mem 
 bers of the recent Synod happened to be acting as crew 
 of the yacht. Shirley was a quiet and rather sedate 
 man, but when he heard this tale, he dropped into a 
 chair, leaned back, stretched out his legs, and laughed 
 until his voice failed him. 
 
 "Oh, it s all funny enough," said Burke, almost as 
 merry as his friend, "but they re good ones I can tell 
 you that ! You couldn t get together a better set of 
 landsmen. And I tell you what I ll do. If you want 
 anybody to go with you to certify that you are all 
 right, I ll send a couple of parsons ! " 
 
 "Just what I want ! " cried Shirley. 
 
 Burke quickly stepped out on deck, and calling the 
 mate, "Mr. Burdette," he said, "I want you to detail 
 the Rev. Charles Attlebury and the Rev. Mr. Gil- 
 lingham to go ashore with Mr. Shirley. Tell them to 
 put on their parson s toggery, long coats, high hats, 
 
 219 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 and white cravats, and let each man take with him 
 the address of his church on a card. They are to cer 
 tify to Mr. Shirley. Tell them to step round lively 
 we have no time to lose ! " 
 
 Soon after the boat with Shirley and the clergymen 
 had pulled away from the yacht, two of the clerical 
 crew came to Mrs. Cliff, and told her that they were 
 very sorry indeed to say that, having consulted the 
 sailing-master, and having been told by him that it 
 was not at all probable that the yacht would be able 
 to return to Kingston in a week, they had been forced 
 to the conclusion that they would not be able to offer 
 her their services during the voyage she was about to 
 make. Important affairs at home would make it 
 impossible for them to prolong their most delightful 
 vacation, and as they had been informed that the An- 
 tonina would return to New York in a few days, it 
 would be advisable for them to leave the yacht and 
 take passage to New York in her. They felt, how 
 ever, that this apparent desertion would be of less 
 importance than it would have been if it had occurred 
 in the port of Nassau, because now the crew would 
 have the assistance of Mr. Shirley, who was certainly 
 worth more than both of them together. 
 
 When Burke heard this, he said to Mrs. Cliff that 
 he was not sure but what the parsons were quite cor 
 rect, and although everybody was sorry to lose two 
 members of the party, it could not be helped, and all 
 who had letters to send to New York went to work to 
 scribble them as fast as they could. Mrs. Cliff also 
 wrote a note to Captain Horn, informing him of the 
 state of affairs, and of their reasons for not waiting 
 for him, and this the departing clergymen undertook 
 
 220 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 to leave with Beaver & Hughes, where Captain Horn 
 would be sure to call. 
 
 "When Shirley reached the counting-house of Beaver 
 & Hughes, he found that it was a great advantage to 
 be backed up by a pair of reverend clergymen who 
 had come to Kingston in a handsome yacht. The 
 message for Captain Hagar was delivered without 
 hesitation, and the best wishes were expressed that 
 they might be able to overtake the Dunkery Beacon. 
 
 "Her course will be south of Tobago Island," said 
 Mr. Beaver, "and then, if your yacht is the vessel you 
 say it is, I should say you ought to overtake her before 
 she gets very far down the coast. I don t know that 
 Captain Hagar will turn back when he gets this mes 
 sage, having gone so far, but, of course, if it is impor 
 tant, I am glad there is a vessel here to take it to 
 him." 
 
 "What sort of a looking vessel is the Dunkery 
 Beacon f " asked Shirley. 
 
 "She is about two thousand tons," said the other, 
 "has two masts which do not rake much, and her 
 funnel is painted black and white, the stripes running 
 up and down. There are three steamers on the line, 
 and all their funnels are painted that way." 
 
 "We ll be apt to know her when we see her," said 
 Shirley, and, with a hurried leave, he and his com 
 panions hastened back to the wharves. 
 
 But on the way a thought struck Shirley, and he 
 determined to take time to go to the post-office. 
 There might be something for him, and he had not 
 thought of it before. There he found a telegraphic 
 message addressed to him, and sent from Yera Cruz to 
 New York, and thence forwarded by mail. It was 
 
 221 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 from Captain Horn, and was as long as an ordinary 
 business note, and informed Shirley that the captain 
 expected to be in Jamaica not long after this message 
 reached Kingston. There was no regular steamer 
 which would reach there in good time, but he had 
 chartered a steamer, the Monterey, which was then 
 being made ready for sea as rapidly as possible, and 
 would probably clear for Kingston in a few days. It 
 urged Shirley not to fail to keep the Durikery Beacon 
 in port until he arrived. 
 
 Shirley stood speechless for some minutes after he 
 had read this message. This telegram had come with 
 him on the Antonina from New York ! "What a fool 
 he had been not to think sooner of the post-office ! 
 But what difference would it have made ? What could 
 he have done that he had not done f If the captain 
 sailed in a few days from the time he sent the message, 
 he would be here very soon, for the distance between 
 Kingston and Vera Cruz was less than that from New 
 York to Kingston. The captain must have counted on 
 Shirley reaching Jamaica very much sooner than he 
 really did arrive. Puzzled, annoyed, and disgusted 
 with himself, Shirley explained the message to his 
 companions, and they all hastened back to the yacht. 
 There a brief but very hurried consultation was held, 
 in which nearly everybody joined. The question to be 
 decided was, should they wait for Captain Horn? 
 
 A great deal was said in a very short time, and in 
 the midst of the confused opinions Mrs. Cliff spoke 
 out, loudly and clearly. "It is my opinion," said she, 
 "that we should not stop. If fitting out a steamer is 
 like fitting out anything else in this world that I know 
 of, it is almost certain to take more time than people 
 
 222 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 expect it to take. If Captain Horn telegraphed to 
 us this minute, I believe he would tell us to go after 
 that ship with the gold on board, just as fast as we 
 can, and tell them to turn back." 
 
 This speech was received with favor by all who heard 
 it, and, without a word in answer to Mrs. Cliff, Captain 
 Burke told Mr. Burdette that they would clear for a 
 cruise, and get away just as soon as they could do it. 
 
 When the yacht had been made ready to start, the 
 two clergymen descended into the boat which was 
 Baiting alongside, and the Summer Shelter steamed out 
 of the harbor of Kingston, and headed away for To 
 bago Island. 
 
 223 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 A NOTE FOB CAPTAIN BURKE 
 
 NOTWITHSTANDING the fact that the Summer Shelter 
 made very good time, that she had coaled at Nassau, 
 and was therefore ready for an extended cruise, it was 
 impossible for any of those on board of her to conceal 
 from themselves the very strong improbability of 
 sighting the Dunkery Beacon after she had got out 
 upon the wide Atlantic, and that she would pass the 
 comparatively narrow channel south of Tobago Island 
 before the yacht reached it was almost a foregone 
 conclusion. 
 
 Mr. Burke assured Mrs. Cliff and his passengers that 
 although their chase after the steamer might reason 
 ably suggest a needle and a haystack, still, if the Dun- 
 leery Beacon kept down the coast in as straight a line 
 as she could for Cape St. Roque, and if the Summer 
 Shelter also kept the same line, and if the yacht 
 steamed a great deal faster than the other vessel, it 
 stood to reason that it could not be very long before 
 the Summer Shelter overhauled the Dunkery Beacon. 
 
 But those who consulted with Mr. Portman were 
 not so well encouraged as those who pinned their 
 faith upon the captain. The sailing-master had very 
 
 224 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 strong doubts about ever sighting the steamer that 
 had sailed away two days before they left Kingston. 
 The ocean being so very large, and any steamer being 
 so very small comparatively, if they did not pass her 
 miles out of sight, and if they never caught up to her, 
 he would not be in the least surprised. 
 
 Four days had passed since they left Kingston, when 
 Burke and Shirley stood together upon the deck, 
 scanning the horizon with a glass. "Don t you think 
 it begins to look like a wild-goose chase ? " said the 
 latter. 
 
 Burke thrust his hands into the pockets of his 
 jacket. 
 
 "Yes," said he, "it does look like that. I did be 
 lieve that we were going to overhaul her before she 
 got outside the Caribbees, but she must be a faster 
 vessel than I thought she was." 
 
 "I don t believe she s fast at all," said Shirley. 
 "She s had two days start, and that s enough to spoil 
 our business, I m afraid ! " 
 
 "But we ll keep on," said Burke. "We re not going 
 to turn back until our coal-bunkers tell us we ve got 
 to do it ! " 
 
 Steamers they saw, sometimes two in an hour ; 
 sailing-vessels were sighted, near by or far away 
 schooners, ships, or brigs ; and these were steaming and 
 sailing this way and that. But never did they see a 
 steamer with a single funnel painted black and white, 
 with the stripes running up and down. 
 
 It was very early the next morning after the conver 
 sation between Burke and Shirley that the latter saw a 
 long line of smoke just above the horizon, which he 
 thought might give him reason for looking out for the 
 
 225 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 steamer of which they were in quest. But when he got 
 his glass, and the masts appeared above the horizon, 
 he saw that this vessel was heading eastward, perhaps 
 a little northeast, and therefore was not likely to be 
 the Durikery Beacon. But in half an hour his glass 
 showed him that there were stripes on the funnel of 
 this steamer which ran up and down, and in a mo 
 ment Burke was called, and was soon at his side. 
 
 "I believe that s the Durikery!" cried the captain, 
 with the glass to his eye. "But she s on the wrong 
 course ! It won t take us long to overhaul her. 
 "We ll head the yacht a few points to the east. Don t 
 say anything to anybody we don t want to disap 
 point them." 
 
 "Oh, we can overhaul her," said Shirley, who now 
 had the glass, "for it isn t a stern chase, by any 
 means." 
 
 In less than half an hour everybody on board the 
 Summer Shelter knew that the large steamer, which 
 they could plainly see on the rolling waves to the 
 south, must be the Durikery Beacon unless, indeed, 
 they should find that this was one of her sister ships 
 coming north. There was great excitement on board 
 the yacht. The breakfast, which was in course of prep 
 aration, was almost entirely forgotten by those who 
 had it in charge, and everybody who could possibly 
 leave duty crowded to the rail, peering across the 
 waves to the southward. It was not long before Shir 
 ley, who had the best eyes on board, declared that he 
 could read with his glass the name Durikery Beacon on 
 the port bow. 
 
 "That s not where we ought to see it," cried Burke. 
 " We ought to see it on the stern ! But we ve got her, 
 
 226 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 boys ! "and then he remembered himself, and added, 
 "ladies ! And now let s give three good cheers ! " 
 
 Three rousing cheers were given by all on board, 
 with such good will that they would have been heard 
 on the other steamer had not the wind been pretty 
 strong from the west. 
 
 The Summer Shelter gained upon the larger vessel, 
 and Burke now ran up signals for her to lay to, as he 
 wished to speak with her. To these signals, however, 
 the Dunkery paid no immediate attention, keeping 
 steadily on, although altering her course toward the 
 southeast. 
 
 "What does that mean, Mr. Shirley?" asked Mrs. 
 Cliff. "Mr. Burke wants her to stop, doesn t he?" 
 
 "Yes," said Shirley, "that is what the signal is for." 
 
 "But she doesn t stop ! " said Mrs. Cliff. "Do you 
 think there is any chance of her not stopping at all ? " 
 
 "Can t say, madam," he answered. "But she s got 
 good reason for keeping on her way. A vessel with all 
 that treasure on board could hardly be expected to 
 lay to because a strange vessel that she knows nothing 
 about asks her to shut off steam." 
 
 "That seems to me very reasonable, indeed," said 
 Mr. Litchfield, who was standing by. "But it would 
 be very bad fortune if, after all the trouble and 
 anxiety you have had in overtaking this vessel, she 
 should decline to stop and hear the news we have to 
 tell." 
 
 There was a strong breeze and a good deal of sea, 
 but Burke determined to get near enough to hail the 
 Dunkery Beacon and speak to her. So he got round on 
 her weather quarter, and easily overtaking her, he 
 brought the Summer Shelter as near to the other vessel 
 
 227 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 as lie considered it safe to do. Then he hailed her ; 
 "Durikery Beacon, ahoy ! Is that Captain Hagar I " 
 
 The wind was too strong for the captain of the othei 
 vessel to answer through his trumpet, but he signalled 
 assent. Then Burke informed him that he wished 
 him to lay to in order that he might send a boat on 
 board that he had very important orders to Captain 
 Hagar from his owners, and that he had followed him 
 from Jamaica in order to deliver them. For some 
 time there was no answer whatever to these loudly 
 bellowed remarks, and the two vessels kept on side by 
 side. 
 
 "Anyway," said Burke to Mr. Burdette, "she can 
 see that we re a lot faster than she is, and that she 
 can t get away from us ! " 
 
 "It may be that she s afraid of us," said the mate, 
 "and thinks we re one of the pirates." 
 
 "That can t be," said Burke, "for she doesn t know 
 anything about the pirates ! I ll hail her again, and 
 tell her what we are, and what our business is. I 
 think it won t be long before she lays to just to see 
 what we want." 
 
 Sure enough, in less than fifteen minutes the Durikery 
 Beacon signalled that she would lay to, and before long 
 the two vessels, their engines stopped and their heads 
 to the wind, lay rising and falling on the waves, and 
 near enough to speak to each other. 
 
 "Now, then, what do you want?" shouted the cap 
 tain of the Durikery. 
 
 "I want to send a boat aboard with an important 
 message from Blackburn ! " 
 
 After a few minutes the answer came, "Send a 
 boat ! " 
 
 228 
 
Burke determined to get near enough to hail the 
 "Dunkery Beacon." 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Orders were given to lower one of the yacht s boats, 
 and it was agreed that Shirley ought to be the man to 
 go over to the Dunkery Beacon. "Who do you want 
 to go with you ? " asked Burke. 
 
 "Nobody but the boat s crew," he answered. "I 
 can explain things better by myself. Captain Hagar 
 seems to be an obstinate fellow, and it won t be easy 
 to turn him back on his course. But if I want any 
 body to stand by me and back me up in what I say, 
 you might let some of the clergymen come over. He 
 might believe them, and wouldn t me. But I ll talk 
 to him first by myself." 
 
 Every member of the Synod declared that he was 
 perfectly willing to go to the other vessel if he should 
 be needed, and Mrs. Cliff assured Burke that if she 
 could be of any good in making the captain of the 
 Dunkery Beacon understand that he ought to turn 
 back, she would be perfectly willing to be rowed over 
 to his vessel. 
 
 "I don t think it will be necessary to put a lady 
 into a boat on such a sea as this," said Burke. "But 
 when he hears what Shirley has to tell him, that cap 
 tain will most likely be glad enough to turn back." 
 
 Captain Burke was afraid to trust any of his clerical 
 crew to row a ship s boat on such a heavy sea, and 
 although he would be perfectly willing to go himself 
 as one of the oarsmen, he would not leave the yacht 
 so long as Mrs. Cliff was on board. But Mr. Burdette, 
 the sailing-master, and the assistant engineer volun 
 teered as crew of the boat, while Shirley himself 
 pulled an oar. 
 
 When the boat reached the Dunkery Beacon, Shirley 
 was soon on board, while the three men in the boat, 
 
 229 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 holding to a line which had been thrown them, kept 
 their little craft from bumping against the side of the 
 big steamer by pushing her off with their oars. On 
 board the Summer Shelter everybody stood and gazed 
 over the rail, staring at the other steamer as if they 
 could hear with their eyes what was being said on 
 board of her. After waiting about twenty minutes, a 
 note was passed down to the men in the boat, who 
 pushed off and rowed back with it to the Summer Shelter. 
 
 The note, which Captain Burke opened and read as 
 soon as he could lay hold of it, ran as follows : 
 
 " To CAPTAIN BURKE OF THE SUMMER SHELTER : It s 
 my opinion that you re trying to play a beastly trick 
 on me! It isn t like my owners to send a message 
 to me off the coast of South America. If they wanted 
 to send me a mesage, it would have been waiting for 
 me at Kingston. I don t know what sort of a trick you 
 are trying to play on me, but you can t do it. I know 
 my duties, and I m going to keep on to my port. And, 
 what s more, I m not going to send back the man you 
 sent aboard of me. I ll take him with me to Rio Janeiro, 
 and hand him over to the authorities. They ll know 
 what to do with him. But I don t intend to send him 
 back to report to you whatever he was sent aboard my 
 vessel to find out. 
 
 " I don t know how you came to think I had treasure 
 on board, but it s none of your business, anyway. You 
 must think I m a fool to turn back to Kingston because 
 you tell me to. Anybody can write a telegram. So I m 
 going to get under way, and you can steam back to 
 Kingston, or wherever you came from. 
 
 "CAPTAIN HAGAR." 
 
 Captain Burke had hardly finished reading this 
 extraordinary letter when he heard a cry from the 
 
 230 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 boat lying by the side of the yacht in which the three 
 men were waiting, expecting to go back to the other 
 vessel with an answer. "Hello ! " cried Mr. Burdette. 
 "She s getting under way ! That steamer s off ! " 
 
 And at this a shout arose from everybody on board 
 the Summer Shelter. The propeller of the Durikery 
 Beacon was stirring the water at her stern, and she 
 was moving away, her bow turned southward. Burke 
 leaned over the rail, shouted to his men to get on 
 board and haul up the boat, and then he gave orders 
 to go ahead full speed. 
 
 "What does all this mean 1 ?" cried Mrs. Cliff. 
 "What s in that letter, Mr. Burke? Are they run 
 ning away with Mr. Shirley f " 
 
 "That s what it looks like ! " he cried. "But here s 
 the letter. You can all read it for yourselves ! " And 
 with that he dashed away to take charge of his 
 vessel. 
 
 All now was wild excitement on board the Summer 
 Shelter p , but what was to be done, or with what inten 
 tion they were pursuing the Dunkery Beacon and 
 rapidly gaining upon her, no one could say, not even 
 Captain Burke himself. The yacht was keeping on 
 the weather quarter of the other vessel, and when she 
 was near enough, he began again to yell at her through 
 his speaking-trumpet. But no answer or signal came 
 back, and everybody on board the larger vessel seemed 
 to be attending to his duties as if nothing had hap 
 pened, while Mr. Shirley was not visible. 
 
 While the captain was roaring himself red in the 
 face, both Mrs. Cliff and Willy Croup were crying, 
 and the face of each clergyman showed great anxiety 
 and trouble. Presently Mrs. Cliff was approached by 
 
 231 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 the Rev. Mr. Arbuckle, the oldest of the members of 
 the late Synod who had shipped with her. 
 
 "This is a most unfortunate and totally unexpected 
 outcome of our expedition," said he. "If Mr. Shirley 
 is taken to Rio Janeiro and charges made against him, 
 his case may be very serious. But I cannot see what 
 we are to do ! Don t you believe it would be well to 
 call a consultation of those on board ? " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff wiped her eyes, and said they ought to 
 consult. If anything could be done, it should be done 
 immediately. 
 
 Captain Burke put the yacht in charge of the mate, 
 and came aft, where five of the clergymen, the sailing- 
 master, and Mrs. Cliff and Willy were gathered to 
 gether. "I m willing to hold council," said he, "but 
 at this minute I can t give any advice as to what 
 ought to be done. The only thing I can say is that 
 I don t want to desert Shirley. If I could do it, I 
 would board that vessel and take him off, but I don t 
 see my way clear to that just yet. I m not owner 
 of this yacht, but if Mrs. Cliff will give the word, I ll 
 follow that steamer to Rio Janeiro, and if Shirley is 
 put on shore and charges made against him, I ll be 
 there to stand by him ! " 
 
 "Of course, we will not desert Mr. Shirley ! " cried 
 Mrs. Cliff. "This yacht shall follow that vessel until 
 we can take him on board again. I can t feel it in my 
 heart, gentlemen, to say to you that I m willing to 
 turn back and take you home if you want to go. It 
 may be very hard to keep you longer, but it will be 
 a great deal harder if we let the captain of that 
 ship take poor Mr. Shirley to Rio Janeiro and put 
 him into prison, with nobody to say a word for him ! " 
 
 232 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Madam/ said Mr. Arbuckle, "I beg that you will 
 not speak of the question of an immediate return on 
 our account. This is in every way a most unfortunate 
 affair, but we all see what ought to be done, what it 
 is our duty to do, and we will do it ! Can you give 
 me an idea, Mr. Portman, of the length of time it 
 would probably require for us to reach Kio Janeiro ? " 
 
 "I think this yacht could get there in a week," said 
 the sailing-master. "But if we re to keep company 
 with that hulk over there, it will take us ten days. 
 We may have trouble about coal, but if we have good 
 winds like these, we can keep up with the Durikery 
 Beacon with half-steam and our sails." 
 
 "Captain," said Mrs. Cliff, "there is no use in our 
 talking any more. We must stand by Mr. Shirley, no 
 matter what happens, nor where we have to go to ! " 
 
 233 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 STICK TO SHIRLEY ! " 
 
 WHEN night began to fall, the Durikery Beacon was 
 still keeping on her course, a little too much to the 
 eastward, Mr. Portman thought, and the Summer 
 Shelter was still accompanying her, almost abreast, and 
 less than half a mile away. During the day it had 
 been seldom that the glasses of the yacht had not 
 been directed upon the deck of the larger vessel. 
 Several times Mr. Shirley had been seen on the main- 
 deck, and he had frequently waved his hat. It was 
 encouraging to know that their friend was in good 
 condition, but there were many hearts on board the 
 Summer Shelter which grew heavier and heavier as the 
 night came on. 
 
 Burke and Burdette stood together in the pilot 
 house. "Suppose she gets away from us in the night ? " 
 said the mate. 
 
 "I don t intend to let her do it," replied his captain. 
 "Even if she douses every glim on board, I ll keep her 
 in sight ! It will be starlight, and I m not afraid, with 
 a vessel as easily managed as this yacht, to lie pretty 
 close to her." 
 
 234 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Then, there s another thing," said Burdette. 
 
 "You re thinking they may get rid of him?" asked 
 Burke. 
 
 "Yes," said the other, "I was thinking of that ! " 
 
 The captain did not reply immediately. "That 
 came across my mind, too," said he, "but it s all non 
 sense ! In the first place, they haven t got any reason 
 for wanting to get rid of him that way, and, besides, 
 they know that if they went into Eio Janeiro without 
 Shirley, we could make it very hot for them ! " 
 
 "But he s a queer one that Captain Hagar ! " said 
 Burdette. "What was he doing on that easterly 
 course ? I think he s a scaly customer, that s what I 
 think ! " 
 
 "Can t say anything about that," answered Burke. 
 "But one thing I know : I m going to stick to him 
 like a thrasher to a whale ! " 
 
 Very early the next morning, Mr. Hodgson came aft, 
 where Captain Burke was standing with the sailing- 
 master. "Sir," said he, "I am a clergyman and a man 
 of peace, but I declare, sir, that I do not think any 
 one, no matter what his profession, should feel himself 
 called upon to submit to the outrageous conduct of 
 the captain of that vessel ! Is there no way in which 
 we could approach her and make fast to her, and then 
 boldly press our way on board, in spite of objection or 
 resistance, and by force, if it should be necessary, bring 
 away Mr. Shirley, whose misfortune has made us all 
 feel as if he were not only our friend, but our brother I 
 Then, sir, I should let that vessel go on to destruction, 
 if she chooses to go." 
 
 Burke shook his head. "You may be sure, if I con 
 sidered it safe to run the two vessels together, I would 
 
 235 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 have been on board that craft long ago ! But we 
 couldn t do it certainly not with Mrs. Cliff on the 
 yacht ! " 
 
 "No, indeed!" added Mr. Portman. "Nobody 
 knows what damage they might do us. For my part, 
 I haven t any faith in that vessel. I believe she s no 
 better than a pirate herself ! " 
 
 "Hold on !" exclaimed Burke. "Don t talk like 
 that ! It wouldn t do for the women to get any such 
 notions into their heads ! " 
 
 "But it is in your head, isn t it, sir?" said Mr. 
 Hodgson. 
 
 "Yes," said Burke, "something of the sort. I don t 
 mind saying that to you." 
 
 "And I will also say to you," replied the young 
 clergyman, "that we talked it over last night, and we 
 all agreed that the actions of the Dunkery Beacon are 
 very suspicious. It does not seem at all unlikely that 
 the great treasure she carries has been too much of a 
 temptation for the captain, and that she is trying to 
 get away with it." 
 
 "Of course, I don t know anything about that cap 
 tain," said Burke, "or what he is after, but I m pretty 
 sure that he won t dare to do anything to Shirley as 
 long as I keep him in sight. And now I m going to 
 bear down on him again to hail him ! " 
 
 The Summer Shelter bore down upon the other 
 steamer, and her captain hailed and hailed for half an 
 hour, but no answer came from the Dunkery Beacon. 
 
 "Willy Croup was so troubled by what had happened, 
 and even more by what was not happening, for she 
 could not see any good which might come out of this 
 persistent following of the one vessel by the other, 
 
 236 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 that her nerves disordered and tangled themselves to 
 such a degree that she was scarcely able to cook. 
 
 But Mrs. Cliff kept up a strong heart. She felt that 
 a great deal depended upon her. At any moment an 
 emergency might arise when she would be called upon, 
 as owner of the yacht, to decide what should be done. 
 She hoped very earnestly that if the captain of the 
 Dunkery Beacon saw that the Summer Shelter was deter 
 mined to follow him, wherever he went and whatever 
 he might do, he would at last get tired of being nagged 
 in that way, and consent to give up Mr. Shirley. 
 
 About eight o clock in the morning, all belief in 
 the minds of the men on board the yacht that the 
 Dunkery Beacon intended to sail to Kio Janeiro en 
 tirely disappeared, for that steamer changed her course 
 to one considerably north of east. A little after that 
 a steamer was seen on the horizon to the north, and she 
 was bearing southward. In the course of half an hour 
 it seemed as if this new steamer was not only likely 
 to run across the course of the Dunkery Beacon, but 
 was trying to do it. 
 
 "Captain," exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, grasping Burke by 
 the arm, " don t you think it looks very much as if 
 that Captain Hagar was trying to run away with the 
 treasure which has been intrusted to him? " 
 
 "I didn t intend to say anything to you about that," 
 he replied, "but it looks like it, most decidedly ! " 
 
 "If that should be the case," said Mrs. Cliff, "don t 
 you think Mr. Shirley s situation is very dangerous ? " 
 
 "Nobody knows anything about that, madam," said 
 he, "but until we get him back on this yacht, I ll stick 
 to her ! " 
 
 Burke could not make out the newcomer very well, 
 
 237 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 but he knew her to be a Mediterranean steamer. She 
 was of moderate size, and making good headway. "I 
 haven t the least bit of a doubt," said he to Burdette, 
 "that that s the pirate vessel from Genoa ! " 
 
 "I shouldn t wonder if you re right ! " said the mate, 
 taking the glass. "I think I can see a lot of heads in 
 her bow, and now I wonder what is going to happen 
 next ! " 
 
 "That nobody knows/ said Burke, "but if I had 
 Shirley on board here, I d steam away and let them 
 have it out. We have done all we re called upon to do 
 to keep those Peruvian fools from losing that cargo of 
 gold ! " 
 
 The strange vessel drew nearer and nearer to the 
 Durikery Beacon, and the two steamers, much to the 
 amazement of the watchers on the yacht, now lay to 
 and seemed prepared to hail each other. They did 
 hail, and after a short time a boat was lowered from 
 the stranger, and pulled to the Dunkery Beacon. 
 There were but few men in the boat, although there 
 were many heads on the decks from which they had 
 come. 
 
 "This beats me ! " ejaculated Burke. "They seem 
 willing enough to lay to for her ! " 
 
 "It looks to me," said Mr. Burdette, "as if she 
 wanted to be captured ! " 
 
 "I d like to know," said the captain, "what s the 
 meaning of that queer bit of blotched bunting that s 
 been run up on the Dunkery f " 
 
 "Can t tell," said the other, "but there s another 
 one like it on the other steamer ! " 
 
 "My friends," said Mr. Arbuckle, standing in a 
 group of his fellow-clergymen on the main-deck, 
 
 238 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "it is my earnest opinion that those two ships are 
 accomplices in a great crime." 
 
 "If that be so," said another, "we are here in the 
 position of utterly helpless witnesses. But we should 
 not allow ourselves to look on this business from one 
 point of view only. It may be that the intentions of 
 that recently arrived vessel are perfectly honorable. 
 She may bring later orders from the owners of the 
 Durikery Beacon, and bring them, too, with more au 
 thority than did Mr. Shirley, who, after all, was only 
 a volunteer ! " 
 
 The yacht was lying to, and at this moment the 
 lookout announced a sail on the starboard quarter. 
 Glancing in that direction, nearly everybody could 
 see that another steamer, her hull well up in view, 
 was coming down from the north. 
 
 "By George ! " cried Burke, "most likely that s 
 another of the pirates ! " 
 
 "And if it is," said his mate, "I think we ll have to 
 trust to our heels ! " 
 
 Burke answered quietly, "Yes, we ll do that when 
 we ve got Shirley on board, or when it s dead sure we 
 can t get him ! " 
 
 The people from the Mediterranean steamer did not 
 remain on board the Durikery Beacon more than half 
 an hour, and when they returned to their vessel, she 
 immediately started her engines and began to move 
 away. Making a short circuit, she turned and steamed 
 in the direction of the distant vessel approaching from 
 the northward. 
 
 "There," cried Burke, "that steamer off there is 
 another of the pirates, and these scoundrels here are 
 going to meet her. They ve got the whole thing cut 
 
 239 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 and dried, and I ll bet my head that the Durikery 
 Beacon will cruise around here until they re ready to 
 come down and do what they please with her ! " 
 
 The actions of the treasure-ship now seemed to in 
 dicate that Mr. Burke was correct in his surmises. 
 She steamed away slowly toward the south, and then, 
 making a wide sweep, she steered northward, direct 
 ing her course toward the yacht, as if she would speak 
 with it. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 ON BOARD THE "DUNKERY BEACON* 
 
 WHEN Edward Shirley stepped on board the big 
 steamer which he had so earnestly and anxiously fol 
 lowed from Kingston, and was received by her captain, 
 it did not take him long to form the opinion that Cap 
 tain Hagar belonged to a disagreeable class of mariners. 
 He was gruff, curt, and wanted to know in the shortest 
 space of time why in the name of his Satanic Majesty 
 he had been asked to lay to, and what message that 
 yacht had for him. 
 
 Shirley asked for a private interview, and when 
 they were in the captain s room he put the whole 
 matter into as few words as possible, showed the cable 
 gram from Blackburn, and also exhibited his message 
 from Captain Horn. The other scrutinized the papers 
 very carefully, asked many questions, but made few 
 remarks in regard to his own opinion or intentions. 
 
 When he had heard all that Shirley had to tell him, 
 and had listened to some very earnest advice that he 
 should immediately turn back to Kingston, or at least 
 run into Georgetown, where he might safely lie in 
 harbor until measures had been taken for the safe 
 conveyance of the treasure to Peru, the captain of the 
 
 241 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Durikery Beacon arose, and asking Shirley to remain 
 where he was until he should go and consult with his 
 first mate, he went out, closing the door of the room 
 behind him. 
 
 During this absence the captain did not see the first 
 mate, but he went to a room where there was pen, ink, 
 and paper, and there he wrote a note to Captain Burke 
 of the Summer Shelter, which note, as soon as he had 
 signed it, he gave to the men in the small boat wait 
 ing alongside, telling them that it was from their mate 
 who had come on board, and that he wanted an answer 
 just as soon as possible. 
 
 Mr. Burdette, Mr. Portman, and the assistant en 
 gineer, having no reason whatever to suspect treachery 
 under circumstances like these, immediately rowed 
 back to the Summer Shelter, and, as we already 
 know, it was not long before the Durikery Beacon was 
 steaming away from the yacht. 
 
 The moment that Shirley, who was getting a little 
 tired of waiting, felt the movement of the engines, he 
 sprang to the door, but found it locked. Now he 
 began to kick, but in a very few moments the captain 
 appeared. 
 
 "You needn t make a row," said he. "Nobody s 
 going to hurt you. I have sent a note to your skipper, 
 telling him I m going to keep you on board a little 
 while until I can consider this matter. My duty to 
 my owners wouldn t allow me to be a-layin to here. 
 But I ll think over the business, and do what I consider 
 right. But I ve got to keep on my course I ve got 
 no right to lose time, whether this is all a piece of 
 foolin 7 or not." 
 
 "There s no fooling about it," said Shirley, warmly. 
 
 242 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 "If you don t turn back you will be very likely to 
 lose a good deal more than time. You may lose 
 everything on board, and your lives too, for all you 
 know." 
 
 The captain laughed. "Pirates ! " said he. "What 
 stuff ! There are no pirates in these days ! " and then 
 he laughed again. "Well, I can t talk any more now," 
 said he, "but I ll keep your business in my mind, and 
 settle it pretty soon. Then you can go back and tell 
 your people what I ll do. You had better go on deck 
 and make yourself comfortable. If you ll take my 
 advice, you won t do any talking. The people on this 
 vessel don t know what she carries, and I don t want 
 them to know. So if I see you talking to anybody, 
 I ll consider that you want to make trouble and I 
 can tell you, if some of these people on board knew 
 what was in them boxes in the hold, there would be 
 the worst kind of trouble. You can bet your head on 
 that! So you can go on and show yourself. Your 
 friends won t be worried about you I ve explained 
 it all to them in my note ! " 
 
 When Shirley went on deck he was very much 
 pleased to see that the Summer Shelter was not far 
 away, and was steaming close after the larger vessel. 
 He waved his hat, and then he turned to look about 
 him. There seemed to be a good many men on the 
 steamer, a very large crew, in fact, and after noticing 
 the number of sailors who were at work not far away 
 from him, Shirley came to the conclusion that there 
 were more reasons than one why he would not hold 
 conversation with them. 
 
 From their speech he thought that they must all be 
 foreigners French or Italians, he could scarcely tell 
 
 243 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 which. It did not seem to him that these belonged to 
 the class of seamen which a careful captain of a British 
 merchantman would wish to ship when carrying a 
 cargo of treasure to a distant land, but then/ all sorts 
 of crews were picked up in English ports. Her cap 
 tain, in fact, surprised Shirley more than did the sea 
 men he had noticed. This captain must, of course, be 
 an Englishman, for the house of Blackburn Brothers 
 would not be likely to trust one of their vessels, and 
 such an important one, to the charge of any one but 
 an Englishman. But he had a somewhat foreign look 
 about him. His eyes and hair were very black, and 
 there was a certain peculiarity in his pronunciation 
 that made Shirley think at first that he might be a 
 Welshman. 
 
 While Shirley was considering these matters, the 
 Summer Shelter was rapidly gaining on the other 
 steamer, and was now alongside and within hailing 
 distance, and Burke was on the bridge with a trumpet 
 in his hand. At this moment Shirley was accosted by 
 the captain. "Fve got something to say to you," said 
 he. "Step into my room. Perhaps we can give your 
 friend an answer at once." 
 
 Shirley followed the other, the door was shut, and 
 the captain of the Durikery Beacon began to tell how 
 extremely injudicious it would be, in his opinion, to 
 turn back, for if pirates really were following him, 
 although he did not believe a word of it, he might 
 run right into their teeth, whereas by keeping on his 
 course he would most likely sail away from them, and 
 when he reached Kio Janeiro, he could make arrange 
 ments there for some sort of a convoy, or whatever 
 else was considered necessary. 
 
 244 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "I ll go and hail my skipper," said Shirley, "if you ll 
 let me have a speaking-trumpet." 
 
 "No," said the other, "I don t want you to do that. 
 I don t mind tellin you that I don t trust you. I ve 
 got very heavy responsibility on me, and I don t know 
 who you are no more than if you was a porpoise come 
 a-bouncin up out of the sea. I don t want you and 
 your skipper hoi din no conversation with each other 
 until I ve got this matter settled to my satisfaction, 
 and then I can put you on board your vessel, and go 
 ahead on my course, or I can turn back, just which 
 ever I make up my mind to do. But, until I make 
 up my mind, I don t want no reports made from this 
 vessel to any other, and no matter what you say when 
 you are hailin , how do I know what you mean, 
 and what sort of signals you ve agreed on between 
 you?" 
 
 Shirley was obliged to accept the situation, and 
 when Burke had ceased to hail, he was allowed to go 
 on deck. Then, after waving his hat to the yacht, 
 which was now at a considerable distance, although 
 within easy range of a glass, Shirley lighted his pipe, 
 and walked up and down the deck. He saw a good 
 many things to interest him, but he spoke to no one, 
 and endeavored to assume the demeanor of one who 
 was much interested in his own affairs, and very little 
 in what was going on about him. 
 
 But Shirley noticed a great many things which 
 made a deep impression upon him. The crew seemed 
 to be composed of men not very well disciplined, but 
 exceedingly talkative, and although Shirley did not 
 understand French, he was now pretty sure that all 
 the conversation he heard was in that tongue. Then, 
 
 245 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 again, the men did not appear to be very well ac 
 quainted with the vessel they frequently seemed to 
 be looking for things the position of which they 
 should have known. He could not understand how 
 men who had sailed on a vessel from Southampton 
 should show such a spirit of inquiry in regard to the 
 internal arrangements of the steamer. A boatswain, 
 who was giving the orders to a number of men, seemed 
 more as if he were instructing a class in the nautical 
 management of a vessel than in giving the ordinary 
 every-day orders which might be expected on such a 
 voyage as this. Once he saw the captain come on 
 deck with a book in his hand, apparently a log-book, 
 and he showed it to one of the mates. These two 
 stood turning over the leaves of the book as if they 
 had never seen it before, and wanted to find something 
 which they supposed to be in it. 
 
 It was not long after this that Shirley said to him 
 self that he could not understand how such a vessel, 
 with such a cargo, could have been sent out from 
 Southampton in charge of such a captain and such a 
 crew as this. And then, almost immediately, the idea 
 came to him in a flash that perhaps this was not the 
 crew with which the Durikery Beacon had sailed ! Now 
 he seemed to see the whole state of affairs as if it had 
 been printed on paper. The Durikery Beacon had been 
 captured by one of the pirates, probably not long after 
 she got outside the Caribbees, and instead of trying 
 to take the treasure on board their own vessel, the 
 scoundrels had rid the Durikery of her captain and 
 crew, and had taken possession of the steamer and 
 everything in it. This would explain her course when 
 she was first sighted from the yacht. She was not 
 
 246 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 going at all to Kio Janeiro she was on her way across 
 the Atlantic. 
 
 Now everything that he had seen, and everything 
 that he had heard, confirmed this new belief. Of 
 course, the pirate captain did not wish to lay to when 
 he was first hailed, and he probably did so at last 
 simply because he found he need not be afraid of the 
 yacht, and that he could not rid himself of her unless 
 he stopped to see what she wanted. Of course, this 
 fellow would not have him go back to the yacht and 
 make a report. Of course, this crew did not under 
 stand how things were placed and stored on board the 
 vessel, for they themselves had been on board of her 
 but a very short time. The captain spoke English, 
 but he was not an Englishman. 
 
 Shirley saw plainer and plainer every second that 
 the Dunkery Beacon had been captured by pirates, 
 that probably not a man of her former crew was on 
 board, and that he was here a prisoner in the hands 
 of these wretches cut- throats, for all he knew. And 
 yet, he did not reproach himself for having run into 
 such a trap. He had done the proper thing, in a 
 proper, orderly, and seaman-like way. He had had 
 the most unexpected bad luck, but he did not in the 
 least see any reason to blame himself. 
 
 He saw, however, a great deal of reason to fear for 
 himself, especially as the evening drew on. That 
 black-headed villain of a captain did not want him on 
 board, and while he might not care to toss him into 
 the sea in view of a vessel which was fast enough to 
 follow him wherever he might go, there was no reason 
 why he should not do what he pleased if, under cover 
 of the night, he got away from that vessel. 
 
 247 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 The fact that he was allowed to go where he pleased, 
 and see what he pleased, gave much uneasiness to 
 Shirley. It looked to him as if they did not care 
 what he might say, hear, or see, for the reason that it 
 was not intended that he should have an opportunity 
 of making reports of any sort. Shirley had his 
 supper to himself, and the captain showed him a 
 bunk. "They can t do much talkin to you," he said. 
 "I had to sail ahead of time, and couldn t ship many 
 Englishmen." 
 
 "You liar," thought Shirley, "you didn t ship any ! " 
 
 Shirley was a brave man, but as he lay awake in 
 his bunk that night, cold shivers ran down his back 
 many times. If violence were offered to him, of 
 course he could not make any defence, but he was 
 resolved that if an attack should be made upon him, 
 there was one thing he would try to do. He had 
 carefully noted the location of the companionways, 
 and he had taken off only such clothes as would inter 
 fere with swimming. If he were attacked, he would 
 make a bolt for the upper deck, and then overboard. 
 If the yacht should be near enough to hear or see him, 
 he might have a chance. If not, he would prefer the 
 ocean to the Durikery Beacon and her crew. 
 
 But the night passed on, and he was not molested. 
 He did not know, down there below decks, that all 
 night the Summer Shelter kept so close to the Durikery 
 Beacon that the people in charge of the latter cursed 
 and swore dreadfully at times when the yacht, looking 
 bigger and blacker by night than she did by day, rose 
 on the waves in their wake, so near that it seemed 
 as if a sudden squall might drive the two vessels 
 together. 
 
 248 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 But there was really no reason for any such fear. 
 Burke had vowed he would stick to Shirley, and he 
 also stuck to the wheel all night, with Burdette or the 
 sailing-master by his side. And there was not an hour 
 when somebody, either a mariner or a clergyman, did 
 not scan the deck of the Durikery Beacon with a marine 
 glass. 
 
 Shirley was not allowed to go on deck until quite 
 late the next morning, after Burke had given up his 
 desperate attempt to communicate with the Durikery 
 Beacon; and when he did come up, and had assured 
 himself at a glance that the Summer Shelter still hung 
 upon the heels of the larger steamer, and had fran 
 tically waved his hat, the next thing he saw was the 
 small Mediterranean steamer which was rapidly com 
 ing down from the north, while the Durikery Beacon 
 was steaming northeast. He also noticed that some 
 men near him were running up a queer little flag or 
 signal, colored irregularly red and yellow, and then 
 he saw upon the approaching steamer a bit of bunting 
 which seemed to resemble the one now floating from 
 the Durikery. Of course, under the circumstances, 
 there was nothing for him to believe but that this 
 approaching vessel was one of the pirate ships, and 
 that she was coming down, not to capture the Durikery 
 Beacon, but to join her. 
 
 Now matters were getting to be worse and worse, 
 and as Shirley glanced over at the yacht, still hover 
 ing on the weather quarter of the Durikery, ready at 
 any time to swoop down and hail her if there should 
 be occasion, he trembled for the fate of his friends. 
 To be sure, these two pirate vessels for surely the 
 Durikery Beacon now belonged to that class were 
 
 249 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 nothing but merchantmen. There were no cannon on 
 this steamer, and as the other was now near enough 
 for him to see her decks as she rolled to windward, 
 there was no reason to suppose that she carried guns. 
 If these rascals wished to attack or capture a vessel, 
 they must board her, but before they could do that 
 they must catch her, and he knew well enough that 
 there were few ordinary steamers which could over 
 haul the Summer Shelter. If it were not for his own 
 most unfortunate position, the yacht could steam away 
 in safety, and leave these wretches to their own devices, 
 but he did not believe that his old friend would desert 
 him. More than that, there was no reason to suppose 
 that the people on the Summer Shelter knew that the 
 DunJcery Beacon was now manned by pirates, although 
 it was likely that they would suspect the character of 
 the newcomer. 
 
 But Shirley could only stand, and watch, and wait. 
 Once he thought that it might be well for him to jump 
 overboard and strike out to the yacht. If he should 
 be seen by his friends and this he believed would 
 happen and if he should be picked up, his report 
 would turn back into safer waters this peaceful pleas 
 ure vessel, with its two ladies and its seven clergymen. 
 If he should be struck by a ball in the back of the 
 head before he got out of gunshot of the Durikertfs 
 crew, then his friends would most likely see him sink, 
 the reason for their remaining in the vicinity of these 
 pirates would be at an end, and they might steam 
 northward as fast as they pleased. 
 
 The strange vessel came on and on, and soon showed 
 herself to be a steamer of about nine hundred tons, of 
 a model with which Shirley was not familiar, and with 
 
 250 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 a great many men on board. The Durikery Beacon lay 
 to, and it was not long before this stranger had fol 
 lowed her example, and had lowered a boat. When 
 three or four men from this boat had scrambled to the 
 deck of the Durikery Beacon, they were gladly wel 
 comed by the black -headed fellow who had passed 
 himself off as Captain Hagar, and a most animated 
 conversation now took place. Shirley could not 
 understand anything that was said, and he had sense 
 enough not to appear to be trying to do so ; but no 
 one paid any attention to him, nor seemed to care 
 whether he knew what was going on or not. 
 
 At first the manner of the speakers indicated that 
 they were wildly congratulating each other, but very 
 soon it was evident that the Summer Shelter was the 
 subject of their discourse. They all looked over at 
 the yacht, some of them even shook their fists at her, 
 and although Shirley did not understand their lan 
 guage, he knew very well that curses, loud and sav 
 age, were pouring over the bulwarks in the direction 
 of his friends and their yacht. 
 
 Then the subject of the conference changed. The 
 fellows began to gaze northward ; a glass was turned 
 in that direction. The exclamations be camemore vio 
 lent than before, and when Shirley turned, he saw for 
 the first time the vessel which was coming down from 
 the north. This vessel was now far away, but she was 
 heading south, and it could not be long before she 
 would arrive on the scene. 
 
 Now Shirley s heart sank about as far down as it 
 would go. He had no doubt that this very vessel was 
 another of the pirates. If she carried a gun, even if 
 it were not a heavy one, he might as well bid good- 
 
 251 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 by to the Summer Shelter. The pirates would not 
 allow her to go to any port to tell her tale. 
 
 The noisy conference now broke up. The boat with 
 its crew returned to the other vessel, which almost 
 immediately started, turned, and steamed away to the 
 north, in the direction of the approaching steamer. 
 This settled the matter. She was off to join her pirate 
 consort. Now the Durikery Beacon started her engines, 
 and steamed slowly in the direction of the yacht, as 
 if she wished to hail her. Shirley s heart rose a little. 
 If there was to be a parley, perhaps the pirates had 
 decided to warn the yacht to stop meddling, and to 
 take herself away, and if, by any happy fortune, it 
 should be decided to send him to his friends, he would 
 implore them, with all his heart and soul, to take the 
 advice without the loss of a second. 
 
 252 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE PEOPLE ON THE "MONTEREY" 
 
 THE vessel which, had last appeared upon the scene, 
 and which was now steaming down toward the Dun- 
 Jcery Beacon and the Summer Shelter, while the small 
 steamer from the Mediterranean was making her way 
 northward to meet her, was the Monterey of Vera Cruz, 
 and carried Captain Philip Horn and his wife Edna. 
 
 As soon as Captain Horn had heard of the danger 
 which threatened the treasure which was on its way 
 from London to the Peruvian government, treasure 
 which had cost him such toil, anxiety, and suffering, 
 and in the final just disposition of which he felt the 
 deepest interest and even responsibility, although, in 
 fact, the care and charge of it had passed entirely 
 out of his hands, he determined not only to write to 
 Shirley to go to Jamaica, but to go there himself with 
 out loss of time, believing, from what he had heard, 
 that he could surely reach Kingston before the arrival 
 there of the Durikery Beacon. 
 
 But that steamer started before her time, and when 
 he reached Vera Cruz, he found it impossible to leave 
 immediately for his destination. And when at last he 
 bought a steamer, and arrived at Kingston, the Dun- 
 
 253 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 leery Beacon and the yacht Summer Shelter had both 
 departed. But the captain found the letter from Mrs. 
 Cliff, and while this explained a great deal, it also 
 puzzled him greatly. 
 
 His wife and Mrs. Cliff had corresponded with some 
 regularity, but the latter had never mentioned the 
 fact that she was the owner of a yacht. Mrs. Cliff had 
 intended to tell Edna all about this new piece of prop 
 erty, but when she looked at the matter from an out 
 side point of view, it seemed to her such a ridiculous 
 thing that she should own a yacht that she did not 
 want to write anything about it until her plans were 
 perfected, and she could tell just what she was going 
 to do. But when she suddenly decided to sail for 
 Jamaica, her mind was so occupied with the plans of 
 the moment that she had no time to write. 
 
 Therefore it was that Captain and Mrs. Horn won 
 dered greatly what in the name of common sense Mrs. 
 Cliff was doing with a yacht. But they knew that 
 Shirley and Burke were on board, and that they had 
 sailed on the track of the Dunkery Beacon, hoping to 
 overtake her and deliver the message which Shirley 
 carried. The captain decided that it was his duty 
 to follow these two vessels down the coast of South 
 America. 
 
 The Monterey was a large steamer sailing in ballast, 
 and of moderate speed, and the captain had with him, 
 besides his wife and her maid, the three negro men 
 whom he had brought up from South America (who 
 were now his devoted personal attendants), and a 
 good-sized crew. Captain Horn had little hope of 
 overhauling the two steamers, for even the yacht, 
 which he had heard was a fast-sailing vessel, had had 
 
 254 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 twenty-four hours start of him ; but he had reason to 
 hope that he might meet one or both of them on their 
 return, for if the yacht should fail to overhaul the 
 Dunkery Beacon, she would certainly turn back to 
 Kingston. 
 
 Edna was as enthusiastic and interested in this 
 voyage as her husband. She sympathized in all his 
 anxiety in regard to the safety of the treasure, but 
 even stronger than this was her desire to see once 
 more her dear friend, whom she had come to look 
 upon almost as an elder sister. 
 
 During each day the captain and his wife were 
 almost constantly on deck, their glasses sweeping 
 the southeastern horizon, hoping for the sight of two 
 steamers coming back to Kingston. They saw vessels 
 coming and going, but they were not the craft they 
 looked for, and after they left the Caribbean Sea the 
 sail became fewer and fewer. On the second day after 
 they left Tobago Island they fell in with a small 
 steamer apparently in distress, for she was working 
 her way under sail and against head winds toward 
 the coast. 
 
 When the captain spoke this steamer, he received 
 a request to lower a boat and go on board of her. 
 There he found an astonishing state of affairs. The 
 steamer was from a French port, she carried no cargo, 
 and she was commanded and manned by Captain 
 Hagar and the crew of the English ship Dunkery 
 Beacon. Captain Hagar s story was not a long one, 
 and he told it as readily to Captain Horn as he would 
 to any other friendly mariner who might have boarded 
 him. 
 
 He had left Kingston with his vessel, as he had left it 
 255 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 many times before, and the Caribbees were not half a 
 day behind him when he was hailed by a steamer, 
 the one he was now on, which had been following Mm 
 for some time. He was told that this steamer carried 
 a message from his owners, and, without suspecting 
 anything, he lay to, and a boat came to him from the 
 other ship. This boat had in it a good many more 
 men than was necessary, but he suspected no evil 
 until half a dozen men were on his deck and half a 
 dozen pistols were pointed at the heads of himself and 
 those around him. Then two more boats came over, 
 more men boarded him, and without a struggle, or 
 hardly a cross word, as he expressed it, the Durikery 
 Beacon was in the hands of sea-robbers. 
 
 Captain Hagar was a mild-mannered man, an ex 
 cellent seaman, and of good common sense. He had 
 before found orders waiting for him at Jamaica, and 
 had not thought it surprising that orders should now 
 have been sent after him. He had firearms on board, 
 and might have defended himself to a certain extent, 
 but he had suspected no evil, and when the pirates 
 had boarded him it was useless to think of arms or 
 defence. 
 
 The men who had captured the Durikery Beacon 
 made very short work of their business. They simply 
 exchanged vessels. They commanded Captain Hagar 
 and all his men to go over to the French steamer, 
 while they all came on board the Durikery Beacon, 
 bringing with them whatever they cared for. Captain 
 Hagar was told that he could work his new vessel to 
 any port in the world which suited him best, and then 
 the Durikery Beacon was headed southward and steamed 
 away. 
 
 256* 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 When Captain Hagar s engineers attempted to start 
 the engines of their vessel, they found it impossible to 
 do so. Several important pieces of the machinery had 
 been taken out, hoisted on deck, and dropped over 
 board. Whatever port they might make, they must 
 make it under sail. 
 
 A broken-hearted and dejected man was Captain 
 Hagar. He had lost a vast treasure which had been 
 intrusted to him, and he had not ceased to wonder 
 why the pirates had not murdered him and all his 
 crew, and thrown them overboard. He hoped that in 
 time he and his men might reach Georgetown, or some 
 other port, but it would be slow and disheartening 
 work under the circumstances. 
 
 Captain Horn was also greatly cast down by the 
 news he had received. With the least possible amount 
 of trouble, the pirates had carried off, not only the 
 treasure, but the ship which conveyed it, and now, in 
 all probability, were far away with their booty. He 
 could understand very well why they would not 
 undertake such wholesale crime as the murder of all 
 the people on the Dunkery, for it is probable that 
 there were men among them who could not be trusted, 
 even had the leaders been willing to undertake such 
 useless bloodshed. If Captain Hagar and his men 
 were set adrift on a steamer without machinery, it 
 would be long before they could reach any port, and 
 even if they should soon speak a vessel and report 
 their misfortune, where was the policeman of the sea 
 who would have authority to sail after the stolen 
 vessel, or, if he had, would know on what course to 
 follow her ? 
 
 Captain Horn gave up the treasure as lost. The 
 257 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Dunkery Beacon was probably shaping her course for 
 the coast of Africa, and even if he had a swifter vessel 
 and could overhaul her, what could he do ? 
 
 But now he almost forgot his trouble about the 
 treasure, in his deep concern in the fate of Mrs. Cliff 
 and her yacht. He had made up his mind that his 
 friends on board that little vessel he had very shad 
 owy ideas as to what sort of a yacht it was had 
 embarked upon this cruise entirely for his sake. They 
 knew that he took a deep personal interest in the 
 safety of the Dunkery Beacon, they knew that he had 
 done everything possible to detain that vessel at 
 Jamaica, and that now, for his peace of mind, for the 
 gratification of his feelings of honor, no matter how 
 exaggerated they might consider them, they were 
 following in a little pleasure craft a steamer which 
 they supposed to be a peaceful merchantman, but 
 which was in fact a pirate ship manned by miscreants 
 without conscience. 
 
 His plan was soon decided upon. He told Captain 
 Hagar that he would take him and his men on his 
 own vessel, and that he would carry them with him 
 on his search for the yacht on which his friends had 
 sailed. Captain Hagar agreed in part to this propo 
 sition. He would be glad to go with Captain Horn, 
 for it was possible he might hear news of his lost vessel, 
 but he did not wish to give up the French steamer. 
 She was worth money, and if she could be got into 
 port, he felt it his duty to get her there. So he left 
 on board a crew sufficient to work her to Georgetown, 
 and, with the majority of his crew, came on board the 
 Monterey r , and Captain Horn continued on his southern 
 course. 
 
 258 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 When, on the following morning, Captain Horn per 
 ceived far away to the south a steamer which Captain 
 Hagar, standing by with a glass to his eye, declared 
 to be none other than his old vessel, the Duiikery 
 Beacon, and when, not long afterwards, he made out 
 a smaller vessel, apparently keeping company with 
 the Dunkery Beacon, with another steamer lying off 
 to the eastward, he was absolutely amazed and con 
 founded. He could not comprehend the state of 
 affairs. What was the Dunkery Beacon doing down 
 south, when by this time she ought to be far away to 
 the east, if she were running away with the treasure, 
 and what were those two other vessels keeping so close 
 to her? 
 
 He could not imagine what they could be, unless, 
 indeed, they were her pirate consorts. "If that s the 
 case," thought Captain Horn, but saying no word to 
 any one, "this is not a part of the sea for my wife to 
 sail upon ! " 
 
 Still, he knew nothing, and he could decide upon 
 nothing. He could not be sure that one of those ves 
 sels was not the yacht which had sailed from Kingston 
 with Mrs. Cliff and Burke and Shirley on board. And 
 so the Monterey did not turn back, but steamed on 
 slowly toward the distant steamers. 
 
 259 
 
CHAPTER, XXIX 
 
 THE "VITTORIO" FROM GENOA 
 
 WHEN Captain Horn on the Monterey perceived that 
 one of the vessels he had sighted was steaming north 
 ward with the apparent intention of meeting him, his 
 anxieties greatly increased. He could think of no 
 righteous reason why that vessel should come to meet 
 him. He had made out that this vessel, with the two 
 others, had been lying to. "Why should it not wait for 
 him if it wished to speak with him? The course of 
 this stranger looked like mischief of some sort, and the 
 captain could think of no other probable mischief than 
 that which had been practised upon the DunJcery 
 Beacon. 
 
 The steamer which he now commanded carried a 
 treasure far more valuable than that which lay in the 
 hold of the Durikery, and if she had been a swifter vessel 
 he would have turned and headed away for safety at 
 the top of her speed. But he did not believe she could 
 outsail the steamer which was now approaching, and 
 safety by flight was not to be considered. 
 
 There was another reason which determined him 
 not to change his course. The observers on the Mon 
 terey had now decided that the small vessel to the west- 
 
 260 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 ward of the Durikery Beacon was very like a yacht, 
 and the captain thought that if there was to be trouble 
 of any sort, he would like to be as near Shirley and 
 Burke as possible. Why that rapidly approaching 
 steamer should desire to board him as the Durikery 
 Beacon had been boarded, he could not imagine, unless 
 it was supposed that he carried part of the treasure. 
 But he did not waste any time on conjectures. It was 
 not likely that this steamer carried a cannon, and if 
 she intended to attack the Monterey, it must be by 
 boarding her probably by the same stratagem which 
 had been practised before. 
 
 But Captain Horn determined that no man, upon 
 any mission whatever, should put his foot upon the 
 deck of the Monterey if he could prevent it. Since he 
 had taken on board Captain Hagar and his men, he 
 had an extraordinarily large crew, and on the number 
 of his men he depended for defence, for it was im 
 possible to arm them as well as the attacking party 
 would probably be armed if there should be an 
 attacking party. 
 
 Captain Horn now went to Edna and told her of 
 the approaching danger, and, for the second time in 
 his life, he gave her a pistol, and requested her to use 
 it in any way she thought proper, if the need should 
 come. He asked her to stay, for the present, in the 
 cabin with her maid, promising to come to her again 
 very shortly. 
 
 Then he called all the available men together, and 
 addressed them very briefly. It was not necessary to 
 tell the crew of the Durikery Beacon what dangers 
 might befall them if the pirates should come upon 
 them a second time, and the men he had brought with 
 
 261 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 him from Vera Cruz now knew all about the previous 
 affair, and that it would probably be necessary for 
 them to stand up boldly for their own defence. 
 
 The captain told his men that the only thing to be 
 done was to keep the fellows on that approaching 
 steamer from boarding the Monterey, whether they 
 tried to do so by what might look like fair means or 
 by foul means. All the firearms of every kind which 
 could be collected were distributed around among 
 those who it was thought could best use them, while 
 the rest of the men were armed with belaying-pins, 
 handspikes, hatchets, axes, or anything with which a 
 blow could be struck, and they were ranged along the 
 bulwarks on each side of the ship from bow to stern. 
 
 The other steamer was now near enough for her 
 name, Vittorio, to be read upon her bow. This and 
 her build made the captain quite sure that she was 
 from the Mediterranean, and without doubt one of 
 the pirates of whom he had heard. He could see 
 heads all along her rail, and he thought it possible 
 that she might not care to practise any trick upon 
 him, but might intend a bold and undisguised attack. 
 She had made no signal, she carried no colors or flag 
 of any kind, and he thought it not unlikely that, when 
 she should be near enough, she would begin operations 
 by a volley of rifle-shots from her deck. To provide 
 against this danger, he made most of his men crouch 
 down behind the bulwarks, and ordered all the others 
 to be ready to screen themselves. A demand to lie to, 
 and a sharp fusillade, might be enough to insure the 
 immediate submission of an ordinary merchantman, 
 but Captain Horn did not consider the Monterey a 
 vessel of this sort. 
 
 262 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 He now ran down to Edna, and was met by her at 
 the cabin door. She had had ideas very like his own. 
 "I shouldn t wonder if they would fire upon us/ she 
 said, her face very pale, "and I want you to remember 
 that you are most likely the tallest man on board. 
 No matter what happens, you must take care of your 
 selfyou must never forget that ! " 
 
 "I will take care of you," he said, with his arms 
 about her, "and I will not forget myself. And now 
 keep close, and watch sharply. I don t believe they 
 can ever board us we re too many for them ! " 
 
 The instant the captain had gone, Edna called Maka 
 and Cheditafa, the two elderly negroes who were the 
 devoted adherents of herself and her husband. "I 
 want you to watch the captain all the time," she said. 
 "If the people on that ship fire guns, you pull him 
 back if he shows himself. If any one comes near him 
 to harm him, use your hatchets. Never let him out of 
 your sight. Follow him close. Keep all danger from 
 him." 
 
 The negroes answered in the African tongue, they 
 were too much excited to use English, but she knew 
 what they meant, and trusted them. To Mok, the 
 other negro, she gave no orders. Even now he could 
 speak but little English, and he was in the party 
 simply because her brother Kalph whose servant 
 Mok had been had earnestly desired her to take care 
 of him until he should want him again, for this coal- 
 black and agile native of Africa was not a creature 
 who could be left to take care of himself. 
 
 The Vittorio, which was now not more than a quarter 
 of a mile away, and which had slightly changed her 
 course, so that she was apparently intending to pass 
 
 263 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 the Monterey, and continue northward contented with 
 an observation of the larger vessel, was a very dan 
 gerous pirate ship, far more so than the one which had 
 captured the Dunkery Beacon. She was not more dan 
 gerous because she was larger or swifter, or carried a 
 more numerous or better-armed crew, but for the 
 reason that she had on board a certain Mr. Banker, 
 who had once belonged to a famous band of despera 
 does called the Rackbirds, well known along the 
 Pacific coast of South America. He had escaped de 
 struction when the rest of his band were drowned in 
 a raging torrent, and he had made himself extremely 
 obnoxious and even dangerous to Mrs. Horn and to 
 Captain Horn, when they were in Paris at a very 
 critical time of their fortunes. 
 
 This ex-Eackbird Banker had had but a very cloudy 
 understanding of the state of affairs when he was en 
 deavoring to blackmail Mrs. Horn, and making stupid 
 charges against her husband. He knew that the three 
 negroes he had met in Paris in the service of Mrs. 
 Horn had once been his own slaves, held, not by any 
 right of law, but by brutal force, and he knew that 
 the people with whom they were then travelling must 
 have been in some way connected with his old com 
 rades, the Rackbirds. He had made bold attempts to 
 turn this scanty knowledge to his own benefit, but had 
 mournfully failed. 
 
 In the course of time, however, he had come to 
 know everything. The news of Captain Horns great 
 discovery of treasure on the coast of Peru had gone 
 forth to the public, and Banker s soul had writhed in 
 disappointed rage as he thought that he and his fel 
 lows had lived and rioted like fools, for months and 
 
 264 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 months and months, but a short distance from all 
 these vast hoards of gold. This knowledge almost 
 maddened him as he brooded over it by night and by 
 day. When he had been set free from the French 
 prison to which his knavery had consigned him, 
 Banker gave himself up, body and soul, to the con 
 sideration of the treasure which Captain Horn had 
 brought to France from Peru. He considered it from 
 every possible point of view, and when at last he 
 heard of the final disposition which it had been deter 
 mined to make of the gold, he considered it from the 
 point of his own cupidity and innate rascality. 
 
 He it was who devised the plan of sending out a 
 swift steamer to overhaul the merchantman which was 
 to carry the gold to Peru, and who, after consultation 
 with the many miscreants whom he was obliged to take 
 into his confidence and to depend upon for assistance, 
 decided that it would be well to fit out two ships, so 
 that if one should fail in her errand, the other might 
 succeed. The steamers from Genoa and Toulon were 
 fitted out and manned under the direction of Banker, 
 but with the one which sailed from Marseilles he had 
 nothing to do. This expedition was organized by men 
 who had quarrelled with him and his associates, and 
 it was through the dissension of the opposing parties 
 in this intended piracy that the detectives came to 
 know of it. 
 
 Banker had sailed from Genoa, but the Toulon 
 vessel had got ahead of him. It had sighted the Dwn- 
 Jcery Beacon before she reached Kingston. It had 
 cruised in the Caribbean Sea until she came sailing 
 down toward Tobago Island. It had followed her out 
 into the Atlantic, and when the proper time came 
 
 265 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 it had taken her hull, engine, gold, and everything 
 which belonged to her, except her captain and her 
 crew and had steamed away with her. 
 
 Banker did not command the Vittorio, for he was 
 not a seaman, but he commanded her captain, and, 
 through him, everybody on board. He directed her 
 course and her policy. He was her leading spirit and 
 her blackest devil. 
 
 It had been no part of Banker s intentions to cruise 
 about the South Atlantic and search for a steamer 
 with black and white stripes running up and down 
 her funnel. His plan of action was to be the same as 
 that of the other pirate, and the Vittorio therefore 
 steamed for Kingston as soon as she could manage to 
 clear from Genoa. His calculations were very good 
 ones, but there was a flaw in them, for he did not 
 "know that the Dunkery Beacon sailed three days be 
 fore her regular time. Consequently, the Vittorio was 
 the last of the four steamers which reached Jamaica 
 on business connected with the Iiicas 7 treasure. 
 
 The Vittorio did not go into Kingston harbor, but 
 Banker got himself put on shore and visited the town. 
 There he not only discovered that the Dunkery Beacon 
 had sailed, and that an American yacht had sailed after 
 her, but that a steamer from Yera Cruz, commanded 
 by Captain Horn, now well known as the discoverer 
 of the wonderful treasure, had touched here, expect 
 ing to find the Dunkery Beacon in port, and had then, 
 scarcely twelve hours before, cleared for Jamaica. 
 
 The American yacht was a mystery to Banker. It 
 might be a pirate from the United States, for all he 
 knew. But he was very certain that Captain Horn had 
 not left Kingston for any reason except to accompany 
 
 266 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 and protect the Dunkery Beacon. If a steamer com 
 manded by this man, whom Banker now hated more 
 than he hated anybody else in the world, should fall 
 in and keep company with the steamer which was 
 conveying the treasure to Peru, it might be a very 
 hard piece of work for him or his partner in command 
 of the vessel from Toulon to get possession of that 
 treasure, no matter what means they might employ, 
 but all Banker could do was to swear at his arch 
 enemy and his bad luck, and to get away south with 
 all speed possible. If he could do nothing, he might 
 hear of something. He would never give up until he 
 was positive there was no chance for him. 
 
 So he took the course that the Dunkery Beacon must 
 have taken, and sailed down the coast under full head 
 of steam. When at last he discovered the flag of his 
 private consort hoisted over the steamer which carried 
 the golden prize, and had gone on board the Dunkery 
 Beacon and had heard everything, his satanic delight 
 blazed high and wild. He cared nothing for the yacht 
 which hung upon the heels of the captured steamer, 
 it would not be difficult to dispose of that vessel, 
 but his turbulent ecstasies were a little dampened by 
 the discovery of a large steamer bearing down from 
 the north. This he instantly suspected to be the 
 Monterey, which must have taken a more westerly 
 course than that which he had followed, and which 
 he had therefore passed without sighting. 
 
 The ex-Kackbird did not hesitate a moment as to 
 what ought to be done. That everlastingly con 
 demned meddler, Horn, must never be allowed to put 
 his oar into this business. If he were not content with 
 the gold which he had for himself, he should curse the 
 
 267 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 day that lie had tried to keep other people from get 
 ting the gold that they wanted for themselves. No 
 matter what had to be done, he must never reach the 
 Durikery Beacon he must never know what had hap 
 pened to her. Here was a piece of work for the Vit- 
 torio to attend to without the loss of a minute. 
 
 When Banker gave orders to head for the ap 
 proaching steamer he immediately began to make 
 ready for an attack upon her, and as this was to be a 
 battle between merchant ships, neither of them pro 
 vided with any of the ordinary engines of naval war 
 fare, his plan was of a straightforward, old-fashioned 
 kind. He would run his ship alongside the other, he 
 would make fast, and then his men, each one with a 
 cutlass and a pistol, should swarm over the side of the 
 larger vessel, and cut down and fire until the beastly 
 hounds were all dead or on their knees. If he caught 
 sight of Captain Horn, and he was sure he would 
 recognize him, for such a fellow would be sure to push 
 himself forward, no matter what was going on, he 
 would take his business into his own hands. He would 
 give no signal, no warning. If they wanted to know 
 what he came for, they would soon find out. 
 
 Before he left Genoa he had thought that it was 
 possible that he might make this sort of an attack 
 upon the Durikery Beacon, and he had therefore pro 
 vided for it. He had shipped a number of grappling- 
 irons with long chains attached, which were run 
 through ring-bolts on his deck. With these and 
 other appliances for making fast to a vessel alongside, 
 Banker was sure he could stick to an enemy or a 
 prize as long as he wanted to lie by her. 
 
 Everything was now made ready for the proposed 
 268 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 attack, and all along the starboard side of the Vittorio 
 mattresses were hung in order to break the force of 
 the shock when the two vessels should come together. 
 Every man who could be spared was ordered on deck, 
 and fully armed. The men who were to make fast to 
 the other steamer were posted in their proper places, 
 and the rest of his miscreants were given the very 
 simple orders to get on board the Monterey the best 
 way they could, and as soon as they could, and to cut 
 down or shoot every man they met, without asking 
 questions or saying a word. Whether or not it would 
 be necessary to dispose of all the crew which Captain 
 Horn might have on board, Banker had not deter 
 mined. But of one thing he was certain : he would 
 leave no one on board of her to work her to the nearest 
 port and give news of what had happened. One mis 
 take of that kind was enough to make, and his stupid 
 partner, who had commanded the vessel from Toulon, 
 had made it. 
 
 269 
 
CHAPTEE XXX 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE MERCHANT SHIPS 
 
 WHEN the Vittorio showed that in veering away from 
 the Monterey she had done so only in order to make a 
 sweep around to the west, and when she had headed 
 south, and the mattresses lowered along her starboard 
 side showed plainly to Captain Horn that she was 
 about to attack him, and how she was going to do it, 
 his first thought was to embarrass her by reversing 
 his course and steering this way and that. But he 
 instantly dismissed this idea. The pirate vessel was 
 smaller and faster than his own, and probably much 
 more easily managed, and, apart from the danger of a 
 collision fatal to his ship, he would only protract the 
 conflict by trying to elude her. He was so sure that 
 he had men enough to beat down the scoundrels when 
 they tried to board that he thought the quicker the 
 fight began, the better. If only he had Shirley and 
 Burke with him ! he thought. But although they were 
 not here, he had Edna to fight for, and that made 
 three men of himself. 
 
 With most of his men crouching behind his port 
 bulwarks, and others protected by deck-houses, smoke 
 stack, and any other available devices against gun- 
 
 270 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 shots, Captain Horn awaited the coming of the pirate 
 steamer, which was steaming toward him as if it in 
 tended to run him down. As she came near, the Vit- 
 torio slowed up, and the Monterey veered to starboard ; 
 but notwithstanding this precaution, and the fact that 
 they sailed side by side for nearly a minute without 
 touching, the two vessels came together with such 
 force that the Monterey, high out of water, rolled over 
 as if a great wave had struck her. As she rolled back, 
 grappling-irons were thrown over her rail, and cables 
 and lines were made fast to every available place 
 which could be reached by eager hands and active 
 arms. Some of the grappling-irons were immediately 
 thrown off by the crew of the Monterey, but the chains 
 of others had been so tightened as the vessel rolled 
 back to an even keel that it was impossible to move 
 them. 
 
 The Monterey s rail was considerably higher than 
 that of the Vittorio, and as none of the crew of the 
 former vessel had shown themselves, no shots had yet 
 been fired, but, with the activity of apes, the pirates 
 tried to scramble over the side of the larger vessel. 
 Now followed a furious hand-to-hand combat. Blows 
 rained down on the heads and shoulders of the assail 
 ants, some of whom dropped back to the deck of their 
 ship, while others drew their pistols and fired right 
 and left at the heads and arms they saw over the rail 
 of the Monterey. 
 
 The pirate leaders were amazed at the resistance 
 they met with. They had not imagined that Captain 
 Horn had so large a crew, or that it was a crew which 
 would fight. But these pirates had their blood up, 
 and not one of them had any thought of giving up 
 
 271 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 their enterprise on account of this unexpected resist 
 ance. Dozens of them at a time sprang upon the rail 
 of their own vessel, and, with cutlass or pistol in one 
 hand, endeavored to scramble up the side of the Mon 
 terey. But although the few who succeeded in crossing 
 her bulwarks soon fell beneath the b3ows and shots of 
 her crew, the attack was vigorously kept up, especially 
 by pistol-shots. 
 
 Whenever there was a chance, a pirate hand would 
 be raised above the rail of the Monterey and a revolver 
 discharged, and every few minutes there would be 
 a rush to one point or another, and a desperate fight 
 upon the rail. The engines of both vessels had been 
 stopped, and the screaming and roaring of the escap 
 ing steam gave additional horror to this fearful battle. 
 Not a word could be heard from any one, no matter 
 how loudly it might be shouted. 
 
 Whatever firearms were possessed by the men on 
 the Monterey were used with good effect, but in this 
 respect they were vastly inferior to the enemy. When 
 they had fired their pistols and their guns, some of 
 them had no more ammunition, and others had no 
 opportunity to reload. The men of the Vittorio had 
 firearms in abundance and pockets full of cartridges. 
 Consequently it was not long before Captain Horn s 
 men were obliged to rely upon their hatchets, their 
 handspikes, their belaying-pins, and their numbers. 
 
 Banker was in a very furious state of mind. He 
 had expected to board the Monterey without opposi 
 tion, and now he had been fighting long and hard, and 
 not a man of his crew was on board the other vessel. 
 He had soon discovered that there were a great many 
 men on board the Monterey, but he believed that the 
 
 272 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 real reason for the so far successful resistance was the 
 fact that Captain Horn commanded them. 
 
 Several times he mounted the upper deck of the 
 VittoriOj and, with a rifle in hand, endeavored to get a 
 chance to aim at the tall figure of which he now and 
 then caught sight, and who he saw was directing every 
 thing that was going on. But every time he stood out 
 with his rifle, a pistol-ball whizzed by him and made 
 him jump back. Whoever fired at him was not a good 
 shot, but Banker did not wish to expose himself to any 
 kind of a shot. Once he got a chance of taking aim at 
 the captain from behind the smoke-stack, but at that 
 moment the captain stepped back hurriedly out of 
 view, as if, somebody had been pulling him by the 
 coat, and a ball rang against the funnel high above his 
 own head. It was plain he was watched, and he would 
 not expose himself. 
 
 But that devil Horn must be killed, and he swore 
 between his grinding teeth that he himself would do 
 it. His men, many of them with bloody heads, were 
 still fighting, swearing, climbing, and firing. None of 
 them had been killed, except those who had gained 
 the deck of the other vessel, but Banker did not be 
 lieve that they would be able to board the Monterey 
 until its captain had been disposed of. If he could 
 put a ball into that fellow, the fight would be over. 
 
 Banker now determined to lead a fresh attack, in 
 stead of simply ordering one. If he could call to his 
 men from the deck of the Monterey, they would follow 
 him. The Vittorio lay so that her bow was somewhat 
 forward of that of the Monterey, and as the rails at the 
 bows of the two vessels were some distance apart, there 
 was no fighting forward. The long boom of the fore- 
 
 273 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 mast of the Vittorio stretched over her upper deck, 
 and, crouching low, Banker cut all the lines which 
 secured it. Then, with a quick run, he seized the long 
 spar near its outer end, and thus swinging it out until 
 it struck the shrouds, he found himself dangling over 
 the forward deck of the Monterey, upon which he 
 quickly dropped. 
 
 It so happened that the fight was now raging aft, 
 and for a moment Banker stood alone, looking about 
 him. He believed his rapid transit through the air 
 had not been noticed. He would not call upon his 
 men to follow, as he had intended. Without much 
 fear of detection, he would slip quietly behind the crew 
 of the Monterey, and take a shot at Captain Horn the 
 moment he laid eyes on him. Then he could shout 
 out to his men to some purpose. 
 
 Banker moved on a few steps, not too cautiously, 
 for he did not wish to provoke suspicion, when sud 
 denly a hand was placed upon his chest. There was 
 nobody in front of him, but there was the hand, and a 
 very big one it was, and very black. Like a flash 
 Banker turned, and beheld himself face to face with 
 the man Mok, the same chimpanzee-like negro who 
 had been his slave, and with whom in the streets of 
 Paris he had once had a terrible struggle, which had 
 resulted in his capture by the police and his imprison 
 ment. Here was that same black devil again, his arms 
 about him as if they had been chain-cables on a 
 windlass. 
 
 Banker had two pistols, but he had put them in his 
 pockets when he made his swing upon the boom, and 
 he had not yet drawn them, and now his arms were 
 held so tightly to his sides that he could not get at his 
 
 274 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 weapons. There was no one near. Banker was wise 
 enough not to call out or even to swear an oath, and 
 Mok had apparently relapsed into the condition of 
 the speechless savage beast. With a wrench which 
 might have torn an ordinary limb from its socket, 
 Banker freed his left arm, but a black hand had 
 grasped it before he could reach his pistol. 
 
 Then there was a struggle quick, hard, silent, and 
 furious, as if two great cobras were writhing together, 
 seeking each other s death. Mok was not armed. 
 Banker could not use knife or pistol. They stumbled, 
 they went down on their knees, they rose and fell to 
 gether against the rail. Instantly Banker, with his 
 left arm and the strength of his whole body, raised 
 the negro to the rail and pushed him outward. The 
 action was so sudden, the effort of the maddened 
 pirate was so great, that Mok could not resist it he 
 went over the side. But his hold upon Banker did 
 not relax even in the moment when he felt himself 
 falling, and his weight was so great, and the impetus 
 was so tremendous, that Banker could not hold back, 
 and followed him over the rail. Still clutching each 
 other tightly, the two disappeared with a splash into 
 the sea. 
 
 Fears were beginning to steal into the valiant heart 
 of Captain Horn. The pirates were so well armed, 
 they kept up such a savage fire upon his decks, that 
 although their shots were sent at random, several men 
 had been killed, and others he knew not how many 
 wounded, and he feared his crew, ordinary sailors 
 and not accustomed to such savage work as this, might 
 consider the contest too unequal, and so lose heart. 
 If that should be the case, the affair would be finished. 
 
 275 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 But there was still one means of defence on which 
 he thought he might rely to drive off the scoundrels. 
 The Monterey had been a cotton-ship, and she was 
 provided with hose by which steam could be thrown 
 upon her cargo in case of fire, and Captain Hagar had 
 undertaken to try to get this into condition to use 
 upon the scoundrels who were endeavoring to board 
 the vessel. By this time two heavy lines of hose had 
 been rigged and attached to the boiler, and the other 
 ends brought out on deck, one forward and the other 
 amidships. 
 
 Captain Hagar was a quiet man, and in no way a 
 fighter, but now he seemed imbued with a reckless 
 courage, and, without thinking of the danger of ex 
 posing himself to pistol or to rifle, he laid the nozle 
 of his hose over the rail and directed it down upon the 
 deck below. As soon as the hot steam began to pour 
 upon the astonished pirates, there were yells and ex 
 ecrations, and when another scalding jet came in upon 
 them over the forward bulwarks of the Monterey, the 
 confusion became greater on the pirate ship. 
 
 It was at this moment, as Edna, her face pale and 
 her bright eyes fixed upon the upper deck of the 
 Vittorio, stood with a revolver in her hand at the win 
 dow of her cabin, which was on deck, that her Swedish 
 maid, trembling so much that she could scarcely stand, 
 approached her and gave her notice that she must quit 
 her service. Edna did not hear what she said. "Are 
 you there?" she cried. "Look out tell me if you 
 can see Captain Horn ! " 
 
 The frightened girl, scarcely knowing what she did, 
 rushed from the cabin to look for Captain Horn, not 
 so much because her mistress wanted information of 
 
 276 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 him as because she thought to throw herself upon his 
 protection. She believed that the captain could do 
 anything for anybody, and she ran madly along the 
 deck on the other side from that on which the battle 
 was raging, and, meeting no one, did not stop until she 
 had nearly reached the bow. Then she halted, looked 
 about her, and in a moment was startled by hearing 
 herself called by her name. There was no one near 
 her. She looked up, she looked around. 
 
 Then again she heard her name : "Sophee ! So- 
 phee ! " Now it seemed to come from the water, and 
 looking over the low rail, she beheld a black head on 
 the surface of the sea. Its owner was swimming about, 
 endeavoring to find something on which he could lay 
 hold, and he had seen the white cap of the maid above 
 the ship s side. Sophia and Mok were very good 
 friends, for the latter had always been glad to wait 
 upon her in every way possible, and now she forgot 
 her own danger in her solicitude for the poor black 
 man. 
 
 "Oh, Mok, Mok!" she cried, "can t you get out of 
 the water? Can I help you? " 
 
 Mok shouted out one of his few English words. 
 "Kope ! rope ! " he said. But Sophia could see no 
 rope except those which were fast to something, and 
 in her terror she ran aft to call for assistance. 
 
 There was now not so much noise and din. The 
 steam was not escaping from the boilers of the Mon 
 terey, for it was needed for the hose, and there were 
 no more shots fired from the Vittorio. The officers of 
 the pirate ship were running here and there looking 
 for Banker, that they might ask for orders, while the 
 men were crowding together behind every possible 
 
 277 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 protection, and rushing below to escape the terrible 
 streams of scalding steam. 
 
 Now that they could work in safety, the Monterey s 
 men got their handspikes under the grappling-irons, 
 and wrenched them from their holes, and leaning over 
 the side, they cut the ropes which held them to the 
 pirate ship. The two vessels now swung apart, and 
 Captain Horn was on the point of giving orders to 
 start the engines and steam ahead, when the maid 
 Sophia seized him by the arm. "Mrs. Horn wants 
 you," she said, "and Mok s in the water ! " 
 
 "Mok ! " exclaimed the captain. 
 
 "Yes, here ! here ! " cried Sophia, and running to 
 the side, she pointed to where Mok s black head and 
 waving arms were still circling about on the surface 
 of the sea. 
 
 When a rope had been cast to Mok, and he had 
 been hauled up the side, the captain gave orders to 
 start ahead, and rushed to the cabin where he had left 
 Edna ; but it was not during that brief interval of 
 thankfulness that he heard how she had recognized 
 the Eackbird Banker on the pirate ship, and how she 
 had fired at him every time he had shown himself, 
 
 The Monterey started southward toward the [point 
 where they had last seen the yacht and the Durikery 
 Beacon, and the pirate ship, veering off to the south 
 east, steamed slowly away. The people on board of 
 her were looking everywhere for Banker, for without 
 him they knew not what they ought to do. But if their 
 leader ever came up from the great depth to which he 
 had sunk with Mok s black hands upon his throat, his 
 comrades were not near the spot where, dead or alive, 
 lie floated to the surface. 
 
 278 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 "SHE BACKED ! " 
 
 WHEN Captain Burke observed the Durikery Beacon 
 steaming in his direction, and soon afterwards per 
 ceived a signal on this steamer to the effect that she 
 wished to speak with the yacht, he began to hope that 
 he was going to get out of his difficulties. The natural 
 surmise was that as one of the pirates had gone to join 
 another just arriving upon the scene, the Durikery 
 Beacon the captain and crew of which must have 
 turned traitors was now coming to propose some 
 arrangement, probably to give up Shirley if the yacht 
 would agree to go its way and cease its harassing 
 interference. 
 
 If this proposition should be made, Burke and Mrs. 
 Cliff, in conference, decided to accept it. They had 
 done all they could, and would return to Kingston to 
 report to Captain Horn what they had done, and what 
 they had discovered. But it was not long before the 
 people on the yacht began to wonder very much at the 
 conduct of the great steamer which was now rapidly 
 approaching them, apparently under full head of 
 steam. 
 
 The yacht was lying to, her engines motionless, and 
 279 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 the Durikery Beacon was coming ahead like a furious 
 ram, on a course which, if not quickly changed, would 
 cause her to strike the smaller vessel almost amidships. 
 It became plainer and plainer every second that the 
 Durikery did not intend to change her course, and that 
 her object was to run down the yacht. 
 
 Why the Durikery Beacon should wish to ram the 
 Summer Shelter nobody on board the yacht considered 
 for a moment, but every one, even Willy Croup, per 
 ceived the immediate necessity of getting out of the 
 way. Burke sprang to the wheel, and began to roar 
 his orders in every direction. His object was to put 
 the yacht around, so that he could get out of the course 
 of the Durikery Beacon, and pass her in the opposite 
 direction to which she was going. But nobody on board 
 seemed to be sufficiently alive to the threatening situa 
 tion, or to be alert enough to do what was ordered at 
 the very instant of command ; and Burke, excited to 
 the highest pitch, began to swear after a fashion en 
 tirely unknown to the two ladies and the members of 
 the Synod. His cursing and swearing was of such a 
 cyclonic and all -pervading character that some of 
 those on board shuddered almost as much on account 
 of his language as for fear of the terrible crash which 
 was impending. 
 
 "This is dreadful!" said one of the clergymen, 
 advancing as if he would mount to the pilot-house. 
 
 "Stop ! " said Mr. Arbuckle, excitedly placing his 
 hand upon the shoulder of the other. "Don t inter 
 fere at such a moment. The ship must be managed." 
 
 In a very short time, although it seemed like long, 
 weary minutes to the people on the yacht, her engines 
 moved, her screw revolved, and she slowly moved 
 
 280 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 around to leeward. If she could have done this half a 
 minute sooner, she would have steamed out of the 
 course of the Durikery Beacon so that that vessel must 
 have passed her, but she did not do it soon enough. 
 The large steamer came on at what seemed amazing 
 speed, and would have struck the yacht a little abaft 
 the bow, had not Burke, seeing that a collision could 
 not be avoided, quickly reversed his helm. Almost in 
 the next second the two vessels came together, but it 
 was the stem of the yacht which struck the larger 
 steamer abaft the bow. 
 
 The shock to the Summer Shelter was terrific, and 
 having but little headway at the moment of collision, 
 she was driven backward by the tremendous momen 
 tum of the larger vessel as if she had been a ball struck 
 by a bat. Every person on board was thrown down 
 and hurled forward. Mrs. Cliff extended herself flat 
 upon the deck, her arms outspread ; and every clergy 
 man was stretched out at full length or curled up 
 against some obstacle. The engineer had been thrown 
 among his levers and cranks, bruising himself badly 
 about the head and shoulders, while his assistant and 
 Mr. Hodgson, who were at work below, were jammed 
 among the ashes of the furnace as if they were trying 
 to stop the draught with their bodies. Mr. Burdette 
 was on the forward deck, and, if he had not tripped 
 and fallen, would probably have been shot overboard j 
 and the sailing-master was thrown against the smoke 
 stack with such violence that for a few moments he 
 was insensible. 
 
 Burke, who was at the wheel, saw what was coming, 
 and tried to brace himself so that he should not be 
 impaled upon one of the handles ; but the shock was 
 
 281 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 too much for him, and lie pitched forward with such 
 force that he came near going over the wheel and out 
 of the window of the pilot-house. As soon as Captain 
 Burke could recover himself, he scrambled back to his 
 position behind the wheel. He had been dazed and 
 bruised, but his senses quickly came to him, and he 
 comprehended the present condition of affairs. 
 
 The yacht had not only been forced violently back 
 ward, but had been veered around so that it now lay 
 with its broadside toward the bow of the other 
 steamer. In some way, either unwittingly by the en 
 gineer or by the violence of the shock, her engine had 
 been stopped, and she was without motion, except the 
 slight pitching and rolling occasioned by the collision. 
 The Durikery Beacon was not far away, and Burke saw, 
 to his horror, that she was again moving forward. She 
 was coming slowly, but if she reached the yacht in the 
 latter s present position, she would have weight and 
 force enough to turn over the smaller vessel. 
 
 Immediately Burke attempted to give the order to 
 back the yacht. The instant performance of this order 
 was the only chance of safety. But he had been thrown 
 against the speaking-tube with such violence that he 
 had jammed it and made it useless. If he pulled a 
 bell the engineer might misunderstand. She must 
 back ! She could not pass the other vessel if she went 
 ahead. He leaned out of the door of the pilot-house 
 and yelled downward to the engineer to back her. He 
 yelled to somebody to tell the engineer to back her. 
 He shouted until his shouts became screams, but nobody 
 obeyed his orders no one seemed to hear or to heed. 
 But one person did hear. 
 
 Willy Croup had been impelled out of the door of 
 282 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 the saloon, and had slid forward on her knees and 
 elbows until she was nearly under the pilot-house. 
 At the sound of Burke s voice, she looked up she com 
 prehended that orders were being given to which no 
 attention was paid. The wild excitement of the shout 
 ing captain filled her with an excitement quite as 
 wild. She heard the name of the engineer, she heard 
 the order, and, without taking time to rise to her feet, 
 she made a bound in the direction of the engine- 
 room. 
 
 Thrusting her body half through the doorway, she 
 yelled to the engineer, who, scarcely conscious of where 
 he was or what he was doing, was pushing himself 
 away from among his bars and rods. "Back her ! " 
 screamed Willy, and, without knowing what she said or 
 did, she repeated this order over and over again, in a 
 roaring voice which no one would have supposed her 
 capable of, and accompanied by all the oaths which 
 at that moment were being hurled down from the 
 pilot-house. 
 
 The engineer did not look up. He did not consider 
 himself nor the situation. There was but one impres 
 sion upon his mind made by the electric flash of the 
 order, backed by the following crash of oaths. In 
 stinctively he seized his lever, reversed the engine, 
 and started the Summer Shelter backward. Slowly, 
 very slowly, she moved. Burke held his breath. 
 
 But the great steamer was coming on slowly. Her 
 motion was increasing, but so was that of the yacht, 
 and when, after some moments of almost paralyzing 
 terror, during which Willy Croup continued to hurl 
 her furious orders into the engine-room, not knowing 
 they had been obeyed, the two vessels drew near each 
 
 283 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 other, and the Durikery Beacon crossed the bow of the 
 Summer Shelter a very long biscuit- toss ahead. 
 
 "Miss Croup/ said Mr. Litchfield, his hand upon 
 her shoulder, "that will do ! The yacht is out of 
 immediate danger." 
 
 Willy started up. Her wild eyes were raised to 
 the face of the young clergyman. The roar of her own 
 invectives sounded in her ears. Tears poured from 
 her eyes. 
 
 "Mercy on me, Mr. Litchfield ! " she exclaimed, 
 "what have I been saying?" 
 
 "Never mind now, Miss Croup," said he. "Don t 
 think of what you said. She backed ! " 
 
 284 
 
CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 A HEAD ON THE WATER 
 
 WITH her engines in motion and her wheel in the 
 hands of Captain Burke, the Summer Shelter was in no 
 danger of being run into by the Durikery Beacon, for 
 she was much the more easily managed vessel. 
 
 As soon as they had recovered a moderate command 
 of their senses, Burdette and Portman hurried below 
 to find out what damage had been sustained by the 
 yacht; but although she must have been greatly 
 strained, and might be leaking through some open 
 seams, the tough keelson of the well-built vessel, run 
 ning her length like a stiff backbone, had received 
 and distributed the shock, and although her bowsprit 
 was shivered to pieces and her cutwater splintered, 
 her sides were apparently uninjured. Furniture, 
 baggage, coils of rope, and everything movable had 
 been pitched forward and heaped in disordered piles 
 all over the vessel. A great part of the china had 
 been broken. Books, papers, and ornaments littered 
 the floors, and even the coal was heaped up in the 
 forward part of the bunkers. 
 
 Burke gave the wheel to Burdette and came down, 
 when Mrs. Cliff immediately rushed to him. She was 
 
 285 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 not hurt, but had been dreadfully shaken in body and 
 mind. "Oh, what are we going to do?" she cried. 
 "They are wretched murderers ! Will they keep on 
 trying to sink us? Can t we get away f " 
 
 "We can get away whenever we please/ said Burke, 
 his voice husky and cracked. "If it wasn t for Shirley, 
 I d sail out of their sight in half an hour." 
 
 "But we can t sail away and leave Mr. Shirley," 
 said she. "We can t go away and leave him ! " 
 
 But little effort was made to get anything into order. 
 Bruised heads and shoulders were rubbed a little, and 
 all on board seemed trying to get themselves ready 
 for whatever would happen next. Burke, followed by 
 Portman, ran to the cases containing the rifles, and, 
 taking them out, they distributed them, giving one to 
 every man on board. Some of the clergymen objected 
 to receiving them, and expostulated earnestly and 
 even piteously against connecting themselves with any 
 bloodshed. "Cannot we leave this scene of conten 
 tion ! " some of them said. "Not with Shirley on that 
 steamer," said Burke, and to this there was no reply. 
 
 Burke had no definite reason for thus arming his 
 crew, but with such an enemy as the Durikery Beacon 
 had proved herself to be lying to a short distance 
 away, two other vessels, probably pirates, in the vicin 
 ity, and the strong bond of Shirley s detention holding 
 the yacht where she was, he felt that he should be 
 prepared for every possible emergency. But what to 
 do he did not know. It would be of no use to hail the 
 Durikery and demand Shirley. He had done that over 
 and over again before that vessel had proved herself 
 an open enemy. He stood with brows contracted, 
 rifle in hand, and his eyes fixed on the big steamer 
 
 286 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 ahead. The two other vessels he did not now con 
 sider, for they were still some miles away. 
 
 Willy Croup was sitting on the floor of the saloon, 
 sobbing and groaning, and Mrs. Cliff did not know 
 what in the world was the matter with her. But Mr. 
 Litchfield knew, and he knew also that it would be of 
 no use to try to comfort her with any ordinary words 
 of consolation. He was certain that she had not 
 understood anything that she had said, not even, 
 perhaps, the order to back the yacht, but the assertion 
 of this would have made but little impression upon 
 her agitated mind. But a thought struck him, and 
 he hurried to Burke and told him quickly what had 
 happened. Burke listened, and could not even now 
 restrain a smile. "It s just like that dear Willy 
 Croup," said he. "She s an angel ! " 
 
 "Will you be willing," said Mr. Litchfield, "to come 
 and tell her that your orders could not have been 
 forcibly and quickly enough impressed upon the en 
 gineer s mind in any other way ! " 
 
 Without answering, Burke ran to where Willy was 
 still groaning. "Miss Croup," he exclaimed, "we owe 
 our lives to you ! If you hadn t sworn at the engineer, 
 he never would have backed her in time, and we 
 would all have been at the bottom of the sea ! " 
 
 Mrs. Cliff looked aghast, and Willy sprang to her 
 feet. "Do you mean that, Mr. Burke?" she cried. 
 
 "Yes," said he. "In such desperate danger you had 
 to do it. It s like a crack on the back when you re 
 choking. You were the only person able to repeat 
 my orders, and you were bound to do it ! " 
 
 "Yes," said Mr. Litchfield, "and you saved the 
 ship ! " 
 
 287 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 "Willy looked at him a few moments in silence, then, 
 wiping her eyes, she said, "Well, you know more about 
 managing a ship than I do, and I hope and trust I ll 
 never be called upon to back one again ! " 
 
 Burke and most of the other men now gathered on 
 deck, watching the Durikery Beacon. She was still 
 lying to, blowing off steam, and there seemed to be a 
 good deal of confusion on her deck. Suddenly Burke 
 saw a black object in the water near her starboard 
 quarter. Gazing at it intently, his eyes began to 
 glisten. In a few moments he exclaimed : "Look 
 there ! It s Shirley ! He s swimming to the yacht ! " 
 
 Now everybody on deck was straining his eyes over 
 the water, and Mrs. Cliff and Willy, who had heard 
 Burke s cry, stood with the others. "Is it Shirley, 
 really?" exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. "Are you sure that s 
 his head in the water ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied Burke, "there s no mistake about it ! 
 He s taking his last chance, and has slipped over the 
 rail without nobody knowing it." 
 
 " And can he swim so far ? " gasped Willy. 
 
 "Oh, he can do that," answered Burke. "I d steam 
 up closer if I wasn t afraid of attracting attention. If 
 they ll get sight of him they ll fire at him, but he can 
 do it if he s let alone ! " 
 
 Not a word was now said. Scarcely a breath seemed 
 to come or go. Everybody was gazing steadfastly 
 and rigidly at the swimmer, who, with steady, powerful 
 strokes, was making a straight line over the gently 
 rolling waves toward the yacht. Although they did 
 not so express it to themselves, the coming of that 
 swimmer meant everything to the pale, expectant 
 people on the Summer Shelter. If he should reach 
 
 288 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 them, not only would he be saved, but they could 
 steam away to peace and safety. 
 
 On swam Shirley, evenly and steadily, until he had 
 passed nearly half the distance between the two ves 
 sels, when suddenly a knot of men were seen looking 
 over the rail of the DunJcery. Then there was a com 
 motion. Then a man was seen standing up high, a 
 gun in his hand. Willy uttered a stifled scream, and 
 Mrs. Cliff seized her companion by the arm with such 
 force that her nails nearly entered the flesh, and 
 almost in the same instant there rang out from the 
 yacht the report of eight rifles. 
 
 Every man had fired at the fellow with the gun, 
 even Burdette in the pilot-house. Some of the balls 
 had gone high up into the rigging, and some had 
 rattled against the hull of the steamer, but the man 
 with the gun disappeared in a flash. Whether he had 
 been hit or frightened, nobody knew. Shirley, startled 
 at this tremendous volley, turned a quick backward 
 glance, and then dived, but soon reappeared again, 
 striking out as before for the yacht. 
 
 "Now, then," shouted Burke, "keep your eyes on 
 the rail of that steamer ! If a man shows his head, 
 fire at it ! 
 
 If this action had been necessary, very few of the 
 rifles in the hands of the members of the late Synod 
 would have been fired, for most of them did not know 
 how to recharge their weapons. But there was no 
 need even for Burke to draw a bead on a pirate head, 
 for now not a man could be seen on the Dunkery Bea 
 con. They had evidently been so surprised and 
 astounded by a volley of rifle-shots from this pleasure 
 yacht, which they had supposed to be as harmless as 
 
 289 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 a floating log, that every man on deck had crouched 
 behind the bulwarks. 
 
 "Now Burke gave orders to steam slowly forward, 
 and for everybody to keep covered as much as possi 
 ble ; and when, in a few minutes, the yacht s engine 
 stopped, and Shirley swam slowly around her stern, 
 there was a rush to the other side of the deck, a life- 
 preserver was dropped to the swimmer, steps were let 
 down, and the next minute Shirley was on deck, 
 Burke s strong arm fairly lifting him in over the rail. 
 In a few moments the deck of the yacht was the scene 
 of wild and excited welcome and delight. Each 
 person on board felt as if a brother had suddenly 
 been snatched from fearful danger and returned to 
 their midst. 
 
 "I can t tell you anything now," said Shirley. 
 "Give me a dram, and let me get on some dry 
 clothes. And now all of you go and attend to what 
 you ve got to do. Don t bother about that steamer. 
 She ll go down in half an hour ! She s got a big hole 
 stove in her bow ! " 
 
 With a cry of surprise, Burke turned and looked out 
 at the Dunkery Beacon. Even now she had keeled 
 over to starboard so much that her deck was visible, 
 and her head was already lower than her stern. 
 "She ll sink," he cried, "with all that gold on board ! " 
 
 "Yes," said Shirley, turning with a weak smile as 
 he made his way to the cabin, accompanied by Mr. 
 Hodgson, "she ll go down with every bar of it ! " 
 
 There was great commotion now on the Dunkery 
 Beacon. It was plain that the people on board of her 
 had discovered that it was of no use to try to save the 
 vessel, and they were lowering her boats. Burke and 
 
 290 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 his companions stood and watched for some minutes. 
 "What shall we do ! " exclaimed Mr. Arbuckle, ap 
 proaching Burke. "Can we offer those unfortunate 
 wretches any assistance f " 
 
 "All we can do," said Burke, "is to keep out of 
 their way. I wouldn t trust one of them within pistol- 
 shot." 
 
 Now Shirley reappeared on deck. He had had 
 his dram, and had changed his clothes. "You re 
 right," said he. "They re a set of pirates, every man 
 of them ! If we should take them on board, they d 
 cut all our throats. They ve got boats enough, and 
 the other pirates can pick them up. Keep her off, 
 Burke. That s what I say ! " 
 
 There was no time now for explanations or for any 
 story to be told, and Burke gave orders that the yacht 
 should be kept away from the sinking steamer and her 
 boats. Suddenly Burdette, from the pilot-house, sung 
 out that there was a steamer astern, and the eyes which 
 had been so steadfastly fixed upon the Durikery Beacon 
 now turned in that direction. There they saw, less 
 than a mile away, a large steamer coming down from 
 the north. 
 
 Burke s impulse was to give orders to go ahead at 
 full speed, but he hesitated, and raised his glass to his 
 eye. Then in a few moments he put down his glass, 
 turned around, and shouted: M That s the Monterey! 
 The Monterey and Captain Horn ! " 
 
 291 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 11 30 19" NORTH LATITUDE BY 56 10 49" WEST 
 LONGITUDE 
 
 THE announcement of the approach of Captain Horn 
 created a sensation upon the Summer Shelter almost 
 equal to that occasioned by any of the extraordinary 
 incidents which had occurred upon that vessel. Burke 
 and Shirley were wild with delight at the idea of 
 meeting their old friend and commander. Willy 
 Croup had never seen Captain Horn, but she had 
 heard so much about him that she considered him in 
 her mind as a being of the nature of a heathen deity 
 who rained gold upon those of whom he approved, 
 and utterly annihilated the unfortunates who incurred 
 his displeasure. 
 
 As for Mrs. Cliff, her delight in the thought of meet 
 ing Captain Horn, great as it was, was overshadowed 
 by her almost frantic desire to clasp once more in her 
 arms her dear friend Edna. The clergymen had heard 
 everything that the Summer Shelter people could tell 
 them about Captain Horn and his exploits, and each 
 man of them was anxious to look into the face and 
 shake the hand of the brave sailor, whom they had 
 learned to look upon as a hero, and one or two of 
 
 292 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 them thought that it might be proper, under the cir 
 cumstances, to resume their clerical attire before the 
 interview. But this proposition, when mentioned, 
 was discountenanced. They were here as sailors to 
 work the yacht, and they ought not to be ashamed to 
 look like sailors. The yacht was now put about and 
 got under headway, and slowly moved in the direction 
 of the approaching steamer. 
 
 When Captain Horn had finished the fight in which 
 he was engaged with the Vittorio, and had steamed 
 down in the direction of the two other vessels in the 
 vicinity, it was not long before he discovered that one 
 of them was an American yacht. Why it and the 
 Dunkery Beacon should be lying there together he 
 could not even imagine, but he was quite sure that 
 this must be the vessel owned by Mrs. Cliff, and com 
 manded by his old shipmate Burke. 
 
 When at last the Monterey and the Summer Shelter 
 were lying side by side within hailing distance, and 
 Captain Horn had heard the stentorian voice of Burke 
 roaring through his trumpet, he determined that he 
 and Edna would go on board the yacht, for there were 
 dead men and wounded men on his own vessel, and 
 the condition of his deck was not such as he would 
 wish to be seen by Mrs. Cliff and whatever ladies 
 might be with her. 
 
 When Captain Horn and his wife, with Captain 
 Hagar, rowed by four men, reached the side of the 
 Summer Shelter, they were received with greater honor 
 and joy than had ever been accorded to an admiral 
 and his suite. The meeting of the five friends was as 
 full of excited affection as if they were not now stand 
 ing in the midst of strange circumstances, and, per- 
 
 293 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 haps, many dangers which none of them really under 
 stood. 
 
 Captain Horn seized the first opportunity which 
 came to him to ask the question, "What s the matter 
 with your yacht? You seem to have had a smash-up 
 forward." 
 
 "Yes," said Burke, "there s been a collision. Those 
 beastly hounds tried to run us down. But we caught 
 her squarely on her bow." 
 
 At this moment the conversation was interrupted 
 by a shout from Captain Hagar, who had taken notice 
 of nobody on the yacht, but stood looking over the 
 water at his old ship. "What s the matter," he cried, 
 "with the Dunkery Beacon? Has she sprung a leak? 
 Are those the pirates still on board ? " 
 
 Captain Horn and the others quickly joined him. 
 "Sprung a leak ! " cried Shirley. "She s got a hole in 
 her bow as big as a barrel. I ve been on board of 
 her, but I can t tell you about that now. There s no 
 use to think of doing anything. Those are bloody 
 pirates that are lowering the boats, and we can t go 
 near them. Besides, you can see for yourself that 
 that steamer is settling down by the head as fast as 
 she can." 
 
 Captain Horn was now almost as much excited as 
 the unfortunate commander of the Dunkery Beacon. 
 "Where s that gold?" he cried. "Where is it 
 stowed?" 
 
 "It is in the forward hold, with a lot of cargo on 
 top of it ! " groaned Captain Hagar. 
 
 Shirley now spoke again. "Don t think about the 
 gold!" he said. "I kept my eyes opened and my 
 ears sharpened when I was on board, and although I 
 
 294 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 didn t understand all their lingo, I knew what they 
 were at. When they found there was no use pumping 
 or trying to stop the leak, they tried to get at that 
 gold. But they couldn t do it. The water was coming 
 in right there, and the men could not rig up the 
 tackle to move the cargo. They were all wild when 
 I left." 
 
 Captain Horn said no more, but stood with the 
 others, gazing at the Durikery Beacon. But Captain 
 Hagar beat his hands upon the rail, and declared over 
 and over again that he would rather never have seen 
 the ship again than to see her sink there before his 
 eyes, with all that treasure on board. The yacht lay 
 near enough to the Dunkery Beacon for Captain Hagar 
 to see plainly what was going on on his old ship, with 
 out the aid of a glass. With eyes glaring madly over 
 the water, he stood leaning upon the rail, his face pale, 
 his whole form shaking as if he had a chill. Every 
 one on the deck of the yacht stood near him, but 
 no one said anything. This was no time for ask 
 ing questions or making explanations. 
 
 The men on the Dunkery Beacon were hurrying to 
 leave the vessel. One of the starboard boats was al 
 ready in the water, with too many men in her. The 
 vessel had keeled over so much that there seemed to 
 be difficulty in lowering the boats on the port side. 
 Everybody seemed rushing to starboard, and two 
 other boats were swinging out on their davits. Every 
 time the bow of the steamer rose and fell upon the 
 swell, it seemed to go down a little more and up a 
 little less, and the deck was slanted so much that the 
 men appeared to slide down to the starboard bul 
 warks. 
 
 295 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Now the first boat pushed off from the sinking ship, 
 and the two others, both crowded, were soon pulling 
 after her. It was not difficult to divine their inten 
 tions. The three boats headed immediately for the 
 northeast, where, less than two miles away, the Vittorio 
 could be plainly seen. 
 
 At this moment Captain Hagar gave a yelL He 
 sprang back from the rail, and his eyes fell upon a rifle 
 which had been laid on a bench by one of the clergy 
 men. He seized it and raised it to his shoulder, but 
 in an instant Captain Horn took hold of it, pointing 
 it upward. "What are you going to do?" he said. 
 "Captain, you don t mean to fire at them ! " 
 
 "Of course I mean it!" cried Captain Hagar. 
 "We ve got them in a bunch. We must follow them 
 up and shoot them down like rats ! " 
 
 "We ll get up steam and run them down ! " shouted 
 Burke. "We ought to sink them, one boat after an 
 other, the rascally pirates ! They tried to sink us ! " 
 
 "No, no," said Captain Horn, taking the gun from 
 Captain Hagar, "we can t do that. That s a little too 
 cold-blooded. If they attack us, we ll fight them, but 
 we can t take capital punishment into our own hands." 
 
 Now the excited thoughts of Captain Hagar took 
 another turn. "Lower a boat ! Lower a boat ! " he 
 cried. "Let me be pulled to the Dunkery ! Every 
 thing I own is on that ship. The pirates wouldn t let 
 me take anything away. Lower a boat ! I can get 
 into my cabin." 
 
 Shirley now stepped to the other side of Captain 
 Hagar. "It s no use to think of that, captain," he 
 said. "It would be regular suicide to go on board 
 that vessel. Those fellows were afraid to stay another 
 
 296 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 minute. She ll go down before you know it. Look 
 at her bows now ! " 
 
 Captain Hagar said no more, and the little com 
 pany on the deck of the yacht stood, pale and silent, 
 gazing out over the water at the Durikery Beacon. 
 Willy Croup was crying, and there were tears in the 
 eyes of Mrs. Cliif and Edna. In the heart of the latter 
 was deep, deep pain, for she knew what her husband 
 was feeling at that moment. She knew it had been 
 the high aim of his sensitive and honorable soul that 
 the gold for which he had labored so hard and dared 
 so much should safely reach, in every case, those to 
 whom it had been legally adjudged. If it should fail 
 to reach them, where was the good of all that toil and 
 suffering ? He had, in a measure, taken upon himself 
 the responsibility of the safe delivery of that treasure, 
 and now here he was standing, and there was the 
 treasure sinking before his eyes. As she stood close 
 by him, Edna seized her husband s hand and pressed 
 it. He returned the pressure, but no word was 
 said. 
 
 Now the Durikery Beacon rolled more heavily than 
 she had done yet, and as she went down in the swell 
 it seemed as if the water might easily flow over her 
 forward bulwarks, and her bow came up with diffi 
 culty, as if it were sticking fast in the water. Her 
 masts and funnel were slanting far over to starboard, 
 and when, after rising once more, she put her head 
 again into the water, she dipped it in so deep that 
 her rail went under and did not come up again. Her 
 stern seemed to rise in the air, and, at the same time, 
 the sea appeared to lift itself up along her whole 
 length. Then, with a dip forward of her funnel and 
 
 297 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 masts, she suddenly went down out of sight, and the 
 water churned and foamed and eddied about the 
 place where she had been. The gold of the Incas 
 was on its way to the bottom of the unsounded sea. 
 
 Captain Hagar sat down upon the deck and covered 
 his face with his hands. No one said anything to him 
 there was nothing to say. The first to speak was 
 Mrs. Cliff. "Captain Horn/ said she, her voice so 
 shaken by her emotion that she scarcely spoke above 
 a whisper, "we did everything we could, and this is 
 what has come of it ! " 
 
 "Everything ! " exclaimed Captain Horn, suddenly 
 turning toward her. "You have done far more than 
 could be expected by mortals ! And now," said he, 
 turning to the little party, "don t let one of us grieve 
 another minute for the sinking of that gold. If any 
 body has a right to grieve, it s Captain Hagar, here. 
 He s lost his ship. But many a good sailor has lost his 
 ship, and lived and died a happy man after it. And as 
 to the cargo you carried, my mate," said he, "you 
 would have done your duty by it just the same whether 
 it had been pig-lead or gold 5 and when you have done 
 your duty, there s the end of it ! " 
 
 Captain Hagar looked up, rose to his feet, and after 
 gazing for a second in the face of Captain Horn, he 
 took his extended hand. "You re a good one ! " said 
 he, "but you re bound to agree that it s tough! 
 There s no getting around that. It s all-fired tough ! " 
 
 "Burke," said Captain Horn, quickly, glancing up 
 at the noonday sun, "put her out there near the 
 wreckage, and take an observation." 
 
 It was shortly after this that Mr. Portman, the sail 
 ing-master, came aft and reported the position of the 
 
 298 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 yacht to be 11 30 19" north latitude by 56 10 49" 
 west longitude. 
 
 "What s the idea," said Burke to Captain Horn, 
 "of steering right to the spot? Do you think there ll 
 ever be a chance of getting at it? " 
 
 Captain Horn was marking the latitude and longi 
 tude in his note-book. "Can t say what future ages 
 may do in the way of deep-sea work/ said he, "but 
 I d like to put a dot on my chart that will show where 
 the gold went down." 
 
 Nothing could be more unprofitable for the shaken 
 and disturbed spirits of the people on the Summer 
 Shelter than to stand gazing at the few pieces of wood 
 and the half-submerged hen-coop which floated above 
 the spot where the Durikery Beacon had gone down, or 
 to look out at the three boats which the pirates were 
 vigorously rowing toward the steamer in the distance, 
 and this fact strongly impressed itself upon the prac 
 tical mind of Mrs. Cliff. "Captain Horn," said she, 
 "is there any reason why we should not go away ? " 
 
 "None in the world," said he, "and there s every 
 reason why your vessel and mine should get under 
 headway as soon as possible. Where are you bound 
 for now ? " 
 
 "Wherever you say, captain," she answered. "This 
 is my ship, and Mr. Burke is my captain, but we want 
 you to take care of us, and you must tell us where we 
 should go." 
 
 "We ll talk it over," said he, and calling Burke and 
 Captain Hagar, a consultation was immediately held, 
 and it did not take long to come to a decision when 
 all concerned were of the same mind. 
 
 It was decided to set sail immediately for Kingston, 
 299 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 for each vessel had coal enough, with the assistance of 
 her sails, to reach that port. Mrs. Cliff insisted that 
 Edna should not go back to the Monterey, and Captain 
 Horn agreed to this plan, for he did not at all wish 
 any womankind on the Monterey in her present con 
 dition. The yacht had been found to be perfectly 
 seaworthy, and although a little water was coming 
 in, her steam-pump easily disposed of it. Edna ac 
 cepted Mrs. Cliff s invitation, provided her husband 
 would agree to remain on the yacht, and, somewhat 
 to Jier surprise, he was perfectly willing to do this. 
 The idea had come to him that the best thing for all 
 parties, and especially for the comfort and relief of 
 the mind of Captain Hagar, was to put him in com 
 mand of a ship and give him something to think 
 about other than the loss of his vessel. 
 
 While they were talking over these matters, and 
 making arrangements to send to the Monterey for 
 Edna s maid and some of her baggage, Captain Horn 
 sought Burke in his room. "I want to know," said 
 he, "what sort of a crew you ve got on board this 
 yacht. One of them a very intelligent-looking 
 man, by the way, with black trousers on came up to 
 me just now and shook hands with me, and said he 
 was ever so much pleased to make my acquaintance, 
 and hoped he would soon have some opportunities of 
 conversation with me. That isn t the kind of seaman 
 I m accustomed to ! " 
 
 Burke laughed. "It s the j oiliest high-toned, up 
 per-ten crew that ever swabbed a deck or shovelled 
 coal. They re all ministers." 
 
 "Ministers!" ejaculated Captain Horn, absolutely 
 aghast. Then Burke told the story of the Synod. 
 
 300 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 Captain Horn sank into a chair, leaned back, and 
 laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks. 
 
 "I didn t suppose," he said presently, "that any 
 thing could make me laugh on a day like this, but the 
 story of those Synod gentlemen has done it ! But, 
 Burke, there s no use of their serving as seamen any 
 longer. Let them put on their black clothes and be 
 comfortable and happy. I ve got a double crew on 
 board the Monterey, and can bring over just as many 
 men as are needed to work this yacht. I ll go over 
 myself and detail a crew, and then, when everytlfing 
 is made ready, I ll come on board here myself. And 
 after that I want you to remember that I m a pas 
 senger, and haven t anything to do with the sailing of 
 this ship. You re captain, and must attend to your 
 own vessel, and I m going to make it my business to 
 get acquainted with all these clergymen, and with 
 that lady I see with Mrs. Cliff. Who is she?" 
 
 "By George ! " exclaimed Burke, "she s the leading 
 trump of the world ! That s Willy Croup ! " 
 
 There was no time then to explain why Willy was 
 a leading trump, but Captain Horn afterwards heard 
 the story of how she backed the ship, and he did not 
 wonder at Burke s opinion. 
 
 When the Summer Shelter, accompanied by the Mon 
 terey, had started northward, Burke stood by Shirley 
 on the bridge. Mr. Burdette had a complete crew of 
 able seamen under his command ; there was a cook 
 in the kitchen, and stewards in the saloons, and there 
 was a carpenter with some men at work at a spare 
 spar which was to be rigged as a bowsprit. 
 
 "I m mighty glad to lay her course for home," said 
 Burke, "for I ve had enough of it as things are ; but 
 
 301 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 if things were not exactly as they are, I wouldn t have 
 enough of it." 
 
 "What do you mean? 7 said Shirley. 
 
 "I mean this/ was the answer. "If this was my 
 yacht, and there was no women on board, and no 
 ministers, I would have put on a full head of steam, 
 and I would have gone after those boats, and I would 
 have run them down, one after another, and drowned 
 every bloody pirate on board of them. It makes my 
 blood boil to think of those scoundrels getting away 
 after trying to run us down, and to shoot you ! " 
 
 "It would have served them right to run them 
 down, you know," said Shirley, "but you couldn t do 
 it, and there s no use talking about it. It would have 
 been a cold-blooded piece of business to run down a 
 small boat with a heavy steamer, and I don t believe 
 you would have been willing to do it yourself when 
 you got close on to them ! But the captain says if 
 we get to Kingston in good time, we may be able to 
 get a cable message to London, and set the authorities 
 at every likely port on the lookout for the Vittorio." 
 
 The voyage of the Summer Shelter to Kingston was 
 uneventful, but in many respects a very pleasant one. 
 There had been a great disappointment, there had 
 been a great loss, and, to the spirits of some of the 
 party, there had been a great shock ; but every one 
 now seemed determined to forget everything which 
 had been unfortunate, and to remember only that they 
 were all alive, all safe, all together, and all on their 
 way home. 
 
 The clergymen, relieved of their nautical duties, 
 shone out brightly as good-humored and agreeable 
 companions. Their hardships and their dangers had 
 
 302 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 made them so well acquainted with each other, and 
 with everybody else on board, and they had found it 
 so easy to become acquainted with Captain and Mrs. 
 Horn, and they all felt so much relieved from the load 
 of anxiety which had been lifted from them, that they 
 performed well their parts in making up one of the 
 j oiliest companies which ever sailed over the South 
 Atlantic. 
 
 At Kingston the Summer Shelter and the Monterey 
 were both left, the former to be completely repaired 
 and brought home by Mr. Portman, and the other to 
 be coaled and sent back to Vera Cruz, with her officers 
 and her crew, and our whole party, including Cap 
 tain Hagar, sailed in the next mail -steamer for New 
 York. 
 
 303 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 IT was late in the summer, and Mrs. Cliff dwelt happy 
 and serene in her native town of Plainton, Maine. 
 She had been there during the whole warm season, for 
 Plainton was a place to which people came to be cool 
 and comfortable in summer-time, and if she left 
 her home at all, it would not be in the months of foli 
 age and flowers. It might well be believed by any 
 one who would look out of one of the tall windows of 
 her drawing-room that Mrs. Cliff did not need to leave 
 home for the mere sake of rural beauty. On the other 
 side of the street, where once stretched a block of 
 poor little houses and shops, now lay a beautiful park 
 the Grove of the Incas. 
 
 The zeal of Mr. Burke and the money of Mrs. Cliff 
 had had a powerful influence upon the minds of the 
 contractors and landscape-gardeners who had this 
 great work in hand, and the park, which really 
 covered a very large space in the village, now ap 
 peared from certain points of view to extend for miles, 
 so artfully had been arranged its masses of obstructing 
 foliage, and its open vistas of uninterrupted view. 
 The surface of the ground, which had been a little 
 
 304 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 rolling, had been made more unequal and diversified, 
 and over all the little hills and dells, and upon the 
 wide, smooth stretches, there was a covering of bright 
 green turf. It had been a season of genial rains, and 
 there had been a special corps of workmen to attend 
 to the grass of the new park. 
 
 Great trees were scattered here and there, and many 
 people wondered when they saw them, but these trees, 
 oaks and chestnuts, tall hickories and bright, cheerful 
 maples, had been growing where they stood since they 
 were little saplings. The people of Plainton had 
 always been fond of trees, and they had them in their 
 side yards, and in their back yards, and at the front 
 of their houses ; and when, within the limits of the 
 new park, all these yards, and houses, and sheds, and 
 fences had been cleared away, there stood the trees. 
 Hundreds of other trees, evergreens and deciduous, 
 many of them of good size, had been brought from 
 the adjacent country on great wheels, which had 
 excited the amazement of the people in the town, and 
 planted in the park. 
 
 Through the middle of the grounds ran a wide and 
 turbulent brook, whirling around its rocks and spread 
 ing out into its deep and beautiful pools, and where 
 once stood the Widow Casey s little house, which was 
 built on the side of a bank, so that the Caseys went 
 into the second story when they entered by the front, 
 now leaped a beautiful cataract over that very 
 bank, scattering its spray upon the trunks of the two 
 big chestnuts, one of which used to stand by the side 
 of Mrs. Casey s house, and the other at the front. 
 
 In the shade of the four great oak-trees which had 
 stood in William Hamilton s back yard, and which he 
 
 305 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 intended to cut down as soon as he had money enough 
 to build a long cow-stable, for it was his desire to go 
 into the dairy business, now spread a wide, trans 
 parent pool, half surrounded at its upper end by 
 marble terraces, on the edges of which stood tall 
 statues with their white reflections stretching far 
 down into the depths beneath. Here were marble 
 benches, and steps down to the water, and sometimes 
 the bright gleams of sunshine came flittering through 
 the leaves, and sometimes the leaves themselves came 
 fluttering down and floated on the surface of the pool. 
 And when the young people had stood upon the ter 
 races, or had sat together upon the wide marble steps, 
 they could walk away, if they chose, through masses of 
 evergreen shrubbery, whose quiet paths seemed to shut 
 them out from the world. 
 
 On a little hill which had once led up to Parson s barn, 
 but which now ended quite abruptly in a little preci 
 pice with a broad railing on its edge and a summer- 
 house a little back, one could sit and look out over 
 the stretch of bright green lawns, between two clumps 
 of hemlocks, and over a hedge which concealed the 
 ground beyond, along the whole length of the vista 
 made by Becker Street, which obligingly descended 
 slightly from the edge of the park so that its houses 
 were concealed by the hemlocks, and then out upon 
 the country beyond, and to the beautiful hills against 
 the sky ; and such a one might well imagine, should 
 he be a stranger, that all he saw was in the Grove of 
 the Iiicas. Upon all the outer edges of this park there 
 were masses of shrubbery, or little lines of hedge, 
 irregularly disposed, with bits of grass opening upon 
 the street, and here and there a line of slender iron 
 
 306 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 railing with a group of statuary back of it, and so the 
 people, when they walked that way, scarcely knew 
 when they entered the park or when they left it. 
 
 The home of Mrs. Cliff itself had seemed to her to 
 be casting off its newness and ripening into the ma 
 tured home. Much of this was due to work which 
 had been done upon the garden and surrounding 
 grounds, but much more was due to the imperceptible 
 influence of the Misses Thorpdyke. These ladies had 
 not only taken with them to the house so many of the 
 time-honored objects which they had saved from their 
 old home, but they had brought to bear upon every 
 thing around them the courtly tastes of the olden 
 time. 
 
 Willy Croup had declared, as she stood in the hall 
 gazing up at the staircase, that it often seemed to her, 
 since she came back, as if her grandfather had been in 
 the habit of coming down those stairs. "I never saw 
 him." she said, "and I don t know what sort of stairs 
 he used to come down, but there s something about 
 all this which makes me think of things far back and 
 grand, and I know, from what I ve heard of him. that 
 he would have liked to come down such stairs." 
 
 Mrs, Horn and her husband had made a long visit 
 to Mrs. Cliff, and they had departed early in the 
 summer for a great property they had bought in the 
 West, which included mountains, valleys, a canon, 
 and such far-extending groves of golden fruit that 
 Edna already called the captain the "Prince of 
 Orange." 
 
 Edna s brother, Ralph, had also been in Plainton. 
 He had come there to see his sister and Captain Horn, 
 and that splendid old woman Mrs. Cliff, but soon after 
 
 307 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 he reached the town it might well have been supposed 
 that it was Mr. Burke whom he came to visit. This 
 worthy mariner and builder still lived in Plainton. His 
 passion for an inland residence had again grown upon 
 him, and he seemed to have given up all thoughts of 
 the sea. He and Kalph had royal times together, and 
 if the boy had not felt that he must go with Captain 
 Horn and his sister to view the wonders of the far 
 West, he and Burke would have concocted some grand 
 expedition intended for some sort of an effect upon 
 the civilization of the world. 
 
 But although Mrs. Cliff, for many reasons, had no 
 present desire to leave her home, she did not relin 
 quish the enterprise for which the Summer Shelter had 
 been designed. When Captain Hagar had gone to 
 London and had reported to his owners the details of 
 his dire and disastrous misfortune, he had been made 
 the subject of censure and severe criticism ; and while 
 no reason could be found why he should be legally 
 punished for what had happened, he was made to 
 understand that there was no ship for him in the gift 
 of the house he had so long served. 
 
 When Mrs. Cliff heard of this, and she heard of it 
 very soon, through Captain Horn, she immediately 
 offered Captain Hagar the command of the Summer 
 Shelter, assuring him that her designs included cruises 
 of charity in the North in summer, and in tropical 
 waters in the winter-time, and that, of all men she 
 knew of, he was the captain who should command her 
 yacht. He was, indeed, admirably adapted to this 
 service, for he was of a kind and gentle nature, and 
 loved children, and he had such an observing mind 
 that it frequently happened, when he had looked over 
 
 308 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 a new set of passengers, and had observed their physi 
 cal tendencies, that he did not take a trip to sea at all, 
 but cruised up the smooth, quiet waters of the Hudson. 
 
 As soon as it could possibly be done, Captain Horn 
 caused messages to be sent to many ports on the French 
 and Spanish coast, and along the Mediterranean, in 
 order that if the Vittorio arrived in any of these har 
 bors, her officers and men might be seized and held ; 
 but it was a long time before there was any news of 
 the pirate ship, and then she was heard of at Mogador, 
 a port on the western coast of Morocco, where she had 
 been sold, under very peculiar circumstances and for a 
 very small price, by the men who had come there in 
 her, and who had departed north at different times on 
 trading- vessels which were bound for Marseilles and 
 Gibraltar. 
 
 More definite information was received of the third 
 of the pirate vessels which had been fitted out to cap 
 ture the Peruvians treasure, for, as this vessel ap 
 proached the West Indies, she was overhauled by a 
 Spanish cruiser, who, finding her manned by a suspi 
 cious crew and well supplied with firearms, had seized 
 her as a filibuster, and had taken her into a Cuban 
 port, where she still remained, with her crew in prison 
 awaiting trial, or a tardy release, in case it became in 
 convenient to detain them longer. 
 
 The other pirate vessel, on which Captain Hagar 
 and his men had been placed when they were forced 
 to leave the Durikery Beacon, finally reached George 
 town, British Guiana, where, after a long course of 
 legal action, it was condemned and sold, and as much 
 of the price as was left after costs had been paid was 
 handed over to the owners of the Dunkery Beacon. 
 
 309 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 Among the reasons which made Mrs. Cliff very glad 
 to remain at Plainton was one of paramount impor 
 tance. She was now engaged in a great work which 
 satisfied all her aspirations and desires to make herself 
 able to worthily and conscientiously cope with her 
 income. 
 
 When, after the party on the Summer Shelter had 
 separated at New York, and the ex-members of the 
 Synod had gone to their homes, Mrs. Cliff and her 
 party, which included Shirley as well as Captain Horn 
 and his wife, had reached Plainton, their minds were 
 greatly occupied with the subject of the loss of the 
 Peruvians share of the Incas treasures. It was de 
 lightful for Mrs. Cliff and "Willy to reach again their 
 charming home, and their friends were filled with a 
 pleasure which they could scarcely express to see and 
 enjoy the beauties and the comforts with which Mrs. 
 Cliff had surrounded herself ; but there was still upon 
 them all the shadow of that great misfortune which 
 had happened off the eastern coast of South America. 
 
 News came to them of what had been said and done 
 in London, and of what had been said and done, not 
 only in Peru, but in other states of South America, in 
 regard to the loss of the treasure, but nothing was said 
 or done in any quarter which tended to invalidate 
 their right to the share of the gold which had been 
 adjudged to them. The portion of the treasure al 
 lotted to the Peruvian government had been duly 
 delivered to its agents, and it was the fault of those 
 agents, acting under the feverish orders of their su 
 periors, which had been the reason of its injudicious 
 and hasty transportation and consequent loss. 
 
 But although the ownership of the treasure which 
 310 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 was now in the safe possession of those to whom it had 
 been adjudged was not considered a matter to be 
 questioned or discussed, Mrs. Cliff was not satisfied 
 with the case as it stood, and her dissatisfaction 
 rapidly spread to the other members of the party. It 
 pained her to think that the native Peruvians, those 
 who might be considered the descendants of the Incas, 
 would now derive no benefit from the discovery of 
 the treasure of their ancestors, and she announced her 
 intention to devote a portion of her wealth to the 
 interests and advantage of these natives. 
 
 Captain Horn was much impressed with this idea, 
 and agreed that if Mrs. Cliff would take the manage 
 ment of the enterprise into her own hands, he would 
 contribute largely to any plan which she might adopt 
 for the benefit of the Peruvians. Edna, who now 
 held a large portion of the treasure in her own right, 
 insisted upon being allowed to contribute her share to 
 this object, and Burke and Shirley declared that they 
 would become partners, according to their means, in 
 the good work. 
 
 There was, of course, a great deal of talk and dis 
 cussion in regard to the best way of using the very 
 large amount of money which had been contributed 
 by the various members of the party, but before Cap 
 tain Horn and his wife left Plainton everything was 
 arranged, and Mrs. Cliff found herself at the head of 
 an important and well-endowed private mission to the 
 native inhabitants of Peru. She did not make imme 
 diately a definite plan of action, but her first steps in 
 the direction of her great object showed that she was 
 a woman well qualified to organize and carry on the 
 great work in the cause of civilization and en- 
 
 311 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 lightenment which she had undertaken. She engaged 
 the Rev. Mr. Hodgson and the Eev. Mr. Litchfield, 
 both yorng men whose dispositions led them to 
 prefer earnest work in new and foreign lands to the 
 ordinary labors of a domestic parish, to go to Peru to 
 survey the scene of the proposed work, and to report 
 what, in their opinion, ought to be done, and how it 
 should be undertaken. 
 
 Mrs. Cliff, now in the very maturity of her mental 
 and physical powers, felt that this great work was 
 the most congenial task that she could possibly have 
 undertaken, and her future life now seemed open be 
 fore her in a series of worthy endeavors in which her 
 conscientious feelings in regard to her responsibilities, 
 and her desire to benefit her fellow-beings, should be 
 fully satisfied. As to her fellow- workers and those of 
 her friends who thoroughly comprehended the nature 
 of the case, there was a general belief that those in 
 habitants of Peru who were rightfully entitled to the 
 benefits of the discovered treasure would, under her 
 management and direction of the funds in her hands, 
 receive far more good and advantage than they could 
 possibly have expected had the treasure gone to the 
 Peruvian government. In fact, there were those who 
 said that had the Durikery Beacon safely arrived in the 
 port of Callao, the whole of the continent of South 
 America might have been disturbed and disrupted by 
 the immense overbalance of wealth thrown into the 
 treasury of one of its states. 
 
 It is true that Mrs. Cliff s plans and purposes did not 
 entirely pass without criticism. "It s all very well," 
 said Miss Nancy Shott to Mrs. Ferguson one morning 
 when the latter had called upon her with a little 
 
 312 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 basket of cake and preserves, "for Mrs. Cliff to be send 
 ing her money to the colored poor of South America, 
 but a person who has lived as she has lived in days 
 gone by ought to remember that there are poor people 
 who are not colored, and who live a great deal nearer 
 than South America." Miss Shott was at work as 
 she said this, but she could always talk when she 
 was working. She was busy packing the California 
 blankets, which Mrs. Cliff had given her, in a box for 
 the summer, putting pieces of camphor rolled up in 
 paper between their folds. "If she wanted to find 
 people to give money to, she needn t hire ministers 
 to go out and hunt for them. There are plenty of 
 them here, right under her nose, and if she doesn t 
 see them, it s because she shuts her eyes wilfully and 
 won t look. 7 
 
 "But it seems to me, Miss Shott," said Mrs. Fergu 
 son, "that Mrs. Cliff has done ever so much for the 
 people of Plainton. For instance, there are those 
 blankets. What perfectly splendid things they are ! 
 so soft and light, and yet so thick and warm ! 
 They re all wool, every thread of them, I have no 
 doubt." 
 
 "All wool ! " said Miss Shott. "Of course they are, 
 and that s the trouble with them. Some of these days 
 they ll have to be washed, and then they ll shrink up 
 so short that I suppose I ll have to freeze either my 
 chin or my toes. And as to her giving them to me, 
 turn about s fair play. I once j ined in to give her a 
 pair." 
 
 "Oh ! " said Mrs. Ferguson. 
 
 Mr. George Burke was now the only member of our 
 little party of friends who did not seem entirely satis- 
 
 313 
 
MRS. CLIFF S YACHT 
 
 fied with his condition and prospects. He made no 
 complaints, but he was restless and discontented. He 
 did not want to go to sea, for he vowed he had had 
 enough of it, and he did not seem to find any satisfac 
 tion in a life on shore. He paid a visit to his mother, 
 but he did not stay with her very long, for Plainton 
 seemed to suit him better. But when he returned to 
 his house in that town, he soon left it to go and spend 
 a few days with Shirley. 
 
 When he came back, Mrs. Cliff, who believed that 
 his uneasy state of mind was the result of want of 
 occupation and the monotonous life of a small town, 
 advised him to go out West and visit Captain Horn. 
 There was so much in that grand country to interest 
 him and to occupy him, body and mind. But to this 
 advice Mr. Burke stoutly objected. 
 
 "I m not going out there," he said. "I ve seen 
 enough of Captain Horn and his wife. To tell you 
 the truth, Mrs. Cliff, that s what s the matter with me." 
 
 "I don t understand you," said she. 
 
 "It s simply this," said Burke. "Since I ve seen so 
 much of the captain and his wife, and the happiness 
 they get out of each other, I ve found out that the 
 kind of happiness they ve got is exactly the kind of 
 happiness I want, and there isn t anything else 
 money, or land, or orange groves, or steamships that 
 can take the place of it." 
 
 "In other words," said Mrs. Cliff, with a smile, "you 
 want to get married." 
 
 "You ve hit it exactly," said he. "I want a wife. 
 Of course, I don t expect to get exactly such a wife as 
 Captain Horn has, they re about as scarce as buried 
 treasure, I take it, but I want one who will suit me 
 
 314 
 
MRS, CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 and who is suited to me. That s what I want, and I 
 shall never be happy until I get her. 7 
 
 "I should think it would be easy enough for you to 
 get a wife, Mr. Burke," said Mrs. Cliff. "You are in 
 the prime of life, you have plenty of money, and I 
 don t believe it would be at all hard to find a good 
 woman who would be glad to have you." 
 
 "That s what my mother said," said he. "When I 
 was there she bored me from morning until night by 
 telling me I ought to get married, and mentioning 
 girls on Cape Cod who would be glad to have me. 
 But there isn t any girl on Cape Cod that I want. To 
 get rid of them, I came away sooner than I intended." 
 
 "Well, then," said Mrs. Cliff, "perhaps there is some 
 one in particular that you would like to have." 
 
 "That s it exactly," said Burke. "There is some 
 one in particular." 
 
 "And do you mind telling me who it is? " she asked. 
 
 "Since you ask me, I don t mind a bit," said he. 
 "It s Miss Croup." 
 
 Mrs. Cliff started back astonished. " Willy Croup ! " 
 she exclaimed. "You amaze me ! I don t think she 
 would suit you." 
 
 "I d like to know why not? " he asked quickly. 
 
 "In the first place," said she, "it s a long time since 
 Willy was a girl." 
 
 "That s the kind I want," he answered. "I don t 
 want to adopt a daughter. I want to marry a grown 
 woman." 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Cliff, "Willy is certainly grown. 
 But then, it doesn t seem to me that she would be 
 adapted to a married life. I am sure she has made 
 up her mind to live single, and she hasn t been accus- 
 
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MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 tomed to manage a house and conduct domestic affairs. 
 She has always had some one to depend upon." 
 
 "That s what I like/ said he. "Let her depend on 
 me. And as to management, you needn t say any 
 thing to me about that, Mrs. Cliff. I saw her bounc 
 ing to the galley of the Summer Shelter, and if she 
 manages other things as well as she managed the 
 cooking business there, she ll suit me." 
 
 "It seems so strange to me, Mr. Burke," said Mrs. 
 Cliff, after a few moments silence. "I never imagined 
 that you would care for Willy Croup." 
 
 Mr. Burke drew himself forward to the edge of the 
 chair on which he was sitting, he put one hand on 
 each of his outspread knees, and he leaned forward, 
 with a very earnest and animated expression on his 
 countenance. "Now, look here, Mrs. Cliff," he said, 
 "I want to say something to you. When I see a young 
 woman, brought up in the very bosom of the Sunday- 
 school, and on the quarter-deck of respectability, and 
 who never, perhaps, had a cross word said to her in 
 all her life, or said one to anybody, judging from her 
 appearance, and whose mind is more like a clean 
 pocket-handkerchief in regard to hard words and 
 rough language than anything I can think of, when 
 I see that young woman with a snow-white disposition 
 that would naturally lead her to hymns whenever she 
 wanted to raise her voice above common conversation, 
 when I see that young woman, I say, in a moment 
 of life or death to her and every one about her, dash 
 to the door of that engine-room and shout my orders 
 down to that muddled engineer, knowing I couldn t 
 leave the wheel to give them myself, ramming them 
 into him as if with the point of a handspike, yelling 
 
 316 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 out everything that I said, word for word, without 
 picking or choosing, trusting in me that I knew what 
 ought to be said in such a moment, and saying it after 
 me, word for word, cursing, swearing, slamming down 
 oaths on him just as I did, trusting in me all the time 
 as to what words ought to be used, and just warming 
 up that blasted engineer until sense enough came to 
 him to make him put out his hand and back her,- 
 then, Mrs. Cliff, I know that a woman who stands by 
 me at a time like that will stand by me at any time, 
 and that s the woman I want to stand by. And now, 
 what have you got to say ? " 
 
 "All I have to say," answered Mrs. Cliff, who had 
 been listening intently to Mr. Burke s extraordinary 
 flow of words, "all I have to say is, if that s the way 
 you think about her, you ought to speak to her." 
 
 "Madam," said Burke, springing to his feet, "that 
 suits me. I would have spoken to her before, but I 
 had my doubts about what you d think of it. But 
 now that I see you re willing to sign the papers, what 
 I want to know is, where will I be likely to find Miss 
 Croup?" 
 
 Mrs. Cliff laughed. "You are very prompt," said 
 she, "and I think you will find Willy in the little 
 parlor. She was sewing there when I saw her last." 
 
 In less than a minute Mr. Burke stood before Willy 
 Croup in the little parlor. "Miss Croup," said he, "I 
 want to ask you something." 
 
 "What is it? " said Willy, letting her work drop in 
 her lap. 
 
 "Miss Croup," said he, "I heard you swear once, and 
 I never heard anybody swear better and with more 
 conscience. You did that swearing for me, and now I 
 
 317 
 
MRS. CLIFFS YACHT 
 
 want to ask you if you will be willing to swear for me 
 again ? " 
 
 "No," said Willy, her cheeks flushing as she spoke, 
 "no, I won t ! It was all very well for you to tell me 
 that I didn t do anything wrong when I talked in that 
 dreadful way to Mr. Maxwell, and for you to get the 
 ministers to tell me that, as I didn t understand what 
 I was saying, of course there was no sin in it, but 
 although I don t feel as badly about it as I did, I some 
 times wake up in the night and fairly shiver when I 
 think of the words I used that day. And I ve made 
 up my mind, no matter whether ships are to be sunk 
 or what is to happen, I will never do that thing 
 again, and I don t want you ever to expect it of me." 
 
 "But, William Croup," exclaimed Mr. Burke, for 
 getting in his excitement that the full form of her 
 Christian name was not likely to be masculine, "that 
 isn t the way I want you to swear this time. What I 
 want you to do is to stand up alongside of me in front 
 of a minister and swear you ll take me for your loving 
 husband, to love, honor, and protect, and all the rest 
 of it, till death do us part. Now, what do you say to 
 that?" 
 
 Willy sat and looked at him. The flush went out 
 of her cheeks, and then came again, but it was a 
 different kind of a flush this time, and the brightness 
 went out of her eyes, and another light, a softer and a 
 different light, came into them. "Oh ! is that what 
 you want?" she said presently. "I wouldn t mind 
 that." 
 
 318 
 
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