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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Freaks of Fortune, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Freaks of Fortune
+       or, Half Round the World
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: February 16, 2008 [EBook #24631]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FREAKS OF FORTUNE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from scans of public domain material produced by
+Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+STARRY FLAG SERIES
+
+OLIVER OPTIC
+
+[Illustration: THE WRECK OF THE CARIBBEE.--Page 273.]
+
+
+
+
+FREAKS OF FORTUNE;
+
+OR,
+
+HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
+
+
+
+BY
+
+OLIVER OPTIC,
+
+AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES,"
+"THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES,"
+"THE RIVERDALE STORIES," ETC.
+
+
+
+BOSTON
+LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS
+
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by
+WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
+In the Clerk's Office of the District Court
+of the District of Massachusetts.
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
+All rights reserved.
+
+FREAKS OF FORTUNE.
+
+
+
+
+TO
+
+MY YOUNG FRIEND,
+
+_THOMAS POWELL, JR._
+
+This Book
+
+IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+"FREAKS OF FORTUNE" is the fourth of the serial stories published in
+"OUR BOYS AND GIRLS." It was written in response to a great number of
+calls for a sequel to "THE STARRY FLAG." The author was pleased to
+learn that Levi Fairfield had made so pleasant an impression upon his
+young friends, and the gratifying reception extended to him in the
+present story, as it appeared in the Magazine, was quite as flattering
+to the writer as to Levi himself. When a good boy, like the hero of
+"The Starry Flag," is regarded with so much kindly interest by our boys
+and girls, it is convincing evidence that they have the capacity to
+appreciate noble conduct, daring deeds, and a true life.
+
+The author is not disposed to apologize for the "exciting" element--as
+some have been pleased to denominate it--of this and others of his
+stories. If goodness and truth have been cast down, if vice and sin
+have been raised up, in the story, an explanation would not, and ought
+not to, atone for the crime. The writer degrades no saints, he
+canonizes no villains. He believes that his young friends admire and
+love the youthful heroes of the story because they are good and true,
+because they are noble and self-sacrificing, and because they are
+generous and courageous, and not merely because they engage in stirring
+adventures. Exciting the youthful mind in the right direction is one
+thing; exciting it in the wrong direction is quite another thing.
+
+Once more it becomes the writer's pleasant duty to acknowledge the
+kindness of his young friends, as well as of very many parents and
+guardians, who have so often and so freely expressed their approbation
+of his efforts to please his readers. He has been continually cheered
+by their kind letters, and by their constant favor, however manifested;
+and he cannot help wondering that one who deserves so little should
+receive so much.
+
+                                   WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
+
+HARRISON SQUARE, MASS.,
+
+July 27, 1868.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                                 PAGE
+
+CHAPTER I.
+    THREE YEARS AFTER.                             11
+
+CHAPTER II.
+    FIRE.                                          21
+
+CHAPTER III.
+    THE HOLE IN THE WALL.                          31
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+    THE PLANK OVER THE CHASM.                      42
+
+CHAPTER V.
+    AN INDUCTIVE ARGUMENT.                         53
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+    THE STARRY FLAG.                               64
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+    GRAVE CHARGES.                                 75
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+    CONSTABLE COOKE.                               86
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+    THE EXAMINATION.                               97
+
+CHAPTER X.
+    MR. C. AUGUSTUS EBÉNIER.                      108
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+    THE RESULT OF THE EXAMINATION.                119
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+    HOTEL DE POISSON.                             130
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+    "OFT FROM APPARENT ILLS."                     141
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+    "LOSE HIS OWN SOUL."                          151
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+    ANOTHER LITTLE PLAN.                          161
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+    PISTOLS FOR TWO.                              173
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+    THE GOLD RESTORED.                            184
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+    MAT MOGMORE.                                  195
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+    THE CARIBBEE.                                 207
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+    DOCK VINCENT'S LETTER.                        219
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+    THE CARIBBEE SAILS FOR AUSTRALIA.             230
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+    THE TRAVELLER WHO LOST HIS WAY.               241
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+    OFF SANDY HOOK.                               253
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+    HALF ROUND THE WORLD.                         264
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+    A HAPPY REUNION.                              275
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+    CONCLUSION.                                   287
+
+
+
+
+FREAKS OF FORTUNE;
+
+OR,
+
+HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THREE YEARS AFTER.
+
+
+"This is the spot, Bessie," said Levi Fairfield, as he paused on the
+bank of the brook which flows into the bay near Mike's Point.
+
+"But what was the thing you made?" asked Bessie Watson, as she looked
+with interest at the place indicated, though she could not see anything
+very remarkable, or even strange.
+
+"It was a young saw-mill," laughed Levi. "It rested on those flat
+stones you see there; but the dam is entirely washed away. I made it in
+Mr. Mogmore's carpenter's shop, near uncle Nathan's house. After a deal
+of fussing and tinkering, I got it so that it sawed through a board two
+feet long from one end to the other. It was the proudest day of my life
+when I showed Mr. Mogmore the two parts, separated by my machine; and
+he declared I should make a good machinist."
+
+"Where is the saw-mill now?" inquired Bessie, interested in the machine
+because it had been made by Levi, rather than because she had a taste
+for mechanics.
+
+"It is up in the attic of uncle Nathan's house; at least it was there
+three years ago, when I went to live with Mr. Gayles."
+
+"I should really like to see it."
+
+"Should you? Well, you shall, if the thing is still in being. I will go
+down to uncle Nathan's and get it, and then I will set it up, and you
+shall see it go," answered Levi, as he led the way towards the house of
+his uncle.
+
+The water privilege which Levi Fairfield, as a boy of thirteen, had
+improved, was located on the brook behind the cottage of Mr. Mogmore.
+Bessie did not care to meet uncle Nathan; so she decided to call upon
+the carpenter's family; for, having spent three seasons at Rockport,
+she was well acquainted in several families near her father's new
+house, which was on the shore, not far from Mike's Point.
+
+Bessie--or, as we ought to call her now, Miss Watson, though it does
+not sound half so pleasant to the ear, and Levi had been several times
+reproved for addressing her in this formal manner--Miss Watson was
+"sweet sixteen," or so near it that we give her the full benefit of the
+majority fraction. If she was pretty at twelve, she was beautiful at
+sixteen. She was rather tall for her age, but exceedingly well formed.
+She had spent much of her time in the open air, and on her cheeks
+glowed the roses of health.
+
+Mrs. McGilvery, a widowed sister of Mr. Watson, who had been the
+principal of a young ladies' seminary before her marriage, was
+intrusted with the care of her niece's education. Though Bessie
+attended school while in the city, yet she was absent four months in
+the year, during three of which she studied with her governess, on the
+sea-shore. Fortunately for Bessie, Mrs. McGilvery was an amphibious
+lady, and was always ready for a trip in The Starry Flag, Levi
+Fairfield's well-tried craft. She had a taste for yachts, not only in
+pleasant weather, and on a smooth sea, but when the wind blew anything
+short of a gale, and the white caps whipped over the gunwale of the
+boat. Bessie, therefore, was frequently on the salt water with her
+_duenna_, and her constitution had been wonderfully strengthened by
+this healthful exercise.
+
+Levi Fairfield and The Starry Flag were in demand almost every day; and
+we need not add that the young skipper did not regard himself as a
+martyr in the cause. Though the excursions to Halibut Point,
+Straitsmouth, the Selvages, and other places in the vicinity, were
+frequently repeated, he was never happier than when at the helm with
+Bessie and Mrs. McGilvery on board; not particularly on account of the
+latter, though he was quite a favorite with her.
+
+Levi left Miss Watson at the door of Mr. Mogmore's cottage, and walked
+over to uncle Nathan's house. Three years had not improved the
+appearance of the miser's house, for he spent no money upon it in paint
+and repairs. When anything about the building caved in, as it
+frequently did, he tinkered it himself. If time had not improved uncle
+Nathan or his house, it had improved Levi. He was nearly eighteen, was
+"man grown," strong as a lion, and agile as a deer. Within the
+preceding three years he had made two fishing trips, though most of his
+time had been spent at the academy.
+
+He entered his uncle's house. Though his visits, like angels', had been
+few and far between, they were not so because Levi cherished any ill
+will towards his former guardian, but because he had been made to feel
+that he was not a welcome guest. Uncle Nathan never felt right after
+his removal from the position of guardian of his nephew. The care of
+the money was taken from him, and he was deprived of the profits he
+derived from boarding and clothing his ward. He realized that money had
+been taken out of his pocket by the spirited conduct of Levi; and
+taking money out of the miser's pocket was the sorest injury that could
+be inflicted upon him.
+
+But Levi behaved like a Christian. He did not forget that his uncle and
+aunt lived in that old and dilapidated house, and he did his best to
+keep the peace with them. In the most literal manner he returned good
+for evil. It is true he could not respect his uncle, or get up a very
+warm regard for him,--he was too mean, selfish, and unprincipled to win
+the respect and regard of any decent person,--but he could treat him
+with Christian kindness.
+
+Mr. Gayles, since he had been Levi's guardian, had, by the advice of
+Mr. Watson, given his ward a regular allowance of five dollars a week
+for pocket money, independent of his actual expenses for clothing
+himself. This money was spent in books, in improvements on The Starry
+Flag, in charity, and for other proper purposes. Not a cent of it ever
+went to the keeper of a grog-shop, billiard-saloon, or other place
+which a young man should avoid; but not a little of it, in one way and
+another, found its way into the comfortless abode of uncle Nathan.
+
+Though his aunt, by the force of circumstances, had become almost as
+mean as her husband, she was not a bad woman in other respects, and
+Levi had considerable regard for her. She had but few joys in this
+world, and one of them was reading the newspaper, when she was so
+fortunate as to procure one, which was but seldom. Levi subscribed for
+the Boston Journal for her, which came every day, and for a weekly
+religious newspaper. The old lady had a splendid time every afternoon
+reading her paper, and enjoyed a "rich season" every "Sabba' day" over
+her Sunday paper.
+
+Levi did more than this. He not only carried to the house a great many
+fish he caught himself, but a leg of veal or lamb, a roasting-piece of
+beef, a pair of chickens, or a turkey was not unfrequently laid upon
+the kitchen table by him. Uncle Nathan ate the roast beef, the turkeys,
+and the chickens, but he hated the giver none the less. It was a
+shameful waste of money to buy such things; and these delicacies
+reminded him of the dollars and half dollars that had slipped away from
+him when he lost Levi, rather than the kindness and Christian charity
+of the young man in presenting them.
+
+It was not so with Mrs. Fairfield, though the savage flings and unkind
+allusions of her husband to his nephew were not without their influence
+upon her. She could not help feeling a great regard for the donor of
+the newspapers, and the substantials which gave the table such an
+unwonted attractiveness. As far as her dull nature would permit, she
+appreciated the kindness and good will of Levi. It is true that on
+several occasions uncle Nathan had sold the turkeys, chickens, and
+roasting-pieces his late ward had given him; yet it had never been
+without a protest on the part of aunt Susan. It was an awful waste for
+him to eat these luxuries; but selling the gifts of Levi was monstrous
+to her, and her protest was so energetic that she carried her point,
+and the miser was compelled to eat food which was so costly that it
+almost choked him.
+
+Uncle Nathan did not get fat on the bounty of his liberal nephew. He
+had too many corroding cares, too many financial terrors, too many
+fears that the banks would break, his creditors fail, his stocks
+depreciate, to eat and sleep like a Christian. Misers never grow
+liberal as they grow old, and he was no exception to the rule. A
+financial panic had just swept over the land, and though he had lost
+nothing by it, it caused him more anguish than thousands who had lost
+their all. He was afraid of banks, afraid of men, afraid even of good
+mortgages on productive real estate. He dreaded some calamity he could
+not define, which would wrest from him every dollar he had in the
+world.
+
+To guard against this horrible event, he had actually converted some of
+the less reliable of his securities into gold, and concealed it in his
+house, preferring to sacrifice the interest to the safety of the
+principal, bitter as the necessity seemed to be.
+
+For two months uncle Nathan had kept four thousand dollars in gold in
+the house, groaning at the loss of sixty-six and two thirds cents a day
+in interest; but a bank somewhere in the state had failed, and he dared
+not trust the money out of his own possession. It had been hidden in
+the cellar, hidden in the parlor, hidden in the kitchen, and hidden in
+his chamber; but no place seemed to be safe, and the miser trembled
+when awake, and trembled when asleep, in his dreams, lest the
+figurative description of riches should be realized, and his gold
+should take to itself wings and fly away.
+
+Ruin and decay had invaded the sleeping-room of the miser, as it had
+every other part of his house. There was many a hole in the plastering,
+and many a hole in the floor; but there was one particular hole in the
+wall, about a foot above the floor, in a corner behind the bed. This
+particular hole was selected as the receptacle for the gold. He had cut
+away the laths, so that he could thrust his arm down into the aperture,
+and deposit the bag on the sill of the house.
+
+He had begged a piece of board of Mr. Mogmore to cover this hole, and
+had fastened it over the plastering with four screws. While he was thus
+engaged, Mat Mogmore, the carpenter's son, had come for the
+screw-driver uncle Nathan had borrowed at the shop. Mrs. Fairfield, not
+knowing what her husband was doing, sent him into the chamber for it.
+
+"Stoppin' up the cracks to keep the cold out," whined the miser. "I
+cal'late I got the rheumatiz out of this hole."
+
+Mat wanted the screw-driver, but he helped fasten up the board before
+he took it, and wondered what the old man had cut away the laths for.
+The board was put up, and the money was safe; but the miser hardly
+dared to go out of sight of the house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+FIRE.
+
+
+Levi entered the house. Uncle Nathan was not at home, but he was
+probably somewhere in the vicinity. Aunt Susan was in the kitchen
+baking her weekly batch of brown bread, the staple article of food in
+the family, because it was cheaper than white bread.
+
+"Aunt, I want to go up in the garret and get that little saw-mill I
+made four or five years ago," said Levi.
+
+"Well, I s'pose you can," replied she, filling up the old brick oven
+with pine wood, which cracked and snapped furiously in the fierce
+flames.
+
+"It's up there now--isn't it?"
+
+"I s'pose 'tis, if you put it there; I hain't teched it."
+
+"Will you give me a little piece of candle, too, if you please?"
+
+"You can take that piece in the candlestick on the mantel-tree piece,
+if it's long enough."
+
+"That will do just as well as if it were a foot long," replied Levi,
+taking the piece of candle, and rolling it up in a bit of newspaper.
+
+He went up into the attic, found the saw-mill just as he had left it,
+though it was covered with half an inch of dust and cobwebs. When he
+came down, he heard uncle Nathan's voice in the kitchen. He was
+growling because his wife used so much wood to heat the oven, and Levi
+concluded not to see him that day, for he seemed to be in a more than
+usually unamiable frame of mind. He went out at the front door, and
+Bessie joined him as he passed Mr. Mogmore's house. The saw-mill was
+taken to the spot where it had stood before. The dam was reconstructed
+much more readily than the rebel states.
+
+Taking the candle from his pocket, Levi greased the running parts of
+the machine, hoisted the gate, and away went the saw as briskly as a
+bee after its years of rest in the attic, to the intense delight of
+Bessie, who was quite ready to vote another feather for the cap of the
+hero. A piece of board was adjusted on the carriage, and the saw began
+to whisk, whisk, whisk through it, when a series of yells in the
+direction of the road attracted the attention of the engineer of the
+structure.
+
+"Why, what's that smoke?" exclaimed Bessie.
+
+"Fire! Fire! Fire!" shouted several persons in the road.
+
+"It's uncle Nathan's house," said Levi; and, without waiting to extend
+any further courtesies to his fair companion, he bounded through the
+field, and over the fence, to the imperilled dwelling.
+
+Around the north chimney the smoke was pouring out in a dense volume.
+Uncle Nathan had raised a ladder to the roof, and was drawing up pails
+of water to throw on the fire. Aunt Susan and Mat Mogmore were
+assisting him, and in a few moments several other persons arrived at
+the house. Levi ran up the ladder, and went to work with a decision and
+vigor which promised the best results.
+
+"I'm ruined! I'm ruined, as true as you live!" groaned the miser. "The
+house will burn up!"
+
+"No, it won't, uncle Nathan. We can put the fire out if we stick to
+it," replied Levi, in encouraging tones, as he dashed a bucket of water
+on a volume of flame that rushed up at the side of the chimney.
+
+"Tain't no use! It's jest my luck."
+
+"Pass up the buckets, uncle Nathan, and we shall be all right in a few
+minutes. We are gaining on it."
+
+"O, my money!" groaned the miser, as he dropped the empty bucket he was
+carrying.
+
+Levi glanced at him. His uncle was as pale as a sheet, and seemed to
+have wilted as though the flames had blasted him. He sank down upon the
+roof, and would have rolled off if the strong arm of his nephew had not
+saved him. His eyes were closed, his lips were blue and ashy, and his
+frame was motionless. Levi was alarmed by his appearance. He was either
+dead or had fainted, and the young man saw that he must be removed.
+Lying down by the side of the senseless form, he clasped his arms
+around it, and rose to his feet with the burden on his back. Like all
+misers, uncle Nathan was nothing but skin and bones, which do not weigh
+heavily, and Levi walked along the ridge-pole to the other end of the
+house with the nerveless body on his back.
+
+It was not an easy matter to descend the ladder with such a load,
+though Levi would have carried his uncle down alone if no help had
+arrived. Before he reached the ladder, two men had mounted the roof,
+and while one of them was directed to pour water on the fire, the other
+assisted in bearing the miser down the ladder. He was carried to Mr.
+Mogmore's house, and aunt Susan followed, having satisfied herself that
+her husband was not dead, but had fainted.
+
+[Illustration: A PERILOUS POSITION.--Page 24.]
+
+Having deposited the form of the miser on the bed, Levi hastened back
+to assist in saving the house. His post was in the midst of danger, and
+he went up on the roof. A plentiful supply of water soon drowned out
+the fire, and before the engine arrived the last spark had been
+extinguished.
+
+"O, my money!" had been the last words of Mr. Fairfield before he
+fainted. Levi did not understand the force of this expression, for he
+was not aware that his uncle had four thousand dollars in gold
+concealed in the house. The miser had worked with the energy of
+desperation to put out the fire, until the flames appeared to be
+gaining upon him, and then he was in despair. At this point the thought
+of his gold flashed upon him with such stunning force that it had taken
+away his senses. Doubtless the smoke and the heat, as well as the
+violence of his exertions, had contributed in some measure to this
+result.
+
+The house would be burned, and the four thousand dollars would be lost!
+This was the reflection which overwhelmed the miser. Even death seemed
+preferable to losing such a vast sum of money. His god appeared to be
+riven from him, and the revulsion in his mind was terrible. If his hair
+had not already been gray, the shock was heavy enough to have bleached
+it out in a single instant.
+
+When the fire had been put out, Levi hastened over to the carpenter's
+house to ascertain the condition of his uncle. The patient, under the
+skilful treatment of the old ladies who had ministered to him, was just
+regaining his consciousness, but had not yet sufficiently recovered to
+know what had happened to him. The house was not much injured. A hole
+in the roof, about six feet in diameter, had been burned out, and the
+water poured upon the fire had found its way into the rooms below.
+
+The neighbors had worked with energy in extinguishing the fire, and
+some of them had gone into the house, and were removing the bedding and
+other furniture, so that the water should not drip down upon it from
+above. When Levi came back, he found Dock Vincent and Mat Mogmore
+removing the bed from his uncle's chamber. Others were carrying out the
+bureau and chairs. The work was about finished, and he joined Bessie in
+the road, where she had been observing the exciting scene.
+
+"How did it take fire, Levi?" she asked.
+
+"I don't know. Aunt had a tremendous fire in the oven."
+
+"There comes your uncle," added Bessie, pointing to the poor old man,
+as he reeled up the road in his weakness, like a drunken man. "How
+awful he looks!"
+
+"He feels badly about it, I suppose," replied Levi.
+
+Uncle Nathan's face did indeed present an aspect which was almost
+hideous. It was still as pale and ghastly as death itself; and upon it
+there was an expression of the most intense agony. His wife was
+following him, hardly able to keep pace with the long strides he made.
+
+"It's all right, uncle Nathan; we saved the house, and not much damage
+has been done to it," said Levi, as the old man passed him.
+
+Uncle Nathan took no notice of him; perhaps he did not even hear him,
+so deeply was he absorbed in thinking about the gold. Levi and Bessie
+followed him into the house. The wretched miser rushed into his
+chamber. Mat Mogmore was there, and seemed to be busy in wiping the
+water from the floor. Dock Vincent was in the next room, apparently as
+busy as the carpenter's son.
+
+The miser, with all the powers of his being concentrated in his eyes,
+gazed tremblingly at the board which covered the hiding-place of his
+money. That dark hole was the temple of his god, and all his hopes
+seemed to be shrouded in its gloom. But the board was where he left it,
+and as he left it, and the miser breathed a little easier.
+
+"It was rather hard on you, Mr. Fairfield; but it's lucky it ain't no
+worse," said Dock Vincent.
+
+"It's bad enough," groaned the miser.
+
+"That's so; but 'tain't so bad as it might be. I was just coming down
+from the ledges when I saw the smoke; and I've been to work like a good
+one ever since," added Dock.
+
+"If I can do anything more for you, I'm willing to help as much as I
+can," said Mat Mogmore.
+
+"There ain't nothing more to do," replied Mr. Fairfield, who only
+desired that the neighbors would leave, so that he could assure himself
+of the safety of his gold.
+
+They did go, without even the thanks of the miser. Levi was in the
+kitchen with Mrs. Fairfield, trying to make out how the fire had
+caught.
+
+"Sech a piece of work, massy knows!" exclaimed the old lady, as she
+looked about her in dismay at the water which was still dripping down
+from above. "It'll take a whole month to put things to rights agin. I
+can't tell, for the life of me, how it ketched."
+
+"You had a large fire in the oven, aunt," suggested Levi.
+
+"But the fire in the oven didn't set the ruff afire! Sunthin was the
+matter with that chimbly, and your uncle fixed it e'enamost a month
+ago. I don't know nothin' what he did to it. Mebbe there was a hole in
+that chimbly--For massy sake! What's comin' now!"
+
+This exclamation had been brought from her by a loud, despairing howl
+from her husband, who at this moment rushed into the kitchen, with such
+a look of anguish on his face that it frightened Bessie.
+
+"O, my money!" groaned the wretched man.
+
+"For pity's sake, husband, what's the matter?" cried Mrs. Fairfield.
+
+"It's all gone!" gasped uncle Nathan.
+
+"What's all gone?"
+
+"The money!" he replied in a whisper.
+
+His nature could endure no more. He tottered on his legs, and Levi
+sprang to his assistance just as he dropped senseless on the floor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE HOLE IN THE WALL.
+
+
+As soon as Dock Vincent and Mat Mogmore had left the house, Mr.
+Fairfield procured a case-knife,--for he was not the owner of so useful
+an implement as a screw-driver,--and, with trembling anxiety, removed
+the board that covered the hole in the wall. Thrusting his hand down
+into the aperture, a cold chill swept through his frame when he failed
+to touch the bags in which the gold was contained. With convulsive
+energy, he felt in every part of the cavity; but the money had surely
+taken to itself wings and flown away.
+
+Had all the human beings upon the earth been suddenly destroyed before
+his eyes, the effect upon the miser could not have been more
+deplorable. He loved his money; he did not love his fellow-beings. His
+heart almost ceased to beat beneath the shock, his lip quivered, and
+the tears started in his eyes. His brain began to reel before the blow;
+he uttered a prolonged howl, and rushed out into the kitchen rather
+from impulse than because he desired or expected human sympathy.
+
+Bessie Watson was terrified by the fearful aspect of Mr. Fairfield when
+he entered the room, and for weeks the awful expression upon his face
+haunted her like the vision of a midnight ghost. Levi was startled, and
+Mrs. Fairfield, accustomed as she was to the ways of her husband, was
+deeply moved by his singular conduct. When he was ailing, he was
+subject to fainting fits; but he had never appeared so badly as on the
+present occasion.
+
+The miser trusted no person, had no confidence in any one, not even in
+his wife. He had not told her that he had four thousand dollars in gold
+in the house, for he feared that she might be tempted to rob him of his
+treasure. Mrs. Fairfield, therefore, did not comprehend his despairing
+utterances when he announced the loss of his money.
+
+Levi and his aunt conveyed the senseless form to the front room, and
+after working over him nearly half an hour, he came out of the fit, but
+only to suffer the most intense agonies at the loss of his money.
+
+"What on airth is the matter with you, Nathan?" asked his wife, when,
+after another examination of the hole in the wall, he appeared in the
+kitchen again.
+
+Bessie had gone home; but Levi remained, to render any assistance in
+his power in putting the house to rights.
+
+"O!" groaned the miser, heavily, as he paced the room with furious
+strides.
+
+"Can't you tell what ails you?" continued Mrs. Fairfield.
+
+"It's all gone," gasped he, with a prolonged sigh.
+
+"What is it? What's all gone? Why don't you tell a body what has
+happened?"
+
+"My money is all gone! Somebody has stolen it--robbed me, ruined me!"
+
+"Who on airth stole it?"
+
+"I donno," replied Mr. Fairfield, glancing at Levi.
+
+"How much was stole?"
+
+"Four thousand dollars," sighed the miser.
+
+"For massy sake!" exclaimed Mrs. Fairfield; and it was a question
+whether she would not faint, for such a sum of money was beyond her
+comprehension.
+
+"Where was it, uncle Nathan?" asked Levi, who pitied the sufferings of
+the old man.
+
+The miser looked at his nephew. People always suspect those whom they
+hate. If any wicked deed is done, they charge it upon those they love
+the least, regardless of circumstances.
+
+"Levi Fairfield, you stole my money!" continued the old man, fiercely.
+
+"Nonsense, Nathan!" interposed Mrs. Fairfield. "Levi didn't do nothin'
+of the sort."
+
+"Didn't you tell me he went up in the attic before the fire? Didn't you
+tell me you gave him a piece of candle?" demanded Mr. Fairfield,
+earnestly; and doubtless he felt that Levi was guilty, for his
+impulsive charge was made on the strength of a course of reasoning he
+had followed out.
+
+"What if I did tell you so? Levi didn't steal no four thousand dollars.
+There's no sense nor reason in sayin' so," added aunt Susan.
+
+"I say he did steal it. I know he did now," persisted the miser. "He
+set the house afire, and then took the money. That boy hates me, and
+he's bad enough to do anything, if he is go'n' to jine the church."
+
+"Levi has money enough," argued Mrs. Fairfield. "Why should he steal
+your money?"
+
+"Cause he hates me."
+
+"Uncle Nathan, I don't hate you, and I didn't steal your money," said
+Levi, who had calmly listened to the debate between his uncle and aunt.
+
+"Yes, you did; you set the house afire, so's to git a chance to git the
+money. It's all plain enough to me," continued the old man, striding up
+and down the room more rapidly than before.
+
+"I suppose it will be useless for me to say anything," added Levi, more
+in pity than in anger. "I am willing to do anything I can to help you
+find the money, if it is lost, or catch the thief, if it was stolen."
+
+"'Tain't no use for you to talk no more, Levi Fairfield," said the old
+man, stopping in front of him. "You know all about it, and you took the
+money. If you're a mind to give it all back to me, I won't say a word
+to nobody about it."
+
+"I did not take it, and I know nothing about it. I was not aware that
+you had so much money in the house," replied Levi.
+
+"What did you want of the candle, then, if you didn't steal the money?"
+
+"I wanted it to grease the saw-mill, and the candle lies on a rock by
+the brook now."
+
+"Didn't you set the house afire when you went up in the garret?"
+
+"I did not. I had no light, and not even a match in my pocket."
+
+"Who did steal it, then, if you didn't?"
+
+"I don't know. Where did you keep the money?"
+
+The old man led the way to his chamber, and pointed out the hole.
+
+"That's a bad place to keep money," said Levi.
+
+"'Tain't no use to keep money in the bank now; they're all failin', and
+folks is failin'; and a man that's got a little money is wus off than
+them that hain't got none."
+
+Levi asked a great many questions about the money, and the hole, which
+uncle Nathan, hoping to find his money, answered. There was no evidence
+to fasten the crime upon any one. The facts that appeared were, that
+the money, in four bags, had been deposited in the cavity; that an hour
+before the fire, the miser had assured himself the gold was safe; that,
+after the fire, the board had been found in its place as before, but
+the gold was gone. A dozen of the neighbors, at least, had been into
+the room, and Dock Vincent and Mat Mogmore had been the last to leave.
+Mr. Fairfield was sure that neither Dock nor Mat knew he had any money
+in the house. There was no good reason for supposing they, any more
+than any other of the neighbors, had taken the gold.
+
+After a long and careful examination of the premises, and a patient
+inquiry into all the circumstances, nothing could be brought forward to
+implicate any person in the robbery. Levi was not willing to believe
+yet that the gold had been stolen. He went down cellar, and surveyed
+the timbers under the hole, hoping that the bags had dropped through;
+but he could not find them. He could not determine whether or not there
+was any connection between the fire and the robbery; but Mr. Fairfield
+insisted that some one--he did not say Levi now--intended to burn the
+house, so as to cover up the crime, or at least afford an opportunity
+to commit the theft.
+
+"How could any one set the fire in the roof?" asked Levi.
+
+"They might have gone up there, as you did," replied the old man,
+rather malignantly.
+
+"Let us go up and see how the fire took," added Levi. "Aunt Susan had a
+big fire in the oven."
+
+"It couldn't ketch afire up there if she did," replied uncle Nathan, as
+he followed his nephew up the ladder.
+
+Some of the boards and shingles had been burned through, but the
+rafters were only charred. Levi went up to the chimney and examined the
+woodwork near it. The house was a very old one, and had been built upon
+until its present proportions had been reached. The chimney, where the
+fire had taken, was in the most ancient part, and the bricks were laid
+in clay. Levi found that three or four of them, on one of the inside
+corners, had dropped out. This was the defect which the owner had
+repaired.
+
+"There is a great hole in the chimney," said Levi.
+
+"I know there is; but I stopped that up a month ago. I hadn't no mortar
+nor nothin', and I just nailed a board over the hole."
+
+"That's the way the fire took," added Levi, wondering at the
+carelessness of his uncle.
+
+"I didn't suppose there was any heat up here, twenty foot from the
+fire," replied the old man, sheepishly.
+
+"Aunt Susan had a rousing fire in the oven. The wind was pretty fresh,
+and I suppose the sparks caught on the dry board. It is clear enough to
+me that no one set the house on fire."
+
+"I suppose they didn't, then; but somebody stole my money. Mebbe you'll
+prove that nobody didn't steal it."
+
+"I am willing to take your word for that;" and the miser's visible
+sufferings were all-sufficient to convince any person that the money
+was gone, whether any one had stolen it or not.
+
+Levi tried in vain to obtain a clew to the lost treasure. He knew of no
+one that had visited the house during the fire who was bad enough to
+steal, unless it was Dock Vincent; but it was not right to suspect even
+him of the crime without some evidence. Neither Levi nor his uncle saw
+how Dock could have taken off the board, removed the bags, and then
+restored the covering, while there were so many people in the house.
+
+Dock Vincent, after his discharge from the state prison, had gone to
+New York, where he had been employed as the mate of a steamer. Six
+months before the story opens, his brother, residing in Boston, had
+died, and as the deceased had no family, his property, amounting to
+twenty-one thousand dollars, had been equally divided among his two
+brothers and one sister. Dock fully believed that seven thousand
+dollars on Cape Ann would entirely wipe out the disgrace of having
+served a term in the state prison, and he returned to Rockport, dressed
+in a nice suit of black.
+
+Dock was mistaken; seven thousand dollars would not varnish his
+character so that good men would associate with him. He blustered and
+swelled, and declared that he had been taken up for nothing; that this
+was not a free country; and that he was a better man than thousands in
+town who had never been to the state prison. He never forgave Levi for
+thwarting his plans, and swore roundly that he would be the ruin of him
+and of Mr. Watson.
+
+The best friend Dock had was Nathan Fairfield, and the miser was not
+willing to believe that Dock had robbed him of his gold. After Levi
+went home that day, his uncle persisted that he had stolen the money.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE PLANK OVER THE CHASM.
+
+
+A week of indescribable misery to Nathan Fairfield passed away; but no
+trace of the robber or the money had been obtained. The constables and
+the deputy sheriff had visited the premises, and carefully considered
+all the facts, without affording the miserable man a particle of
+consolation. He groaned from morning till night, forlorn and desolate,
+declaring that he should come to want, and die in the poorhouse.
+
+Probably the money the wretch had lost was not a fifth part of his
+fortune, and he was in no more danger of coming to want than the sea
+was of being dried up. But he felt as though he had lost all; and if he
+had been stripped of everything, he could hardly have suffered more. He
+felt poor, and wanted to earn money in some way. The dog-fish season
+had opened favorably, and he was actually preparing to go into the
+business of catching them. Dock Vincent had promised him the use of a
+dory,--for he could not afford to buy one,--and he had taken Levi's old
+lines and repaired them for use.
+
+Mr. Fairfield groaned and sighed all day long while he worked upon his
+fishing-lines and his trolls. He could not tell who had stolen his
+money, and in his hatred of his nephew, he still persisted in
+suspecting him. There was no proof, and he could do nothing but believe
+that Levi was the thief. It was useless to say anything or do anything,
+for Levi was so popular that justice could not be had.
+
+The lines, the troll, and the bait were all ready, and the old man
+carried them down to the landing-place where Dock had left the dory.
+Along the shore of this part of Cape Ann there is a succession of rocky
+peninsulas, extending out into the sea. Between these are the beaches,
+stretching in semicircles from bluff to bluff, as they have been
+fashioned by the mighty waves which roll in from the open ocean. On
+these sandy shores the billows chant their solemn melody all day and
+all night long, and break with sharper pitch and fiercer swell upon the
+jagged rocks that form the headlands.
+
+On the road, but a few rods from Mr. Fairfield's, and near one of these
+peninsulas, was the house of Dock Vincent, where his family had always
+lived, even when he was in New York. The end of the headland curved
+round so as to leave a portion of the water behind it protected from
+the force of the sea, thus forming a sheltered landing-place. Off this
+point lay The Starry Flag, and on the rocks where the boatmen usually
+embarked were several skiffs, and among them Dock Vincent's dory, which
+Mr. Fairfield was to use.
+
+Across the end of the headland, a few rods from the extreme point, was
+a natural chasm in the rocks, through which the water flowed at high
+tide. It was about ten feet wide, and rather more than this in depth.
+Across it a plank had been placed for the convenience of fishermen and
+others.
+
+On the next headland, which terminated in Mike's Point, was the new
+summer residence of Mr. Watson. He had made a landing-pier, which was
+available at half tide; but Levi kept his boat at the old moorings,
+because the place was sheltered from the violence of the north-east
+winds, and it was less than half a mile across to the house where he
+usually took in his passengers.
+
+Mr. Fairfield went down to the dory, and put his fishing-gear on board.
+He did it as a man goes to a funeral. He had been a fisherman in his
+younger days, but it was a bitter necessity, in his view, which now
+compelled him to resume it when he was old and stiff. While he was
+stowing the bait and lines in the skiff, Dock Vincent came down to see
+him. He had laid aside his suit of black, and now wore a full seaman's
+rig.
+
+"Well, Squire Fairfield, have you heard anything from your money yet?"
+demanded Dock, as he seated himself on a rock.
+
+"Not a thing; and 'tain't likely I ever shall, nuther," replied Mr.
+Fairfield, with a most distressing expression on his face.
+
+"Haven't you any idea what has become of it?"
+
+"Not the leastest grain in the world. It's gone, and that's all I know
+about it. I did think Levi took it, and I hain't got done thinkin' so
+yet."
+
+"What made you think he took it?" asked Dock, with no little interest
+manifested on his ugly face.
+
+"Well, he come to the house when I wan't in, though I was close by and
+see him go in. He went up garret and got a little saw-mill he made. I
+went up to the house, and was just goin' to see where he was; but I
+stopped a minute in the kitchen to tell my wife she was wastin' the
+wood, and Levi went out afore I see him. A little while arter, the fire
+bruk out, and arter that my money was gone. Levi's most eighteen, and
+it stands to reason he don't want no little saw-mill to play with."
+
+"Of course he don't," added Dock, encouragingly.
+
+"He said arterwards that he wanted to show it to the Watson gal. But
+what does a city gal like her keer about a saw-mill? and nuther on 'em
+hain't been near it sence."
+
+"That shows how much they care about it," said Dock, who was evidently
+prepared to indorse the old man's philosophy.
+
+"I can't help thinkin' Levi set the house afire, and then took the
+money," continued Mr. Fairfield, ignoring the current explanation of
+the cause of the fire. "My wife says 'tain't so, because the boy has
+all the money he wants, and don't have no occasion to steal; but Levi
+hain't no more idee of the vally of money than he has of flyin', and he
+throws it away as reckless as a sailor arter he comes home from a Cape
+Horn v'y'ge."
+
+"I know he does; if he had to earn it, he wouldn't be quite so free
+with it."
+
+"Levi hates me, 'f I am his uncle, and never did nothing but take good
+keer of his money for him--he hates me like destruction; and that's
+what makes me think he done it. He's a bad boy, if he is go'n' to jine
+the church. Folks will find him out one of these days, and then they'll
+know I told the truth about him."
+
+"Could anybody else have taken the money? That's the p'int."
+
+"Not's I know on--least ways nobody but you and Mat Mogmore."
+
+"You don't think I took it--do you?"
+
+"I hain't been able to think so," replied the miser, looking up into
+the face of Dock. "I allers thought you set too much by me to sarve me
+sech a trick as that. I've lent you a good deal of money one time 'n
+another."
+
+"But I paid you ten per cent. for it. I didn't take your money, and I
+know Mat Mogmore didn't. I was with him all the time he was in the
+house. We worked together."
+
+"It stands to reason, then, that Levi took it; I can't help thinkin'
+so."
+
+"They say he carries a good many things to your house," suggested Dock.
+
+"Kerries a good many things to my house!" repeated the miser with a
+sneer. "Mebbe he does. What sort of things does he kerry there?
+Chickens and turkeys, and surlines and ribs of beef, and sech truck! He
+knows I don't want sech things, and he does it jest to aggravate me. If
+he wants to do anything for me, why don't he gim me the money he pays
+out for 'em? That's what I want to know."
+
+"I don't think you've hit the nail on the head this time, Mr.
+Fairfield," added Dock, who evidently had a theory of his own to
+propose. "They say you are worth some thirty or forty thousand dollars,
+Mr. Fairfield."
+
+"Bless ye! I ain't wuth no sech money. I've got a little or sunthin,
+but I expect to lose it all."
+
+"Well, call it twenty thousand, then."
+
+"I ain't wuth that," added Mr. Fairfield, testily; for, like all
+misers, he desired to conceal his possessions, as much to blind the
+assessors as to avoid the peril of robbery.
+
+"Well, you are worth something."
+
+"A little or sunthin," answered Mr. Fairfield, conceding this for the
+sake of argument.
+
+"Have you made a will, Squire Fairfield?"
+
+"No, I hain't made no will. I hain't got nothin' to leave wuth makin' a
+will for."
+
+Dock did not believe this statement, but he took no notice of it.
+
+"You haven't any children, and if you should die, half of your money
+would go to Levi, and half to your wife. If you should die, Levi would
+make ten or fifteen thousand dollars by it. Don't you see now what he
+gives you chickens and turkeys for? He means to keep things smooth till
+you step out. If you shouldn't come back, when you go out after
+dog-fish to-morrow morning, Levi wouldn't feel half so bad about it as
+I should."
+
+This was a disagreeable topic to the miser, and he cut it short; but
+the idea that Levi was ready to have him die took fast hold of his
+shattered mind. Dock Vincent had produced the impression he desired; he
+had added fresh fuel to the flame of the old man's hatred; and he was
+content to let the subject drop for the present.
+
+Dock, finding himself a person of no consequence at the Cape, had
+already announced his intention to emigrate to Australia with his
+family; and he appeared to be waiting only to wreak his vengeance upon
+Levi Fairfield, who had defeated his plan to swindle Mr. Watson out of
+twenty thousand dollars. The young man had exposed and ruined him, in
+his estimation--not the crime; and he could not leave the country till
+he had "paid him off," though he was not so particular about his honest
+debts.
+
+The next morning Dock went down to the landing-place. When he reached
+the chasm, he saw Levi coming across the beach. His eyes glowed with
+hatred, as they always did when he looked upon the author of his
+misfortunes, the one whose testimony had sent him to the state prison.
+He did not care to meet him, and it was evident that Levi was coming
+for his boat. Stooping down, he adjusted the plank over the chasm in
+such a way that his victim would be pitched down upon the sharp rocks
+beneath, the instant he stepped upon it. The fall would not kill
+him--it would only bruise and maim him. Levi was beneath the rocky
+precipice, and could not see him.
+
+There was a smile on the villain's countenance as he retreated to a
+place of concealment near the spot, to wait for the disaster that
+should lay his victim upon the bed of pain and suffering.
+
+He waited ten minutes for the crash of the falling plank; but it did
+not come. Rising from his seat, he moved to a position where, looking
+through the chasm, he saw The Starry Flag standing over towards Mr.
+Watson's house. Levi had walked on the shelving rocks, and reached the
+landing without crossing the bridge. Dock was disappointed, and began
+to climb the rocks to readjust the plank. As he ascended, he discovered
+Mr. Fairfield, just stepping on the bridge. He shouted, but it was too
+late; the end of the plank slipped off, the old man danced upon
+nothing, and sank in the abyss below.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+AN INDUCTIVE ARGUMENT.
+
+
+Dock Vincent was appalled to find that he had tumbled Mr. Fairfield
+into the chasm; not that he was disturbed by any compunctions of
+conscience, but because he wished to keep on the right side of the old
+man, from prudential motives. He was in doubt whether to exhibit
+himself to the injured man or not. If he showed himself, he might be
+suspected of setting the trap into which the miser had fallen.
+
+The old man might be dead, and curiosity, if no stronger motive,
+induced him to inquire into his condition; but he took the precaution
+to reach the path by a roundabout way, and approach the chasm as though
+he had just come from his house. When he reached the abyss, he found
+Mr. Fairfield had risen, and was trying to climb up the rocks. He was
+groaning and taking on as though he had been badly hurt.
+
+"What's the matter, Squire Fairfield?" demanded Dock. "What you doing
+down there?"
+
+"O! O!" groaned the miser.
+
+"Looking for your money in there?"
+
+"O! No! O! I fell in," said the sufferer, in gasps.
+
+"Fell in! Why, how did that happen?" asked Dock, with well-feigned
+astonishment.
+
+"I donno. O! that plank gin away, O, and let me down."
+
+"Are you hurt?"
+
+"Most killed," replied Mr. Fairfield, holding his breath, and then
+exploding the words.
+
+Dock walked down the shelving bank above the water, and then entered
+the chasm.
+
+"Where are you hurt?" he asked.
+
+"My hips is both broke, and I'm jarred e'enamost to pieces."
+
+[Illustration: DOCK VINCENT'S VICTIM.--Page 54.]
+
+"I guess your hips aren't broke; you couldn't stand up if they were,"
+suggested Dock.
+
+"Sunthin's broke, I know."
+
+"Sit down on this rock, and let me see what is broke."
+
+Mr. Fairfield complied, and Dock, who, as the master of a vessel, had
+had some experience with sickness and injuries, carefully examined the
+old man's limbs. He was badly bruised in several places, on the legs
+and arms, but no bones appeared to be broken, so far as Dock's surgical
+skill could discern. The jar of the fall had doubtless racked his frame
+severely; but the miser was still a strong man, physically, and could
+bear a pretty hard rap.
+
+After resting a while, and rubbing his limbs, the sufferer was able,
+with the assistance of Dock, to walk home. He went to bed, and his wife
+bathed his limbs, and dressed the bruises on his legs and arms.
+
+"Shall I go for the doctor, Squire Fairfield?" asked Dock, when he had
+assisted the patient into his bed.
+
+"The doctor? No; he charges a dollar a visit," replied the old man,
+fearfully; for the idea of paying a physician's bill filled him with
+horror. "You say there ain't no bones broke; so I don't need no
+doctor."
+
+"He don't need no doctor," added Mrs. Fairfield.
+
+"I don't think you do myself. I've had worse cases than this aboard my
+vessel, and I got along without any doctors. You'll be all right in a
+week or two, Squire Fairfield."
+
+"It's jest my luck," sighed the miser. "Everything's goin' wrong with
+me. I shouldn't be a grain surprised if the house burned down over my
+head afore I got out agin. I shan't ketch no dog-fish to-day, that's
+sartain. There's ten dollars out o' my pocket, as sure's you live!"
+
+Dock was a rough comforter; but he spoke such words of consolation as
+the occasion required and his vocabulary contained.
+
+"It's jest my luck," repeated the miser. "Every other man in town might
+have walked over that plank, and it wouldn't gin away. I walked over
+that plank last night, and airly this morning. I see, when I stepped on
+to it, that somebody had been a movin' on it; but I didn't know the
+'tother eend was only just ketched on to the rock."
+
+"Who moved it?" asked Dock, rather disturbed by this suggestion of a
+suspicion.
+
+"I don't know nothin' about it; but somebody's been a movin' on it, or
+it wouldn't a gin away under me, and let me down."
+
+"But who could have moved the plank?" persisted Dock.
+
+"I donno; the eend I stepped on was kinder hauled up."
+
+"You say the plank was all right in the morning, when you went down?"
+
+"Sartin it was. I went over it, and fixed the dory, ready to go arter
+dog-fish, arter breakfast."
+
+"Well, the question is, Who has been down to the P'int since you went?"
+
+"I donno; but I believe somebody's tryin' to kill me--that's what I
+believe."
+
+"O, nonsense! who should want to kill you?"
+
+"I donno," replied Mr. Fairfield, hastily, and in a tone which implied
+that he knew very well who intended to kill him, but he did not wish to
+name the person. "If I hadn't been as tough as an old black-fish, it
+would have killed me, as sure as fate; that's the whole truth on't!"
+
+"But who could have set such a trap?" persisted Dock.
+
+"You didn't--did you?" added the old man, innocently.
+
+"Of course I didn't. You don't think I'd do such a thing as that," said
+Dock, laughing.
+
+"My wife didn't--did she?"
+
+"Massy sakes! What's got into your head, Nathan?" interposed the old
+lady. "Goodness knows I didn't do no sech thing."
+
+Mrs. Fairfield was a simple-minded woman, and she did not comprehend
+that her disabled lord was only reasoning by an interrogatory and
+inductive method.
+
+"Certainly Mrs. Fairfield didn't meddle with the plank," added Dock.
+
+"'Twan't Mr. Watson--was it? nor the Watson gal, nuther?"
+
+"No," answered Dock.
+
+"Who was it, then--don't you see?"
+
+Dock did not choose to see yet, though his mental visuals had perceived
+from the beginning what the old man was driving at; and he was greatly
+rejoiced to have the suspicion turned away from himself.
+
+"Who else goes down on to that P'int, almost every day of the week,
+'cept Sunday?--and he don't go then 'cause he's go'n' to jine the
+church," continued the miser, excited by the topic he was discussing.
+
+"You don't mean Levi--do you?" said Dock, opening his eyes as wide as
+the hawse-holes of a man-of-war.
+
+"I see The Starry Flag a standin' over to Mr. Watson's new house when I
+was goin' down to the P'int."
+
+"Did you?" asked Dock, when the old man paused to note the effect of
+the climax of the inductive argument upon the listener.
+
+"I sartainly did. That proves that Levi went down to the P'int afore I
+did--don't it?"
+
+"Well--yes; he went down there, of course," added Dock, in rather
+deprecating tones. "He couldn't have got his boat if he hadn't gone
+down there."
+
+"Then of course Levi done it!" exclaimed the old man. "'Tain't no use
+o' beating round the bush no more. Levi done it, and he meant to kill
+me."
+
+"'Tain't so!" protested Mrs. Fairfield, warmly. "There ain't no sense
+nor reason in sayin' Levi done it. Levi wouldn't do sech a thing."
+
+"He may jine all the churches in town, but I tell you he's a bad boy,
+and he's go'n' as straight to the gallows as a chicken goes to her
+dough. Don't you know how he used me? how he fit me, and found fault
+with his victuals; and then got all the property took away from me,
+jest because I wouldn't let him spend it all? Don't tell me! I know
+what Levi Fairfield is better 'n any other man."
+
+"What on airth should the boy wan't to break your bones for, let alone
+killin' on you?" demanded Mrs. Fairfield.
+
+"O, well, Susan, you're nothin' but a woman; and we can't expect women
+folks to see through everything--can we, Dock?"
+
+"Your wife has excellent judgment about things in general, Squire
+Fairfield," replied Dock, smoothly.
+
+"There now! Tell me I don't know!" retorted the irate helpmate,
+somewhat appeased by the delicate compliment. "'Tain't in reason that
+boy meant to do sech a thing."
+
+Mr. Fairfield groaned, and changed his position in the bed. His bones
+ached, and his bruises smarted; but the task of showing that Levi was
+wicked enough even to plan a deliberate murder was too pleasing a one
+to be abandoned, though the twinges of pain that darted through the
+miser's limbs indicated rest both for body and mind. The sufferer
+rehearsed all the points bearing against his nephew in the heinous act
+under consideration, and he succeeded in satisfying himself and his
+visitor that the young man intended to shorten his uncle's life. Mrs.
+Fairfield,--grateful for the newspapers, which had given her a new
+joy in the desolate world, and for the chickens, turkeys, and
+roasting-pieces, which afforded her an occasional respite from salt
+fish and fresh fish,--Mrs. Fairfield was obstinate, and refused to
+believe that Levi--who, by the way, had just added the "Cape Ann Light"
+to his aunt's sum total of earthly joys--was capable of doing a wicked
+act.
+
+"Women folks don't see through things," said Mr. Fairfield, disgusted
+at his wife's want of perception. "I've been thinkin' o' what you said
+last night," he added, turning to Dock. "I never thought of sech a
+thing before; but, I vow, it's just as you said."
+
+"Well, Squire Fairfield, I didn't say that to set you against the boy;
+only to have you keep your eyes open," replied Dock.
+
+"When I fell into that hole, it opened my eyes so wide, I shan't shet
+'em agin very soon."
+
+Mrs. Fairfield wanted to know "what on airth all this talk meant;" and
+the relations of Levi to his uncle's post-mortem estate were explained,
+so that "women folks" could understand them. She did not believe Levi
+cared for the property, what there was of it, and she was not yet
+willing to believe that he set the trap to destroy his uncle.
+
+"I believe it; and what's more, I know it," persisted the miser. "But
+I'll cheat him out of it; I'll make a will this very day! I'll give
+what little I have to Susan--I will, by gracious!"
+
+"It's very proper for you to do so," replied Dock, mildly.
+
+"Can't you write a will, Dock?"
+
+"Me! No. I don't know how. You must make it strong, or they'll break
+it, you know. Better send for Squire Saunders, and have it done right."
+
+"Squire Saunders!" exclaimed the invalid. "What'll he charge?"
+
+"O, five dollars, perhaps."
+
+"Five dollars! What jest for writin' a little or sunthin?"
+
+"Perhaps he won't charge you more than three."
+
+"I shan't give no three dollars, nuther. I can't afford it. I'm
+e'enamost stripped of everything now."
+
+The will was not made, and Dock left the house, promising to call again
+in the afternoon.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE STARRY FLAG.
+
+
+Levi Fairfield, in happy ignorance of the misfortune which had befallen
+his uncle, headed The Starry Flag towards the mansion of Mr. Watson.
+This was to be a great day with him, and he was filled with hope and
+exultation.
+
+The Starry Flag was a capital boat, but Levi had long been beset by an
+ambition to sail something larger. This desire was about to be
+realized, for Mr. Watson, always a lover of the sea, had contracted for
+a yacht of eighty tons, at the establishment of a celebrated builder in
+the city. She was to be ready by the 1st of June, but she was not
+completely stored and furnished till the 10th.
+
+Mr. Watson had remained in the city over night, and was to sail in the
+yacht for his summer home the next morning--on the day that Levi missed
+falling into the chasm. As the wind was fair, and tolerably fresh, the
+young skipper thought she would arrive by noon, and he was to take the
+ladies round as far as Eastern Point, to give her a welcome to the
+waters of the Cape.
+
+Levi was to be the commander of the yacht, and he was every way
+qualified for the position. He had studied navigation, could take an
+observation, and do all the problems required of a thorough sailing
+master. On the deck of a vessel he was in his element, and there was
+not a point in navigation or seamanship with which he was not familiar.
+He could not only hand, reef, and steer, but he could knot and splice,
+parcel and serve, as neatly and as skilfully as a veteran man-of-war's
+man. He was interested in such matters, and had spent hours and hours
+in making short and long splices, eye splices, Turk's heads, and other
+parts of rigging, until he was an adept in the art.
+
+Bessie had been the prime mover in this enterprise. She insisted upon
+having a craft in which the whole family could go off for a month, and
+be almost as comfortable as in their own home. She prevailed in this,
+as she did in nearly everything which involved only the will of her
+father to gratify her.
+
+Bessie and Mrs. McGilvery were handed into the boat at the pier behind
+the house, and The Starry Flag was soon dancing over the long waves
+that roll into Sandy Bay from the broad ocean. All the party were
+excited; for to see a splendid, new yacht, in which they hoped to have
+many good times, was enough to kindle a glowing enthusiasm in such
+lovers of the art of boating.
+
+"You don't know her name yet--do you, Levi?" said Bessie, in a kind of
+taunting tone.
+
+"I do not, but I shall soon find out if this breeze holds," replied the
+skipper, who had been wilfully kept in ignorance on this important
+matter.
+
+"Wouldn't you like to know?" added Bessie, teasing him.
+
+"Of course I would; but I am willing to wait a few hours longer."
+
+"Why don't you manifest a little impatience about it?" pouted she.
+
+"It wouldn't do any good; besides, I am a Yankee, and I think I can
+guess what her name is. Indeed, I feel almost sure I know it."
+
+"What do you think it is?"
+
+"That's telling," laughed Levi.
+
+"But won't you tell me?" said Bessie, assuming an imploring look.
+
+"I think I will pay you off by keeping still."
+
+"Do tell me what you think it is. I shall not like it if you don't."
+
+Levi would have dived down among the fishes if such had been her will,
+and he was compelled to answer,--
+
+"Of course there is only one name for her, and your father must have
+chosen that."
+
+"Perhaps not. But why don't you say what you think the name is?"
+
+"Will you tell me if I guess right?"
+
+"I will if you guess right the first time."
+
+"Very well; here goes, then! Her name is the Bessie Watson, to be sure.
+There is no other name fit for her."
+
+"No! How absurd you are, Levi Fairfield!" replied Bessie, blushing up
+to the eyes.
+
+"No? Why, that ought to be her name, if it isn't. It's the Bessie, the
+Bessie Watson, or something of that kind. I know it is. Of course your
+father wouldn't think of calling her by any other name."
+
+"It isn't anything of the kind, Levi. I am willing to confess that
+father wanted to name her after me, but I wouldn't let him. I wanted
+another name."
+
+"I'm sorry you did, for I wanted that name; and I shall not enjoy her
+half so much as I should if she had been called after you," replied
+Levi, not at all in the tones of gallantly, but in those of simple
+truth and sincerity.
+
+"It is very kind of you to say so, and to think so, Levi; but I believe
+she has received a better name," added Bessie, not unmoved by the
+devotion of the gallant skipper.
+
+"There isn't any better name. I'm really disappointed."
+
+"You will not be when you read her name."
+
+"But what is the name?" asked Levi, seriously.
+
+"The--why, I almost told you!" laughed Bessie.
+
+"I hope it is not a hard name, for sailors make such a fuss about
+jaw-breaking words. An old coaster meant to name his vessel the
+Amphitrite, but he gave the name of Anthracite to the painter, and it
+was duly lettered upon the stern. However, it answered just as well, as
+the craft went into the coal trade."
+
+"It isn't a long name, nor a hard one, and I know it will suit you."
+
+"Well, Bessie, if it suits you, it will suit me," added Levi; "though I
+did hope she would be called the Bessie."
+
+The Starry Flag sped on her way, and before noon was off Eastern Point.
+There were several coasters approaching, but Levi could not make out
+the yacht till he examined every craft with the spy-glass.
+
+"I see her!" exclaimed he, as he headed his boat so as to intercept
+her.
+
+"Is she handsome?" asked Bessie.
+
+"I can't make her out very well at this distance; but we shall be up
+with her in half an hour or so."
+
+Bessie looked through the glass, and so did Mrs. McGilvery, but they
+did not obtain much satisfaction. The yacht was making her ten knots,
+and in the time Levi had named they were within hailing distance of
+her.
+
+"She is a beauty, and no mistake!" exclaimed the skipper, warmly. "She
+is pretty enough to be called the Bessie Watson."
+
+"You mustn't say such things, Levi. They are not pretty," said Bessie,
+very seriously.
+
+"The yacht is pretty enough, and so is the one she ought to have been
+named after," persisted the gallant skipper.
+
+"There it is again! You are real naughty, Levi," pouted she; and
+probably, like all pretty girls, she had a distaste for compliments.
+
+"Yacht ahoy!" shouted Levi.
+
+But Mr. Watson had already recognized The Starry Flag, and the yacht
+was thrown up into the wind. Levi hauled in his sheet, and sailed in a
+graceful curve around the stern of the vessel, intent upon reading the
+secret which had been so persistently kept from him.
+
+"Now you will know!" exclaimed Bessie, gazing anxiously into his face
+to observe the effect of the discovery upon him.
+
+"Dog-fish and dunderfunk!" ejaculated Levi, as he read the name, "THE
+STARRY FLAG!"
+
+"There now, Mr. Skipper! Isn't that the name of all names for her?"
+
+"The Starry Flag!" repeated Levi, as he gazed at the golden letters on
+the stern of the yacht.
+
+"Why don't you say something, you absurd skipper? I'm dying to know
+what you think of it, and you don't say a word."
+
+"I like it first-rate; but if I had read 'Bessie' there, I should have
+liked it better, much as I like it now."
+
+"I couldn't have her named after me! How ridiculous! I'm sorry you
+don't like the name."
+
+"But I do like it, Bessie; though you couldn't expect me to like any
+other name as well as yours."
+
+"Why, how absurd you are!" replied Bessie, as Levi ran the boat up to
+the yacht.
+
+The gangway had been rigged so that the passage from one craft to the
+other was an easy matter, even for ladies. Mr. Watson assisted them on
+board. One of the hands, who knew the coast, was deputed to take charge
+of The Starry Flag, and Levi went on board of the beautiful vessel he
+was to command.
+
+"Well, Levi, what do you think of her?" asked Mr. Watson, after they
+had walked around the deck, and inspected the cabin and cook-room of
+the yacht.
+
+"She is magnificent, sir!" replied Levi. "She is, without exception,
+the finest yacht I ever saw, and I have examined a great many."
+
+"I am glad she suits you. How do you like the name?"
+
+"Very much, sir, though if it had been the Bessie, I should have liked
+it better."
+
+"I intended to give her that name, but Bessie was contrary, and
+insisted that she should be called The Starry Flag, in grateful
+remembrance of her trip from the Penobscot. I really appreciate her
+motives, and both of us desire to perpetuate the name of your boat by
+giving it to the finest yacht that could be built."
+
+"Since it pleases both you and her, I ought to be satisfied with
+it--and I am. We have two Starry Flags now, and we may get them mixed."
+
+"The name of your boat shall henceforth be The Starry Flag, Jr.,"
+laughed Mr. Watson. "When we say The Starry Flag, we mean the yacht,
+and when we say The Starry Flag, Jr., we mean your boat."
+
+The Starry Flag, then, cut her way through the long billows at a rate
+which was highly gratifying to the embryo captain, who, prompt to his
+instincts, had taken the helm, when he had examined her. He declared
+that she steered splendidly, and he was sure she would prove to be a
+good sea-boat. In a short time she came to anchor off Mike's Point. The
+steward had prepared a lunch for the party, and they sat down at the
+table as soon as the yacht swung round to her cable.
+
+"Now, Levi, you must get a crew for your vessel. These men, with the
+exception of the cook and steward, will return to Boston this
+afternoon," said Mr. Watson.
+
+"Are the crew to leave her?"
+
+"I only engaged them to bring her down, for I thought that you would
+prefer to select your own hands."
+
+"I should," replied Levi, thinking what young men he could procure.
+
+"We shall be ready to start on our cruise to the eastward in three or
+four days," added Mr. Watson.
+
+"I will be ready, sir."
+
+By the time the lunch was disposed of, The Starry Flag, Jr. had
+arrived, and Levi landed the party. He was anxious to engage his crew,
+and he ran the boat over to her moorings. On the rocks he found Dock
+Vincent, who had been observing the yacht.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+GRAVE CHARGES.
+
+
+"What vessel's that, Levi?" asked Dock Vincent, as the young skipper
+landed on the rocks.
+
+"It's The Starry Flag," replied Levi, smiling.
+
+"No, I mean the large yacht, off the Point."
+
+"So do I."
+
+"You don't mean to tell me that vessel's called The Starry Flag!"
+
+"Yes, I do; that's her name. My boat is now called The Starry Flag,
+Jr.," answered Levi, beginning to move off, for he was not disposed to
+hold any intercourse with such a person as Dock Vincent.
+
+"Hold on a minute, Levi; tell us about her," said Dock. "What is she
+for?"
+
+"A yacht; but I am in a hurry now."
+
+"Wait a minute. I have some bad news to tell you."
+
+"Bad news?"
+
+"Your uncle had an ugly fall this morning, just after you went off in
+the boat," added Dock.
+
+"Where did he fall?" asked the young skipper, interested now, and
+troubled by the information.
+
+"He fell into the cut, where the plank crosses it," replied Dock,
+pointing to the place where the accident had occurred.
+
+"Is he much hurt?"
+
+"Yes; I think the old man is putty badly damaged in his timbers. He has
+taken to his bed, and I shouldn't wonder if he had to stay there a
+month."
+
+"I am sorry for it," said Levi, with entire sincerity. "How did it
+happen?"
+
+Dock explained how it happened, taking care to locate himself at a
+considerable distance from the scene of the catastrophe.
+
+"The old man thinks somebody fixed the plank so as to make him fall,"
+added he, finishing his narrative.
+
+"To make him fall!" exclaimed the attentive listener. "Who does he
+think did it?"
+
+"Well, Levi, he thinks you did it," answered Dock, softening his tones,
+so as not to commit himself to this view.
+
+"I!"
+
+"The old man thinks so, but that don't make it so, you know."
+
+"What makes him think I did it?"
+
+"Because you were the last person that went down to the P'int before he
+did. You were running over to Watson's new house, in the Flag, when the
+thing happened."
+
+"I haven't been over the plank to-day," said Levi.
+
+"You went to your boat just before the old man come down here; and he
+don't see who else could have done it."
+
+"I did not cross on the plank; I went along on the rocks, as I always
+do when I come across the second beach," protested the young skipper.
+
+"Well, I don't know anything about it, you see, Levi," added Dock, in
+deprecatory tones. "I only tell you what the old man told me. He knows
+you hate him."
+
+"But I don't hate him."
+
+"Don't you?" asked Dock, with a sceptical grin.
+
+"I'm sure I do not," answered Levi, with emphasis.
+
+"Perhaps you don't; but after all the trouble there's been between you
+and the old man, it wouldn't be strange if you hated him and he hated
+you."
+
+Probably Dock was as sincere as Levi; for there was not a Christian
+idea in his head, or a Christian purpose in his heart. He had no keener
+perception of the sublime doctrine of forgiving one's enemies, than the
+beasts of the field or the fowls of the air. In his view it was the
+most natural thing in the world for the uncle to hate the nephew, and
+for the nephew to hate the uncle; and he did not believe it possible
+for either of them to banish the foul impulse from his heart.
+
+"I don't hate my uncle; I would do anything in the world for him,"
+continued Levi, earnestly, but thoughtfully, for he was deeply pained
+by the suspicions of his uncle.
+
+"I'm going up to see the old man, by and by, and I'll tell him what you
+say about it," added Dock.
+
+"I have a great deal to do, but I shall go and see him myself," said
+Levi, as he began to move up the rocks again.
+
+"What's your hurry, Levi? I want to talk with you about that vessel.
+She is a fine schooner."
+
+"She is all that. I have to find a crew for her, for we are going off
+on a cruise in three or four days. Do you know of any young fellows who
+want to make good wages without working very hard?"
+
+"Yes; there's Mat Mogmore," replied Dock, after a little reflection.
+"He'll make a first-rate hand for you. I rather think he'll go off to
+Australia with me in the Caribbee."
+
+"In the what?"
+
+"In the Caribbee--that's my vessel. She's a schooner, rather larger
+than that yacht, and she'll outsail anything of her inches that ever
+floated. If you want Mat Mogmore, he'll be glad of a lay in that yacht,
+for I shan't get off for three weeks yet. I'll speak to him about it."
+
+Levi preferred to do his own speaking, not wishing to place himself
+under any obligation, however slight, to a man of Dock's character and
+antecedents. He decided to visit his uncle at once, and call at Mr.
+Mogmore's house on his way home. With some difficulty he escaped from
+his ancient enemy, and crossing the plank, which had been placed in its
+original position by Dock after the accident, he walked up the tongue
+of land, dreading the scene at his uncle's which the information he had
+received led him to expect.
+
+He found his aunt in the kitchen, and inquired particularly into the
+condition of uncle Nathan. She thought he was "a leetle more
+comfortable," and told Levi to go in and see him if he wanted to, for
+she was confident that the young man could clear himself from the grave
+charge preferred against him.
+
+"How do you feel, uncle Nathan?" asked Levi, kindly, as he entered the
+bed-room.
+
+The old man looked at him with a savage stare, but made no reply.
+
+"I am sorry you have had such a fall," continued Levi.
+
+"No, you ain't sorry, nuther! What do you want to say that for, Levi
+Fairfield? It's all your work, and 'tain't likely you keer how much I
+suffer," growled the injured man, his words interspersed with many a
+groan.
+
+"What is my work, uncle?" asked Levi, mildly.
+
+"Didn't you fix that plank over the cut so's to gim me this fall?"
+
+"No, sir, I'm sure I did not," protested Levi.
+
+"Don't tell me!" groaned the old man, suffering as much from passion as
+from pain.
+
+"I can only say, uncle, that I have not touched the plank; and I did
+not go near it this morning."
+
+"'Tain't no use; I know you did! You went down to your boat afore I
+did, for I see you standin' over to Watson's new house jest afore I
+fell. You want to kill me--that's what you're tryin' to do; and you
+e'enamost done it this mornin'."
+
+"I'm sorry you have such an opinion of me, uncle," replied Levi, more
+in sorrow and pity than in anger.
+
+"You've got most of my money afore I'm dead, and you mean to have the
+rest on't arter I'm gone," continued the old man, in angry, whining
+tones.
+
+"Do you still think I took the gold, uncle Nathan?"
+
+"Do I think so! I know you did! Nobody else took it, and nobody could
+done it but you! What have you done with it?"
+
+"I know nothing about it, uncle. I am sorry you think so hard of me.
+I'm ready and willing to do anything I can for you."
+
+"Then gim me back my money!"
+
+"I haven't it."
+
+"Yes, you have!"
+
+It was useless to talk with the sufferer, and Levi's presence only
+excited him. After repeating, in the gentlest of tones, his desire to
+serve him, the young skipper turned to depart.
+
+"You'll be found out, Levi Fairfield, and you'll have to give that
+money up. 'Tain't no use to try to git red on me, for I'm go'n' to make
+a will, and leave what little I've got to your aunt," said Mr.
+Fairfield.
+
+"Uncle Nathan, do you really think I want your money?" asked Levi,
+beginning to be indignant at the foul suspicious of the old man.
+
+"That's what you want to kill me for," whined the miser.
+
+"I don't want to kill you, or hurt you."
+
+"I'm go'n' to make a will; so 'tain't no use to try to git red of me
+any more."
+
+Levi pitied the sufferer, as much for his moral as his mental
+obtuseness, and fearful that his indignation might get the better of
+his pity, he left the room. His uncle threatened him with all the
+terrors of the courts and the prisons as he withdrew. In the kitchen he
+found Dock Vincent, who had come to make his promised afternoon visit.
+Levi left immediately, and called at the house of the carpenter. Mat
+Mogmore, after some haggling, consented to become one of the crew of
+the yacht. He was a young man of eighteen, who had made two or three
+fishing voyages, and was a smart, active fellow. He had been rather
+intimate with Dock since the return of the latter; and this was all
+Levi had against him. Before night, the young captain of The Starry
+Flag had engaged three other hands. The crew were to go on board the
+next morning, when Levi intended to start on a trial trip, for the
+purpose of training his men, and becoming more familiar himself with
+the working of the yacht.
+
+Dock Vincent entered the chamber of Mr. Fairfield. He found the old man
+agitated, and almost crying with anger and vexation.
+
+"So Levi's been to see you," said the visitor, seating himself at the
+bedside.
+
+"Yes, he has! Sunthin must be done, Cap'n Vincent," replied the old
+man, trying to rise on the bed, but sinking back with a groan.
+
+"Don't try to git up; keep still, Squire Fairfield, and don't hurt
+yourself," interposed Dock.
+
+"I can't stand this no longer!" howled the miserable man, the tears
+starting in his eyes. "Sunthin must be done."
+
+"What shall it be, squire?" asked the comforter, coolly.
+
+"I can't stand it no longer, and I won't, nuther," repeated the
+sufferer. "Somebody's got my money, and I must git it back, or it'll
+kill me. That boy must be took up, and sarched till the money's found.
+I know he's got it. Nobody else couldn't have took it. He must have
+kerried it off in that little saw-mill. That's what he come arter the
+saw-mill for--to kerry off the money in."
+
+"Do you want to have Levi arrested?" asked Dock, musing.
+
+"Yes; he must be took up. As soon as he sees I'm in airnest, he'll git
+scared, and give up the money."
+
+"Musn't be too hasty, squire. If you be, it'll damage you."
+
+"No 'twon't; nothin' can damage me now. I'll resk it. Git a constable;
+but don't git Gayles."
+
+Dock counselled moderation, and thought it would be better to wait till
+they had more proof, before taking any decisive steps. He finally
+quieted the old man by promising to "hunt up the evidence," and have
+Levi arrested as soon as there was any proof to work with.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+CONSTABLE COOKE.
+
+
+Levi went on his experimental trip in The Starry Flag the next day. The
+wind was very fresh, and he had an excellent opportunity to test the
+weatherly qualities of the yacht, and she proved to be all he had
+anticipated or desired. She would sail almost into the wind's eye, and
+went through a chop sea as steadily as a judge through a trial. Captain
+Fairfield, as all hands on board called him, was proud and happy in his
+new situation. He was in his element; and it was not likely that the
+possession of any sum of money could long keep him from the position he
+was born to fill--the command of a vessel.
+
+The yacht was fitted up below with special reference to the wants of
+her owner's family and friends. Her trunk extended nearly the whole
+length of her, affording a high and spacious cabin for a vessel of her
+size. On each side of the companion-way, leading down from the cockpit,
+or standing-room, was a small state-room, one of which was appropriated
+to the use of the captain. It contained a single berth, a writing-desk,
+a plentiful supply of lockers, drawers, shelves, and brackets for
+clothing, charts, and nautical instruments. Levi had installed himself
+in this little apartment, and felt like a lord, as he sat in its
+cushioned arm-chair at the desk, glancing at his tasty and convenient
+surroundings.
+
+This state-room, and its fellow on the opposite side of the ladder,
+opened into the main cabin, which contained four berths, with curtains
+extending out in front, so as to form an enclosure for each occupant,
+securing entire privacy. Opening from the forward part of the cabin
+were two large and airy rooms, each having two berths, for the
+accommodation of Mr. Watson's family. They contained every convenience
+belonging to a first-class hotel, with a curious economy of space,
+which would have excited the admiration of those who have a taste for
+overcoming impossibilities.
+
+Between these state-rooms was a narrow passageway leading to the
+forecastle, which occupied about half the length of the vessel, and
+contained the pantry, ice-house, cook-room, store-room, and six berths
+in the forward part for the hands.
+
+The cook and steward were colored men. The former had served for years
+in a packet ship, and the latter was a steamboat waiter, who never
+failed to put on a white jacket at meal times. The four hands who had
+been employed on the Cape were young men, the oldest not over twenty,
+all of whom had made several fishing voyages, and were hardy, active,
+and accomplished seamen for a small craft.
+
+On her trial trip Levi took the yacht as far as Boone Island, on the
+coast of Maine. He dined in state, all alone in the cabin,--he had no
+passengers on this cruise,--and Augustus, the cabin steward, wore his
+white jacket, and stood behind his chair. In fact, Levi was Captain
+Fairfield on this occasion; and he wore his dignity with becoming
+modesty and grace.
+
+In the evening, after his return, he made a full and enthusiastic
+report to Mr. Watson and the ladies of the good behavior of the yacht,
+and declared that he was ready at once to go round the world in her.
+
+"We don't care about going round the world in her, Levi," laughed Mr.
+Watson; "but on Monday morning we will start for Mount Desert, if you
+are ready at that time."
+
+"I am ready now, sir."
+
+"I cannot leave before Monday. If we enjoy this trip, we will spend the
+whole of the month of August on board of The Starry Flag. I should like
+to go as far as the Bermudas, if you think it is safe to take so long a
+voyage in her."
+
+"Safe!" exclaimed Levi. "You can cross the Atlantic in her as safely as
+in a steamship. For my part, I should feel safer in her than in any
+steamer that ever went to sea. She would shake you up more, perhaps,
+but she will take you through all right if she is well handled."
+
+"No doubt of it. I told the builder to have her as strong as wood and
+iron could make her. My directions were, first, strength, second,
+comfort, and third, speed."
+
+"I think he has got the speed in first, for we logged twelve knots
+to-day, with the wind free in a chopping sea. But she can't be excelled
+for comfort and safety. I know by the feeling of her in a sea just how
+she would behave in a gale."
+
+"Have you seen Mr. Gayles since your return, Levi?" asked Mr. Watson,
+suddenly changing the subject, and wearing a look of anxiety.
+
+"No, sir; he was not at home when I went to supper," replied Levi,
+satisfied something unpleasant had occurred; and he had not much
+difficulty in surmising its nature.
+
+"Have you heard anything about a search-warrant?"
+
+"Not a word, sir; but I almost expected something of the kind. My uncle
+charged me with taking the money he lost; but I did not even know that
+he had any money in his house," answered Levi, grieved and mortified at
+the necessity of again defending himself from such an assault.
+
+"Mr. Gayles told me that your room at his house, and indeed all his
+premises, had been searched by Constable Cooke, in your absence,
+to-day, for the missing gold."
+
+"Of course they did not find anything," replied Levi, blushing.
+
+"No, they did not; but perhaps they would if your affairs had been
+managed by a less discreet person than Mr. Gayles. It seems that Dock
+Vincent went to the house, with the constable, about dinner time. Your
+uncle appears to have employed Vincent to look up the money for him.
+Mr. Gayles was willing to admit the officer, but he positively refused
+to allow Vincent to enter his house. Levi, that villain is the worst
+enemy a man ever had. You must beware of him; have nothing to do with
+him, and nothing to say to him."
+
+"I do not, any more than I can help."
+
+"The story now is, that you took your uncle's money, and set a trap to
+kill or severely injure him at the cut, because you are his legal
+heir."
+
+"How absurd!" interposed Bessie, indignantly, as she rose from her
+chair, and seated herself by the side of Levi on the sofa, her mild
+eyes beaming with unwonted fire.
+
+"Very absurd, my dear; but there are people who are foolish enough to
+believe such absurd stories even of their own minister. Of course,
+Levi, there is no real danger, but you may be seriously annoyed."
+
+Levi was smart. He had done great deeds. He was known to be worth
+thirty-five or forty thousand dollars, in the hands of his guardian;
+and his intimate relations with the family of Mr. Watson rendered it
+exceedingly probable that he would eventually roll in wealth, to be
+counted by hundreds of thousands. Most of the people were generous
+enough to congratulate the young man, in their hearts, on his brilliant
+prospects, especially as he did not put on any airs, or cut any of his
+old friends.
+
+But there were weak and evil-minded men and women who envied his good
+fortune, and were ready to seize upon any rumor which tended to bring
+discredit upon him. Among these was Constable Cooke, whom Dock Vincent
+had employed to search for Mr. Fairfield's money. He could not help
+thinking that, if he had been intrusted with the warrant for the arrest
+of Levi, on the charge, three years before, of purloining Ruel
+Belcher's money, instead of Mr. Gayles, he would have done precisely as
+that worthy man had, and in the end would have been appointed the young
+man's guardian, making a few hundred dollars every year in commissions
+on the care of the property. He could not exactly forgive Mr. Gayles
+for being so fortunate; nor was he so exclusive as to confine his
+dislike to the guardian, but extended it to the ward.
+
+Constable Cooke, therefore, was a fit person to do the dirty work of
+Nathan Fairfield and his coadjutor. He adopted the miser's theory in
+full, that Levi had set the house on fire with the candle, in order to
+cover up the loss of the money, which he had conveyed from the house in
+the little saw-mill. Since the arrival of the yacht, it had even been
+conjectured that she was the property of Levi, who had paid for her
+with the ill-gotten gold. This theory, explained and bolstered up with
+specious argument and sophistical evidence by the constable, rather
+staggered many people who believed in Levi. If the young man's
+character had been doubtful, the theory would have been plausible; for,
+after all, a person's good character is the best testimony in his
+favor.
+
+Mr. Watson and Levi discussed the situation coolly, though the ladies,
+with their warmer sympathies, were indignant, and disposed to be
+violent in their measures. Nothing could be done but to wait the issue
+of events; and Levi walked as proudly as ever through the streets of
+the town. The next day he took the ladies out to sail in the yacht; but
+before he went he called at his uncle's house, carrying a nice
+tenderloin steak and a jar of jelly for the sufferer, who was
+improving, in spite of the heat and excitement to which he agitated
+himself.
+
+"Don't tell him, aunt Susan, that I brought these, things," said Levi.
+"I pity him, and I don't hate him. I shall try to be a Christian
+towards him now, whatever he does."
+
+The old lady burst into tears. Such a spirit amazed and overwhelmed
+her. The reading of her religious paper had prepared her, in some
+measure, to appreciate such conduct. The next day, which was Sunday,
+Levi carried some other luxuries for the invalid; but he did not
+venture to see his uncle after the violent scene which had attended his
+first visit to the sick room.
+
+On Monday morning Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mrs. McGilvery, and Bessie were
+conveyed on board of The Starry Flag. The foresail and the mainsail had
+been hoisted, and the hands were heaving up the anchor, when a boat
+from the shore was discovered approaching the yacht.
+
+"Hold on!" shouted Constable Cooke; when the boat came nearer, and was
+found to contain, besides the officer, Dock Vincent and two other men.
+
+"Belay, all!" said Captain Fairfield; and the operations at the cable
+were suspended.
+
+"I've come to search this vessel," said Constable Cooke, when he and
+his party had reached the deck. "I have a warrant."
+
+"I will afford you every facility for the discharge of your duty,"
+replied Levi, as he led the way to the cabin.
+
+"Don't let Vincent go into the cabin," said Mr. Watson, in a whisper.
+
+Levi promptly informed the officer that Captain Vincent must not go
+below.
+
+"I want him to help me," persisted Constable Cooke.
+
+"Captain Vincent can't go into my cabin. If he attempts to do so, I'll
+throw him overboard!" added Levi, rolling up his coat sleeves.
+
+"I've a right to call in aid accordin' to law," said the officer,
+angrily.
+
+"You shall not call him in," protested Levi.
+
+Mr. Watson spoke,--he had money, and the constable was afraid of
+him,--and the matter was compromised. One of the other men went with
+the officer, who proceeded directly to Levi's state-room. The desk was
+opened, the lockers examined, and the drawers searched. In one of the
+latter, a shot-bag, With ten half eagles in it, was found.
+
+"That's one of the bags!" almost yelled the constable, in the fury of
+his malignity.
+
+"I never saw it before," said Levi, quietly, "nor the gold it
+contains."
+
+"I have a warrant for your arrest, Levi Fairfield; and sence you showed
+fight on deck, I shall put the handcuffs on you."
+
+[Illustration: LEVI IN IRONS.--Page 96.]
+
+Mr. Watson and the ladies were shocked and alarmed; but not one of them
+for a moment doubted the innocence of Levi, who suffered himself to be
+ironed without resistance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE EXAMINATION.
+
+
+Constable Cooke put the irons on the wrists of Levi Fairfield, not from
+a sense of duty, but with a keen relish for the act itself. It is but
+justice to the officer, prejudiced though he was, to say that he was
+entirely sincere in the belief that his prisoner had stolen the miser's
+gold. He was needlessly rough and severe in the discharge of his duty,
+and the irons were a gratuitous indignity. Mr. Watson protested
+vigorously against the constable's useless display of authority. Bessie
+was frightened and terribly grieved by the harsh treatment bestowed
+upon her ideal of a hero.
+
+Levi himself was the only person in the cabin who was calm. His quiet
+dignity was unruffled by the insults heaped upon him, and he looked
+proudly conscious of his innocence.
+
+"What does all this mean?" demanded Mr. Watson, when Levi had been
+effectually ironed, so that he could not tear the constable and his
+assistant to pieces, as they seemed to fear he would.
+
+"I do not know, sir," replied Levi, shaking his head, with a smile.
+
+"I think it is all clear enough, Mr. Watson," interposed Constable
+Cooke.
+
+"I don't think it is," replied Mr. Watson, sharply. "You have found a
+shot-bag with ten five-dollar gold pieces in it. What does that prove?"
+
+"It proves that Levi stole the money just as clear as the sun proves
+it's day."
+
+"Is it anything surprising that the captain of a yacht has fifty
+dollars in gold in his state-room?"
+
+"I don't know's 'tis, but it's sunthin surprisin' that he should have
+one of the bags the old man kept his money in, in his state-room," said
+the officer, with a sneer.
+
+"How do you know that is one of the bags?"
+
+"How do I know?" repeated the constable, taking the bag from his
+pocket. "Mr. Fairfield told me he writ his name on all the bags. There
+it is."
+
+The bag was exhibited, and over the imprint of the manufacturers of the
+shot it had originally contained was the name, "N. Fairfield," rudely
+traced in large, awkward characters, in pencil, on the cloth. Levi saw
+it, and the formation of the two capital letters assured him it had
+been written by his uncle. The bag was found in one of his drawers; but
+it was plain that "an enemy had done this."
+
+"If that don't satisfy you, Mr. Watson, I don't know what will. This
+ain't pleasant business, but I can't help it," added Constable Cooke,
+who perhaps had begun to think it was imprudent to offend a rich man.
+
+"That doesn't satisfy me," replied the obstinate merchant. "Do you
+suppose Levi put that bag and the gold into the drawer?"
+
+"I suppose he did, sir. That's his state-room--isn't it?"
+
+"There are half a dozen places there with locks on them. Do you think
+he would put his money into a drawer without any lock upon it?"
+
+"I don't know anything about that," answered the constable, who could
+not help seeing that the argument was a good one. "I've got a warrant
+for his arrest."
+
+"Did you know the money was there before you came on board?" demanded
+Mr. Watson, warmly.
+
+"I supposed it was there."
+
+"What made you suppose so?"
+
+"I was told it was there."
+
+"Who told you so?"
+
+"I don't know as I'm obliged to tell you who told me," replied the
+officer.
+
+"I don't know that you are, either; but some of you shall be indicted
+for conspiracy if you don't answer. You came on board with a warrant in
+your pocket for the arrest of Captain Fairfield. You expected to find
+the gold here, you say. Somebody told you it was here, and that
+somebody knows more about it than the person you have arrested and put
+in irons," continued the merchant, indignantly.
+
+"You know why I put him in irons. Didn't he threaten to throw one of us
+overboard?" replied the constable.
+
+"When officers take graduates of the state prison to assist them in the
+discharge of their duties, they must expect some opposition."
+
+"But Captain Vincent is acting for Mr. Fairfield, who's too sick to do
+anything himself," pleaded the officer, who could not help seeing that
+Dock was not a proper person to aid him in the performance of his duty.
+"I'll take the bracelets off, if you say so."
+
+"I do say so, most emphatically!" added Mr. Watson.
+
+Constable Cooke removed the irons, stepping between Levi and Bessie to
+do so.
+
+"So long as you and your father do not believe I am guilty of any
+crime, I don't care for the irons or the prison," said Levi,
+cheerfully. "I am rather glad of an opportunity to vindicate myself,
+for I have no doubt there are some people who think I took my uncle's
+money."
+
+"But it is so terrible to be sent to prison, and to be ironed!" added
+Bessie, her pretty face full of tender sympathy.
+
+"Not at all. As I view it, the guilt is the only thing that is
+terrible. This may lead to the discovery of the real thief."
+
+"Levi, have you any idea how that bag came in your state-room?" asked
+Mr. Watson.
+
+"Not the least, sir. It must have been put there by the thief, or by
+some one acting for him."
+
+"We shall not make our trip to-day--that is clear enough. Come, Mr.
+Cooke, we will go on shore, and inquire into this matter at once,"
+continued Mr. Watson. "Levi, you must send all hands to the office of
+Squire Saunders, for probably we shall want their evidence."
+
+The four young men who constituted the crew of the yacht lived in
+Rockport, and knew all about the relations of Levi with his uncle. They
+were directed to go ashore, with the cook and steward, and appear at
+the office of the trial justice. Levi was taken in charge by Constable
+Cooke, and went in his boat, with Dock Vincent, much against his will.
+
+"We are likely to have a sharp time on't," said the officer, when they
+had pushed off from the yacht.
+
+"Why so? What's up now?" demanded Dock.
+
+"Mr. Watson has sent all hands ashore, and I suppose he'll have Squire
+Cleaves, who's as sharp as a razor new set, and he'll rake us all over
+the coals."
+
+"What's going to be done, Levi?" asked Dock, turning to the prisoner.
+
+"I have nothing to say about it," replied Levi.
+
+"What did you send all hands on shore for?"
+
+"I shall answer no questions."
+
+"Afraid of committing yourself, I suppose," said Dock, with a sneer,
+which did not wholly conceal his anxiety.
+
+Levi made no reply. Without being willing, in the absence of some
+evidence, even to suspect Dock of stealing his uncle's money, he could
+not help feeling that the antecedents of his old enemy warranted him in
+thinking that he had something to do with the robbery, or, at least,
+with fastening the charge upon him, and causing the shot-bag to be
+placed in his state-room. The party landed, and while Constable Cooke
+conveyed his prisoner to the office of the justice, Dock called at Mr.
+Fairfield's to inform him of the arrest.
+
+The old man was somewhat better, and able to sit up in his
+rocking-chair; but his bones still ached, though he suffered less in
+body than in mind. Dock called upon him every day, and assured him he
+would find his gold in time. On the present occasion he had encouraging
+news, and related the particulars of the events which had occurred on
+board of the yacht.
+
+"I knowed it!" exclaimed Mr. Fairfield, when he had listened to Dock's
+story. "I was sartain that boy took the money."
+
+"I suppose it's a clear case enough now," added Dock. "Finding the bag
+with your name on it settles the matter."
+
+"But did you find all the money, Cap'n Vincent?" asked the old man,
+nervously.
+
+"No; only about fifty dollars of it."
+
+"Didn't find no more?" added Mr. Fairfield, with a blank stare.
+
+"No, but we shall find the rest of it. Mr. Watson's going to make an
+awful fuss about it."
+
+"About what?"
+
+"About taking Levi up. I suppose they'll want you to swear to the bag."
+
+"But I can't go out," said the old man with a grunt, when reminded of
+the pains in his frame.
+
+"Then the squire must come here, as he did when you swore before. I'll
+go up, and see about it. But, Squire Fairfield, I shan't be able to do
+much more for you, for I expect my vessel round here soon, and I shall
+be busy fixing her up for the voyage to Australia."
+
+"I hope I shall find the money afore you go," added the old man, with a
+gloomy look.
+
+"I hope so too, and I expect you will," replied Dock, as he left the
+room to attend the examination.
+
+In the mean time Levi had been conveyed to the office of Squire
+Saunders, who, deeming the evidence of Mr. Fairfield absolutely
+necessary, had decided to hold his court at the house of the miser; and
+the old man was soon astonished by the appearance of the whole crowd of
+officers, counsel, justice, and witnesses in his chamber.
+
+Mr. Fairfield was examined first. He testified, with many a sigh and
+groan, that he had deposited the four bags, each containing one
+thousand dollars in gold, in the hole in the wall, which was pointed
+out to the justice. He had marked his name on each bag, and he
+identified that produced by Constable Cooke as one of the four. He was
+asked if the ten half eagles were his property. He was disposed to
+swear to them also; he had no doubt they were part of the money he had
+lost; but when asked to state by what marks he recognized them, he was
+unable to show wherein they differed from other coins of the same
+value.
+
+The officer then swore that he found the bag in a locker in the
+state-room, with the money in it. Squire Cleaves, who had already been
+fully instructed in the case by Mr. Watson, began to put disagreeable
+questions to him, which appeared to make him nervous.
+
+"You went off to the yacht with a search-warrant--did you, Mr. Cooke?"
+asked the lawyer.
+
+"I did, sir."
+
+"Did you expect to find the money or the bag on board?"
+
+"I did."
+
+"Had any one told you the bag was there?"
+
+"Well, I can't say any one told me it was there," replied Cooke, with
+some embarrassment.
+
+"You can't?"
+
+"No, sir; I can't."
+
+"What induced you to look for the money on board of the yacht?"
+
+"I was pretty well satisfied that Levi stole that money, and being he
+was goin' off on a cruise, I thought likely he would put some on't on
+board to use. That's what made me expect to find it there," added
+Constable Cooke, with a more satisfied expression on his face, for the
+explanation he had given appeared to meet the exigencies of the case.
+
+"Did you reason this out yourself, or did some one suggest the idea to
+you?"
+
+"Well, some one spoke to me about it, but----"
+
+"Precisely so! Who spoke to you about it?"
+
+"No one said much to me, and I----"
+
+"But who said anything?" interposed the squire.
+
+"Well, Captain Vincent said I might find the bag--he didn't say I
+_should_ find it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+MR. C. AUGUSTUS EBÉNIER.
+
+
+Squire Cleaves had brought out from the unwilling witness the fact that
+he wanted, and Dock Vincent was put upon the stand. The learned counsel
+adroitly conveyed the information that the witness had been convicted
+of crime, and had served a term in the state prison--which, though it
+did not exclude him from giving evidence, might affect his credibility.
+This statement roused the ire of Dock, and he was cross and sullen,
+which is a very bad state of mind to be in when subjected to the
+torture of a skilful lawyer.
+
+Dock described the manner in which he had assisted Mr. Fairfield in
+finding his money. He had done all that an honest man and a good
+neighbor should do to help a feeble old man; and it wasn't right for
+"one-horse lawyers" to insult him.
+
+"Do you consider yourself insulted, Captain Vincent?" asked the squire.
+
+"Yes, sir; I do!"
+
+"Have you been convicted of a crime?"
+
+"What if I have? There was no justice in it," growled Dock.
+
+"Have you served a term in the state prison?"
+
+"If I have, it wasn't a fair thing; and a good many better men than you
+or me have spent years in prison."
+
+"Undoubtedly, but our best men don't usually graduate at the state
+prison. You admit the facts as I stated them. Now, Captain Vincent, you
+were employed by Mr. Fairfield in finding the money he lost."
+
+"I said so; I was."
+
+"Did you tell the constable he would find the bag on board of the
+yacht?"
+
+"No, sir; I did not."
+
+"What did you tell him?"
+
+"In my opinion, Levi stole that money. I didn't think so at first, but
+his uncle convinced me he must have done it. I told the constable to
+look for the money and the bags on board that vessel."
+
+"Didn't you tell him he would find this bag in Levi's state-room?"
+
+"No, sir; I did not."
+
+"Didn't you tell him he might expect to find it there?"
+
+"Perhaps I did; whether I did or not, I expected he would find it
+there," answered Dock, casting a malicious glance at Levi.
+
+"Why did you expect he would find it there?"
+
+"Because I was satisfied Levi stole the money, and would use some of it
+while he was gone on the cruise."
+
+"Was that the only reason?"
+
+"It was."
+
+"Captain Vincent, do you know how that bag came in Levi's state-room?"
+asked the lawyer, looking upon the floor, as though he considered the
+question of little consequence.
+
+"Yes, sir; I do."
+
+"Please to state how it came there."
+
+"Levi put it there."
+
+"You are willing to swear that Levi put it there--are you?"
+
+"Yes, sir; I am," replied Dock, promptly.
+
+"Did you see him put it there?"
+
+"Of course I didn't. I never was aboard of that yacht till this
+morning."
+
+"How can you swear that he put it there, then?"
+
+"Because Constable Cooke found it there."
+
+"Is that the only ground on which you swear Levi put it there himself?"
+
+"That's ground enough."
+
+"Answer my question, if you please."
+
+"Yes, it is; and my belief that Levi robbed his uncle of his money."
+
+"That will do; we shall give you the little end of the horn to crawl
+out of before we get through," added Squire Cleaves.
+
+Dock, sour and crabbed, sat down near the rocking-chair of Mr.
+Fairfield; and Mr. Cćsar Augustus Ebénier, cabin steward of The Starry
+Flag, Sr., was politely invited to take the stand. He appeared in his
+best clothes, and his name, quality, and position on board of the yacht
+were duly elicited by the magistrate.
+
+"What do you know about the money or the bag?" asked Squire Saunders.
+
+"I know all about it, your honor," replied the witness, with a radiant
+smile.
+
+"Who put them in the locker, where they were found?"
+
+"I did, your honor."
+
+"That nigger's been bribed to say that," interposed Dock, savagely.
+
+"Who do you call a nigger?" demanded Mr. Cćsar Augustus Ebénier,
+stepping briskly up to Dock, with his fists doubled up for use. "I
+never was convicted of crime and sent to the state prison."
+
+"Order!" called the justice.
+
+Dock was the more disturbed of the two; but the constable quieted him,
+while Mr. Watson patched up the wounded dignity of the cabin steward,
+who was doubtless a much better man than Dock. He had formerly been the
+body servant of a French gentleman in Louisiana, and he could read and
+write, and spoke French fluently. He wrote his name "C. Augustus
+Ebénier," and he insisted that his surname should be pronounced
+A-ba-ne-a. He was a person of no little importance in his own
+estimation, and had a southern negro's contempt for mean whites, of
+whom Dock Vincent seemed to be the meanest specimen he had yet seen.
+
+[Illustration: MR. C. AUGUSTUS EBÉNIER IS WRATHY.--Page 112.]
+
+"Now, Mr. Ebony, we will proceed with this examination."
+
+"A-ba-ne-a, if you please, your honor," suggested the witness, with the
+politest of bows.
+
+"I beg your pardon, Mr. Ebénier," said the justice, with a smile. "You
+placed the bag and the money in the locker--did you?"
+
+"I did, your honor; in the captain's locker: but I didn't comprehend
+what was in the bag at the particular moment when it was in my
+possession."
+
+"Exactly so."
+
+"I was not precisely informed in regard to the nature of the contents
+of the bag, which was agglomerated in a mass, and exceedingly heavy for
+the bulk of the parcel, appearing to consist only of a portion of tow
+cloth."
+
+"Just so, Mr. Ebénier; we are fortunate in being able to understand
+you."
+
+"I beg your honor's pardon, but the initial E in my surname should be
+pronounced like long a."
+
+"Excuse me, monsieur," laughed the justice; "but my French is rather
+rusty. Will you do me the favor to indicate in what manner the bag and
+its contents came into your possession."
+
+"With pleasure, your honor. Yesterday afternoon, just previous to
+Captain Fairfield's going on shore----"
+
+"Who?" asked Squire Saunders, who was not familiar with Levi's new
+title.
+
+"Captain Fairfield, your honor."
+
+"You mean Levi?"
+
+"No, your honor; far be it from me to commit the gross disrespect of
+calling the captain of the yacht in which I sail by his Christian name.
+Captain Levi Fairfield, your honor."
+
+"Go on, then. I know whom you mean."
+
+"Yesterday afternoon, just as Captain Fairfield was going on shore--I
+disremember the precise time, but it was about five o'clock, post
+meridian."
+
+"That is sufficiently accurate, Mr. Ebénier. Do me the favor to
+proceed."
+
+"I beg your honor's pardon, but these interruptions have a tendency to
+prevent me from following accurately and succinctly the thread of my
+narrative."
+
+The magistrate bowed, and laughed, as all in the room were doing except
+Dock and Mr. Fairfield. The witness commenced his story again,
+repeating everything he had said before; and the squire did not deem it
+prudent to interrupt him again.
+
+"I was located in a standing position near the entrance to the main
+cabin; and your honor is aware that, in first-class yachts, the descent
+commences in the standing-room, which in New York yachts is more
+frequently called the cockpit. At a distance of not more than a quarter
+of a marine league from our yacht lay a fishing schooner, which I was
+informed by those who probably possessed an accurate knowledge of the
+intended movements of the schooner, though I really could not now state
+to your honor the names of the parties from whom I received this
+intimation----"
+
+"Not material," interposed the squire.
+
+"The information I received may prove to be material, your honor. I was
+credibly informed that the vessel intended to sail for the Grand Banks
+or the coast of Labrador, I cannot now swear which, or, indeed, if it
+was either of these localities. Possibly it was either, possibly it was
+neither, or possibly it was both. I wish it particularly understood
+that, under the solemnity of an oath, I do not state positively where
+the vessel was going. Suffice it to say that she was going on a fishing
+voyage; but whether for cod, haddock, mackerel, or halibut, or either,
+or all, or a portion of these piscatorial inhabitants of the mighty
+deep, I am entirely unable to say."
+
+The court, counsel, and witnesses, with the exceptions before noted,
+roared with laughter; and the cabin steward smiled complacently, as
+though he was conscious of having made a point.
+
+"I can only observe, under oath, that I was informed that the vessel
+intended to depart in search of some of the numerous ichthyological
+specimens that roam in finny herds through the boundless depths of the
+sea--as soon as the tide turned."
+
+"Excuse me, Mr. Ebénier, but what has all this to do with the money and
+the bag?" asked the justice, choking down his laughter.
+
+"I trust I shall be able to demonstrate, to the entire satisfaction of
+your honor, that there is an intimate connection between these
+circumstances and the suspicious articles discovered in the state-room
+of Captain Fairfield."
+
+"Go on, then. It is almost dinner time."
+
+"A doray--an exceedingly anomalous craft to a resident of New York,
+where I have had the honor to reside for several seasons--a doray----"
+
+"You mean a dory--don't you?"
+
+"I am really unable to pronounce the word according to any authorized
+orthography, as it was never my good fortune to see the word in print.
+I am not informed whether or not the acute accent is placed over the
+final e."
+
+"There is no e in the word. D-o-r-y."
+
+"Ah, excuse me! It is not a French word, then, and it is quite proper
+to call it a dory."
+
+"Precisely so; and now, having settled this important point, that it is
+a dory, and not a doray, will you inform the court where you got the
+bag and the money?" said Squire Saunders, beginning to be a little
+impatient.
+
+But he might as well have attempted to make water run up hill as to
+induce Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier to relate his story in any other than
+his own way.
+
+"A dory from the fishing vessel, about to depart on her voyage, paid a
+visit of courtesy to the Starry Flag. The party which came in the dory
+consisted of three persons, all of them fishermen, and all of them
+young men. All, or a portion of them, were evidently personal friends
+of the four worthy young men who collectively constitute the crew of
+the yacht, of which I have the honor to be cabin steward. The persons
+who came on board were not cabin visitors; I am not even aware that
+they paid their respects to our excellent captain; but I feel compelled
+to add that, while on board, they behaved with the utmost propriety. I
+was located----"
+
+"Avast there!" exclaimed the justice. "The court is adjourned till
+after dinner. I hope the distinguished gentleman will be able to spin
+out his yarn before bed time."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+THE RESULT OF THE EXAMINATION.
+
+
+The dignity of the court had been effectually swamped by the
+grandiloquence of Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier, though it was evident that
+he was a very important witness. Of course no one was invited to dine
+at the miser's, and the court and witnesses went home to dinner. As a
+compromise, Constable Cooke was asked to dine with his prisoner at Mr.
+Watson's. At the appointed hour in the afternoon the court again
+assembled in the house of the miser.
+
+"Mr. Ebénier," said Squire Saunders, "you had proceeded in your
+narrative, when the court adjourned, to the point where four of the
+crew of the fishing vessel, about to depart in search of ichthyological
+specimens, came on board of the yacht, which has the honor to have your
+valuable services as steward."
+
+"I beg your honor's pardon; I had the honor, not the yacht," interposed
+Mr. Ebénier, bowing.
+
+"Well, I should say that the honors were divided," replied the justice;
+and his remark was regarded as a judicial joke. "If you could commence
+where you left off; and go on, I should be under very great obligations
+to you."
+
+"I will make a persistent effort to do so, your honor," added the
+obliging Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier. "As I had the honor to hear your
+honor remark, the three young men from the fishing vessel, about to
+depart, as aforesaid, were on board of our yacht, as aforesaid, and as
+I was standing near the cabin door, as aforesaid,--now my narrative
+progresses, your honor,--one of the young men from the fishing schooner
+aforesaid, as Captain Fairfield was about to go over the side into his
+boat, rushed up to me with the bag in his hand."
+
+"You mean the shot-bag containing the gold--do you?" asked the squire,
+now deeply interested in the substance of the story.
+
+"I do, your honor; perhaps I should have said the bag aforesaid, which
+I thought I had described with sufficient minuteness. The bag had
+originally contained shot, if the words printed on it can be relied
+upon----"
+
+"In the name of the Constitution of the United States, don't repeat the
+description of the bag!" protested the squire. "One of the young men
+rushed up to you with the bag in his hand."
+
+"The bag aforesaid, then, your honor. I affirm that he _rushed_ up to
+me, meaning that he walked briskly and rapidly towards me. He placed
+the bag--the bag aforesaid, your honor--in my hand, extended for the
+purpose of receiving it when I understood that he wished to commit it
+to my keeping."
+
+"Precisely so; what did he say?"
+
+"He observed that the captain desired me to place the parcel--by which
+I mean the bag aforesaid, with its contents, not then known to me--in
+one of the lockers in his state-room. As nearly as I can remember,
+though I should not be willing to swear to the precise phraseology of
+the language he used, his words were, 'The captain wants you to put
+this into the locker in his state-room.'"
+
+"Didn't you ask him what it was?"
+
+"No, your honor; I never ask any questions when the captain's orders
+come to me. It is my duty to obey, without knowing the reasons for the
+action I am directed to take. I went immediately to the captain's
+state-room, and deposited the parcel--the bag aforesaid--in one of the
+empty lockers. I supposed from its weight that it contained nails,
+hinges, screws, or some other species of hardware."
+
+"Did you see the captain hand it to the person who gave it to you?"
+
+"No, your honor, I did not. Under the painfully disagreeable circumstances
+ which have followed the _dénouement_ of the depositing of the bag
+ aforesaid in the locker, I wish to add, if my humble opinion is of any
+ value to this honorable court, that I do not believe the captain gave
+ the bag aforesaid to the person of whom I received it."
+
+"Do you know the name of the man who gave it to you?" asked Squire
+Cleaves.
+
+"I can only reply that I heard him called Ben,--which I presume is an
+abbreviation of Benjamin,--when addressed by his companions."
+
+"It was Ben Seaver," said Levi. "He was on board at the time
+mentioned."
+
+"I have no knowledge whatever in regard to his patronymic," added the
+cabin steward.
+
+"Why do you say you don't believe the captain handed it to Ben?"
+continued the justice.
+
+"Because, your honor, the circumstances do not justify such a
+conclusion on my part. It is not reasonable to suppose----"
+
+"Confine yourself to the facts, Mr. Ebénier. We do not care to listen
+to an argument," interposed the justice.
+
+"I beg your honor's pardon; to facts, then, will I confine myself. The
+captain went directly from the cabin to his boat, and the person whom
+his companions called Ben came to me directly from the forecastle. I
+did not see him hold any communication with the captain, though he
+paused for a moment at the gangway, and looked over the rail into the
+boat."
+
+"Might not the captain have handed him the package then?"
+
+"I don't think it was possible, your honor."
+
+"What were the men on the forecastle doing?"
+
+"They were coiling away a spare cable--all but Bob Thomas, who was to
+pull the captain ashore; and the visitors were assisting them."
+
+"That will do, Mr. Ebénier; we are much obliged to you for the lucid
+manner in which you have given your testimony, which is very
+important," said Squire Saunders.
+
+Bob Thomas, who had pulled the captain ashore, and who had been in the
+boat with him at the time when he was alleged to have sent the bag to
+the steward, was next questioned. He had neither seen the bag, nor seen
+Levi speak to Ben Seaver. The rest of the crew were examined, but
+nothing was elicited from them. Each of them was asked what had passed
+between Ben and himself, but the conversation related entirely to fish
+and fishing. Mat Mogmore seemed to be slightly confused, which was
+attributed to bashfulness, for his statements were as square as those
+of his shipmates.
+
+Ben Seaver, who appeared to be the only person that could solve the
+mystery, had gone on a fishing voyage, and might not return for two
+months or more. No one had seen him at the fire, when the money was
+stolen; and it was not probable that he was the original thief,
+whatever part he might have been employed to perform by the guilty
+party.
+
+Levi himself was then examined at great length. His statements,
+covering the time from the fire down to the present moment, were clear
+and positive. He knew nothing about the money; he had not given the bag
+to Ben Seaver; had not spoken to him, except to pass the time of day
+with him as an old acquaintance. When Dock and Mr. Fairfield declared
+that Levi hated his uncle, Mrs. Fairfield disproved the statement by
+adducing all the kind acts he had performed.
+
+Squire Cleaves, for the defendant, then reviewed the testimony for and
+against his client.
+
+"It certainly has not been shown that Levi stole this money," said he.
+"Nor has sufficient evidence been brought against him to render it
+probable that he is guilty; not enough to justify your honor in
+committing him for trial. This investigation has led us to follow the
+bag from the captain's state-room to the hands of Ben Seaver. There we
+are blocked, and can go no farther till this person's return from his
+voyage. Mr. Watson proposes to charter a steamer, send her after the
+fishing vessel, and bring back Ben Seaver. Then we can follow the bag
+until it leads us to the feet of a conspiracy against my client."
+
+"It is not necessary to send any steamer after the witness," said the
+justice. "The only evidence, in this long examination, which has been
+brought against the prisoner, is, that the bag was found in his
+state-room. It has been shown, conclusively, that he did not place it
+there, and probably did not cause it to be placed there. The defendant
+is discharged." And Squire Saunders rose from his seat at the table.
+
+The decision, though it had not been unexpected, caused a decided
+sensation in the little audience assembled in the miser's chamber. Dock
+Vincent was mad, Mr. Fairfield was in despair, and the constable was
+disappointed. The victim had escaped, and the miser had obtained no
+clew to the lost treasure. The justice took possession of the bag and
+its contents, to be used when Ben Seaver returned. The audience
+dispersed to talk over the event among themselves.
+
+Levi's friends, including Mr. Gayles, who had listened with the deepest
+interest to the proceedings, were satisfied that the whole affair was a
+conspiracy. Mr. Watson's theory was, that Dock Vincent had robbed the
+miser himself, and had employed the absentee to place the bag in Levi's
+room, intending himself to be on the way to Australia before Seaver
+returned. As the matter stood, nothing could be proved. But Mr. Gayles
+declared that he should watch Dock Vincent and a "certain other
+person," whose name he declined to mention, by night and by day, until
+some evidence was obtained. It was not enough to vindicate the
+innocent; the guilty must be exposed and punished.
+
+"Then Levi didn't steal my money, arter all," said Mr. Fairfield to
+Dock Vincent, after the other people had gone.
+
+"Yes, he did. Levi's smart, and knows how to cover up his work."
+
+"We don't know no more'n nothin' in the world what's come on't," sighed
+Mr. Fairfield.
+
+"Levi's got it; and it will come to light yet," repeated Dock.
+
+"I donno whether he has or not."
+
+"That nigger lied all the way through. Folks that tell the truth don't
+spin no sich yarns as he did. If I catch that nigger in the right
+place, I'll pound him till he tells the truth, for Levi certainly
+bribed him to tell that story. He didn't say a word about Ben Seaver on
+board the vessel. He only did it to get his master out of a
+scrape--that's all, you may depend upon it."
+
+"All I want's my money, and I don't keer much whether Levi took it or
+not, if I only git it," groaned Mr. Fairfield.
+
+"Don't be alarmed, Squire Fairfield. You'll get your money one of these
+days--every dollar of it, for Levi's got money enough to make up for
+what he spends. I've got some one in a situation to keep watch of him,
+and something'll leak out before long. You keep a stiff upper lip,
+Squire Fairfield, and it'll all come out right in the end," added Dock,
+as he turned to leave.
+
+"I don't feel quite so sartain as I did that Levi done it," replied Mr.
+Fairfield.
+
+"Yes, he did, and that nigger got him out of the scrape. Levi's smart,
+and so's the nigger. Wasn't it cunning for him to say the bag was given
+him by a man who has gone off on a fishing voyage? I can see through
+that trick with my eyes shut. I shall keep an eye on Levi, and on that
+nigger too," said the comforter, as he left the room.
+
+Dock was sorely vexed at the result of the examination. He had been
+confident that his victim would be committed for trial, but the
+steward's testimony had saved him. He walked down towards his own
+house; but he had not gone far before he discovered Mr. C. Augustus
+Ebénier, going in the direction of the Point. With a little contrivance
+on Dock's part, they came together out of sight and hearing of
+everybody.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+HOTEL DE POISSON.
+
+
+If Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier had been a prudent colored man, he would
+have avoided the meeting which Captain Dock Vincent contrived to bring
+about, by dodging around the rocks, and again appearing in the
+principal path. But he was not a prudent colored man; and when he saw
+the dangerous individual before him, though he might easily have turned
+aside so as to avoid him, he did not do so.
+
+The steward was a very peaceable and well-disposed person on board the
+yacht, and elsewhere, but under certain circumstances he was a
+belligerent colored man. He had a very reasonable and decided objection
+to being called a "nigger." He claimed that he was a gentleman, and
+while he behaved like a gentleman, he declined to be insulted with
+impunity. Mr. Ebénier saw the person who had applied this obnoxious
+epithet to him during the examination. It is possible that his heart
+beat a little quicker when he discovered the blackguard, as he regarded
+him; but it is certain that he did not turn to the right or the left,
+but proceeded on his way as though Dock had been a pygmy, instead of
+the heavy, stout man he was.
+
+"See here, you nigger," Dock began, when the steward was within hailing
+distance.
+
+"What do you want of me, you state-prison bird?" replied the colored
+man.
+
+"What's that you say?" demanded Dock, angrily.
+
+"I asked you what you wanted of me, you state-prison bird," repeated
+the steward.
+
+"We'll settle that here," said Dock, rolling up his sleeves. "I don't
+allow any man, white or black, to insult me."
+
+"That's just my position exactly," added Mr. Ebénier, throwing off his
+coat. "I don't allow any man, big or little, black or white, to insult
+me."
+
+The unexpected readiness of the steward to settle the question on the
+spot rather startled and perplexed Dock, and he did not appear to be
+quite so ready to "pitch in" as he supposed he was. It is sometimes
+true of individuals, as it is of nations, that a readiness to fight is
+the surest guarantee of peace.
+
+"What do you mean by calling me a state-prison bird?" demanded Dock, in
+less confident tones.
+
+"What do you mean by calling me a nigger?" retorted the steward.
+
+"Well, you are one--aren't you?"
+
+"Well, you are a state-prison bird--aren't you?"
+
+"Don't say that again!" said Dock, shaking his head.
+
+"I'll say it twenty-five times more, if you call me a nigger as many
+times as that."
+
+"Aren't you a black man?"
+
+"I am; but my heart isn't half so black as yours. I'm not a nigger,"
+protested the colored man, stoutly; and it was evident in this instance
+that the negro would fight, which was just the thing Dock didn't wish
+him to do.
+
+"Whatever you are, I won't dirty my hands licking a nigger," added the
+bully.
+
+"But I'll dirty mine by licking a state-prison bird, and you shall have
+the satisfaction of being licked by a black man," said the steward,
+stepping up towards his burly antagonist.
+
+"Cool off, cuffee; I was only joking with you," continued Dock, with a
+mighty effort to laugh.
+
+"Don't call me cuffee. My name is C. Augustus Ebénier, and I am ready
+to teach you good manners, without fee or reward."
+
+"Never mind, Mr. What's-your-name."
+
+"If you wish to apologize, do so, or I'll soil my boot by kicking you."
+
+"Apologize to a nigger!" exclaimed Dock.
+
+The steward kicked him. This was more than Dock could stand, and he
+levelled a blow at the spunky assailant, which was parried. Dock was
+heavy, but he was clumsy, and before he could repeat the stroke, the
+hard fist of the colored man had settled under one of his eyes, leaving
+its mark there--a black eye. The bully retreated under the stunning
+force of the blow, and picked up a stone, which he hurled at his
+opponent, but fortunately without hitting him. Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier
+appeared to be satisfied with what he had done, and he did not follow
+up his advantage, but picked up a stone, to intimate that two could
+play at that game as well as one.
+
+"We'll settle this another time," said Dock, wiping his black eye.
+
+"You wanted to settle it now, and you have," replied the steward. "If I
+can do anything more for you, all you have to do is to call me a
+nigger, and I'll put your other eye into mourning."
+
+"I'll see you again," said Dock, in threatening tones, as he turned and
+walked away towards his house.
+
+The steward put on his coat, and moved towards the landing-place,
+beyond the chasm. Since the examination, he had been promenading the
+town to see the place, or, what is quite as likely, to permit the
+inhabitants to see him; for Mr. Ebénier was human, and his weak point
+was a large estimate of his own consequence. He was on his way to the
+Point to hail the yacht for a boat.
+
+He followed the path better satisfied with himself than we are with
+him, for it is not the part of a gentleman to fight unless attacked, or
+to return epithet for epithet. But he had hardly taken half a dozen
+steps, before a stone, as big as a man's fist, struck him on the back
+of the head, and he dropped senseless upon the rocks, not killed, or
+even badly hurt, but effectually stunned. This was Dock Vincent's mode
+of warfare--to hit a man behind his back.
+
+"Now you'll keep a civil tongue in your head for a while," said the
+ruffian to himself, as he hastened towards his house.
+
+The steward lay still upon his bed of rocks. The sun had gone down, and
+the darkness gathered over him; but no one appeared to render him any
+assistance. The blow had been a heavy one, and the blood ran down the
+back of his head from the flesh wound it had produced.
+
+When it was quite dark, Augustus, as he was called on board the yacht,
+began to move and exhibit some signs of life; but a few minutes elapsed
+before he had sufficiently recovered to rise. He got up, rubbed his
+head, looked around him, and collected his ideas enough to know where
+he was. He felt the blood on his head, but he was a strong-minded man,
+and did not believe he was killed. He walked down to the landing-place,
+and hailed the yacht without obtaining any response. He repeated the
+call a dozen times with no better success. Either the crew were not on
+board, or they had turned in for the night.
+
+Augustus was a man of the world, and his philosophy was equal to almost
+any occasion. He could not get on board, and therefore he decided to
+remain on shore, which exhibited a nicety of judgment worthy of
+commendation and imitation. Removing his collar, he bathed his head and
+neck in cold salt water, and was satisfied that his wound was not a
+dangerous one. He congratulated himself that the stone had not hit him
+in the face, and thus marred his personal beauty; for, being an
+exquisite in his own way, this would have been the most fearful
+calamity that could possibly have happened to him.
+
+After making himself presentable, so far as he could in the darkness,
+and in the absence of a mirror, his first impulse was to find his
+treacherous enemy, and punish him for his dastardly attack; for Mr.
+Ebénier did not purpose to trouble Squire Saunders or the courts with
+his affair. But he did not know where to find Dock, and was not aware
+that he lived in the house nearest to the landing-place. He did not
+exactly like the idea of passing the night in the open air, and it
+would not be etiquette for him to apply to Mr. Watson or the captain
+for a lodging.
+
+The steward was not only a philosopher, but a man of expedients. On his
+way up to the town in the morning he had noticed a dilapidated
+fish-house, at the head of a little inlet. This building would afford
+him a shelter, if nothing more, for the night, and he repaired to its
+friendly but inhospitable roof. Entering the fish-house, he groped
+about for a suitable place to lie down, and blundered against a rickety
+flight of stairs in one corner. Hoping to find better sleeping
+accommodation in the loft than on the ground floor,--as literally it
+was, being composed of earth and rocks,--he ascended the steps. The
+stairs creaked and groaned, and it required some nerve to go up in the
+dark; but the steward's courage was equal to the emergency.
+
+He found that it was not safe to walk about on the floor of the loft in
+the dark, for the timbers groaned under his weight, and the boards were
+full of holes and traps; but near the head of the stairs was an old
+sail, which seemed to have been placed there for his especial
+accommodation. Lying down on this, he wooed the slumber which his head,
+still dizzy from the effects of the blow, required.
+
+"I'm all right now," said he to himself. "It smells fishy; I will call
+it Hotel de Poisson, and go to sleep."
+
+While the steward was seeking a resting-place for his weary head, Dock
+Vincent walked down to the Point to ascertain whether or not he had
+killed his victim. He was gone, and the ruffian went home again.
+
+Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier could not go to sleep in his hotel as readily
+as he desired; but, just as he was dropping off, he was startled by the
+sound of voices, in low, suppressed tones, hardly above a whisper. He
+heard footsteps, and then the dim light of a lantern shed its rays up
+through the holes and cracks in the floor. In vain he tried to identify
+the voices; the whispers did not enable him to do so. He dared not move
+lest the creaking of the timbers should alarm the nocturnal visitors.
+
+He was satisfied that the persons below were engaged in some kind of
+mischief, and it was his business to know what it was, and who the men
+were. Near the centre of the loft there was a large hole in the floor,
+and he commenced working himself by hundredth parts of an inch towards
+it; but every time he moved, however slightly, the creaking joist
+threatened to betray his presence, and he decided to satisfy himself at
+once. One glance might inform him who the men were, and perhaps the
+mystery of the stolen gold would be solved.
+
+The steward made a spring towards the aperture, throwing himself
+forward upon his hands, so as to look down through the hole. He had
+forgotten the ruinous condition of the Hotel de Poisson. His weight and
+the force of his movement were too much for the strength of the rotten
+wood; a timber gave way, and Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier was precipitated,
+head first, through the hole he had made, and struck between the two
+men, who sat each on a rock facing the other, with the light on the
+ground between them. The lantern was smashed, and the two men uttered a
+howl of terror.
+
+If the steward's head had struck one of the rocks it must have split it
+open--the head, not the rock! He hit the ground, and, as it was, he was
+again stunned, the men making a hasty escape without recognition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+"OFT FROM APPARENT ILLS."
+
+
+Doubtless a person with Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier's pretensions to
+gentility should have sent down his card to the individuals engaged in
+conference below before he went down himself; but the circumstances did
+not permit the exercise of this degree of courtesy. In fact the steward
+had no intention forcibly to intrude himself upon the persons below;
+only to obtain a glance at them. He was a man of intelligence, and the
+arrest of his captain, in whose character he had a becoming interest,
+was enough to assure him that something was wrong. He had listened
+patiently to the details of the examination, and while he was willing
+to admit that the old man had been robbed of his gold, it never entered
+his head that Levi was guilty of the crime.
+
+The muffled speech of the two men in the Hotel de Poisson, and the
+unseemly hour they had chosen for their conference, suggested to the
+steward that they had something to do with this robbery. He had vainly
+endeavored to identify their voices, and as a last resort, failing to
+obtain any information by other means, he decided to obtain one glance
+at them at all hazards. Perhaps it was well for him that the timbers
+broke beneath his weight, for the men, not relishing the intrusion,
+might have subjected him to much bodily harm.
+
+As it was, they bolted as though an evil spirit had suddenly dropped
+down between them from the upper regions. They were terribly
+frightened, as indicated by their rapid flight. The steward had not
+even obtained his coveted view of their faces and forms, and was no
+wiser in the end than he was in the beginning. The treacherous timbers
+had defeated his purpose, while, perhaps, they had saved him from a
+greater calamity than his fall.
+
+For the second time that day, the steward lay senseless on the ground.
+Though Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier was not wanting in intelligence, his
+skull seemed to have a capability for enduring hard knocks which was
+really surprising. Doubtless his head was his strong place; if it had
+not been, his brains must have been dashed out. According to the
+tradition, it was safer for him to strike on his head than on his
+shins. Certainly he was not badly injured, and if reduced to extremity
+he might have let out his head for use as a blacksmith's anvil.
+
+Before the two men who had been conferring together in the Hotel de
+Poisson could muster courage to return, the steward had in a great
+measure recovered from the effects of the fall. Perhaps the
+superabundance of stars which dawned upon his vision had not all ceased
+to shine; and perhaps his ideas, which had all been thrown into a
+confused mass, were not altogether detached and restored to their
+original channels; but Augustus was practically himself again. His
+first thought was one of regret that he had failed to obtain a sight of
+the two men; that he had not even learned whether they were black or
+white, old or young, seamen or landsmen.
+
+He rubbed his head to relieve the pressure on his brain, and to vivify
+his ideas. The incident which had occurred seemed to render the Hotel
+de Poisson an unfit place for him to remain during the balance of the
+night; but he was not willing to leave till he had examined the
+locality, and obtained whatever evidence it might afford him in regard
+to the mysterious couple who had met there. Kicking about the ground,
+he disturbed the fractured glass of the lantern. The globe had been
+broken, but the lamp was still whole.
+
+Though Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier had a great many bright parts, he was
+inclined to be a "swell." He smoked a pipe on the forecastle of the
+yacht, but when he walked through the principal streets of Rockport, in
+his plaid pants and bobtail sack, he smoked an Havana cigar, with a
+meerschaum mouthpiece, in deference to his huge mustache--it was more
+genteel to smoke a cigar than a pipe. The steward carried a cigar case,
+which always contained two or three of the choicest brand, and he
+claimed to have brought them from Havana himself. In this case he also
+carried matches, which now promised to serve him a better turn than for
+the lighting of his cigar.
+
+In a moment he had the lamp from the lantern burning, and was looking
+curiously and eagerly about the premises. The steward had an idea;
+perhaps not a very brilliant one, but as brilliant as could be expected
+of a man whose intellect had been so rudely jarred twice within a brief
+period. The conduct of the two transient guests at the Hotel de Poisson
+had been suspicious, to say the least. That afternoon the robbery had
+been fully discussed, and he was confident that the visitors were in
+some manner connected with that affair. His idea was, that the
+fish-house had been used as a place of concealment for the plunder. He
+made a hasty examination of the ground and the rocks which formed the
+first floor of the Hotel de Poisson, but discovered nothing to confirm
+his impression.
+
+The steward crossed the place to examine under the rickety stairs. On
+his way he hit his head against a splintered board, which was hanging
+from the floor above, partly detached by his movement through the
+structure. It scratched the top of his head, already tender from rough
+usage, and thereby vexed and angered him, as slight accidents often
+ruffle even great minds. With a gesture of impatience, and a petulant
+word not in good taste for a drawing-room, he seized the projecting
+board, and gave it a savage wrench.
+
+Mr. Ebénier was not a poet himself, but he was fond of the poets, and
+had perused Milton, Shakspeare, Beattie, Cowper, and Keats with real
+pleasure, to say nothing of having read Corneille and Racine in the
+original. The steward, therefore, was prepared to appreciate the poet's
+sentiment, "Oft from apparent ills our blessings rise." His impatient
+gesture and his petulant exclamation when the board scratched his head,
+indicated that he regarded the accident as "an apparent ill;" but, as
+he wrenched the board, a shot-bag, plethoric with gold coin, tumbled,
+with a clinking clang, upon the ground at his feet, narrowly avoiding
+his head, and thus saying him from being knocked senseless a third
+time.
+
+The steward opened his eyes, and regarded the bag as the blessing. He
+shook the board again, and another bag came this time. Then he pulled
+it away, and the sail which had formed his bed in the loft rolled down.
+Overhauling this, he found a third bag; and this was the last he could
+find. Picking up the lamp till it blazed like a torch, he renewed the
+search; but no more of these heavy blessings were available.
+
+Mr. Ebénier was satisfied, and he set his lamp down on the ground,
+intending to open one of the bags, and ascertain the nature of its
+contents. Under ordinary circumstances the steward would have been too
+careful to set his lamp down so near a pile of dry seaweed as he did on
+the present occasion. But his mind was, probably, so confused by the
+hard knocks his head had received, and by the excitement of finding the
+gold, that he took little note of his surroundings. His thought was
+concentrated upon the bags of gold. He did not even think of the two
+men whose conference he had disturbed, and did not seem to fear that
+they would return and deprive him of his booty.
+
+He was about to untie the string of one of the heavy bags, when a
+bright glare overspread the space before him. The pile of dry seaweed,
+which had been used to cover a sail-boat in the winter, was all in a
+light blaze. The steward tried to quench the flames with his feet, but
+his efforts were unavailing. The dry stuff burned like shavings, and
+the more he kicked, the more the fire leaped up and spit at him. He
+fought the flames as long as his courage held out, and then he
+"allowed" that the Hotel de Poisson was a doomed structure.
+
+Taking the money-bags, he retreated down the peninsula towards the
+landing-place at the Point, lighted on his way by the burning building.
+Crossing the plank, he reached the shore. There was a dory there, and
+putting the three bags into it, the steward launched it, and pulled off
+to the yacht. The treasure was conveyed to the cabin, and deposited
+temporarily in a locker under a berth. The dory was towed back to the
+shore, and placed where the steward had found it, that no early
+fisherman might be deprived of his morning trip. Augustus was in a
+flurry of excitement all this time, and had not even considered what he
+should do with the bags. His present object was to secure the plunder
+so that it could not be recovered by the robbers; and, having done
+this, he was entirely satisfied with himself, and everybody else,
+except Dock Vincent, to whom he owed a balance on account, for that
+night's business.
+
+There was an alarm of fire on shore. The bright glare of the flames
+from the Hotel de Poisson penetrated the windows of a house near Dock
+Vincent's, and lighted up the bed-chamber of a sleeping stone-cutter.
+He gave the alarm; the bells rang, the engines rattled, and the whole
+town was aroused from its peaceful slumbers. Hundreds of men, who had
+worked hard all day, lost two hours of sleep for an old shanty which
+was not worth five dollars.
+
+The Hotel de Poisson was burned to the ground before many people had
+gathered. Some good men thanked God that it had not been a poor man's
+house; young men enjoyed the excitement of "running with the machine,"
+and those with an eye for the picturesque were thankful that the
+unsightly shanty had been removed from a place where it disfigured the
+landscape. No one appeared to be sorry; but every one wondered how the
+fire had caught. Various conjectures were suggested; but, after all, no
+one knew anything about it. Some thought a straggler had used it as a
+lodging, and set it on fire in lighting his pipe. Others thought some
+bad boys had set the fire for fun.
+
+If the two men who had met there to confer about their ill-gotten gold
+were in the crowd, doubtless they were sadder and wiser men. Probably
+they thought that the breaking of the lantern had communicated the
+flame to the shanty. The people present knew nothing of the event in
+the Hotel de Poisson wherein Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier had been the
+principal actor. The finding of the half-melted remains of a lantern
+had no significance or suggestiveness to them. The building burned up
+clean, and there was nothing left of it but a few smoking timbers, and
+a thin sprinkling of ashes on the ground and the rocks.
+
+If the robbers, whoever they were, went to the fire, it is more than
+likely that they searched eagerly among the ruins for the gold. If they
+did, they saw nothing which looked like the fused coins of the
+treasure. The old sail, in which the gold appeared to have been
+concealed, or which had been thrown over its place of concealment, was
+burned to tinder, and there was not a vestige of the bags or the money.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+"LOSE HIS OWN SOUL!"
+
+
+The steward of The Starry Flag, after he had returned the dory to the
+rocks, and secured the jolly-boat of the yacht, had an opportunity to
+rest his fevered, mixed-up brain, and to consider his next step. The
+four seamen of the schooner slept on shore, at their own homes, and
+there was no one on board but the cook, who slumbered heavily in the
+forecastle, and did not hear Augustus when he conveyed the bags to the
+cabin.
+
+Mr. Ebénier lighted a lamp, closed the cabin doors, and drew the silken
+curtains over the ports in the upper part of the trunk, so that no one
+could see what he was doing. Though it was not lawful for the steward
+to use the wash-bowl in Mr. Watson's stateroom, he considered that the
+present emergency would justify him in doing so. He performed his
+ablutions with the utmost care, paying particular attention to his
+wounded head. He then changed his clothing throughout, and devoted half
+an hour to cleansing his plaid pants, which had been somewhat soiled by
+contact with the burning seaweed. He even polished his boots before he
+put them away.
+
+So far as cleanliness was concerned, the steward was a gentleman, which
+no unclean person can be. Having completed his toilet, and removed all
+signs of the operation from the state-room, he sat down on a locker in
+the cabin. He was thinking of the extraordinary incidents of the night.
+He was fully satisfied that he had found Mr. Fairfield's treasure, and
+that the opportunity entirely to free his young captain from suspicion
+was within his grasp. It was a pleasant thought; but, after all, who
+was Captain Fairfield? Only a young fellow behind whose chair at dinner
+he was privileged to stand. He had seen him for the first time but a
+few days before, and he did not feel under any peculiar obligations to
+him.
+
+Mr. Ebénier took the three bags of gold from the locker, and laid them
+on the cabin table. It was midnight by the clock which hung in the
+cabin--the dead hour of night, when all were sleeping. The fire on
+shore had burned out, and all was still save the rolling sea. The
+steward went to the door, opened it, passed up to the deck; there was
+no one in sight, and hardly a light to be seen on the land. Returning
+to the cabin, he poured out the contents of one of the bags on the
+table, and proceeded to count the gold. It was a long job, and there
+was more money than the steward had ever before seen together. On a
+piece of paper he noted each hundred dollars with a tally-mark. His
+last pile contained but fifty dollars. Counting up his marks, he made
+thirty-eight of them; and the whole sum, according to his reckoning,
+was thirty-eight hundred and fifty dollars.
+
+The old man had lost four thousand dollars, and the steward, concluding
+he had made a mistake, performed the agreeable task of counting the
+gold a second time, but with the same result as before. After making
+the allowance for the fifty dollars found in the captain's state-room,
+the amount was one hundred dollars short. Mr. Ebénier had the impudence
+to ask himself if this could be the miser's money, since it did not
+hold out in the sum he had lost. But the bags were plainly marked, as
+the fourth had been, "N. Fairfield," in the cramped handwriting of the
+miser. Of course there could be no doubt in regard to the ownership of
+the treasure, and Mr. Ebénier could not but wonder at the stupidity of
+the thieves in hiding it in or under the old sail in the Hotel de
+Poisson. But he did them the justice to conclude that it had only been
+placed there for a short time, perhaps for but a few hours; at any
+rate, their presence in the shanty indicated that it was to have been
+removed during the night.
+
+It had been removed during the night! The steward chuckled when he
+thought of it, but his capacious intellect was agitated by a great
+moral question. Thirty-eight hundred and fifty dollars was an immense
+sum to a person in his station, who had never had even a hundred
+dollars in his possession at one time. Honesty was a precious jewel,
+but it was not possible for him to make thirty-eight hundred and fifty
+dollars, at one stupendous haul, by being honest. He did not steal the
+money. He did not rob the old man. If the steward had not suffered the
+perils and discomforts of two broken heads, or rather one head broken
+twice, the robbers, whoever they were, would doubtless have divided the
+money between them, and the old man would never know what had become of
+his cherished gold.
+
+Mr. Ebénier asked himself if this was not a freak of fortune in his
+favor; if the money was not a providential compensation for his
+twice-broken head. Thirty-eight hundred and fifty dollars would be a
+very handsome atonement for two such raps as he had received, and he
+was Mammon-worshipper enough to feel willing that his head should be
+pounded to a jelly at this rate, so long as the germ of his mighty
+intellect was not extinguished.
+
+The steward was a man of exquisite tastes, and was ambitious for social
+recognition and distinction. In Paris a colored man was just as good
+as, if not a little better than, a white man. His former master, in
+Louisiana, had believed in Paris, and seeing with his eyes, he had been
+fully converted to his master's faith. Mr. Ebénier wanted to go to
+Paris, wanted to live there, even as a waiter in a _café_, if no better
+situation presented itself. With the money before him, he could realize
+his dream of luxury and splendor. He could convert these half eagles
+into napoleons, and revel like a prince in the gay metropolis of
+France. He would wear the finest of broadcloth, eat the most sumptuous
+of dinners, and saunter up and down the Champs Elysées like a
+gentleman. In short, thirty-eight hundred and fifty dollars, or nearly
+twenty thousand francs in the currency of France, would make a
+gentleman of him.
+
+Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier was sorely tempted. It might be only once in
+his lifetime that such a chance to be a gentleman would be presented to
+him. He could put the gold into his carpet-bag, walk over to
+Gloucester, and take the first train for Boston. No one would know what
+had become of him; or, if they did, he would not be suspected of having
+the gold. But he would be missed, and his absence might cause a
+commotion. It would be better not to leave at present. The money could
+be concealed on board of the yacht, and when he was disposed to abandon
+the vessel it would be within his reach.
+
+After more reflection on this important matter, the steward became
+convinced that it would be safer and better to hide the gold on board.
+At the stern of the vessel, under the standing-room, there was a space
+not available for cabin use, which formed a kind of store-room for
+extra supplies. It was reached by removing the cabin steps. The tempted
+man entered this contracted and low apartment with the lamp in his
+hand. He found a narrow aperture, which led to the space under the
+cabin floor, where the ballast was deposited, and over which a board
+had been nailed to prevent the odor of bilge water from penetrating the
+apartment of the passengers. He removed this board, and reaching down
+into the hold, placed the bags in a position where they were not likely
+to be discovered, even by a person searching for them. Nailing on the
+board again, he covered it with various articles, and returned to the
+cabin.
+
+On the table lay a Bible, which the steward occasionally read. Though
+it was now two o'clock in the morning, he was not sleepy; he was too
+much excited to think of slumber. He opened the good book mechanically,
+turned its leaves, and read a verse here and there; but he was thinking
+all the time of the luxurious gayety of the French capital, and the
+pleasures which thirty-eight hundred and fifty dollars would purchase.
+
+"For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose
+his own soul?"
+
+This was the last verse he read, and he closed the book, as though this
+appeal of Holy Writ grated harshly on his feelings.
+
+"Lose his own soul," repeated he, almost in spite of himself.
+
+He tried to think of the Boulevards and the gardens of the Tuileries
+again; but "lose his own soul" came up to his lips still, as though
+some invisible power compelled him to whisper the impressive sentence.
+He attempted to whistle, and then to sing an air; but "lose his own
+soul" came up to his lips, and he could not help whispering the
+sentence again.
+
+"This money don't belong to me," said he, in audible words. "I am not
+the happy owner of this princely sum. Unto but few is it appointed to
+be both rich and good-looking, and I am not of the number. I must be
+contented with my good looks."
+
+It was no use to say it; he did not mean it, and the idea of Paris and
+its luxuries still haunted his imagination. He turned in, but it was
+only to think what thirty-eight hundred and fifty dollars would
+purchase; and "lose his own soul" not only came to his lips, but the
+solemn sentence seemed to be printed, in sombre-hued capitals, all over
+the cabin. He went to sleep at last; but "lose his own soul" followed
+him into his dreams, yelled in the distance and muttered in his ears by
+grinning demons, such as those with which his fancy peopled the realms
+of the lost. But he slumbered uneasily till the sun was far up on his
+day-journey. When he went on deck, he saw The Starry Flag, Jr. almost
+alongside. Captain Fairfield and the four seamen came on board.
+
+The young skipper announced that the trip to the eastward, which had
+been postponed from the day before, would be commenced at once, and the
+party would be on board at eight o'clock. The steward had enough to do
+to keep his hands, if not his mind, engaged in making preparations for
+the occupants of the cabin. At the time appointed the party came on
+board, and the yacht sailed on her cruise.
+
+Our story need not follow them during the ten days to which the trip
+was prolonged. It is enough to say that the party enjoyed every moment
+of the time. Even Mrs. Watson, who had no taste for the sea, was
+delighted; for Levi, at her request, was careful to bring the yacht to
+anchor in smooth water every night, and to stay in port when the sea
+was very rough.
+
+During those ten days Mr. Ebénier considered and reconsidered, and then
+considered again, what he should do with the money that had so
+strangely come into his possession. He was disposed to use it; but the
+gospel sentence thundered in his ears, and trembled upon his lips, and
+rolled like the chariot of an avenger through his mind. Once or twice
+he was on the point of telling the captain all about the gold, but the
+vision of Parisian luxury checked him.
+
+When the yacht entered Sandy Bay, the Caribbee lay anchored off the
+Point, and The Starry Flag moored a couple of cables' length from her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+ANOTHER LITTLE PLAN.
+
+
+When The Starry Flag returned from her pleasant excursion to the
+eastward, Mr. Fairfield had so far recovered from the effects of his
+fall as to be out, and to be making his preparations again to catch
+dog-fish. It seemed to him to be absolutely necessary that he should
+make some more money. He felt like a poor man, and his stocks and
+bonds, notes and mortgages, afforded him but little comfort. His heart
+seemed to have been lost with the four thousand in gold.
+
+When the yacht made her moorings, the old man was at the landing-place,
+getting ready to go dog-fishing the next day. His bones still ached,
+and nothing but bitter necessity could have induced one so feeble as he
+was to think of going off in a dory, miles from the shore, braving the
+perils of ocean and storm. He believed that poverty and want stared him
+in the face, and that he must go to the poorhouse if he did not make an
+effort to retrieve his great misfortune.
+
+Dock Vincent was never far off when a vessel came into port; and,
+though he was very busy in making the preparations for his departure,
+he hastened down to the Point when The Starry Flag hove in sight.
+
+"That's Levi's vessel, Squire Fairfield," said he.
+
+"I s'pose 'tis," replied the old man, casting an indifferent glance to
+seaward.
+
+"I sold my house to-day, Squire Fairfield," continued Dock, seating
+himself by the shore.
+
+"Did ye? What d'ye git for 't?"
+
+"Fifteen hundred dollars. It was worth two thousand; but, as I'm going
+to Australia right off, I couldn't afford to hold it for a better
+price."
+
+"You'll have a good deal of money to kerry off with you."
+
+"Not much. I paid six thousand for that vessel, and she's dog-cheap at
+that; but I shall make my fortune in her, carrying passengers."
+
+"I hope you will, for you've done well by me, though you didn't find my
+money;" and the old man sighed heavily. "I reckon I shall never see
+nothin' more on't."
+
+"I'm afraid you never will, Squire Fairfield. That nigger lied so like
+all possessed that Levi got clear, and then we couldn't do anything.
+I'm afraid it's too late to do anything more. I calculate that nigger
+and Levi understand one another pretty well. They fixed things between
+them, and I'm just as sure as I can be that your money went off in that
+vessel."
+
+"In the yack?"
+
+"Yes, in the yacht," replied Dock, warmly. "It was stowed away
+somewhere in her; but I suppose they have got rid of it by this time."
+
+"You think I shan't never see it again," groaned the old man, with a
+piteous expression on his thin face.
+
+"I'm sorry to say I don't think you ever will, Squire Fairfield."
+
+"Then I'm a ruined man! I can't afford to lose four thousand dollars.
+It was e'enamost all I had, and I don't see but I must go to the
+poorhouse."
+
+Dock Vincent took off his hat, rubbed his head, gazed upon the ground,
+and seemed to be in deep thought for several minutes. So was the miser
+in deep thought--brooding over his lost treasure.
+
+"Squire Fairfield, when I begin to do a thing I always do it, sooner or
+later," said Dock, glancing doubtfully at the old man.
+
+"You didn't find my money," added Mr. Fairfield.
+
+"No; but I'm going to find it, or some more just like it. Squire
+Fairfield, I can put you in the way of making twenty thousand dollars
+just as easy as you lost that four thousand."
+
+"You don't say!" exclaimed the old man, his sunken eyes glowing at the
+suggestion.
+
+"I can; there isn't any doubt about it."
+
+"You don't mean to steal it--do you?"
+
+"Steal it! You don't think I'd steal--do you? If you do, I won't say
+anything more about my little plan."
+
+Another little plan!
+
+"Well, no; I never knowed you to steal nothin'."
+
+"Twenty thousand dollars is a good deal of money, Squire Fairfield."
+
+"So 'tis--more 'n I ever expect to see."
+
+"But you shall see it, and have it, if you will take hold of my little
+plan."
+
+"What is't?" asked the old man, curiously and eagerly.
+
+"It's something we must keep still about. I'm going to make my fortune
+out of it, and yours too."
+
+"What do you want to keep still for, ef you ain't go'n' to steal it?"
+
+"I see it's no use to talk with you," said Dock, petulantly. "If you
+think I'd steal, I can't depend upon you, or you upon me. So there's an
+end of it."
+
+Dock rose from his seat, looked at The Starry Flag, which was just
+coming to anchor, and then began to walk up the Point; but he expected
+to be called back, and he was not disappointed.
+
+"Why don't you tell me on't, so I can know what you're go'n' to do?"
+demanded the miser.
+
+"I shall not say anything to you. I don't think I can trust you. The
+business isn't all regular; but it isn't stealing," protested Dock.
+
+"You can trust me, Cap'n Vincent, jest as long as you can trust
+anybody. You know I never says nothin' to nobody about business. I
+allers keeps things to myself," whined Mr. Fairfield.
+
+"Will you keep this to yourself?"
+
+"Sartin, I will."
+
+"'Pon honor?" added Dock, earnestly.
+
+"Yes; 'pon honor. Nobody ever knowed me to say nothin' about business.
+I never trust nobody, not even my wife, with business matters."
+
+"Sit down, squire, and we'll talk it over between us," replied Dock,
+apparently satisfied with the old man's promise.
+
+Mr. Fairfield, with some difficulty, seated himself on the rock, and
+with glaring eyes--so interested was he in a project which was to put
+twenty thousand dollars in his pocket--he listened to the rather prolix
+explanations of his companion. For twenty thousand dollars he would
+have sold his soul; but he was timid.
+
+"I never fail in doing a thing without wanting to try it over again,"
+Dock began. "I always put things through when I begin upon them."
+
+The old man was not quite sure of this, but he did not interrupt the
+speaker.
+
+"Three years ago twenty thousand dollars slipped through my fingers
+just as easy as though the money had been greased," continued Dock.
+
+"I didn't know on't."
+
+"Yes, you did. Watson had his money all ready to pay over to me when I
+had the girl before, and if Levi Fairfield hadn't come between me and
+him, I should have had the money. Now, Squire Fairfield, I'm going to
+try that over again; and I'm not going to fail this time. I've got
+things fixed so that I can't fail."
+
+"I donno about that," said the old man.
+
+"I know, and I'm just as certain about it as though the thing was done
+already. But I'm not going to tell you anything more about it than I'm
+obliged to, and then you won't know anything about it, and can't be
+held responsible for it."
+
+"I don't see how I'm go'n' to make any money by it," interposed the
+miser, who was more interested in this part of the plan than any other.
+
+"Don't you, squire? How much money do you suppose Watson's worth?"
+
+"I donno."
+
+"More than a million! I know that to be a fact; and I shouldn't wonder
+if he was worth two millions: folks in Boston think he is."
+
+"He's spendin' on't all on yacks and sech things."
+
+"What that yacht cost to him is no more than a copper to you and me. He
+don't mind a hundred thousand dollars any more than you would half a
+cent."
+
+"Not so much!"
+
+"But he don't believe in throwin' on't away."
+
+"I'm going to bleed him just seventy thousand dollars--fifty thousand
+for myself, and twenty thousand for you."
+
+"I don't see how it's go'n' to be done."
+
+"He shall pay the money over to you; that's what I want you for."
+
+"Then they'll ketch me, and put me in jail," suggested the old man,
+timorously.
+
+"Nonsense! They won't do it. The whole matter will be between you and
+Watson. You won't know anything about the business--not a thing. All
+you've got to do is to take the money and keep it till I call for it.
+After the girl has been gone a month or two, he will be glad to give
+you twice as much as I ask. I shall get her aboard the Caribbee."
+
+"How you go'n' to do it? She won't go with you, any more'n she'll go
+with the evil sperit."
+
+"I'll take care of that. You are to know nothing about it. I shall
+leave things so that Mr. Watson will go to you, and offer to pay the
+money without your saying a word about it beforehand. All you have to
+do is to keep what he gives you till I call for it."
+
+"I donno about it."
+
+"It's all right. We shan't hurt the girl. She shall have a good
+state-room, and my wife will be on board to see to her. I tell you I'm
+going to have this thing done over again."
+
+"Where's Levi go'n' to be all this time? He sticks to the gal all the
+time, and if you git her off, he'll follow you way round the world."
+
+"He won't know anything about it; besides, I calculate he'll be in jail
+for stealing your money before that time."
+
+"You don't think so!"
+
+"Yes, I do; I'm going to fix that nigger, and I'll bet Levi won't have
+his wool to hold on to much longer."
+
+"But I don't understand nothin' about this business, Cap'n Vincent,"
+said the old man, doubtfully.
+
+"I don't want you to understand anything about it. It's all right as it
+is. When the money comes, you hold on to it."
+
+"Ain't you go'n' off to Australia?"
+
+"Of course I am."
+
+"Then how you go'n' to git the money?"
+
+"Leave all that to me," replied Dock, impatiently. "If you don't know
+anything, you'll keep out of trouble. You will make your twenty
+thousand dollars out of it, and that ought to satisfy you. Now, Squire
+Fairfield, there's only just one thing more to be done."
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"I'll give you a chance to make another ten thousand, if you like."
+
+The old man's eyes brightened again, as he asked how it was to be done.
+
+"I find I'm going to be a little short fitting out. I'm going to take
+out some notions to sell that will pay me five dollars for one; but I
+haven't got the money to do it," continued Dock.
+
+The old man's chin dropped, and he looked sad and sorrowful.
+
+"I want ten thousand dollars more than I've got. I shall make forty
+thousand out of the venture, and I can afford to pay a heavy interest.
+I will give you ten thousand for the use of ten thousand."
+
+"I hain't got no sech money," protested the miser.
+
+"But you can raise it."
+
+"I ain't sure of ever gittin' on't back."
+
+"Yes, you are. You will lend me ten thousand dollars, and then take
+twenty thousand out of my fifty when Watson pays it over to you."
+
+"Perhaps he never'll pay it over to me."
+
+"You may be sure he will. If he don't, he never will see his daughter
+again. He will be glad of the chance to pay it. But if he don't, you
+know, you shall have my note, and I will pay it as soon as I've turned
+my notions."
+
+Mr. Fairfield, eager as he was to make the ten thousand dollars, had no
+more idea then of letting the sum asked for pass out of his hands than
+he had of giving away that amount. It was not his style to let money go
+from him without the best of security. The approach of a boat
+interrupted Dock's argument, and the old man promised to think of the
+proposition.
+
+"I shall not want that dory any more, and I'll give it to you, Squire
+Fairfield," said Dock, hoping his munificence would touch the
+money-lender's heart, as he walked away.
+
+"I'm much obleeged to you; it will sarve me a good turn," replied Mr.
+Fairfield.
+
+"Think over my offer, and I'll see you again soon," added Dock, as he
+passed out of hearing.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+PISTOLS FOR TWO.
+
+
+It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when The Starry Flag
+arrived from her cruise. Her passengers were immediately landed; and,
+after the vessel had been put in order, the four young men who lived in
+Rockport were permitted to go on shore; and the cook went with them,
+intending to return in the evening with the boat. The steward did not
+wish to visit the town, and remained on board as ship-keeper.
+
+Mr. Ebénier was so polite and attentive to the wants of the passengers,
+and, above all, used such choice language, that he had become quite a
+favorite. Bessie, who had made considerable progress in her French, was
+delighted with him, as well because he was an original character, as
+because he anticipated all her wants. She talked French with him;
+indeed, all except Levi used the "polite language" at the table to a
+great extent. The steward was treated with a great deal of
+consideration by all the occupants of the cabin. This was what he most
+desired, and after the party had been on board two or three days, he
+ceased to think of leaving the yacht before the close of the season.
+Such a friend as Mr. Watson was worth more than the contents of the
+three bags concealed in the vessel's run.
+
+But ever since he had placed the treasure in its hiding-place, the
+gospel malediction, "lose his own soul," had been thundering in his
+ears. The temptation was a strong one; but the steward had thus far
+been an honest man, and the present seemed to be the crisis of his
+lifetime. The kindness and consideration of the captain and his
+passengers won his heart, and he had determined that Levi, in the words
+with which he clothed the idea, should be triumphantly vindicated.
+
+Mr. Ebénier reasoned that his captain could not be vindicated by simply
+returning the gold to the old man, his uncle. The two men whom he had
+failed to identify in the Hotel de Poisson must be discovered; and he
+determined to find them, if it were possible. On this subject he had
+some views of his own, and he concluded to let the gold remain where it
+was until he could institute an investigation: we use the gentleman's
+own words, subsequently uttered.
+
+The steward dared not leave the yacht when the others went on shore. If
+he had not recognized the two men, they had probably recognized him.
+They must suppose he had taken possession of the money, and they would
+expect to find it if an opportunity to search the yacht was afforded to
+them. Mr. Ebénier did not intend to give them any such opportunity;
+therefore he remained on board. He went farther than this. The robbers
+might come on board while he was there alone, overpower him, and thus
+regain their plunder. The steward kept a revolver in his carpet-bag;
+for, being a man of varying fortunes, he was liable at any time to be
+in a situation to need such a weapon. He took the pistol from the bag,
+loaded it, and put it into his pocket. It was his duty, as ship-keeper,
+to defend the vessel in the absence of the captain; and the weapon gave
+him a strong assurance of safety.
+
+From his house Dock Vincent watched the movements of the crew of the
+yacht. Levi and five men had landed; consequently the steward must be
+on board alone. But he had decided to pay him a visit, whether alone or
+not. In Dock's classic speech, he was "going to fix that nigger," and
+he was watching for the opportunity to do the "fixing." One of the
+Caribbee's boats was at the landing, and as soon as the crew of the
+yacht had landed, he pulled off to her. His coming was not unexpected,
+and Mr. Ebénier, in spite of the injuries he had received at the hands
+of the visitor, was as smooth and polite as though his temper had never
+been ruffled.
+
+"Steward, I want to talk with you a little while," said Dock, as,
+without an invitation, he stepped upon the deck of the yacht.
+
+"Though I have no particular inducements to condescension, so far as
+you are concerned, I am willing, in this instance, to gratify you,"
+replied Mr. Ebénier, graciously.
+
+"If you don't object, we will go down into the cabin, where we shall
+not be interrupted," added Dock.
+
+"Though it is not customary to admit any but gentlemen into the cabin,
+I shall be happy to waive the rule in this instance, as all our people
+are on shore," answered Mr. Ebénier, as he led the way to the cabin.
+
+Dock Vincent paid no attention to the polished insults of the steward,
+but seated himself on a stool, at the side of the table. Mr. Ebénier
+took his place opposite the guest.
+
+"Now, Captain Dock Vincent, I am entirely at your service," said the
+steward.
+
+"It won't take a great while to get off what I want to say," Dock
+began, putting a very uncompromising look upon his ugly face. "I
+suppose you know the old man that lost the money."
+
+"I have not the honor to be personally acquainted with him, but I am
+informed that he is the paternal uncle of Captain Levi Fairfield."
+
+"That's so; and Levi has treated him in the most shabby manner."
+
+"Permit me to interrupt you, Captain Vincent," interposed the steward.
+"It would not be possible for Captain Fairfield to treat any person in
+a shabby manner, certainly not his own uncle."
+
+"On that point we differ, steward; but let me say what I was going to
+say."
+
+"Proceed, Captain Vincent. I simply refuse to indorse your statement,
+and I protest against it."
+
+"All this is neither here nor there. To come right down to the p'int,
+the old man lost four thousand dollars in gold. I'm trying to help him
+find it. I know just as well as I know anything, that Levi stole that
+money. All the circumstances go to show that he did, letting alone the
+fact that one of the bags was found in his state-room."
+
+"Not without an earnest protest can I permit my worthy captain to be
+maligned in this unjustifiable manner. On my own responsibility I
+declare that your statement is utterly false."
+
+"I am satisfied it's just as I say," persisted Dock. "Now, we'll go a
+p'int closer to the wind. I'm almost certain that the gold Levi stole
+is hid aboard this vessel."
+
+"And you wish to search the yacht for it?" added the steward.
+
+"That's just my idea," replied Dock, promptly.
+
+"Permitting such a search would be an acknowledgment, on my part, of
+the possibility of my worthy captain's guilt; therefore I cannot suffer
+such an investigation to be instituted."
+
+"Well, steward, whether you are going to suffer it or not, it's going
+to be done," said Dock, savagely. "I didn't come off here, this time,
+to be fooled with. I know the gold's on board, and I'm going to have
+it."
+
+"You know it," repeated the steward, calmly.
+
+"Yes, I know it."
+
+"So do I," added Augustus, quietly.
+
+"You do!" exclaimed Dock. "I knew you did! I've been satisfied all
+along that you knew all about it, and that you was helping Levi cover
+up his guilt. I suppose he was going to give you something for it."
+
+"One of your statements, namely, that the money is on board of this
+yacht, is assuredly correct; but your theory, your logic, your
+premises, and your conclusions are undoubtedly false and absurd," said
+the steward, a cheerful smile playing beneath his huge mustache.
+
+"Isn't the gold here?" demanded Dock, impatiently.
+
+"It is."
+
+"Then quit your flabbergast, and talk in plain English. Of course Levi
+stole it."
+
+"Not he!"
+
+"Who did, then?"
+
+"You and another person. Excuse me, Captain Vincent, if my remarks seem
+too personal; but I have a theory of my own, which, with your
+permission, I will unfold to you. Have a glass of cold water, sir?"
+
+The steward filled a tumbler from the ice pitcher, and politely
+tendered it to the guest.
+
+"No; I don't want any; go on with your yarn," growled Dock, sourly, for
+he desired to ascertain what the steward knew.
+
+"We need use no undue haste in our deliberations," replied Augustus, as
+he drank the glass of water.
+
+"Go on, and don't talk any flabbergast."
+
+"The money was stolen by you and another person."
+
+"Humph! What other person?"
+
+"To be entirely candid with you, I do not yet know who the other person
+is; but a certain contingent event will expose him." He referred to the
+return of the fishing vessel, with Ben Seaver, who had handed him the
+bag. "You and the other person--to me at present unknown--stole the
+money, and concealed it in the Hotel de Poisson."
+
+"In the what?"
+
+"I refer to the fish-house, which was consumed in the conflagration of
+ten days ago. After you had knocked me down by hurling a stone at me in
+the basest and most unchivalrous manner, on my recovery from the
+effects of the blow, I went to the fish-house to sleep, being too late
+to return on board. I was in the loft when you and the other person
+were below. The floor broke, and I had the misfortune to be
+precipitated upon you and your companion in infamy. You ran away; but I
+found the gold, and brought it on board. This is my theory, Captain
+Dock Vincent."
+
+"This is all a lie!" gasped Dock, putting his hand into his side
+pocket.
+
+"On the contrary, it is all the sacred truth."
+
+"See here, steward; you can't fool me. I want that money."
+
+"Allow me to inform you that you cannot have it. In due time it shall
+be restored to the rightful owner."
+
+"I can and will have it," said Dock, fiercely, as he took a revolver
+from his pocket, and pointed it at the head of the steward.
+
+"I think not," replied Mr. Ebénier, producing his revolver; and,
+straightening out his legs under the table, he threw himself into an
+attitude as impudent as the human form could assume, while upon his
+face played an expression of smiling assurance, which took the ruffian
+all aback.
+
+Dock's hand trembled, and the pistol vibrated in his grasp, as he
+looked in dismay at the steward's weapon, all capped and cocked, as his
+own was not--a circumstance which probably helped Mr. Ebénier in
+keeping so cool and self-possessed.
+
+"Why don't you fire, Captain Dock Vincent?" taunted the steward. "If
+you move you are a dead man!"
+
+[Illustration: IN THE CABIN OF THE YACHT.--Page 182.]
+
+At this moment a boat touched the side of the vessel; and while the two
+men were confronting each other as described, Levi entered the cabin.
+He was startled by the array of deadly weapons presented to him as he
+descended the steps; but neither Dock nor the steward appeared to
+notice him, for each was afraid the other would fire if his attention
+was for an instant diverted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE GOLD RESTORED.
+
+
+Levi could see no good reason why Dock Vincent and the steward of the
+yacht should be such deadly enemies as to draw pistols on each other.
+He had come on board for a travelling bag, which Bessie had left in her
+state-room, and he was not prepared for the scene that met his view in
+the cabin.
+
+"What are you about, Augustus?" demanded he.
+
+But the steward was obliged to attend to the ugly customer opposite him
+at the table, and he made no reply--a piece of rudeness, however, which
+he regretted as an absolute necessity.
+
+"Captain Dock Vincent, I will trouble you to lay your weapon on the
+table," said the steward. "If you don't do it, I will fire."
+
+Dock did it.
+
+"Pardon me, Captain Fairfield, for my rudeness in not replying to your
+question," continued Augustus.
+
+"I asked you what you were about," repeated Levi.
+
+"I was about to shoot this ruffian, and I should have done so if I had
+not happened to observe, in good time, that his weapon was not in
+condition to go off."
+
+Dock Vincent rose from his seat, leaving his revolver on the table.
+Probably he had not expected to use it, believing the sight of it would
+be sufficient to intimidate the steward, and induce him to give up the
+three bags of gold. He looked at the colored man, then at Levi. The
+former had dropped his revolver, seeing which the ruffian walked
+towards the cabin door. As the movement was not opposed, he ran up the
+steps, jumped into his boat, and pulled for the Caribbee.
+
+Levi again impatiently demanded an explanation of the scene he had
+witnessed. The steward, commencing back at the day of the examination,
+related, in his prolix and grandiloquent speech, all the events in
+which he had been the chief actor, up to the current incident of the
+day. He did not confess that he had been tempted to steal the money,
+for he regarded the overcoming of the temptation as a sufficient
+virtue, without the humiliation of exposing his own weakness.
+
+"Then the gold is on board now!" exclaimed the astonished Levi.
+
+"Yes, sir; it is concealed in the run," replied Augustus.
+
+"Why didn't you tell me of all this before?"
+
+"Because I wished to find the men that stole the money. I thought I
+could do it better alone than I could with the constables, or anybody
+else," answered Augustus; but he hung his head as he thought of the
+dishonest purpose he had cherished.
+
+He had resisted the temptation, but his conscience was sensitive enough
+to make him regret that he had even been tempted to steal.
+
+Levi was thoughtful and troubled. The triumphant vindication of his
+captain which the steward had promised himself to bring about was not
+likely to be realized. The gold was on board of the yacht, and could be
+restored to Mr. Fairfield; but the vessel had been searched for it, and
+restoring it looked more like confirming the vile charge against him
+than like disproving it. Perhaps it would be better for his reputation
+to keep the money until the return of Ben Seaver; but Levi could not
+believe it was right to retain the gold even a single day. He was
+honest and true, and he determined to do his duty before God and man,
+letting his reputation take care of itself.
+
+He directed the steward to bring out the bags from their hiding-place.
+The name on the tow-cloth, in his uncle's cramped writing, assured him
+there could be no mistake in regard to the ownership. The steward told
+him there was thirty-eight hundred and fifty dollars in the bags--one
+hundred and fifty dollars less than the sum lost. The robbers had
+probably taken out one hundred dollars for present use, and fifty for
+the snare which was to intrap the captain of the yacht. One of the bags
+had been emptied, and its contents distributed among the other three.
+
+The gold was transferred to the boat, the cabin doors and forward
+scuttles were locked, and Levi, accompanied by the steward, pulled
+ashore, and landed at Mr. Watson's house.
+
+The exciting story of the recovery of the money was repeated, and the
+young skipper declared his intention to restore the bags to Mr.
+Fairfield. Mr. Watson volunteered to go with him on this interesting
+errand. With the bags in his hands, Levi entered the kitchen, where his
+uncle was seated, followed by his constant friend.
+
+"There is your money, uncle Nathan," said he, as he placed the bags on
+the table.
+
+"What! the gold?" demanded the miser, with breathless eagerness.
+
+"Yes, sir, the gold," replied Levi.
+
+"All of it?" gasped the old man, rising from his chair, while his frame
+trembled under the excitement of the moment.
+
+"All but one hundred and fifty dollars."
+
+"I think you ought to give me back the whole on't, Levi."
+
+"Fifty dollars more of it is in the hands of Squire Saunders."
+
+"But then there's a hund'ed gone," added the old man, as he clutched
+the bags, and raised them to test their weight.
+
+"I suppose the thieves took a hundred dollars of the money," said Levi.
+
+"Who's the thieves?"
+
+"I don't know who they are; but I think they will be discovered in due
+time. The steward of the yacht found these bags in the old fish-house
+that was burned."
+
+Mr. Watson and Levi had agreed that the ends of justice would best be
+answered by saying no more than this at present. Both of them were
+satisfied that Dock Vincent was one of the robbers, but unfortunately
+there was no evidence that connected him with the crime. Though he had
+gone on board the yacht, and demanded the gold of the steward, he had
+done so in the name of the owner; and the act was consistent with his
+position as the agent of Mr. Fairfield.
+
+The old man asked a great many questions, but he obtained only the
+facts; all theories and suspicions were suppressed. Mr. Watson had sent
+the steward for Mr. Gayles, and before they left the miser's house he
+arrived; and the party proposed to visit the fish-house, and examine
+the premises, in search of any evidence that might be obtained.
+
+Though Mr. Fairfield was overjoyed to find his gold, his satisfaction
+did not prevent him from growling sorely at the loss of the hundred
+dollars. He insisted that Levi ought to make it up to him. He followed
+the party out of the house, and would have gone to the ruins of the
+Hotel de Poisson with them, if Dock Vincent, who had just landed, had
+not joined him.
+
+The steward told his story over again; and the metallic parts of the
+lantern, which still remained there, were a partial confirmation of the
+truth of it. Mr. Gayles took possession of these pieces, hoping to be
+able to prove something by them. While they were still discussing the
+matter, Dock Vincent and Mr. Fairfield joined them.
+
+"If you make up that hund'ed dollars, Levi, I won't say nothin' more
+about it," whined the old man.
+
+"I shall not do so, uncle Nathan," replied Levi.
+
+"Certainly not," added Mr. Watson.
+
+"He ought to do it," interposed Dock. "He stole the money, and the
+least he can do is to give it all back."
+
+"I do not wish to hold any conversation with you on the subject,"
+answered the merchant, coldly.
+
+"I suppose you don't," sneered Dock. "It has all turned out just as I
+said it would. Levi stole the money, and got that black steward to help
+him when he was like to be found out. I knew, all the time, that money
+was on board the yacht; and Squire Fairfield may thank me for getting
+it for him. I made the steward own up that the gold was on board; and
+after that Levi didn't dare to keep it any longer. I suppose you don't
+want to say anything more about it after that."
+
+"Not to you," added Mr. Watson, as he walked away, followed by his
+companions.
+
+"There, Squire Fairfield, you can see them sneaking off like
+sheep-stealers," said Dock. "It's just as I tell you, you may depend
+upon it; and if Levi don't make up that hundred, I should put him
+through a course of sprouts."
+
+"He ought to gim me the whole of the money," replied Mr. Fairfield, who
+accepted Dock's explanation in regard to the recovery of the gold.
+
+"I reckon you'll get it yet. But, Squire Fairfield, I expect I shall
+get off in two or three days now, and I want that money I spoke to you
+about," added Dock, as they walked towards the road. "I am going to
+sail for New York first, buy the goods there, and then go to Australia.
+You are going to make thirty thousand dollars out of me, and you can
+afford to accommodate me a little. I expect you will get the whole
+thirty thousand before I sail from New York; I know you will."
+
+Dock talked half of that night to the old man, and finally persuaded
+him to raise the sum he required. The gold which had been restored to
+him made up a large portion of it, and the next day he obtained the
+rest. The emigrant had sold his house, and disposed of his furniture to
+the buyer, who was to have possession as soon as Dock sailed.
+
+While Mr. Fairfield and his villanous companion were discussing the
+loan, Mr. Gayles called at Dock's house, after dark, to borrow a
+lantern, having ascertained that he had recently purchased one at a
+store in town.
+
+"We haven't any lantern now," replied Mrs. Vincent.
+
+"I thought you had one. Captain Vincent bought one not long ago," added
+the constable.
+
+"Well, he hasn't any now. I'm sure I don't know what's become of it. It
+may be he left it on board of the vessel. He never said what had become
+of it."
+
+Without having proved the fact, Mr. Gayles was satisfied that Dock's
+lantern was the one broken by the steward when he fell from the loft of
+the fish-house. The parts he had taken from the ruins corresponded, in
+size and form, with one which the shopkeeper declared was like that he
+had sold Dock. The constable worked hard to obtain evidence enough to
+warrant the arrest of Dock before he sailed for Australia; but Squire
+Cleaves declared that the lantern was not sufficient.
+
+On the day after Dock obtained the money from Mr. Fairfield, he moved
+his family on board of the Caribbee, which had already cleared at the
+custom-house. Mr. Gayles was alarmed lest he should escape, and
+hastened to Squire Cleaves for advice.
+
+"We must not let him go," said the lawyer. "Where is that colored man,
+Mr. Ebénier?"
+
+"I saw him at Mr. Watson's house ten minutes ago."
+
+"Bring him to me."
+
+The steward was brought to him, and he was induced to make a charge
+against Dock of assault and battery. A warrant was obtained, and Mr.
+Gayles, with a sufficient posse, went to the Caribbee to arrest him.
+His wife, and a man whose name was not known, but who was said to be a
+passenger in the schooner, declared that he had gone to New York on
+business, and the vessel would not sail till his return. Certainly Dock
+was not on board, and it was ascertained at the depot that he had taken
+the train for Boston.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+MAT MOGMORE.
+
+
+Mr. Gayles watched the Caribbee night and day; but he saw nothing of
+Dock Vincent. Mr. Fairfield said his neighbor and friend had informed
+him, several days before, of his intention to go to New York. The
+constable was forced to believe that the people on board his vessel had
+told the truth, and he could only wait for his return. Of course the
+Caribbee would not sail on her long voyage without him, and there
+seemed to be but little danger of losing his man.
+
+The only strange circumstance was, that Dock had sent his family on
+board of the vessel; but he had not much consideration for his wife and
+children, and would not scruple to add a week of confinement to the
+three or four months' duration of the proposed voyage. The man on
+board, who was said to be a passenger, and was a stranger in Rockport,
+appeared to take a lively interest in the affairs of the vessel and her
+owner. It was surmised that, as Dock was not a skilful navigator, he
+had been employed to furnish the science for the vessel. Neither he nor
+any one on board professed to know when Dock would return, or when the
+Caribbee would sail.
+
+On Monday evening, when Dock had been gone three days, Levi had taken
+tea at Mr. Watson's, and was reading the daily paper, which the
+merchant had brought from Boston.
+
+"That's too bad!" suddenly exclaimed the young skipper, dropping the
+paper, and looking at Bessie.
+
+"What's too bad, Levi?" she asked.
+
+"There's to be a yacht race in Portland harbor to-morrow, at eleven
+o'clock, to sail for a silver pitcher."
+
+"I do not see anything wicked in that," laughed Bessie.
+
+"Nor I; but it is wicked that I did not know of it before. I am sure
+The Starry Flag will beat anything of her size this side of New York;
+and I am provoked to think I did not know of this race sooner, for a
+silver pitcher would be a very handsome ornament for our cabin."
+
+"Is it too late now?" asked Mr. Watson.
+
+"The race comes off at eleven, to-morrow forenoon, and five yachts have
+already entered," answered Levi, glancing at the paper again.
+
+"Well, haven't you time to sail down there before the race?"
+
+"If we sail to-night we have time enough. We can get there in ten hours
+with a good breeze; with a stiff one, in six," replied Levi, beginning
+to be excited.
+
+"How is the wind now?"
+
+"About west--a six-knot breeze."
+
+"Let us start at once, then. I had as lief sleep on board the yacht as
+on shore," said Mr. Watson.
+
+"O, do go!" exclaimed Bessie.
+
+"Do go!" repeated Mr. Watson, laughing. "Do you expect to sail in a
+regatta, Bessie?"
+
+"To be sure I do! I must go, father! I have been longing, ever since we
+had the yacht, to sail in a real live race."
+
+"But, Bessie, we must make a night run to Portland."
+
+"So much the better! I shall enjoy it above all things. My state-room
+on board is just as good as my chamber up stairs, and I like it
+better."
+
+"Your aunt Mary is sick, and cannot go with you," suggested her father,
+alluding to Mrs. McGilvery.
+
+"But you are going, father," persisted Bessie.
+
+"True, I am; but----"
+
+"Do let me go, father."
+
+"I suppose you must go if you insist upon it."
+
+"I do insist with all my might!" exclaimed Bessie, delighted with the
+prospect.
+
+"It will take us a couple of hours to get ready," said Levi, as he
+looked at his watch; "but we can get off by ten o'clock. The only
+difficulty I can see is, that yachts must be entered on the day before
+the race;" and he picked up the newspaper again.
+
+"We must get over that somehow," replied Mr. Watson, who seemed to be
+quite as much interested as Levi and his daughter.
+
+"How? With the best breeze we can expect, we can hardly reach Portland
+before six in the morning."
+
+"While you are getting the yacht ready, I will ride over to Gloucester,
+and telegraph to a friend of mine in Portland, who will have The Starry
+Flag entered to-night."
+
+"That will do it splendidly!" exclaimed Bessie, delighted to have the
+obstacle removed.
+
+"The cook and steward are on board, but the hands are all at home,"
+said Levi. "I will go and find them."
+
+Mr. Watson rang the bell, and ordered the horse and buggy. Bessie went
+to her room to prepare for the cruise, and Levi hastened over to Mr.
+Mogmore's house, where he found Mat, whom he sent to look up the other
+three hands. The young skipper pulled off to the yacht. The water tanks
+were examined, and found to contain a week's supply at least. The
+steward was sent on shore, with directions to bring off the men, and a
+stock of ice and fresh provisions, after he had put the two state-rooms
+in order.
+
+By the time Augustus had procured his steak, chops, butter, milk, and
+ice, the four hands had assembled at the landing-place, in readiness to
+go on board.
+
+"Hurry up, now!" said the steward. "Captain Fairfield is waiting for
+us."
+
+"There!" exclaimed Mat Mogmore, "I have forgotten one thing. The
+captain told me to see Mr. Gayles, and tell him the yacht was going to
+Portland; and I did not think of it till this minute."
+
+"We can't wait for you," replied the steward, impatiently.
+
+"You needn't wait. I will get some one to put me on board. Go ahead!"
+And Mat ran up the rocks, and hastened towards Mr. Gayles's house.
+
+But he hurried only a moment, till the darkness concealed his form from
+his shipmates. Instead of going up to the town, he returned to the
+landing-place as soon as the boat had left. While he stood on the
+rocks, the clock struck nine. A few moments later, a boat, containing
+one man, pulled up to the Point.
+
+"Is it all right?" asked the person in the boat.
+
+"All right," answered Mat Mogmore, as he stepped into the boat. "We
+have no time to lose; Mr. Watson will return soon."
+
+Mat took one of the oars, and they rowed over to the landing-place, in
+the rear of Mr. Watson's house. Mat went up to the side door and rang
+the bell. He was admitted to the entry, and told the servant he wished
+to see Miss Watson. Bessie, who was now all ready, came down stairs
+with her travelling bag in her hand.
+
+"Captain Fairfield sent me on shore for you," said Mat.
+
+"Where is my father?" asked Bessie.
+
+"He is on board. He was in a hurry to see the captain, and went on
+board with the steward. The yacht is all ready to sail now, as soon as
+you go on board."
+
+It was not exactly like Levi to send one of his hands after her; but
+the yacht was going off in a hurry, and he must be very busy. It was
+strange that her father did not come home before he went on board; but
+perhaps he had learned something more about the race, and was in haste
+to inform Levi of it. She was only afraid that the trip would be
+abandoned. Her mother came to the entry, told her to "wrap up warm," be
+careful not to take cold, and then kissed her with an affectionate
+adieu. Mat Mogmore led the way down to the boat, and assisted her to a
+seat in the stern-sheets.
+
+The night was clear; but it was quite dark, and the darkness on the
+water is deeper, and more dense, to a person unaccustomed to the sea,
+than on the land. Bessie was not afraid; but after the boat had gone a
+few rods from the shore, she had no idea where she was, for the gloom
+of night breeds confusion in the mind on the sea.
+
+Bessie did not recognize Mat's companion in the boat; but she supposed
+he was one of the crew of the yacht. He did not speak, and she had no
+reason to suspect that anything was wrong. Mat Mogmore was well known
+to her, and had been long before the yacht was built. He was one of
+Levi's hands, and his presence, if she had had any suspicions, would
+have been enough to satisfy her.
+
+"How dark it is!" said Bessie to Mat, who pulled the after oar.
+
+"Not very dark, miss," replied Mat. "The stars are out, and we don't
+call it very dark when we can see them."
+
+"But I cannot see anything, or tell where I am. I can see the lights in
+the town, but I can't make out anything else."
+
+"Because you are not used to it. Can't you see the yacht right ahead of
+us?"
+
+"I can see the outline of a vessel, but I couldn't tell whether it was
+The Starry Flag or a fishing vessel."
+
+"It's the yacht."
+
+Bessie looked around her, and tried to distinguish the headlands, which
+looked like masses of darkness resting beneath the star-lit sky.
+
+"Now you can see the yacht," said Mat, as the boat approached a vessel
+which was not unlike the yacht.
+
+"Yes, I see her plain enough now," answered Bessie, taking it for
+granted.
+
+"It's a very pleasant night to sail," added Mat, as the boat ran up
+alongside the vessel.
+
+"Beautiful!" exclaimed Bessie, as she looked up to the stars.
+
+The boat was brought up to the gangway; the man at the bow oar stepped
+out and assisted her on board. Mat Mogmore did not follow her, but
+pushed off the boat, and pulled away into the darkness. It still wanted
+more than half an hour of the time appointed for the sailing of the
+yacht. Mat pulled a short distance from the vessel, and then lay upon
+his oars. He waited there fifteen minutes, either to kill the time or
+to arrange his plans, and then ran up alongside the yacht.
+
+He had put Bessie on board of the Caribbee!
+
+He was actually in the employ of Dock Vincent.
+
+Mat stepped on the deck of The Starry Flag, whose foresail and mainsail
+had been hoisted, and her anchor hove short. The lamps in the cabin and
+state-rooms were lighted, and the steward was as busy as a bee, and
+delighted at the thought of once more having the beautiful young lady
+on board; for it was a joy to serve her, her smile was so sweet, her
+voice so pleasant, and her heart so full of kindness.
+
+"Where are you, Mat?" demanded Levi, as the treacherous seaman came on
+board.
+
+"My mother has just had a fit, and they say she will not live till
+morning," replied Mat, in the most disconsolate of tones. "I shouldn't
+have come on board at all if Mr. Watson hadn't sent me with a message
+to you."
+
+"What was the message?" asked Levi, tenderly, for he was full of pity
+for Mat.
+
+"He told me to tell you that he and Miss Bessie would meet you in
+Portland on your arrival. Her mother made such a fuss about her going
+off in the night without her aunt, that her father decided to take the
+cars, for he heard in Gloucester that an excursion train would come
+along about twelve o'clock."
+
+"Very well," said Levi. "I will go on shore with you and see about it.
+I hope your mother will get better."
+
+"I hope so. Mr. Watson started right off in the buggy with Bessie."
+
+"Has he gone?"
+
+"Yes, he went right off. He was in a hurry, for he has to drive to
+Beverly to catch the train. You won't see him if you go on shore."
+
+"Then I think I will not go; but I will not keep you a moment," added
+Levi.
+
+"If you want another hand in my place, I can get Tom Sampson."
+
+"We can get along very well without any more help," replied Levi, as
+Mat pushed off.
+
+Levi was vexed that Mrs. Watson's timidity had deprived him of Bessie's
+company; but it was like her, and on their trip to the eastward, he had
+been obliged to be in port every night to please her. However, he would
+receive his passengers on board at Portland the next morning; and, in a
+few minutes more, the yacht tripped her anchor, and sailed out of the
+bay.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE CARIBBEE.
+
+
+Bessie Watson stood upon the deck of the Caribbee, and in the darkness
+of the night she did not at first discover that the vessel was not The
+Starry Flag. She wondered that Levi, with his accustomed devotion, did
+not spring to receive her when she came on board; that the steward did
+not present his smiling face; and that her ever-anxious father failed
+to assure himself that she did not fall overboard in passing from the
+boat to the vessel. She was an only daughter, and when she appeared it
+was customary to "turn out the guard" and pay all the honors.
+
+To say that Bessie Watson was a pretty girl, is saying very little. She
+was a good girl--and this is saying something more, and something
+better. Nothing but a true heart and excellent common sense saved her
+from being spoiled by the indulgence of her father and mother. Another
+devotee was added to those who adored her; but she refused to be
+spoiled even by Levi's flattery, if such it could be called; for the
+young skipper was as sincere in his admiration of her as of the yacht
+he commanded. Bessie did not pout or flout when neither Levi nor her
+father appeared to receive her.
+
+The man who had been in the boat with Mat Mogmore was Captain Gauley,
+the stranger. After handing Bessie on board, he led the way, in
+silence, towards the cabin. There were no lights on deck, and she could
+see no difference between the two vessels, even when she had descended
+the steps into the cabin; for no light appeared there. The darkness had
+been chosen to help the illusion, and Bessie had to feel her way. She
+came to the table in the middle of the cabin, and knowing that there
+were lockers forming seats below the berths, she groped her way to the
+side of the apartment, and seated herself.
+
+"All hands are busy forward in getting under way," said her conductor,
+from the steps.
+
+"Where is the steward?" asked Bessie.
+
+"He has been so hurried putting away his stores that he has not been in
+the cabin."
+
+"Are you a new hand?" asked Bessie, who did not recognize the voice of
+the man.
+
+"I am; I am only going this trip."
+
+"Send the steward, if you please, to light the lamps," added Bessie,
+who was reasonable enough to understand that the yacht was going to sea
+on short notice, and she did not demand any unnecessary attention under
+the circumstances.
+
+"I will send him right down if I can find him."
+
+Captain Gauley went on deck; and Bessie heard a great rattling of
+ropes, a swaying of booms, and hasty footsteps above her. She could not
+see a thing; but she waited in the gloom for the steward to come and
+light the lamps. The noise on deck indicated that all hands were busy,
+as the man had said; and even yet she suspected nothing.
+
+Mat Mogmore did not go on shore to see his sick mother. He heard the
+order of Captain Fairfield to man the windlass and stand by the head
+sails; then he pulled for the Caribbee, to which his boat belonged.
+Everything had worked to his entire satisfaction. Levi had been as
+credulous as he desired him to be, and The Starry Flag was standing out
+of the bay on her way to Portland.
+
+"How is it?" asked Captain Gauley, in a low tone, as Mat came on deck.
+
+"All right; the yacht is under way," replied Mat.
+
+"We must get off at once, then."
+
+"Don't be in a hurry; wait till the Flag has made a couple of miles, so
+that Levi won't notice the movements of this vessel. Where is the
+girl?"
+
+"In the cabin. It is pitch dark there, and she has not found out where
+she is yet," answered Gauley, with a suppressed chuckle, as though the
+plan was not only a success, but a capital joke.
+
+The foresail and the mainsail of the Caribbee were hoisted, and her
+crew were busy in getting up the anchor. By the time the preparations
+were completed, the yacht had disappeared in the darkness and the
+distance. The jib was hoisted, and the vessel stood out of the bay in a
+direction nearly opposite to that taken by the yacht.
+
+Bessie began to be impatient. The yacht was under way, and still the
+steward did not come; still her father, who had nothing to do with
+working the vessel, did not make his appearance. Had they forgotten
+that she was on board? If they had, it would be the most remarkable
+thing that ever occurred. She could not understand it. She knew, as the
+vessel was now sailing, that Levi must be at the helm, just at the head
+of the stairs, and she decided to go up and speak to him. She could see
+the stars through the opening of the companion-way, and she had no
+difficulty in finding her way out of the cabin.
+
+"Levi?" said she, as she stepped upon deck.
+
+"He is not here," replied Captain Gauley, who was at the helm.
+
+"Where is he?" asked Bessie; and, without knowing that anything was
+wrong, things began to look a little strange to her, or rather to feel
+so, for she could not see anything.
+
+"I really don't know where he is, just now," replied the helmsman. "But
+he cannot be far off."
+
+"The steward has not lighted the cabin yet," added she.
+
+"The captain told the steward not to do so."
+
+"Did he--why?"
+
+"I think you cannot be accustomed to sailing near the land at night,"
+added Captain Gauley.
+
+"I really am not."
+
+"The light would blind the helmsman's eyes so that he could not see the
+shore. As soon as we are clear of the Selvages we shall light up."
+
+Bessie was satisfied with this explanation. On board of a Sound steamer
+she had observed that the windows in the forward part of the saloon
+were covered with thick canvas at night, so that the glare of the light
+near the boat should not deepen the gloom beyond it, and thus prevent
+the pilot from seeing the land, or other vessels in the distance. But
+she was not satisfied with her situation otherwise. The vessel did not
+_feel_ like the yacht, and Levi and her father did not appear.
+
+While she stood watching the helmsman, and trying to comprehend the
+inexplicable position of affairs, she saw a light in the cabin. She
+looked down, and perceived a woman in the act of lighting a lamp.
+
+"Don't light that lamp!" shouted the man at the helm. "It blinds my
+eyes so that I can't see to steer."
+
+The woman extinguished the match she was applying to the lamp, and
+darkness reigned in the cabin again. Who was the woman? She asked the
+helmsman.
+
+"Your father thought you ought to have a female waiter, and he has
+obtained one," replied Captain Gauley; but she did not notice the
+chuckle with which he spoke.
+
+Bessie knew that her father would not have provided a woman without
+consulting her, and she determined to inquire into the situation. She
+went down the cabin steps again, guided by faith, rather than sight,
+and felt her way to the locker where she had before been seated.
+
+"Who is it?" asked the woman, from her place at the forward part of the
+cabin.
+
+"It is I," replied Bessie. "Did my father employ you as stewardess of
+the yacht?"
+
+"I guess not," replied the woman. "I'm not anybody's stewardess, I can
+tell you!"
+
+"Who are you then?" asked Bessie, now really alarmed.
+
+"Well, I'm Mrs. Vincent, of course. This is my husband's vessel, and I
+never expect to be a servant to anybody," answered the woman, rather
+indignant at being thought a stewardess, even in the dark. "Now, who
+are you?"
+
+"I am Miss Watson," replied Bessie, her heart sinking within her, so
+that she could hardly utter the words.
+
+"Miss Watson! Bless me! What, Mr. Watson's daughter?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well, that is strange, sure enough!"
+
+"Is Captain Dock Vincent your husband?" asked Bessie, almost choked
+with terror.
+
+"Certainly he is."
+
+"And this vessel is not The Starry Flag?"
+
+"Why, no; it's the Caribbee. How on earth came you here?"
+
+"I supposed it was the yacht--my father's yacht," gasped the poor girl,
+overwhelmed when she realized that she had fallen into a snare set by
+her former enemy.
+
+"That's too bad; but I didn't know nothing at all about it. Waldock"--she
+called her husband by his full given name--"Waldock is up to some awful
+trick."
+
+It was a consolation to know that the woman was not a party to her
+husband's wicked scheme. Bessie explained how she had been entrapped;
+but Mrs. Vincent declared that she did not even know the vessel was to
+sail that night. She had retired with her two children at nine o'clock,
+and got up when she felt the motion of the vessel under way.
+
+"Where is she going?" asked Bessie, wiping away the tears that dimmed
+her eyes.
+
+"We are all going to Australia."
+
+"Where is your husband?" demanded Bessie, with a shudder.
+
+"I'm sure I don't know. He went off to New York; but of course we are
+not going to Australia without him."
+
+While they were talking, Mat Mogmore came into the cabin, and lighted a
+lamp.
+
+"Mat, what does all this mean?" said Mrs. Vincent, sharply.
+
+"We have carried the thing out just as Captain Vincent told us to do,"
+replied Mat.
+
+"What did he tell you to do?"
+
+"He left us to get Miss Watson on board. We haven't had a chance to do
+so before, though we have been watching three or four days for one."
+
+"Why did you wish to get me on board?" inquired Bessie, trembling in
+every fibre of her frame.
+
+"O, you needn't be frightened, Miss Watson. You are not to be hurt, and
+you are to be treated as well as if you were on board of the yacht.
+Three years ago your father and Levi sent Captain Vincent to the state
+prison. He didn't forget it, and he is going to carry out the plan he
+began upon then."
+
+"Am I to be carried to Australia?" asked Bessie.
+
+"That depends on your father. If he pays the money Captain Vincent
+asks, we shall send you back. Your father and Levi served the captain a
+mean trick, and he always said he would get even with them; and I think
+he will now."
+
+"But how came you in this vessel, Mat?" asked Bessie.
+
+"I went into the yacht for the sole purpose of doing the little job I
+finished up to-night," answered Mat, with a sneaking smile.
+
+"O, what a wretch!" exclaimed Bessie.
+
+"A wretch? Well, perhaps I am; but it pays better than going before the
+mast in the yacht. Captain Vincent has your father this time where he
+can hold him," added Mat. "Levi has gone off to Portland to sail in the
+race, and he can't do anything for you this time. If you have a mind to
+write to your father, and tell him to come down with the rocks, I will
+see that he gets the letter within a week or so. He must put down about
+a hundred thousand dollars this time."
+
+"Poor girl!" ejaculated Mrs. Vincent. "I pity you; but my husband is an
+awful man, and I can't do anything about it."
+
+"We haven't anything against her," said Mat. "She is to have a
+state-room by herself, and live like a lady. That's the captain's
+orders. The matter rests there, and it isn't any use to say anything
+more about it."
+
+Mat went on deck, leaving Bessie to weep over her unhappy fate, with no
+one but Mrs. Vincent to comfort her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+DOCK VINCENT'S LETTER.
+
+
+Mr. Watson drove to Gloucester; but at this hour in the evening he had
+some difficulty in finding the telegraphic operator, and it was fully
+ten o'clock before he returned to his house in Rockport, ready to go on
+board of the yacht.
+
+"Why, I thought you had gone!" exclaimed Mrs. Watson, when her husband
+presented himself.
+
+"No; I was detained in Gloucester. Where is Bessie."
+
+"Bessie has gone on board of the yacht. Mat Mogmore came for her, and
+said you had gone off in the steward's boat."
+
+"There is some mistake about it," replied Mr. Watson; but he had no
+idea of the stupendous mistake which had been made.
+
+He went out to the pier; but, having no boat, he hastened over to the
+Point to obtain a skiff, though he could not see why a boat from The
+Starry Flag was not waiting for him. All was still on the Point; but he
+found a dory, in which he pulled off to the place where the yacht
+usually lay when in port. He could not find her. It was evident that
+she had sailed; and it was more certain than before that a great
+mistake had been made. He returned to the Point. Mr. Gayles was there.
+He had come down to assure himself that the Caribbee had not stolen a
+march upon him. He could not see her in the gloom of the night. He
+recognized Mr. Watson, as he landed from the dory.
+
+"Did you see the Caribbee?" asked the constable.
+
+"No; did you see the yacht?" demanded the anxious father.
+
+"I did not."
+
+Mr. Watson stated the circumstances; but the officer could neither
+assist nor enlighten him.
+
+The Starry Flag was miles away to the north-north-east, and the
+Caribbee was miles away to the south-south-east.
+
+Levi had gone, Bessie had gone, the Caribbee had gone. Mr. Watson
+wanted to know why Levi had gone without him; but there was no one to
+tell him. He did not suspect that Bessie had not gone with him. Mr.
+Gayles wanted to know why the Caribbee had sailed without Dock Vincent;
+but there was no one to tell him. Standing on the Point, both were
+vexed and perplexed; but neither could help himself, and neither could
+solve the mystery. Both went home.
+
+Mrs. Watson was alarmed when her husband told her that the yacht had
+gone without him. It was a fact--as Mat Mogmore had stated--that an
+excursion train left Boston at eleven o'clock for Portland. Many of the
+people of Rockport had gone to the city to hear a great singer, and
+were to return in this train. Levi knew of it, or he might have doubted
+Mat's story. Mr. Watson was a man of action. He ordered his fastest
+horse to be brought to the door; and he drove, at a furious pace, to
+Ipswich, which was a little nearer than Beverly, and the train would
+arrive there half an hour later. At five o'clock in the morning he was
+in Portland. He chartered a large sail-boat, and stood down the harbor.
+ At seven o'clock he discovered The Starry Flag, off Cape Elizabeth.
+
+Mr. Watson was angry because Levi had left him behind; angry because
+Levi had taken Bessie and not taken him. Though an unpleasant word had
+never before passed between them, the father--whose ideas of propriety
+were very clearly defined--determined that some emphatic words should
+be used on the present occasion. He paid his boatman, when the yacht
+had been hailed, and in due time was transferred to her.
+
+"Where is Bessie?" asked Levi, before her father had time to utter a
+single sharp word.
+
+The emphatic words were never spoken.
+
+"Where _is_ she?" repeated Mr. Watson. "Isn't she on board of the
+yacht?"
+
+"No, sir," replied Levi, now alarmed, as her father was.
+
+"Not here?"
+
+"Certainly not. Didn't she come by railroad with you?"
+
+"No; I haven't seen her since I started for Gloucester last night."
+
+Levi almost sank upon the deck, and Mr. Watson's strength was all taken
+from him by the discovery that some mishap had befallen his daughter.
+Levi explained when he had breath enough to do so. Mr. Watson also
+explained, and each was in possession of all the information the other
+had; but their wisdom was foolishness, since it fell far short of the
+requirements of the moment.
+
+"The Caribbee sailed last night, Levi," said Mr. Watson, who, however,
+did not regard the fact as of much importance, or as having any
+especial connection with the absence of Bessie.
+
+"Sailed!" exclaimed Levi. "Then Bessie has sailed in her."
+
+"I can hardly believe it," added Mr. Watson.
+
+"It is another plan to extort money from you."
+
+Levi persisted in his belief. Putting this and that together, he could
+almost demonstrate that Mat Mogmore was in the employ of Dock Vincent;
+indeed, Dock had told him that Mat intended to sail for Australia with
+him. Mr. Watson decided to return immediately to Rockport, and the
+yacht lay to off the railroad wharf long enough to land him. He took
+the morning train for Boston, and reached home at two o'clock.
+
+The Starry Flag did not sail in the race that day. As soon as her owner
+had been landed, she was headed for Cape Ann again, and arrived before
+night. Levi was bewildered and confounded by the shock of the blow
+which had fallen upon him and the Watson family. He could do nothing,
+and in his inactivity he chafed like a caged lion. Mr. Watson had gone
+to Boston soon after his arrival, taking Mr. Gayles with him. He did
+not return till the next day. He had chartered a swift steamer, and the
+constable, with other officers, had gone in pursuit of the Caribbee.
+
+In the morning mail, on the second day after the disappearance of
+Bessie, came a letter to her father. Levi was present when it was
+opened, and it contained a full confirmation of his theory that Bessie
+had been carried off in the Caribbee, and was now going half round the
+world to Australia. The letter was written by Dock Vincent, and dated
+ten days before its receipt. The villain assured the distracted parents
+that Bessie should be kindly cared for by Mrs. Vincent, and should be
+restored to her friends as soon as possible after her father had paid
+over to Mr. Fairfield the sum of seventy thousand dollars.
+
+Mr. Watson dropped the letter on the floor, and breathed a deep sigh.
+He would have given double the sum for the return of Bessie; but his
+conscience would not permit him to reward villany like that of Dock
+Vincent.
+
+"Levi, your uncle is concerned in this affair," said Mr. Watson,
+turning to the young skipper with a sad look.
+
+"I suppose he is. I will go and see him at once."
+
+"I will go with you."
+
+They went.
+
+"Mr. Fairfield, where is Dock Vincent?" asked the suffering father,
+when he and Levi had been admitted to the kitchen.
+
+"I don't know no more'n nothin' in the world," whined the miser. "I
+hain't seen nothin' on him."
+
+"You don't know!" repeated Mr. Watson, sternly.
+
+"No more'n nothin' in the world," answered the old man, who realized
+that the first instalment of trouble on account of Dock's little plan
+was about to come upon him.
+
+"Yes, you do know where he is. Read that letter;" and the merchant
+handed him the epistle he had received from Dock.
+
+Mr. Fairfield took the letter, put on his glasses, and studied out its
+contents.
+
+"I don't know nothin' about it," pleaded the old man, as he looked over
+his spectacles at the stern parent.
+
+"Don't tell me that! I'm not to be trifled with. I want my daughter,
+and you are a party to this conspiracy. If you don't speak I'll wring
+an answer out of you by force," said Mr. Watson, his patience
+exhausted, and his indignation so aroused that he could not control it.
+
+[Illustration: MR. WATSON IS EXCITED.--Page 227.]
+
+"I tell you I don't know nothin' at all about it. I hain't seen your
+darter, nor Cap'n Vincent nuther," whimpered the miser.
+
+"No evasion! Answer me at once," thundered the enraged merchant, goaded
+to desperation by the anguish his injury called forth. "Your name is
+mentioned in this letter. You are to receive the money, and share it
+with the scoundrel who intends to filch it from me. Vincent did not go
+in the vessel. Where is he?"
+
+"I don't know nothin' at all about it," answered Mr. Fairfield,
+wriggling like a worm in his chair.
+
+"Yes, you do. You are to send the money to him. Where is he?" demanded
+Mr. Watson, as he seized the old man by the throat, and dragged him out
+of his chair.
+
+"Lem me be!" sputtered the miser, trying to free himself from the grasp
+of the wrathful father.
+
+"Speak, old man! Where is he? Speak, or I will tear the answer from
+you."
+
+"Be calm, Mr. Watson," interposed Levi, gently.
+
+"For massy's sake! You don't mean to kill him--do you?" exclaimed Mrs.
+Fairfield, alarmed for the safety of her husband. "Don't hurt him! He's
+a poor old man, and don't know no better."
+
+Mr. Watson, conscious that he had gone too far in his violent
+indignation, released his grasp upon the miser, and he sank back into
+his chair more frightened than hurt.
+
+"If I knew anything consarnin' this business, I'd tell you all about
+it," added the old man, when he had regained his breath.
+
+"Uncle Nathan, this money is to be paid over to you, and you must know
+something about it," said Levi, decidedly.
+
+"O, yes; you hate me, and you want to persecute me," replied the old
+man, bitterly, as he glanced spitefully at his nephew. "There, now, you
+broke my glasses," continued the miser, as he picked them up from the
+hearth, on which they had fallen. "I gin a dollar for them glasses; I'm
+a poor man, and 'tain't right I should lose 'em."
+
+"Will you tell me where Vincent is, or shall I send a constable to
+arrest you for conspiracy?" demanded Mr. Watson.
+
+"I don't know nothin' at all where he is," replied the miser, alarmed
+by this threat.
+
+"You were to receive this money."
+
+"That may be. Cap'n Vincent did tell me if you paid any money to me for
+him to keep it till he come for't. He didn't tell me nothin' at all he
+was go'n' to do, nor where he was goin' to. I hain't no idee in the
+world where he is."
+
+This was all that either Mr. Watson or Levi could get out of the old
+man. It was really all he knew; and the visitors, disappointed and
+disheartened, retired from the miser's presence, though not till the
+merchant had declared that he did not intend to pay one penny to Dock
+to restore his daughter. The old man groaned when they had gone; but it
+was because he was to lose his reward, and probably the money he had
+loaned. It was a bitter hour to him.
+
+Mr. Watson and Levi conferred together as they walked home. From that
+time no one passed in or out of the miser's house without being
+observed. Levi watched that day; but at nine o'clock in the evening,
+Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier took his place, to serve for the night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE CARIBBEE SAILS FOR AUSTRALIA.
+
+
+If Mrs. Dock Vincent had not been a person of higher moral purposes
+than her husband, sad indeed would have been the lot of the two
+children that slept in the captain's state-room on board of the
+Caribbee. As is often the case, she knew less of her husband's moral
+obliquity than the world at large, though even she knew enough to
+believe that he was not what he should be. People did not tell her of
+Dock's wicked deeds, and he complained bitterly to her of the hard
+treatment which the world bestowed upon him. That good men frowned at
+him and spurned him he unjustly attributed to their hypocrisy and
+self-esteem, rather than to his own evil deeds and evil intentions.
+
+Dock had spent a term in the state prison, and his character was
+damaged, if not ruined. Men would not trust him, and the reprobate
+chafed under the public censure. To his wife and his friends he made
+himself appear like a deeply injured person, like a martyr--in what
+good cause he could not say. He was going to Australia to begin life
+anew, to carve out his fortune in a strange land, where he was not
+known. Mrs. Vincent was willing to leave her native land, and make a
+new home in a distant country for this purpose, for the motive seemed
+to be a laudable one.
+
+She had no knowledge, guilty or innocent, of the abduction of Bessie,
+until after the Caribbee had sailed; but she felt herself powerless to
+undo the mischief. If her husband had been on board, she would not have
+dared to oppose him, he was so violent and savage when she interfered
+with his plans. She could at least protect the poor girl from insult
+and injury, and she determined to do this at all hazards. It was
+evident to her that the Caribbee would not proceed immediately to her
+destination without her owner and captain. It was probably the
+intention of Captain Gauley to put into some port before she started on
+her long voyage, when Dock would join her.
+
+Mrs. Vincent pitied Bessie Watson, and almost hated her husband when
+she realized of what infamy he was capable. She comforted the poor girl
+as well as she was able, and promised to be her friend under all
+circumstances. She conducted her to an unoccupied state-room, which had
+doubtless been reserved for her use, and spent half the night with her;
+for Bessie trembled at the thought of being alone on board of the
+vessel of her great enemy.
+
+Bessie was truly grateful to Mrs. Vincent, who, though rough and rude
+in her manners, was kind at heart; and her presence was a great
+comfort. The poor girl, torn thus suddenly from her friends, wept long
+and bitterly at her sad fate; but at last she fell asleep, committing
+herself to the care of the heavenly Father, and relying upon him for
+the succor which he alone could give. No one disturbed her; and Mrs.
+Vincent watched over her, as a child, till she was fast asleep.
+
+When she awoke, late in the morning, she heard the voices of children
+in the cabin, and it was hard to realize that she was the victim of
+Dock Vincent's villany. She was kindly greeted by Mrs. Vincent, and
+the children stared at her as though she had come up from the depths of
+the ocean. She soon made friends with the boy of eight and the girl of
+ten, who were included in the family of her persecutor. After breakfast
+she went on deck with them, and learned that the vessel was off Cape
+Cod. Captain Gauley was very civil to her; but she did not allude to
+the events of the previous evening. He was a bad man, and she could
+hardly help shuddering in his presence.
+
+All day long she played with the children, and short as she made the
+hours to them, they were very long to her. She was so gentle, and kind,
+and unselfish, even in her woe, that the little ones loved her, and
+would hardly leave her for a moment. She was certainly comforted by
+their presence, and her endeavors to assure them lightened the moments
+of the long day. The kindness of Mrs. Vincent did much to assure her;
+she was satisfied that nothing worse than a long separation from her
+parents was likely to happen to her. Feeling that it was useless to
+repine at her condition, or to weep over what she could not avoid, she
+resolved to make the best of it. There was no real hardship in her
+situation, and the circumstances were certainly more agreeable than
+when she had before been an involuntary passenger in Dock's vessel. The
+absence of the villain himself was perhaps her greatest consolation;
+but the presence of Mrs. Vincent and the children was a real comfort.
+
+In the evening Bessie and Dock's wife talked the matter over again in
+her state-room. Mrs. Vincent roundly and unequivocally condemned the
+conduct of her husband. She had discovered that the Caribbee was now
+headed to the west, and it was plain to her that she was not yet on her
+way to Australia. Dock had told her he was going to New York, and it
+was possible that he intended to join them there. She told Bessie that
+she might be able to leave the vessel when she reached her destined
+port. The poor girl became more reconciled to her situation only
+because it was no worse, rather than because it was not bad enough. She
+slept well that night.
+
+The next day she played with the children, read to them, and dressed
+the girl's doll in the latest fashion. In the evening, after Bessie had
+retired, the Caribbee ran by Sandy Hook, and made a harbor near Amboy,
+where she came to anchor. She was moored a mile from the shore, and no
+other vessel was near her. Captain Gauley had carried out the plans of
+Dock to the letter. He had been a steamboat pilot in these waters, and
+was quite familiar with the navigation. Dock had made his acquaintance
+while he was acting as mate of a boat, and the mate and the pilot were
+congenial spirits.
+
+When Bessie went on deck with the children in the morning, Captain
+Gauley told her, if she wished to write to her father, her letter
+should be forwarded, as he was going on shore during the forenoon. She
+was glad to assure her parents of her safety, and she wrote a long
+letter, describing her capture and her situation on board of the
+Caribbee. She stated the facts as they were. Dock's agent was writing
+at the same time in the cabin; and when she was about to fold her
+sheet, he wished to see it. He read it through, tore off the heading,
+"Near New York," and the date, and then suggested that she had better
+ask her father to pay the money required for her release.
+
+"My father must do as he thinks best about that," replied Bessie,
+decidedly.
+
+"You don't understand your situation, I see," added the captain. "It is
+impossible for you to escape from the vessel, and if your father does
+not pay the money, you will go to Australia with us."
+
+"My father will do what is best," repeated Bessie.
+
+"Very well," added Captain Gauley, sourly. "If your father is not wiser
+than you are, you may spend the rest of your days in Australia."
+
+Bessie made no reply, but folded and directed her letter. It was plain
+now that Dock was to levy his contribution on Mr. Watson before he came
+on board. This out-of-the-way place had been selected, where no one
+would be likely to hear of her, for the vessel to remain until Dock
+could obtain his money. Captain Gauley went off in a boat, with one
+man, leaving the schooner in charge of Mat Mogmore. He did not return
+till night; but Bessie, though she considered various plans to escape
+from the vessel, was satisfied that nothing could be done, for Mat
+watched her all the time. Her only hope was, that she might induce one
+of the sailors to assist her by promising him a large sum of money; but
+her vigilant guardian would not permit her to speak to any man on
+board. If one of the seamen came aft, he was ordered forward; and
+Bessie's hope faded away.
+
+The Caribbee remained for ten days in the vicinity of Sandy Hook,
+changing her anchorage several times. Every day, either Mat Mogmore or
+Captain Gauley went on shore, evidently expecting to see Dock, or to
+hear from him. Bessie watched in vain for an opportunity to make a
+friend of one of the sailors, or to hail a passing boat; but so
+carefully was she guarded, that all hope in this direction was cut off.
+She began to wish that her father would pay the money, for this seemed
+to be her only chance of escape. Dock's non-appearance indicated that
+his little plan was not working as well as he had expected, and Mrs.
+Vincent and Bessie saw that Captain Gauley and Mat were becoming very
+anxious.
+
+On the tenth day after the arrival of the Caribbee, Mat Mogmore, who
+had been on shore, returned with a letter, directed, in a strange hand,
+to Captain Gauley. He opened it in the cabin. It contained but a few
+lines, which he read and then hastened upon deck, leaving the letter on
+the table. The rattling of ropes and the flapping of sails were
+immediately heard; and it was plain to Bessie that the vessel was
+getting under way.
+
+"I wonder what is to be done now," said Mrs. Vincent, coming out of her
+state-room.
+
+"I don't know. Captain Gauley read the letter which lies on the table,
+and then hurried on deck," replied Bessie.
+
+"A letter!" exclaimed Mrs. Vincent, who was continually on the lookout
+for news; for she was hardly less a prisoner than Bessie.
+
+She took it from the table, and without hesitation opened it.
+
+"It is from my husband," said she, glancing at the signature. "Things
+are going wrong with me, and you will sail for Australia without me,"
+she read, "the moment you get this letter. Keep things as before, and
+_do not let any one leave the vessel_. If you don't do this, my only
+chance is lost. Be careful, for they are after you. I shall get the
+money, and go to Australia by steamer from England, and shall probably
+be there before you."
+
+"Then we are actually starting for Australia!" exclaimed Bessie, with a
+deep sigh.
+
+"I suppose so."
+
+Bessie went into her state-room and wept bitterly, as all hope deserted
+her. She cried, and she prayed, and then endeavored to reconcile
+herself anew to her situation. The sails were hoisted, and the Caribbee
+was standing out to sea.
+
+Captain Gauley was at the helm, and Mat Mogmore was at his side,
+talking with him about the prospect.
+
+"If he wrote a letter at all, he ought to have told us all about it,"
+said Mat, disappointed at the meagreness of the news from Dock.
+
+"He says things are going against him."
+
+"And he says they are after us; but he don't say who, nor what," added
+Mat. "I would like to know what has gone wrong, and who is after us."
+
+"Do you see that schooner on the weather bow?" said Captain Gauley,
+pointing to a trim-looking craft. "She has an eye on us, and we must
+give her a wide berth. She came about just now, and is running across
+our fore-foot."
+
+"That's the yacht, as true as I live!" exclaimed Mat, when he
+discovered her.
+
+"What yacht?"
+
+"The Starry Flag!"
+
+She had been standing off and on between Sandy Hook and Coney Island
+for twenty-four hours, on the lookout for the Caribbee.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE TRAVELLER WHO LOST HIS WAY.
+
+
+The steward of the yacht watched the house of Mr. Fairfield all night;
+but no one entered or left it. Levi took his turn the next day again;
+and, when he proposed to employ a fresh hand for the second night,
+Augustus insisted upon serving, himself. He had slept enough during the
+day, and he wanted the satisfaction of capturing Dock, if he presented
+himself.
+
+This time he was in luck, as he declared, for about one o'clock at
+night, when the town was as still as though it contained not a single
+living inhabitant, the villain came to obtain his money, probably not
+doubting that by this time it had been paid to his agent.
+
+The steward had stationed himself in such a position that no one could
+approach the house unseen by him. Just after the clock on one of the
+churches had struck one, he heard footsteps on the road, and presently
+a man stopped in front of the miser's house. Contrary to the usual
+custom of rogues and villains, he went up to the front door, and
+knocked vigorously. The heart of the watcher leaped with expectation,
+and he crept like a cat on the grass till he had obtained a position
+behind a lilac bush, near the front door. The first summons of the
+unseasonable visitor did not procure a response from within, and the
+man knocked again.
+
+Though the vigilant sentinel did not recognize his cowardly enemy, he
+had no doubt it was he. The form was about the height of Dock, but
+appeared to be better dressed than when he had seen the ruffian. Who
+else should go to the house of the miser at that unseemly hour?
+
+"Who's there?" called Mr. Fairfield, with his impatient whine, as he
+threw open one of the windows of his chamber.
+
+"I've got lost, and I want some one to show me the way to Gloucester,"
+replied the visitor, in a tone so different from the voice of Dock that
+Augustus did not recognize it, and began to fear that the villain was
+not within his reach, as he had confidently believed.
+
+"Got lost--have you? Well, take the right hand road out by the
+school-'us," added the miser, not so sourly as most people would have
+spoken when roused from their sleep to direct a night traveller.
+
+"There are two or three roads there, and I can't afford to go much out
+of my way. Come out and show me, and I'll pay you for your trouble."
+
+This was quite enough for the miser, and he promised to come. The
+caller stepped out into the road, and Augustus crouched down under the
+lilac bushes to escape observation. In a few moments Mr. Fairfield
+appeared, muffled up in a ragged overcoat.
+
+"Well, Squire Fairfield, what's the news?" demanded the visitor, when
+the old man joined him.
+
+If the steward had any doubts before, he had none now. It was Dock
+Vincent beyond a peradventure, and his voice sounded as natural as on
+former occasions. It was plain that the bewildered traveller was a myth
+for the benefit of Mrs. Fairfield, who, being "women folks," and not
+understanding business, was not permitted to share the heavy secrets of
+her husband, especially on the present momentous occasion.
+
+"There ain't nothin' at all for news," replied the old man, as he
+glanced at the house, as if to assure himself that his wife was not
+watching him.
+
+"No news?" exclaimed Dock. "Hasn't Watson come done with the money
+yet?"
+
+"No; nor that ain't the wust on't, nuther. I don't believe he will."
+
+"O, yes, he will!" replied Dock, confidently. "I've got things fixed
+this time so that he can't help planking down the money. He'll be glad
+to pay it, I can tell you."
+
+"What have you done with the gal, cap'n?"
+
+"We've got her; and Watson never'll see her again unless he pays the
+money--that's so."
+
+"But he won't pay it; and I ain't go'n' to git my share on't at all,"
+whined the miser.
+
+"Yes, you will; don't be alarmed, Squire Fairfield."
+
+"They've sent a steamer off arter the vessel."
+
+"Have they, though?"
+
+"Yes, they have; and Gayles has gone in her."
+
+"All right; the steamer'll cost some money, and won't do any good.
+She'll come back without the girl. My vessel isn't a great ways from
+New York, and when I say the word she'll start, whether I go in her or
+not. I tell you, Mr. Watson will be glad to pay the money before many
+days. He don't understand the matter yet. I'll come again in two or
+three days; and I reckon you'll have the money next time I come."
+
+"Where are you stoppin' now?" asked Mr. Fairfield.
+
+"Nowhere in these parts; but I'll be here in two or three days."
+
+"But Watson won't pay that money, no more'n nothin' in the world."
+
+"Yes, he will. He can't help doing it, if he wants his daughter again.
+Where's Levi now?"
+
+"He's round here; but what am I go'n' to do for what you owe me, if
+Watson don't pay the money?" asked the old man, anxiously.
+
+"I'll pay it all just as I agreed to do. Now go to bed again, Squire
+Fairfield, or your wife will be out looking for you."
+
+"But I want to know sunthin more about this business."
+
+"You mustn't know any more than you do. I didn't mean you should know
+anything about it. I never told you anything. When you get the money,
+you hold on to it till I come. I don't know as it's quite safe for me
+to come here again, even in the night. I guess we'll fix it some other
+way."
+
+Dock did "fix it some other way"--it is of no consequence how.
+
+"After I get this money, and get all ready to start, I'm going to
+settle up matters with Levi and that nigger before I go. I expect I
+shall kill that nigger if I ever see him again."
+
+"Shall you? Then now's your time!" yelled Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier, as
+he sprang from his covert, and rushed upon his enemy.
+
+Dock Vincent was startled, as a braver man than he might have been
+under such circumstances; but the steward did not permit him to recover
+his self-possession. With an oak stick he carried in his hand, he dealt
+a heavy blow upon the head of the villain. But his cranium seemed to be
+made of more solid material than his African assailant's, for he
+attempted to rise, when the steward repeated the stroke so effectually
+that he lay still on the ground.
+
+"Don't! Don't!" pleaded Mr. Fairfield, terrified by the tragic event.
+"Don't tech him agin. Let him be."
+
+But Dock was not deprived of his consciousness even by the severe blows
+he had received, and again he attempted to rise.
+
+"Lay still! If you don't there'll be a dead man not far from here,"
+said the steward, as he took his revolver from his pocket.
+
+Dock saw it, and dared not move.
+
+"Don't tech him no more. Let him go now."
+
+"Not if I know it! Allow me to insinuate, in the most direct manner
+possible, that this man is my prisoner; and if he don't spend the rest
+of his days in the state prison, it will be an outrage upon humanity,"
+added the steward.
+
+"Don't tech him no more. Let him go. I'll give you twenty-five cents if
+you will," whined the miser, who had to open his heart very wide to
+make this liberal offer.
+
+"He is going to jail, if there is such an institution in these parts,"
+replied Augustus.
+
+"I'll give you fifty cents if you'll let him go," pleaded Mr.
+Fairfield.
+
+"If you would give me fifty thousand dollars, I wouldn't let him go,"
+replied the steward. "Do you think I would sell my own soul for money?"
+
+Augustus, with the revolver in his right hand, felt in all the pockets
+of his prostrate enemy for dangerous weapons, but he found none.
+
+"Now get up," said he.
+
+Dock obeyed, in momentary fear that one of the pistol balls would be
+spinning through his head.
+
+"Do you know where Mr. Watson's house is?" continued he.
+
+"I do," replied Dock.
+
+"Then march; and if you turn to the right or the left, or attempt any
+irregular proceeding, I promise you, on the honor of Mr. C. Augustus
+Ebénier, that I will give you the benefit of every bullet this pistol
+contains, six in number, by actual count. Forward!"
+
+Dock marched in the direction indicated; he could not help doing so,
+bitter as the necessity was. Mr. Fairfield followed, begging and
+pleading with all his eloquence, and even offering as high as a dollar
+for the release of his friend.
+
+"Old man, return to your humble abode, and give up your weary frame to
+the arms of Morpheus," said Augustus, when his patience was exhausted.
+"In other words, venerable sir, go home, and go to bed."
+
+The miser was terribly stricken by the sudden misfortune of Dock; not
+from sympathy, but because it foreboded the loss of the money the
+prisoner owed him. It is possible that he had some fear of being
+compromised before the courts. If he had, it was overborne by the
+greater dread of losing his money. He could not willingly return; and
+it was only when the steward threatened him with the terrible pistol
+that he did so.
+
+Augustus walked about six feet behind his victim till he came to Mr.
+Watson's house, and then directed him to go up to the side door.
+
+"Ring the bell!" said the steward, in the stern tones of command.
+
+"See here, steward, can't we arrange this thing," replied Dock, turning
+to his remorseless captor.
+
+"Ring the bell! We'll arrange it in the court."
+
+Dock rang the bell. Little did the father and mother of Bessie sleep
+while she was away from them, and they heard the bell the first time it
+was rung.
+
+"Who's there?" called Mr. Watson from a second-story window.
+
+"Augustus, sir," replied the steward, in the mildest of tones. "There's
+a gentleman here to see you, sir."
+
+"I will be down in a moment;" and presently a light appeared in the
+dining-room.
+
+"Walk in," said Mr. Watson, opening the door.
+
+"Walk in!" repeated Augustus, in stern tones.
+
+Dock followed the merchant into the dining-room, closely attended by
+his guard.
+
+"Vincent!" exclaimed Mr. Watson, when he turned to see who his midnight
+visitor was.
+
+"Yes, sir," replied the steward. "You will pardon me for bringing him
+here, sir; but I did not know what else to do with him."
+
+"Vincent, where is my daughter?" demanded the merchant, earnestly.
+
+"She is on her way to Australia," replied Dock, who was now beginning
+to recover his self-possession, and to measure the consequences of his
+misfortune.
+
+"I beg to suggest, Mr. Watson, that his reply is a wretched falsehood,"
+interposed the steward. "I heard him tell Mr. Fairfield that his vessel
+wasn't a great ways from New York."
+
+"In the latitude of New York, I meant merely. Mr. Watson, this man is
+making a mess of it for you. I made my demand of you by letter. Give me
+the money, and your daughter shall be restored. If you don't, you will
+never see her again, whatever may happen to me," said Dock.
+
+"Not a dollar! Not a penny!" replied Mr. Watson, with emphasis.
+
+"Very well, Mr. Watson. You will discover your mistake soon enough,"
+added Dock.
+
+"We want an officer and a pair of handcuffs," said Mr. Watson. "Can you
+keep him while I procure assistance?"
+
+"I can," answered Augustus, confidently, as he displayed his pistol.
+
+Mr. Watson called his two men, and sent one of them for Constable
+Cooke, who was the only officer available at that hour of the night. He
+came, and the villain was ironed. The constable and the steward kept
+guard over him till morning.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+OFF SANDY HOOK.
+
+
+Levi did not learn that the great enemy had been captured till he went
+up in the morning to relieve the steward; but the news was spreading
+rapidly, and it came to his ear before he reached his station. He
+hastened to the house of Mr. Watson, where Constable Cooke and the
+steward still kept vigil over the fallen foe. The officer evidently did
+not relish his employment; but Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier had proved that
+he was a first-class tiger, as well as an exquisite of the first water.
+
+Mr. Watson had another interview with the wretch as soon as Levi
+arrived; but Dock Vincent was as obstinate as a mule. He took no pains
+to conceal the fact that he enjoyed the distress of the suffering
+father and the intense anxiety of Levi. The prisoner was to be examined
+before Squire Saunders during the forenoon, and it was hoped that some
+development of the plan of the conspirator would be obtained.
+
+By the morning train came Mr. Gayles. The steamer sent in pursuit of
+the Caribbee had returned to Boston in the night. Of course she had not
+seen or heard of the vessel, which had gone through Vineyard Sound,
+while the steamer followed the track of ships bound round the Cape of
+Good Hope.
+
+"Has he been searched?" asked Mr. Gayles, when he had reported the
+result of his mission to his employer.
+
+"No; I proposed it to Mr. Cooke, but he declined to do it until a
+warrant had been obtained," replied Mr. Watson.
+
+"It should be done at once;" and Mr. Gayles hastened to attend to this
+important duty.
+
+Dock blustered, and attempted to resist the indignity, as he termed it;
+but the constable was determined, and heeded not the prisoner's protest
+or his struggles. On his person was found a variety of papers, and
+among them the letter which Captain Gauley had written in the cabin of
+the Caribbee. But this document had no signature, and was hardly more
+satisfactory than the letter which Mr. Watson had received from Bessie;
+at least it contained no accurate information. One sentence, however,
+was sufficiently definite to make a beginning upon. "We are somewhere
+inside of Sandy Hook, ready to go to sea at a moment's notice," Captain
+Gauley wrote. "You know where to leave a letter in New York, when you
+are ready to go on board; and one of us goes up to the city every day
+now."
+
+"It's no use," said Dock, maliciously. "You can't find the Caribbee.
+Mr. Watson, I may rot in jail; but you will never see your daughter
+again if you go on with this matter. If you want to get her back, pay
+me the money I ask, let me go, and you shall have her in a week."
+
+"I will not pay you a dollar," replied Mr. Watson, firmly.
+
+"All right," added Dock, with a sneer. "You will wish you had in the
+course of a year or two. I know what I'm about this time."
+
+Mr. Watson, Mr. Gayles, and Levi went to another room to consider the
+situation, leaving Constable Cooke in charge of the prisoner.
+
+"Cooke, do you want to make a hundred dollars easy?" said Dock, in a
+whisper.
+
+"I don't know," replied the officer. "I can't compromise myself."
+
+"You run no risk," added Dock, as he wrote with a pencil, on half a
+sheet of note paper, the letter which Captain Gauley received just
+before the Caribbee sailed. "Put this in an envelope, direct it to
+Captain John Gauley, care of E. G. Baines & Co., No. ---- Maiden Lane,
+New York, and put it into the post office. That's all; and here is a
+hundred dollars."
+
+Constable Cooke took the note and the money. Dock wrote the direction
+for the letter on a piece of paper. He thrust the whole into his
+pocket. He had his doubts, as well he might, about the propriety of
+mailing the letter.
+
+Levi, from the information obtained, was satisfied that the Caribbee
+was at anchor in one of the secluded inlets below New York, waiting for
+Dock to join her. It was not likely that she would go to sea without
+her owner, whose family were on board of her.
+
+"Dock says she will go to Australia, whether he joins her or not," said
+Mr. Gayles.
+
+"She will not sail till those on board have heard from Dock. We must
+take care that he does not send any letter or message," added Levi.
+
+"Perhaps it would be better to let him do so, if we could only stop the
+letter at the post office."
+
+"But we don't know who has charge of the vessel. It is plain that he
+has a captain on board of her; but he does not sign his name to the
+letter we found upon Dock," interposed Mr. Watson.
+
+"Don't let him send any letters," persisted Levi. "Then the Caribbee
+will stay where she is till we find her."
+
+"That is the better way," replied Mr. Watson.
+
+"Perhaps it is," said Mr. Gayles. "But it would do no harm to ask the
+postmaster to stop any letter to Mat Mogmore, for instance."
+
+"Mat Mogmore did not take that vessel round to New York," added Levi.
+"There is a bigger man than he on board of her, and we don't know his
+name. We can't do anything in this way, unless we stop all the letters
+directed to the vicinity of New York."
+
+"Doesn't this man's name appear in any of Dock's papers?"
+
+"No; I have looked in vain for it."
+
+"Mr. Watson," said Levi, suddenly springing to his feet, "I am sure I
+can find Bessie."
+
+Both Mr. Watson and Mr. Gayles looked at him with interest. He had done
+a similar work once before, and his confident expression was entitled
+to respect.
+
+"I am as sure as I want to be that the Caribbee is anchored somewhere
+in New York Bay. Dock's letter says so. He sent her there, intending to
+join her as soon as he had collected his black mail. The facts and the
+theory agree with each other."
+
+"Admit what you say," added Mr. Watson, "and there is no doubt of it.
+What shall we do?"
+
+"I will go to New York in The Starry Flag. I can tell the Caribbee as
+far as I can see her, by night or by day. I will stand off and on by
+Sandy Hook, so that she cannot pass me. You and Mr. Gayles shall go to
+New York to-night, charter a small steamer, and explore all the inlets
+and bays below the city till you find her."
+
+"She may escape before you get there," suggested Mr. Gayles.
+
+"No; she will wait till she hears from Dock."
+
+"It may get into the newspapers."
+
+"We will see that it does not."
+
+Various objections to Levi's plan were considered; but it was adopted
+without material alteration. Mr. Watson thought it would be better to
+charter a steamer in New York for Levi's use; but he preferred the
+yacht. She would be under his control, and at the critical moment would
+not be out of coal, or her machinery out of order.
+
+Levi determined to sail as soon as the examination of Dock Vincent was
+finished. He engaged three extra hands, and put provisions and water
+enough on board to meet any emergency, in case the cruise should be
+unexpectedly prolonged. He was confident that his plan could not fail;
+and if Constable Cooke had not been unfit for a place of trust,
+probably it would not have failed, either in whole or in part.
+
+Mr. Fairfield was arrested, and at ten o'clock both he and Dock were
+arraigned for examination. The old man was dreadfully alarmed. With the
+arrest of Dock his fondest hopes had gone out in darkness. Not only was
+the rich reward he had been promised forever lost, but his neighbor's
+note for ten thousand dollars was not worth the paper on which it was
+written. Though the conspirator did not yet believe that his plan had
+failed, the old man did.
+
+Dock was held on a complaint of kidnapping Bessie Watson, and an
+attempt to extort money from her father. The evidence, including Dock's
+letter and the absence of Bessie, was more than enough to hold him, and
+he was committed for trial. The testimony was strong enough to hold Mr.
+Fairfield, and he also was committed; but Mr. Watson, out of
+consideration for the poor old man, procured bail for him. It was in
+vain he protested that he had nothing to do with the affair, and knew
+nothing about it. His midnight meeting with Dock Vincent condemned him.
+
+The deputy sheriff bore Dock to the jail; for Mr. Gayles suggested that
+Constable Cooke's fingers were slippery, though he did not know that
+they had already been soiled by a bribe. Levi hastened on board of the
+yacht as soon as the case had been disposed of, where his crew had made
+every preparation for the intended cruise--how long it was to be they
+knew not then. The wind was blowing a smashing breeze when she sailed,
+and in forty hours she was off Sandy Hook. Mr. Watson and Mr. Gayles
+arrived a day earlier, but did not deem it prudent to commence the
+search till the next day, fearful that the Caribbee might slip away
+before the yacht arrived; but they were not idle. They visited all the
+small ports in the vicinity; but Captain Gauley kept the vessel away
+from any harbor.
+
+Constable Cooke could not settle his mind in regard to the letter in
+his pocket, and he kept it there till the day after the examination.
+Mr. Watson and Mr. Gayles had both neglected, and even snubbed him.
+They did not ask his advice; they did not employ him to assist in the
+search. They had gone off without him, and he saw no chance to make any
+money with the information in his possession. If Mr. Watson wanted Mr.
+Gayles to do his business for him, he might employ him. Mr. Cooke
+enclosed the pencilled note, directed it, and then mailed it in
+Gloucester.
+
+Mr. Watson commenced his search in the steamer he had engaged for the
+purpose. He went a dozen miles up North River, examining every vessel
+in the stream, passed down the bay, through The Kills, up Newark Bay,
+through Staten Island Sound to Amboy, scoured Raritan Bay and River,
+without success, and thus used up the first day of the search. The next
+day--that on which Mat Mogmore went to the city and brought off the
+letter--she followed East River to Throg's Point; ran into Harlem
+River, Flushing Bay, and all the inlets, examining the Long Island
+shore as far as Rockaway, but with no better results than on the
+preceding day. Off Coney Island she spoke The Starry Flag. The captain
+of the steamer was confident that the Caribbee was not in the vicinity;
+it was more probable that she had come through the Sound, and put into
+Cow Bay, or some other waters beyond Throg's Point; and the steamer
+returned to the city, to renew the search on the third day.
+
+Captain Gauley changed his anchorage every day or two. On the first day
+he had been behind Coney Island, but had moved over to a point south of
+Staten Island that evening, and thus, by accident, escaped discovery.
+
+Mat brought the letter to him, and the Caribbee went to sea instantly;
+but it was only to encounter The Starry Flag, lying in wait for her.
+The quick eye of Levi immediately recognized her, and his orders to
+come about were given in sharp, quick tones. He was excited; Bessie was
+almost within hail of him; indeed, he saw her standing on deck, with
+Mrs. Vincent and the children. The wind was fresh, and the Caribbee had
+spread every inch of her canvas. Levi arranged his plan to cut her off
+while she was still nearly half a mile distant from him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
+
+
+The wind was fresh, and The Starry Flag was under easy sail when the
+Caribbee was discovered. Though Levi immediately ordered the foresail
+to be hoisted, he saw, with intense chagrin, that the advantage was
+against him. He had hauled down the fly, and he hoped, as Dock Vincent
+was not on board of the Caribbee, that her people would not recognize
+the yacht. The wind was east, and the vessel was beating out, while The
+Starry Flag had the wind on the beam.
+
+Levi, trusting that his craft would not be identified, intended to
+crowd the Caribbee so as to oblige her to tack, and then, while she was
+in stays, to lay alongside, and board her. Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier
+stood, with his revolver in his hand, ready to follow his "excellent
+captain," who was similarly armed, to the deck of the chase. Three
+other men were also detailed to join the party, though Levi did not
+expect much, if any, resistance.
+
+The young skipper kept out of sight himself, that he might not be
+recognized before the decisive moment came. His heart bounded with
+excitement. He saw Bessie standing on the deck with Dock's wife, and a
+few moments more would restore her to him, and he should have the proud
+satisfaction of sailing up New York Bay, and giving her back to her
+father. The steward was ready to do greater wonders than ever before.
+Thus far he had done all the hard fighting, and he was prepared to do
+it unto the end.
+
+The decisive moment did not come then. The quick eye of Mat Mogmore had
+recognized the yacht, and the Caribbee suddenly tacked, and stood away
+to the south-east. But Levi did not give up the chase. He had the
+weather-gage, and his foresail was now drawing well. In spite of Dock's
+brags about the speed of his vessel, the young skipper believed the
+yacht would outsail her; but this was only a blind confidence.
+
+The Caribbee was headed directly towards a shoal place called the "Oil
+Spot," and as it was dead low tide, Levi thought she could not pass
+over it. Farther to the southward was a ledge, with only nine feet of
+water on it. But Captain Gauley knew all about the dangers of the
+navigation on this part of the coast. He went just to the southward of
+the Oil Spot; and, instead of gaining anything, Levi was obliged to
+keep away, and lose the weather-gage, in order to avoid the shoal
+himself.
+
+He was disappointed and felt cheap after his failure. The Caribbee,
+close-hauled, was standing off to the south-east, while The Starry Flag
+was a quarter of a mile astern of her. Neither had the advantage, and
+it was still an open question which could make the best time. Levi soon
+found that the Caribbee was running away from him; but she carried a
+main gaff-topsail and a staysail. Fortunately he had similar sails on
+board, though he seldom used them. They were set when the two vessels
+were about a mile apart.
+
+The wind held fresh and steady, and Levi was happy when he realized
+that the Caribbee was no longer gaining upon him. Hour after hour he
+followed her, without any perceptible change in the distance between
+them. It was plain now that the two vessels were about equally matched,
+and day and night Levi held his course. On the third day out he spoke a
+ship bound to New York. He knew what agony Mr. Watson was suffering,
+and he wrote two letters to him, one directed to New York, and the
+other to Rockport; "I shall follow the Caribbee round the world if
+necessary, and I will not return without Bessie," he wrote. These
+letters he sent on board of the ship, and in due time both were
+received by Mr. Watson.
+
+For weeks and weeks The Starry Flag followed the Caribbee; but the
+voyage would be as tedious to the reader as it was to Bessie Watson.
+From the summer time, the yacht went into the heat of the torrid zone,
+and from that to the spring time of the south temperate. A week out
+from New York she encountered a heavy gale, and lost sight of the
+chase; but Levi, true to his promise, did not give up the pursuit,
+though he did not see the Caribbee again for weeks. As the yacht was
+getting short of water and provisions, he put in at the Island of St.
+Helena for fresh supplies, and learned that the Caribbee had left the
+port only the day before.
+
+Again he made a harbor at Cape Town; but the chase had not been there.
+With fresh provisions, he sailed again, not expecting to see the
+Caribbee till he found her at Melbourne, the port for which she had
+cleared; but as he went out of the harbor, he discovered her coming in.
+The Caribbee went about, and stood on her course again to the eastward.
+Levi was in high spirits now. He had outsailed his rival from St.
+Helena. He had profited by an attentive study of the current chart, and
+gained a day. Proud of this triumph over the skilful seaman who was in
+charge of the chase, he persevered in the pursuit.
+
+Bessie saw The Starry Flag from the deck of the Caribbee, and
+understood why Captain Gauley put about. She was amazed at the
+persistent devotion of Levi in following her so far, and hope
+brightened and inspired her. Captain Gauley and Mat laughed at what
+they called the folly of Levi, and assured Bessie he would never find
+her.
+
+Week after week both vessels held on their course, through sunshine and
+tempest. Off the southern coast of Australia a fearful storm burst upon
+them, and for the third time since leaving the Cape of Good Hope, they
+parted company; but both of them weathered the tempest. One hundred and
+seven days from New York, in the spring time of the southern
+hemisphere, The Starry Flag was approaching Bass Straits. The
+navigation was difficult and dangerous. Levi had read up his nautical
+library, and carefully studied the charts he had obtained at Cape Town.
+The wind was blowing a fresh gale from the southward and westward, and
+the young commander was full of doubt and anxiety. The night was coming
+on, with the promise of thick and heavy weather. Another day would
+enable him to reach Melbourne; but it was hazardous to attempt to
+thread his way among the rocks and coral reefs in the night and the
+storm. Prudently, therefore, he put about, and stood away to the
+southward, close-hauled, with the heavy seas washing his decks, for his
+bulwarks had been stove in the tempest a week before.
+
+"Sail, ho!" shouted the man on the lookout forward.
+
+"Where away?" asked Levi.
+
+"On the weather bow."
+
+"It's the Caribbee!" exclaimed Levi to Bob Thomas, who had been made
+first mate of the yacht.
+
+"Ay, ay! It is," replied the mate.
+
+"She went to the southward of Hammetts, while we went to the northward,
+after the great storm. The southerly current has carried her off her
+course, I should judge," added Levi.
+
+The captain and the mate watched her with the most intense interest.
+The Caribbee stood on her course, and it was evident that she intended
+to enter the Straits, regardless of the perils before her. Levi could
+not do less than follow, reckless as it seemed to him. He did follow;
+but he took extraordinary precautions. He bent on his heavy anchor, and
+made other preparations for trying events. But the Caribbee, instead of
+entering the Straits in the darkness, stood away to the northward. All
+night long the gale piped its angry notes, and The Starry Flag again
+lost sight of the chase in the gloom.
+
+The weather moderated in the morning, though the gale only partially
+subsided. Again the Caribbee was discovered, hull down, in the south.
+She was then entering the Straits, to the southward of King's Island,
+where no prudent navigator would venture in bad weather. The yacht was
+headed in that direction, and anxiously did Levi watch the chase. He
+had no intention of following her through the intricacies of that
+rock-bounded channel. Two hours later, the cry ran through the yacht
+that the Caribbee had struck on a hidden reef!
+
+The heart of the young skipper was in his mouth. Bessie was in great
+peril, and he was almost distracted as he thought of her, perishing in
+the angry waves, surrounded only by enemies. The yacht dashed madly on
+towards the scene of the disaster. Trembling with anxiety, Levi went
+below to consult his chart, which lay all the time on the cabin table.
+He found the locality, and the ledge on which the Caribbee had struck.
+There was no other peril very near it, and he stood on confidently till
+The Starry Flag was within hail of the wreck, or would have been in
+less tempestuous weather.
+
+The foremast of the Caribbee had gone by the board, and the waves were
+making a clean sweep over her decks. The life-boat, which swung at the
+port davits of the yacht, had been cleared away, in readiness to be
+lowered. Finding he had good holding-ground under him, Levi ordered the
+men to let go the heavy anchor. Fortunately it brought her up; but the
+other anchor was also thrown over. The sails were lowered, and the
+yacht rode tolerably easy. The gale was abating, and Levi was satisfied
+that the two anchors would hold her.
+
+The life-boat was manned with four men, and Levi took his place in the
+stern-sheets. It was no easy matter to board the wreck while the sea
+was making a clean breach over her. She had struck her bow upon the
+sharp rock, and stove in her bottom. She had filled, and her stern had
+settled down, and the water was over her taffrail, while her stem
+projected up into the air. Her hull had swung round a little, so that
+there was a choice of sides in approaching her. The foremast had been
+jammed up by the breaking of the keelson where it was set, and hung
+over the side. To this the life-boat was made fast, and Levi, followed
+by Bob Thomas, climbed on board.
+
+Crouching under the lee of the camboose, the young skipper found
+Bessie, Mrs. Vincent, and the two children, while the crew were
+clinging to the rigging of the bowsprit to prevent being washed
+overboard.
+
+"O, Levi!" cried Bessie, when she saw the manly form of her true
+friend.
+
+In the blast and the spray, Levi clasped her hands, and both of them
+wept. It was more than three months since they had parted in the house
+of Mr. Watson. There was no time to think of the past, or even of the
+future; the present absorbed all the energies of the young seaman. With
+the assistance of Bob Thomas, Levi conveyed Bessie along the fallen
+spar, and lowered her into the life-boat. Mrs. Vincent and her two
+children were assisted into the boat in the same manner. Mat Mogmore
+and two men--all that were left of the crew--were then permitted to
+enter the boat, which pulled back to the yacht.
+
+With much difficulty, and the exercise of no little skill, the
+life-boat was kept right side up, and the rescued party were safely
+placed on board of The Starry Flag, though the females had to be
+hoisted up in slings over the stern.
+
+"You are safe, Bessie," said Levi, as he conducted her to the cabin.
+
+"Thanks to our Good Father, and to you, Levi, I am!"
+
+"I have the inexpressible happiness of greeting you again," said Mr. C.
+Augustus Ebénier, as he threw open the door of her state-room.
+
+The gale rapidly subsided, and in the afternoon, after the wreck had
+been boarded again, the yacht sailed for Melbourne.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+A HAPPY REUNION.
+
+
+The sea in the Strait was comparatively smooth, and the yacht sped on
+her way to Melbourne. Mrs. Vincent and her children had been installed
+in Mr. Watson's state-room, while Bessie occupied her own. From her
+Levi had obtained all the particulars of her voyage. She told him what
+she had suffered, what she had feared, and what she had hoped.
+
+"Who had charge of the Caribbee?" asked Levi, when, after Bessie and
+Mrs. Vincent had been made comfortable, they gathered in the cabin.
+
+"Captain Gauley," replied Bessie.
+
+"Who was he?"
+
+"He was a pilot on a steamer," replied Mrs. Vincent. "He and my husband
+became acquainted while they were on a boat near New York. I never saw
+him till just before we sailed from the Cape. He is a bad man."
+
+"That is plain enough," added Levi; "but where is he now?"
+
+"He and three other men were washed overboard when the vessel struck on
+the rocks."
+
+"And three of the men were saved?"
+
+"Yes; Mat Mogmore, the steward, and another man."
+
+"Why did you sail without your husband, Mrs. Vincent?" asked Levi.
+
+"I don't know anything about this business. I hadn't anything to do
+with it," replied the poor woman; and Levi and Bessie pitied her
+because she was the wife of such a bad man.
+
+"I am sure she had nothing to do with carrying me off, Levi,"
+interposed Bessie. "She has been very kind to me from the moment I went
+on board of the Caribbee, and would have assisted me to escape, if
+there had been any chance."
+
+"I am very glad indeed to know that," added Levi. "I don't see why this
+Captain Gauley sailed without your husband."
+
+"Captain Vincent sent a letter to him, saying that things were going
+wrong with him, and ordered him to sail at once."
+
+Levi wondered how Dock had sent the letter. When told that it was
+written in pencil, and that the address on the envelope was not in her
+husband's hand, he was satisfied that Constable Cooke had rendered him
+this important service.
+
+"My husband was to come to Australia by the steamer from England,"
+added Mrs. Vincent. "Perhaps he is here now."
+
+"I think not," replied Levi.
+
+"Why so?"
+
+"Because he was arrested, and committed to jail before I left the Cape.
+Augustus caught him."
+
+"I had that honor," said the steward, who was standing near the party;
+and the incident was fully described.
+
+"I suppose my poor father and mother do not know what has become of
+me," continued Bessie, the tears starting to her eyes.
+
+"Yes, they do. I sent two letters by a ship we spoke. If this vessel
+reached New York, I am sure he knows where you are. I wrote him that I
+should follow you round the world, if need be."
+
+"How brave and noble you are, Levi!" she said, bestowing a glance of
+admiration upon him. "And this Starry Flag has rendered me a greater
+service than the other Starry Flag."
+
+"She has indeed! She is the finest little craft that ever floated; and
+I shall love her as long as I live. In that great gale a week ago, she
+was under water half the time, I believe. We had to batten down
+everything, and lash ourselves to the deck."
+
+"That was a fearful storm. I hope I shall never see another such. How
+grateful we ought to be for our preservation!"
+
+"I trust we are grateful to God for his goodness and his mercy,"
+replied Levi, devoutly.
+
+On the following day the yacht took a pilot, and came to anchor in the
+harbor of Melbourne. Mat Mogmore had kept out of sight since he came on
+board, spending all his time in the forecastle; but when the anchor was
+dropped he appeared on deck.
+
+"I think I will go on shore now, Levi," said he, with an assumed
+coolness.
+
+"I think not," replied Levi, decidedly.
+
+"What do you mean by that?" demanded the young villain.
+
+"I mean that you shall not leave this vessel, unless you leave it in
+irons. I shall state the case to the American consul; and I think you
+will return to the United States as a prisoner."
+
+"Why, what have I done?" asked Mat.
+
+"What have you done!" exclaimed Levi, indignantly. "Besides being
+guilty of meanness and treachery, you have committed a crime which will
+send you to the state prison for the next ten years."
+
+"Do you mean to say that I stole your uncle's money?"
+
+"I didn't say anything of the kind. You and Dock Vincent conveyed Miss
+Watson on board of the Caribbee. That's a state-prison offence, to say
+nothing of stealing the money."
+
+"Don't be hard on me, Levi."
+
+"Hard on you! I'm not half so hard on you as you are on yourself. You
+were employed as a hand on board of this vessel, and you used your
+position to deceive Miss Watson, and get her on board of the Caribbee.
+You then came to me, with your mouth full of lies, and told me she had
+gone to Portland with her father, by railroad. I trusted you, and you
+betrayed me. I can forgive you, but I can never respect you again,"
+said Levi, warmly.
+
+"Don't be too hard on me, Levi," pleaded Mat. "I got into a scrape, and
+Dock helped me out; but he made me do everything he said after that."
+
+"You needn't commit yourself to me. I don't ask you to make any
+confessions. Dock Vincent is in jail now, and the whole truth will come
+out in due time."
+
+"What's the use!" exclaimed Mat, in despair. "I'm ruined now. If you'll
+let me go ashore here, I'll try to be an honest man."
+
+"It is not for me to let you go, though I have no doubt you were the
+tool of Dock Vincent. I have no right to let you escape."
+
+"I'll tell you all about it, Levi; and you will see what a bad scrape I
+was in," said Mat, fixing his eyes on the planks of the deck. "Your
+uncle borrowed a screw-driver in the shop----"
+
+"Levi! Levi!" shouted Bessie Watson, who was in the standing-room,
+looking at the shipping in the vicinity.
+
+The young skipper sprang towards her, fearful that some terrible event
+was about to happen; for Bessie was waving her handkerchief, and
+dancing about the deck like an insane person. A boat, with two
+gentlemen in the stern-sheets, was approaching the yacht, and at this
+Bessie was gazing with intense earnestness.
+
+"What is the matter, Bessie?" asked he, looking at her, rather than the
+boat, to assure himself that her trials had not affected her reason.
+
+"Why, don't you see, Levi?"
+
+"I don't see anything. What is it?"
+
+"My father! My father!" cried she, laughing, almost in hysterics.
+
+Levi glanced at the boat. One of the gentlemen was certainly Mr.
+Watson, though he was not quite willing to believe the evidence of his
+own senses. The boat had approached near enough to enable him to be
+sure of the fact.
+
+"It is my father!" repeated Bessie, as the boat ran up to the
+accommodation ladder, and Mr. Watson leaped on board of the yacht.
+
+"My child! My child!" ejaculated the fond father, as he folded her in
+his arms.
+
+"O, father!" exclaimed she, as she hugged him in a transport of joy.
+
+Twined in each other's arms, they wept and laughed, in the exuberance
+of delight, at this happy reunion. Levi could hardly restrain his own
+tears as he gazed upon the affecting scene, and in the depths of his
+heart he thanked God, who had guided his little bark over the stormy
+ocean, half round the world, and enabled him to save Bessie from the
+hands of her grasping enemies.
+
+"Levi!" said Mr. Watson, gently disengaging himself from his daughter's
+embrace, and giving the young captain his hand.
+
+"I am glad to see you, Mr. Watson," replied Levi, grasping the offered
+hand.
+
+"If Levi hadn't followed me, you would never have seen me again," added
+Bessie, throwing herself upon her father's breast again.
+
+"God bless you, Levi!" exclaimed the delighted father, wringing the
+young man's hand again.
+
+Mr. Watson seemed to be bewildered by the ecstasy of his joy. He
+grasped the hand of Augustus, who was so pleased that he forgot to use
+any high-flown speech. The gentleman who had come in the boat with
+Bessie's father was introduced to the party as the American consul.
+
+"We did not expect to see you, Mr. Watson," said Levi.
+
+"I have been in Melbourne for three weeks," replied he. "This is the
+port for which the Caribbee cleared at the Custom House. But where is
+the Caribbee?"
+
+"She struck on a rock to the southward of King's Island, in the gale,
+yesterday morning. She has broken up before this time."
+
+"And I was on board of her at the time," said Bessie.
+
+"Though the Caribbee was twenty tons larger than The Starry Flag, we
+were just a match for her in sailing," added Levi. "We lost her a week
+out of New York, saw her again at the Cape of Good Hope, and then lost
+sight of her three or four times; but we arrived at the entrance of
+Bass Strait about the same time."
+
+"I think I will not stop to hear the story now. Bessie, there is some
+one on shore who wishes to see you," replied Mr. Watson.
+
+"Who? O, I know, father! It is mother! Come, let us go on shore, this
+minute!" exclaimed the bewildered girl, dancing about again, as this
+new joy dawned upon her.
+
+Levi informed the consul that one of the conspirators had been saved
+from the wreck, and this gentleman promised to attend to the matter.
+The life boat was lowered; and leaving his mate in charge of the
+vessel, with strict injunctions not to let Mat Mogmore escape, Levi
+went on shore with Bessie and her father.
+
+"My mother in Australia!" exclaimed Bessie.
+
+"And Mrs. McGilvery, too!" added Mr. Watson.
+
+"Why, then the whole family are here! Only think of it! I didn't expect
+to see you or mother for months yet."
+
+"We could not do anything but come, for every hour seemed like an age
+to us," replied Mr. Watson. "When I received Levi's letter, I saw that
+nothing more could be done on our side of the world, and I decided to
+follow you. Dock Vincent assured me I should never see my daughter
+again; and I was satisfied by the confidence he exhibited, and the
+persistency with which he urged me to pay his demand, that the Caribbee
+had indeed sailed upon her long voyage. Levi's letter, written when he
+had been three days at sea, with the Caribbee in sight, fully confirmed
+my view. I was sorry Levi did not return to New York, instead of
+following the vessel."
+
+"Why so?" asked Levi, blushing under the implied censure.
+
+"If I had known the result in season, I might have sent a steamer in
+pursuit of the Caribbee. As it was, I did not get the letter till a
+week after her departure."
+
+"The chances of a steamer finding the Caribbee were not more than one
+in fifty," replied Levi.
+
+"I was sorry then, Levi; but I am not now. You have achieved almost a
+miracle, and I am willing to believe now that your course was the best
+and the safest. I decided at once to be in Melbourne when the Caribbee
+arrived. I sailed for England in the steamer with your mother and your
+aunt. We came from there by the way of Egypt, and landed here three
+weeks ago. I have an agent in every principal port in Australia on the
+lookout for the Caribbee. When any fore-and-aft vessel came into this
+harbor I was informed of the fact, and you may judge my surprise when I
+saw The Starry Flag. I will not tell you what I feared when I
+recognized her, for all that passed away when I saw Bessie on the
+deck;" and the devoted father clasped her in his arms again.
+
+The party landed. In a few moments they reached the hotel, and Bessie
+was folded in the embrace of her mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+Mrs. Watson wept tears of joy over her lost child, now restored to her.
+Mrs. McGilvery declared that the pleasure of witnessing such a joyful
+meeting was worth a voyage half round the world, or, indeed, all the
+way round the world.
+
+"Well, Levi, what shall we do next?" asked Mr. Watson, when the young
+skipper had been thanked and extolled by the ladies till his cheeks
+burned with blushes.
+
+"Go home, I suppose, sir, unless the ladies desire to settle here,"
+replied Levi.
+
+"Doubtless we shall go home," added Mr. Watson; "but how shall we do
+it? I think the ladies will not care to be kept on board of the yacht
+for three months or more."
+
+"I will do what I can to make them comfortable if they will return in
+The Starry Flag; but that is saying only a little."
+
+"You would arrive on the coast of the United States in the middle of
+the winter, and you will see many heavy storms, and much bad weather,"
+suggested Mr. Watson.
+
+"Yes, sir; it was bad enough coming out here, especially after we left
+the Cape of Good Hope; but it would be worse returning. I cannot
+honestly advise them to go back in the yacht, glad as I should be of
+their company;" and Levi glanced at Bessie. "I think they had better go
+by the way you came."
+
+"I am very clear of that," added Mr. Watson. "But, Levi, I can't bear
+the idea of your knocking about for three or four months, perhaps six,
+in such a small vessel."
+
+"It won't hurt me any. I rather like it," laughed Levi. "I will have a
+stove put up in the cabin for use when we get into the cold region, and
+we shall be as comfortable as a bug in a rug."
+
+"I'll tell you my plan, Levi. I can sell the yacht, and you can return
+with us by steamer."
+
+"Sell The Starry Flag!" exclaimed Levi. "I should as soon think of
+selling my mother, if I had one. I love her, after the good service she
+has done, and I don't think any builder could get up another as good as
+she is. I know what she is now. She has weathered a hurricane, and
+don't mind an ordinary gale any more than a summer zephyr. Besides, I
+have a crew of six men, without the cook and steward. If you want to
+sell her, I'll buy her."
+
+"She is yours now, and you may do as you please with her."
+
+"Then I shall certainly take her home. She needs some repairs, and then
+she will be as good as new."
+
+"If the ladies are willing, we will all go on board of her," said Mr.
+Watson. "We must make some arrangements for Mrs. Vincent and her
+children, and attend to Mat Mogmore's case."
+
+The party went on board of the yacht. Mr. Watson summoned the crew, as
+soon as they reached the deck, and gave each of them a check for a
+thousand dollars. This little incident made the day a happy one to
+them, as well as to the members of Mr. Watson's family. He then asked
+Mrs. Vincent what she purposed to do; and Levi offered her a return
+passage in the yacht. She had been kind to Bessie, had been her
+companion and friend in her distress, and her conduct merited a
+grateful recognition. The poor woman did not know what to do. She had
+no idea what her husband had done with all the money he had collected.
+It was not to be found, and no one knew anything about it. It was
+afterwards ascertained that the proceeds of the sale of his house and
+furniture had been expended upon the fitting out of the Caribbee, and
+he had deposited the ten thousand borrowed of Mr. Fairfield in Boston
+until he was ready to leave the country.
+
+Mrs. Vincent did not wish to return to her native land. Her husband had
+ruined himself and disgraced his family, and she did not care to meet
+the obloquy which awaited her in the midst of her friends. The consul
+informed her, when she had stated her views, that she could make a good
+living, and perhaps a competency, by keeping a boarding-house in
+Melbourne. Mr. Watson promptly offered to assist her to the means for
+making a beginning. Before the yacht sailed on her home voyage, the
+consul had purchased for her such an establishment as she needed, and
+she was in a fair way to do better for herself than her husband had
+ever done for her.
+
+The consul met the family in the cabin of the yacht, and Mat Mogmore's
+case came up for discussion. The steward, and the other seamen from the
+Caribbee, had gone on shore to shift for themselves, as Mat would have
+done if he had been permitted.
+
+"Mat says he got into a scrape, and Dock helped him out," said Levi,
+when the matter was brought up. "The old rascal had him in his power
+then, and made a tool of him in this business."
+
+"What scrape did he get into?" asked Mr. Watson.
+
+"I don't know. He began to tell me when your boat came alongside,"
+replied Levi. "He said my uncle borrowed a screw-driver of him; but I
+don't know what this had to do with it."
+
+"Send for him, Levi," added Mr. Watson. "If he tells the truth, and
+means to do well, perhaps we may do something to help him."
+
+The steward was called, and directed to bring the prisoner--for such he
+was--into the cabin. Mat was on the stool of repentance. All his
+expectations had been blasted; and, whichever way he turned, the
+prospect was dark and forbidding, as it must sooner or later be to all
+evil-doers. Even if permitted to go on shore, he was alone and
+friendless in a strange land. The share he was to receive of Bessie's
+ransom had failed him; another evil speculation had also come to
+nought. If he returned to his native land in the yacht, it was only to
+be covered with merited disgrace, and to spend years of his life in the
+state prison.
+
+When Mat Mogmore entered the cabin under the escort of the steward, he
+felt like a ruined man--one who, by his own folly and wickedness, had
+sacrificed all his hopes in this world. Mr. Watson and the consul spoke
+to him with the utmost plainness, the latter informing him that, if he
+declined to return home in the yacht, he should procure his arrest on a
+criminal charge.
+
+"I will return in her, if you say so," blubbered Mat, whose pluck was
+all gone.
+
+"If you wish to explain your conduct, you may do so," added Mr. Watson.
+
+"I don't know as it's any use. I wish I had been drowned in the
+Caribbee."
+
+"You began to tell me your story," said Levi.
+
+"I was going to tell you how I happened to help Captain Vincent. He
+made me do it. I'll tell you about it, if you like."
+
+"Go on," added Mr. Watson.
+
+"Perhaps I'm worse than you think I am; but I'll tell the whole truth."
+
+"That's what we want."
+
+"Levi's uncle borrowed a screw-driver of me in the shop. I wanted to
+use it pretty soon, and I went over to Mr. Fairfield's after it. He was
+fixing a board to put over a hole in the plastering in his chamber. I
+saw he had cut away the laths, and I knew he wasn't putting up the
+piece to keep the cold out, as he said. I made up my mind he had money
+hid in that hole. At the fire, when the folks had left the room, and
+all the men were on the roof, I took off that board, for I thought the
+money would be all lost if there was any there. I found the four bags
+of gold. I dropped them out the window into the lilac bushes, and put
+the board up again. I didn't mean to steal it then. I never stole
+anything in my life, not even a pin."
+
+"What did you put the board up again for?" asked Levi.
+
+"I didn't screw it up till afterwards. I carried the gold over to the
+shop, and hid it under the floor. Then I went back and fastened up the
+board, just as I found it. While I was doing this Dock Vincent came in,
+and saw what I was doing. I turned it off as well as I could, and
+helped move the furniture where the water was coming down upon it.
+There was a lot of money in those bags, and I didn't like to give them
+up. Dock had said something to me about going to Australia with him,
+and I thought I could take the money out here with me.
+
+"Just as soon as it came out that the gold was gone, Captain Vincent
+pitched into me. He knew then what I was screwing up that board for. It
+wasn't any use to deny it to him after what he had seen. I said I would
+give it back to the old man, and tell him I had taken it to keep it
+from being lost in the fire. Dock said it wan't worth while to do that;
+the old man had lost it, and he wouldn't feel any worse if he didn't
+find it. We talked it over, and after a while I agreed to divide with
+him.
+
+"Then he began to tell me, a little at once, about carrying off Miss
+Watson again. I didn't like the job; but Dock said he'd send me to jail
+for stealing the gold if I didn't go in with him; and I had to go. When
+the new Starry Flag came round, he told me Levi wanted to hire me
+before the mast, and told me to engage with him, so as to help him get
+Miss Watson when the time came. All along, Dock said that Levi was in
+his way. If he could get rid of him, he could carry her off without any
+trouble. So he laid the stealing to him, and tried to prove it on him.
+
+"Dock told me to put the bag and some of the gold in the state-room,
+but I hadn't any chance to do it; the steward was in my way all the
+time. The yacht was going off the next day, and Dock wanted to have
+Levi taken up before he started. I handed the bag I had fixed to Ben
+Seaver, and told him I had forgotten to do what the captain had
+ordered. I asked him to give it to the steward, and tell him Levi
+wanted him to put it into a locker in his state-room. Ben did just what
+I told him; and I knew he was going off that day. Levi was taken up;
+but things didn't work as Dock wanted. He was discharged.
+
+"All this time the money was hid under the shop. After the examination,
+Dock wanted the money divided. I had taken out one hundred and fifty
+dollars. We put fifty in the bag before, and divided a hundred. I
+agreed to meet him at the old fish-house, that was burned, and I
+carried the bags down, and put them under an old sail, where I could
+get the money when we wanted it.
+
+"Dock and I met in the fish-house at ten o'clock. He had a lantern, so
+that we could see to count the money. We sat down on the rocks to talk
+the matter over, for Dock wanted the whole of the money then, and
+promised to give me my share when we got to Australia. I didn't like
+this; and while we were talking about it, the steward tumbled down
+through the floor of the loft right between us. I never was so scared
+in my life. I thought the evil one was after me for what I had done.
+Dock was as scared as I was, and we both ran off as fast as our legs
+would carry us.
+
+"We went into Dock's back kitchen, and staid there till the alarm of
+fire was given. We meant to go back, but neither of us dared to do so.
+The fish-house got afire, and burned up; and that was the last we saw
+of the gold. Augustus can tell you better than I can where it went to."
+
+"I have told that already," interposed the steward.
+
+"When the Caribbee was ready to sail," continued Mat, "Dock went to New
+York, and told Captain Gauley to follow as soon as Miss Watson was on
+board. I was told to watch my chance when Levi was on board the yacht,
+and go to her, saying he had sent me for her. I waited three days
+without having such a chance, when the race at Portland fixed things
+just as I wanted them. You know how I worked it. I wouldn't have done
+it if I hadn't been afraid Dock would send me to jail. As soon as we
+got to New York, Captain Gauley sent a letter to Boston, where Dock was
+keeping himself out of sight till he could get the money. I suppose he
+sent his letter to Mr. Watson as soon as he heard Miss Watson was
+missing. We waited ten days below New York; but Dock didn't come. Then
+Captain Gauley got a letter from him, saying things were going wrong
+with him, and ordering the vessel to sail without him. He was to come
+out here by steamer."
+
+Mat Mogmore's confession made everything plain. What was not understood
+before was clear enough now. Dock Vincent did not believe in the power
+of goodness; and when he took advantage of the robbery to charge the
+crime upon Levi, he did not realize that a young man's character is his
+tower of strength. He failed to break down his reputation, failed to
+ruin him, failed to injure him in the opinion of any for more than a
+brief period. Perhaps, if he could have ruined Levi, and got him out of
+the way, as he desired, he might have succeeded in his wicked
+intention, though God does not often permit such iniquity to prosper.
+
+By the next steamer Mr. Watson's family departed for home. The Starry
+Flag was carefully repaired, an abundant supply of provisions put on
+board, and she sailed for the United States. Mat Mogmore returned
+voluntarily in her. As Mr. Watson had decided to spend two or three
+months in Europe on his return, Levi did not hasten his homeward
+voyage. At the Cape of Good Hope he staid a couple of weeks, to see the
+country. He remained about the same time at St. Helena, at Ascension,
+at the Cape Verde Islands, and at the Bermudas, thus avoiding the
+winter storms of the North Atlantic, besides seeing the wonders of the
+sunny isles of the ocean.
+
+About the middle of May The Starry Flag was discovered entering Sandy
+Bay. Mr. Watson and his family, who had arrived a month before, had
+gone to their summer home; and when those who cast frequent glances to
+seaward discovered the yacht, Mr. Watson was informed of her arrival.
+With Bessie on his arm, he hastened down to the Point, where hundreds
+of Levi's friends had already gathered to welcome him. The anchor of
+the yacht went down among the rocks off the Point, the sails were
+furled, and all hands went on shore.
+
+Levi's reception was worthy of a hero. He was cheered as though he had
+been a great admiral coming home from his conquest of the seas; but the
+tearful welcome which Bessie Watson bestowed upon him was more grateful
+than the plaudits of the multitude. He went with her to her father's
+house, and the rest of the day and a long evening were spent in
+relating the incidents of their return from that distant land, half
+round the world.
+
+"How is my uncle now?" asked Levi of Mr. Gayles, who formed one of the
+party.
+
+"He is about the same as usual," replied the constable. "He has lost
+ten thousand dollars by Dock Vincent, and he groans about that night
+and day."
+
+"That money can be recovered," said Mr. Watson. "Vincent did not use
+it."
+
+"The trial of Dock has been postponed from time to time on account of
+your absence," added Mr. Gayles. "The case will be called again next
+week."
+
+When it was assigned the next time, the witnesses were in the
+court-room. Dock and Mr. Fairfield were arraigned. Mat Mogmore was
+permitted to testify for the government. Both were found guilty; but,
+while Dock was sentenced to the longest term of imprisonment provided
+by law for his crimes, the old man was sentenced to the shortest, with
+a fine of one thousand dollars. Dock's term was ten years. It broke his
+spirit. His little plan was a total failure, and too late he found that
+the way of the wicked shall not prosper. He was sent to the state
+prison, and disappeared from public view.
+
+Mr. Fairfield was sent to the common jail; but it was evident that he
+was dying by inches of mental disorder, and his pardon was procured by
+the influence of Mr. Watson. He went back to his home. The ten thousand
+dollars which Dock had borrowed of him was recovered, in process of
+law, of the person with whom the swindler had deposited it. The old man
+had really lost but a thousand dollars, the amount of his fine; but he
+was too miserable to survive long, and died two years after his
+discharge from prison. Levi was his heir, but he gave his aunt the use
+of the money while she lived. Her Bible and her religious newspaper
+were her best friends, and she learned to open her heart and open her
+purse-strings. She had nothing to do now, and she became, under Levi's
+good advice, a blessing to the poor and the suffering.
+
+When Levi was twenty-one, Mr. Gayles's function as guardian ceased, and
+he paid over to his ward his entire fortune. But this was a trivial
+event compared with another, which occurred a few months later, in
+Boston; when, in Mr. Watson's elegant mansion, Levi and Bessie received
+the congratulations of all their friends. Rockport was strongly
+represented on this interesting occasion.
+
+"May all angels, celestial and terrestrial, keep perpetual vigil over
+you, Mrs. Fairfield," said Mr. C. Augustus Ebénier, as he touched the
+gloved hand of the bride, whom he did not presume to kiss, as others
+did. "And the next time you attempt the semi-circumnavigation of this
+mundane sphere, may I have the honor to be the cabin steward of the
+bark that bears you o'er the stormy sea."
+
+"May prosperity and happiness be yours, Mrs. Fairfield," said Squire
+Saunders. "Levi, this time I must commit you--to the care of this
+lady."
+
+"I have taken care of Levi for a good many years, Mrs. Fairfield,"
+added Mr. Gayles; "but I cheerfully resign in your favor."
+
+"I never saw so many grand people and sech nice things in all my born
+days," said aunt Susan; "but Levi's wuth the whole on 'em. I know he'll
+make you a good husband, and you'll make him a good wife;" and the old
+lady planted a hearty smack on the cheek of each.
+
+When Levi and Bessie returned from their bridal tour in Europe, in the
+following spring, they took up their residence in the mansion of Mr.
+Watson, on the Point. The Starry Flag and The Starry Flag, Jr., both
+lie in sight of the house, and both of them are frequently used for
+long and short trips. While Captain Fairfield--as he is generally
+called--and his beautiful wife hope the day is far distant which will
+make him a _millionnaire_, this event, in the course of nature, must
+occur; yet is he richer now, in the possession of a noble character and
+a true Christian spirit, than he can be made by any FREAKS OF FORTUNE.
+
+
+
+
+OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS
+
+
+All-Over-the-World Library. By OLIVER OPTIC. First Series. Illustrated.
+Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+1. A Missing Million; OR, THE ADVENTURES OF LOUIS BELGRADE.
+
+2. A Millionaire at Sixteen; OR, THE CRUISE OF THE "GUARDIAN MOTHER."
+
+3. A Young Knight Errant; OR, CRUISING IN THE WEST INDIES.
+
+4. Strange Sights Abroad; OR, ADVENTURES IN EUROPEAN WATERS.
+
+    No author has come before the public during the present generation
+    who has achieved a larger and more deserving popularity among young
+    people than "Oliver Optic." His stories have been very numerous,
+    but they have been uniformly excellent in moral tone and literary
+    quality. As indicated in the general title, it is the author's
+    intention to conduct the readers of this entertaining series
+    "around the world." As a means to this end, the hero of the story
+    purchases a steamer which he names the "Guardian Mother," and with
+    a number of guests she proceeds on her voyage.--_Christian Work,
+    N.Y._
+
+
+All-Over-the-World Library. By OLIVER OPTIC. Second Series. Illustrated.
+Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. American Boys Afloat; OR, CRUISING IN THE ORIENT.
+
+2. The Young Navigators; OR, THE FOREIGN CRUISE OF THE "MAUD.".
+
+3. Up and Down the Nile; OR, YOUNG ADVENTURERS IN AFRICA.
+
+4. Asiatic Breezes; OR, STUDENTS ON THE WING.
+
+    The interest in these stories is continuous, and there is a great
+    variety of exciting incident woven into the solid information which
+    the book imparts so generously and without the slightest suspicion
+    of dryness. Manly boys will welcome this volume as cordially as
+    they did its predecessors.--_Boston Gazette._
+
+
+All-Over-the-World Library. By OLIVER OPTIC. Third Series. Illustrated.
+Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Across India; OR, LIVE BOYS IN THE FAR EAST.
+
+2. Half Round the World; OR, AMONG THE UNCIVILIZED.
+
+3. Four Young Explorers; OR, SIGHT-SEEING IN THE TROPICS.
+
+4. Pacific Shores; OR, ADVENTURES IN EASTERN SEAS.
+
+    Amid such new and varied surroundings it would be surprising indeed
+    if the author, with his faculty of making even the commonplace
+    attractive, did not tell an intensely interesting story of
+    adventure, as well as give much information in regard to the
+    distant countries through which our friends pass, and the strange
+    peoples with whom they are brought in contact. This book, and
+    indeed the whole series, is admirably adapted to reading aloud in
+    the family circle, each volume containing matter which will
+    interest all the members of the family.--_Boston Budget._
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS
+
+
+The Blue and the Gray--Afloat. By OLIVER OPTIC. Six volumes. Illustrated.
+Beautiful binding in blue and gray, with emblematic dies. Cloth. Any
+volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.50.
+
+1. Taken by the Enemy.
+2. Within the Enemy's Lines.
+3. On the Blockade.
+4. Stand by the Union.
+5. Fighting for the Right.
+6. A Victorious Union.
+
+
+The Blue and the Gray--on Land.
+
+1. Brother against Brother.
+2. In the Saddle.
+3. A Lieutenant at Eighteen.
+4. On the Staff.
+5. At the Front.
+6. An Undivided Union.
+
+    "There never has been a more interesting writer in the field of
+    juvenile literature than Mr. W. T. ADAMS, who, under his well-known
+    pseudonym, is known and admired by every boy and girl in the
+    country, and by thousands who have long since passed the boundaries
+    of youth, yet who remember with pleasure the genial, interesting
+    pen that did so much to interest, instruct, and entertain their
+    younger years. 'The Blue and the Gray' is a title that is
+    sufficiently indicative of the nature and spirit of the latest
+    series, while the name of OLIVER OPTIC is sufficient warrant of the
+    absorbing style of narrative. This series is as bright and
+    entertaining as any work that Mr. ADAMS has yet put forth, and will
+    be as eagerly perused as any that has borne his name. It would not
+    be fair to the prospective reader to deprive him of the zest which
+    comes from the unexpected by entering into a synopsis of the story.
+    A word, however, should be said in regard to the beauty and
+    appropriateness of the binding, which makes it a most attractive
+    volume."--_Boston Budget_.
+
+
+Woodville Stories. By OLIVER OPTIC. Six volumes. Illustrated. Any
+volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Rich and Humble; OR, THE MISSION OF BERTHA GRANT.
+2. In School and Out; OR, THE CONQUEST OF RICHARD GRANT.
+3. Watch and Wait; OR, THE YOUNG FUGITIVES.
+4. Work and Win; OR, NODDY NEWMAN ON A CRUISE.
+5. Hope and Have; OR, FANNY GRANT AMONG THE INDIANS
+6. Haste and Waste; OR, THE YOUNG PILOT OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN.
+
+    "Though we are not so young as we once were, we relished these
+    stories almost as much as the boys and girls for whom they were
+    written. They were really refreshing, even to us. There is much in
+    them which is calculated to inspire a generous, healthy ambition,
+    and to make distasteful all reading tending to stimulate base
+    desires."--_Fitchburg Reveille_.
+
+
+The Starry Flag Series. By OLIVER OPTIC. In six volumes. Illustrated.
+Any volume sold separately. Price per volume $1.25.
+
+1. The Starry Flag; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
+2. Breaking Away; OR, THE FORTUNES OF A STUDENT.
+3. Seek and Find; OR, THE ADVENTURES OF A SMART BOY.
+4. Freaks of Fortune; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
+5. Make or Break; OR, THE RICH MAN'S DAUGHTER.
+6. Down the River; OR, BUCK BRADFORD AND THE TYRANTS.
+
+    "Mr. ADAMS, the celebrated and popular writer, familiarly known as
+    OLIVER OPTIC, seems to have inexhaustible funds for weaving
+    together the virtues of life; and, notwithstanding he has written
+    scores of books, the same freshness and novelty run through them
+    all. Some people think the sensational element predominates.
+    Perhaps it does. But a book for young people needs this, and so
+    long as good sentiments are inculcated such books ought to be
+    read."
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS
+
+
+Army and Navy Stories. BY OLIVER OPTIC. Six volumes, Illustrated. Any
+volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. The Soldier Boy; OR, TOM SOMERS IN THE ARMY.
+2. The Sailor Boy; OR, JACK SOMERS IN THE NAVY.
+3. The Young Lieutenant; OR, ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER.
+4. The Yankee Middy; OR, ADVENTURES OF A NAVY OFFICER.
+5. Fighting Joe; OR, THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER.
+6. Brave Old Salt; OR, LIFE ON THE QUARTER DECK.
+
+    "This series of six volumes recounts the adventures of two
+    brothers, Tom and Jack Somers, one in the army, the other in the
+    navy, in the great Civil War. The romantic narratives of the
+    fortunes and exploits of the brothers are thrilling in the extreme.
+    Historical accuracy in the recital of the great events of that
+    period is strictly followed, and the result is, not only a library
+    of entertaining volumes, but also the best history of the Civil War
+    for young people ever written."
+
+
+Boat Builders Series. By OLIVER OPTIC. In six volumes. Illustrated. Any
+volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. All Adrift; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
+2. Snug Harbor; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.
+3. Square and Compasses; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.
+4. Stem to Stern; OR, BUILDING THE BOAT.
+5. All Taut; OR, RIGGING THE BOAT.
+6. Ready About; OR, SAILING THE BOAT.
+
+    "The series includes in six successive volumes the whole art of
+    boat building, boat rigging, boat managing, and practical hints to
+    make the ownership of a boat pay. A great deal of useful information
+    is given in this Boat Builders Series, and in each book a very
+    interesting story is interwoven with the information. Every reader
+    will be interested at once in Dory, the hero of 'All Adrift,' and
+    one of the characters retained in the subsequent volumes of the
+    series. His friends will not want to lose sight of him, and every
+    boy who makes his acquaintance in 'All Adrift' will become his
+    friend."
+
+
+Riverdale Story Books. By OLIVER OPTIC. Twelve volumes. Illustrated.
+Illuminated covers. Price: cloth, per set, $3.60; per volume, 30 cents;
+paper, per set, $2.00.
+
+1. Little Merchant.
+2. Young Voyagers.
+3. Christmas Gift.
+4. Dolly and I.
+5. Uncle Ben.
+6. Birthday Party.
+7. Proud and Lazy.
+8. Careless Kate.
+9. Robinson Crusoe, Jr.
+10. The Picnic Party.
+11. The Gold Thimble.
+12. The Do-Somethings.
+
+
+Riverdale Story Books. By OLIVER OPTIC. Six volumes. Illustrated. Fancy
+cloth and colors. Price per volume, 30 cents.
+
+1. Little Merchant.
+2. Proud and Lazy.
+3. Young Voyagers.
+4. Careless Kate.
+5. Dolly and I.
+6. Robinson Crusoe, Jr.
+
+
+Flora Lee Library. By OLIVER OPTIC. Six volumes. Illustrated. Fancy
+cloth and colors. Price per volume, 30 cents.
+
+1. The Picnic Party.
+2. The Gold Thimble.
+3. The Do-Somethings.
+4. Christmas Gift.
+5. Uncle Ben.
+6. Birthday Party.
+
+    These are bright short stories for younger children who are unable
+    to comprehend the Starry Flag Series or the Army and Navy Series.
+    But they all display the author's talent for pleasing and
+    interesting the little folks. They are all fresh and original,
+    preaching no sermons, but inculcating good lessons.
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS
+
+
+The Great Western Series. By OLIVER OPTIC. In six volumes. Illustrated.
+Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Going West; OR, THE PERILS OF A POOR BOY.
+2. Out West; OR, ROUGHING IT ON THE GREAT LAKES.
+3. Lake Breezes; OR, THE CRUISE OF THE SYLVANIA.
+4. Going South; OR, YACHTING ON THE ATLANTIC COAST.
+5. Down South; OR, YACHT ADVENTURES IN FLORIDA.
+6. Up the River; OR, YACHTING ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
+
+    "This is the latest series of books issued by this popular writer,
+    and deals with life on the Great Lakes, for which a careful study
+    was made by the author in a summer tour of the immense water
+    sources of America. The story, which carries the same hero through
+    the six books of the series, is always entertaining, novel scenes
+    and varied incidents giving a constantly changing yet always
+    attractive aspect to the narrative. OLIVER OPTIC has written
+    nothing better."
+
+
+The Yacht Club Series. By OLIVER OPTIC. In six volumes. Illustrated.
+Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Little Bobtail; OR, THE WRECK OF THE PENOBSCOT.
+2. The Yacht Club; OR, THE YOUNG BOAT BUILDERS.
+3. Money-Maker; OR, THE VICTORY OF THE BASILISK.
+4. The Coming Wave; OR, THE TREASURE OF HIGH ROCK.
+5. The Dorcas Club; OR, OUR GIRLS AFLOAT.
+6. Ocean Born; OR, THE CRUISE OF THE CLUBS.
+
+    "The series has this peculiarity, that all of its constituent
+    volumes are independent of one another, and therefore each story is
+    complete in itself. OLIVER OPTIC is, perhaps, the favorite author
+    of the boys and girls of this country, and he seems destined to
+    enjoy an endless popularity. He deserves his success, for he makes
+    very interesting stories, and inculcates none but the best
+    sentiments, and the 'Yacht Club' is no exception to this
+    rule."--_New Haven Journal and Courier_.
+
+
+Onward and Upward Series. By OLIVER OPTIC. In six volumes. Illustrated.
+Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Field and Forest; OR, THE FORTUNES OF A FARMER.
+2. Plane and Plank; OR, THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
+3. Desk and Debit; OR, THE CATASTROPHES OF A CLERK.
+4. Cringle and Crosstree; OR, THE SEA SWASHES OF A SAILOR.
+5. Bivouac and Battle; OR, THE STRUGGLES OF A SOLDIER.
+6. Sea and Shore; OR, THE TRAMPS OF A TRAVELLER.
+
+    "Paul Farringford, the hero of these tales, is, like most of this
+    author's heroes, a young man of high spirit, and of high aims and
+    correct principles, appearing in the different volumes as a farmer,
+    a captain, a bookkeeper, a soldier, a sailor, and a traveller. In
+    all of them the hero meets with very exciting adventures, told in
+    the graphic style for which the author is famous."
+
+
+The Lake Shore Series. By OLIVER OPTIC. In six volumes. Illustrated.
+Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Through by Daylight; OR, THE YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE LAKE SHORE
+     RAILROAD.
+2. Lightning Express; OR, THE RIVAL ACADEMIES.
+3. On Time; OR, THE YOUNG CAPTAIN OF THE UCAYGA STEAMER.
+4. Switch Off; OR, THE WAR OF THE STUDENTS.
+5. Brake Up; OR, THE YOUNG PEACEMAKERS.
+6. Bear and Forbear; OR, THE YOUNG SKIPPER OF LAKE UCAYGA.
+
+    "OLIVER OPTIC is one of the most fascinating writers for youth, and
+    withal one of the best to be found in this or any past age. Troops
+    of young people hang over his vivid pages; and not one of them ever
+    learned to be mean, ignoble, cowardly, selfish, or to yield to any
+    vice from anything they ever read from his pen."--_Providence
+    Press_.
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS
+
+
+The Famous Boat Club Series. By OLIVER OPTIC. Six volumes. Illustrated.
+Any volume sold separately. Price per volume $1.25.
+
+1. The Boat Club; OR, THE BUNKERS OF RIPPLETON.
+2. All Aboard; OR, LIFE ON THE LAKE.
+3. Now or Never; OR, THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT.
+4. Try Again; OR, THE TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS OF HARRY WEST.
+5. Poor and Proud; OR, THE FORTUNES OF KATY REDBURN.
+6. Little by Little; or, THE CRUISE OF THE FLYAWAY.
+
+    "This is the first series of books written for the young by OLIVER
+    OPTIC. It laid the foundation for his fame as the first of authors
+    in which the young delight, and gained for him the title of the
+    Prince of Story Tellers. The six books are varied in incident and
+    plot, but all are entertaining and original."
+
+(_Other volumes in preparation._)
+
+
+Young America Abroad: A LIBRARY OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE IN FOREIGN
+LANDS. By OLIVER OPTIC. Illustrated by NAST and others. First Series.
+Six volumes. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Outward Bound; OR, YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT.
+2. Shamrock and Thistle; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND.
+3. Red Cross; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN ENGLAND AND WALES.
+4. Dikes and Ditches; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM.
+5. Palace and Cottage; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND.
+6. Down the Rhine; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN GERMANY.
+
+    "The story from its inception, and through the twelve volumes (see
+    Second Series), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted
+    concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea is not
+    only correct in every particular, but is told in a captivating
+    style. OLIVER OPTIC will continue to be the boys' friend, and his
+    pleasant books will continue to be read by thousands of American
+    boys. What a fine holiday present either or both series of Young
+    America Abroad' would be for a young friend! It would make a little
+    library highly prized by the recipient, and would not be an
+    expensive one."--_Providence Press._
+
+
+Young America Abroad. By OLIVER OPTIC. Second Series. Six volumes.
+Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+1. Up the Baltic; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN NORWAY, SWEDEN, AND DENMARK.
+2. Northern Lands; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN RUSSIA AND PRUSSIA.
+3. Cross and Crescent; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN TURKEY AND GREECE.
+4. Sunny Shores; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN ITALY AND AUSTRIA.
+5. Vine and Olive; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.
+6. Isles of the Sea; OR, YOUNG AMERICA HOMEWARD BOUND.
+
+    "OLIVER OPTIC is a _nom de plume_ that is known and loved by
+    almost every boy of intelligence in the land. We have seen a highly
+    intellectual and world-weary man, a cynic whose heart was somewhat
+    embittered by its large experience of human nature, take up one of
+    OLIVER OPTIC'S books, and read it at a sitting, neglecting his work
+    in yielding to the fascination of the pages. When a mature and
+    exceedingly well-informed mind, long despoiled of all its
+    freshness, can thus find pleasure in a book for boys, no additional
+    words of recommendation are needed."--_Sunday Times._
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD'S ILLUSTRATED JUVENILES
+
+
+J. T. TROWBRIDGE'S BOOKS
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+THE START IN LIFE SERIES. 4 volumes.
+
+
+A Start in Life: A STORY OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE.
+Illustrated. $1.00.
+
+    In this story the author recounts the hardships of a young lad in
+    his first endeavor to start out for himself. It is a tale that is
+    full of enthusiasm and budding hopes. The writer shows how hard the
+    youths of a century ago were compelled to work. This he does in an
+    entertaining way, mingling fun and adventures with their daily
+    labors. The hero is a striking example of the honest boy, who is
+    not too lazy to work, nor too dull to thoroughly appreciate a joke.
+
+
+Biding His Time. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.00.
+
+    "It is full of spirit and adventure, and presents a plucky hero who
+    was willing to 'bide his time,' no matter how great the
+    expectations that he indulged in from his uncle's vast wealth,
+    which he did not in the least covet.... He was left a poor orphan
+    in Ohio at seventeen years of age, and soon after heard of a rich
+    uncle, who lived near Boston. He sets off on the long journey to
+    Boston, finds his uncle, an eccentric old man, is hospitably
+    received by him, but seeks employment in a humble way, and proves
+    that he is a persevering and plucky young man."--_Boston Home
+    Journal._
+
+
+The Kelp Gatherers: A STORY OF THE MAINE COAST. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE.
+Illustrated. $1.00.
+
+    This book is full of interesting information upon the plant life of
+    the seashore, and the life of marine animals; but it is also a
+    bright and readable story, with all the hints of character and the
+    vicissitudes of human life, in depicting which the author is an
+    acknowledged master.
+
+
+The Scarlet Tanager, AND OTHER BIPEDS. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE.
+Illustrated. $1.00.
+
+    Every new story which Mr. TROWBRIDGE begins is followed through
+    successive chapters by thousands who have read and re-read many
+    times his preceding tales. One of his greatest charms is his
+    absolute truthfulness. He does not depict little saints, or
+    incorrigible rascals, but just _boys_. This same fidelity to nature
+    is seen in his latest book, "The Scarlet Tanager, and Other
+    Bipeds." There is enough adventure in this tale to commend it to
+    the liveliest reader, and all the lessons it teaches are wholesome.
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+J. T. TROWBRIDGE'S BOOKS
+
+THE TIDE-MILL STORIES. 6 volumes.
+
+
+Phil and His Friends. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    The hero is the son of a man who from drink got into debt, and,
+    after having given a paper to a creditor authorizing him to keep
+    the son as a security for his claim, ran away, leaving poor Phil a
+    bond slave. The story involves a great many unexpected incidents,
+    some of which are painful, and some comic. Phil manfully works for
+    a year, cancelling his father's debt, and then escapes. The
+    characters are strongly drawn, and the story is absorbingly
+    interesting.
+
+
+The Tinkham Brothers' Tide-Mill. J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "The Tinkham Brothers" were the devoted sons of an invalid mother.
+    The story tells how they purchased a tide-mill, which afterwards,
+    by the ill-will and obstinacy of neighbors, became a source of much
+    trouble to them. It tells also how, by discretion and the exercise
+    of a peaceable spirit, they at last overcame all difficulties.
+
+    "Mr. TROWBRIDGE'S humor, his fidelity to nature, and story-telling
+    power lose nothing with years; and he stands at the head of those
+    who are furnishing a literature for the young, clean and sweet in
+    tone, and always of interest and value."--_The Continent._
+
+
+The Satin-wood Box. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "Mr. TROWBRIDGE has always a purpose in his writings, and this time
+    he has undertaken to show how very near an innocent boy can come to
+    the guilty edge and yet be able by fortunate circumstances to rid
+    himself of all suspicion of evil. There is something winsome about
+    the hero; but he has a singular way of falling into bad luck,
+    although the careful reader will never feel the least disposed to
+    doubt his honesty.... It is the pain and perplexity which impart to
+    the story its intense interest."--_Syracuse Standard._
+
+
+The Little Master. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    This is the story of a schoolmaster, his trials, disappointments,
+    and final victory. It will recall to many a man his experience in
+    teaching pupils, and in managing their opinionated and self-willed
+    parents. The story has the charm which is always found in Mr.
+    TROWBRIDGE'S works.
+
+    "Many a teacher could profit by reading of this plucky little
+    schoolmaster."--_Journal of Education._
+
+
+His One Fault. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "As for the hero of this story, 'His One Fault' was
+    absent-mindedness. He forgot to lock his uncle's stable door, and
+    the horse was stolen. In seeking to recover the stolen horse, he
+    unintentionally stole another. In trying to restore the wrong horse
+    to his rightful owner, he was himself arrested. After no end of
+    comic and dolorous adventures, he surmounted all his misfortunes by
+    downright pluck and genuine good feeling. It is a noble
+    contribution to juvenile literature."--_Woman's Journal._
+
+
+Peter Budstone. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "TROWBRIDGE'S other books have been admirable and deservedly
+    popular but this one, in our opinion, is the best yet. It is a
+    story at once spirited and touching, with a certain dramatic and
+    artistic quality that appeals to the literary sense as well as to
+    the story-loving appetite. In it Mr. TROWBRIDGE has not lectured or
+    moralized or remonstrated; he has simply shown boys what they are
+    doing when they contemplate hazing. By a good artistic impulse we
+    are not shown the hazing at all; when the story begins, the hazing
+    is already over, and we are introduced immediately to the results.
+    It is an artistic touch also that the boy injured is not hurt
+    because he is a fellow of delicate nerves, but because of his very
+    strength, and the power with which he resisted until overcome by
+    numbers, and subjected to treatment which left him insane. His
+    insanity takes the form of harmless delusion, and the absurdity of
+    his ways and talk enables the author to lighten the sombreness
+    without weakening the moral, in a way that ought to win all boys to
+    his side."--_The Critic._
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+J. T. TROWBRIDGE'S BOOKS
+
+THE SILVER MEDAL STORIES. 6 volumes.
+
+
+The Silver Medal, AND OTHER STORIES. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated.
+$1.25.
+
+    There were some schoolboys who had turned housebreakers, and among
+    their plunder was a silver medal that had been given to one John
+    Harrison by the Humane Society for rescuing from drowning a certain
+    Benton Barry. Now Benton Barry was one of the wretched housebreakers.
+    This is the summary of the opening chapter. The story is intensely
+    interesting in its serious as well as its humorous parts.
+
+
+His Own Master. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "This is a book after the typical boy's own heart. Its hero is a
+    plucky young fellow, who, seeing no chance for himself at home,
+    determines to make his own way in the world.... He sets out
+    accordingly, trudges to the far West, and finds the road to fortune
+    an unpleasantly rough one."--_Philadelphia Inquirer._
+
+    "We class this as one of the best stories for boys we ever read.
+    The tone is perfectly healthy, and the interest is kept up to the
+    end."--_Boston Home Journal._
+
+
+Bound in Honor. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    This story is of a lad, who, though not guilty of any bad action,
+    had been an eye-witness of the conduct of his comrades, and felt
+    "Bound in Honor" not to tell.
+
+    "The glimpses we get of New England character are free from any
+    distortion, and their humorous phases are always entertaining. Mr.
+    TROWBRIDGE'S brilliant descriptive faculty is shown to great
+    advantage in the opening chapter of the book by a vivid picture of
+    a village fire, and is manifested elsewhere with equally telling
+    effect."--_Boston Courier._
+
+
+The Pocket Rifle. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "A boy's story which will be read with avidity, as it ought to be,
+    it is so brightly and frankly written, and with such evident
+    knowledge of the temperaments and habits, the friendships and
+    enmities of schoolboys."--_New York Mail._
+
+    "This is a capital story for boys. TROWBRIDGE never tells a story
+    poorly. It teaches honesty, integrity, and friendship, and how best
+    they can be promoted. It shows the danger of hasty judgment and
+    circumstantial evidence; that right-doing pays, and dishonesty
+    never."--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._
+
+
+The Jolly Rover. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "This book will help to neutralize the ill effects of any poison
+    which children may have swallowed in the way of sham-adventurous
+    stories and wildly fictitious tales. 'The Jolly Rover' runs away
+    from home, and meets life as it is, till he is glad enough to seek
+    again his father's house. Mr. TROWBRIDGE has the power of making an
+    instructive story absorbing in its interest, and of covering a
+    moral so that it is easy to take."--_Christian Intelligencer._
+
+
+Young Joe, AND OTHER BOYS. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. $1.25.
+
+    "Young Joe," who lived at Bass Cove, where he shot wild ducks, took
+    some to town for sale, and attracted the attention of a portly
+    gentleman fond of shooting. This gentleman went duck shooting with
+    Joe, and their adventures were more amusing to the boy than to the
+    amateur sportsman.
+
+    There are thirteen other short stories in the book which will be
+    sure to please the young folks.
+
+
+The Vagabonds: AN ILLUSTRATED POEM. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Cloth. $1.50.
+
+    "The Vagabonds" are a strolling fiddler and his dog. The fiddler
+    has been ruined by drink, and his monologue is one of the most
+    pathetic and effective pieces in our literature.
+
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE.
+
+
+
+
+BOOKS BY
+
+EVERETT T. TOMLINSON
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+THE WAR OF 1812 SERIES
+
+By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON    Cloth
+Illustrated    Per volume $1.50
+
+COMPRISING
+
+The Search for Andrew Field
+  The Boy Soldiers Of 1812
+    The Boy Officers of 1812
+
+Tecumseh's Young Braves
+  Guarding the Border
+    The Boys with Old Hickory
+
+Mr. Tomlinson, who knows the "ins and outs" of boy nature by heart, is
+one of the most entertaining and at the same time one of the most
+instructive of living writers of juvenile fiction. In his younger days
+a teacher by profession, he has made boys and their idiosyncrasies the
+absorbing study of his life, and, with the accumulated experience of
+years to aid him, has applied himself to the task of preparing for
+their mental delectation a diet that shall be at once wholesome and
+attractive; and that his efforts in this laudable direction have been
+successful is conclusively proven by his popularity among boy readers.
+
+
+LIBRARY OF HEROIC EVENTS
+
+STORIES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
+
+_First Series_
+
+By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON    Cloth
+Illustrated    $1.00
+
+
+STORIES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
+
+_Second Series_
+
+By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON    Cloth
+Illustrated    $1.00
+
+_Sold by all booksellers and sent prepaid on receipt of price_
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+_LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston_
+
+
+
+
+THE OLD GLORY SERIES.
+
+By EDWARD STRATEMEYER,
+
+_Author of "The Bound to Succeed Series," "The Ship and Shore
+Series," etc._
+
+Cloth.    Illustrated.    Price per volume, $1.25.
+
+
+UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway.
+
+A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single Star.
+
+FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn.
+
+UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or a Young Officer in the Tropics. (_In
+press._)
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+PRESS NOTICES.
+
+"'Under Dewey at Manila' is a thoroughly timely book, in perfect
+sympathy with the patriotism of the day. Its title is conducive to its
+perusing, and its reading to anticipation. For the volume is but the
+first of the Old Glory Series, and the imprint is that of the famed
+firm of Lee and Shepard, whose name has been for so many years linked
+with the publications of Oliver Optic. As a matter of fact, the story
+is right in line with the productions of that gifted and most
+fascinating of authors, and certainly there is every cause for
+congratulation that the stirring events of our recent war are not to
+lose their value for instruction through that valuable school which the
+late William T. Adams made so individually distinctive.
+
+"Edward Stratemeyer, who is the author of the present work, has proved
+an extraordinarily apt scholar, and had the book appeared anonymously
+there could hardly have failed of a unanimous opinion that a miracle
+had enabled the writer of the famous Army and Navy and other series to
+resume his pen for the volume in hand. Mr. Stratemeyer has acquired in
+a wonderfully successful degree the knack of writing an interesting
+educational story which will appeal to the young people, and the plan
+of his trio of books as outlined cannot fail to prove both interesting
+and valuable."--_Boston Ideas._
+
+"Stratemeyer's style suits the boys."--JOHN TERHUNE, _Supt.
+of Public Instruction, Bergen Co., New Jersey._
+
+"'The Young Volunteer in Cuba,' the second of the Old Glory Series, is
+better than the first; perhaps it traverses more familiar ground. Ben
+Russell, the brother of Larry, who was 'with Dewey,' enlists with the
+volunteers and goes to Cuba, where he shares in the abundance of
+adventure and has a chance to show his courage and honesty and
+manliness, which win their reward. A good book for boys, giving a good
+deal of information in a most attractive form."--_Universalist Leader._
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+_For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price
+by_
+
+LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers,
+
+BOSTON.
+
+
+
+
+THE BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES
+
+By EDWARD STRATEMEYER,
+
+_Author of "Under Dewey at Manila," etc._
+
+Three Volumes.    Cloth.    Illustrated.    Price per volume, $1.00.
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+RICHARD DARE'S VENTURE Or Striking Out for Himself.
+
+OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH Or The Mystery of a Mine.
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon.
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+PRESS OPINIONS OF EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
+
+"In 'Richard Dare's Venture,' Edward Stratemeyer has fully sustained
+his reputation as an entertaining, helpful, and instructive writer for
+boys."--_Philadelphia Call._
+
+"'Richard Dare's Venture,' by Edward Stratemeyer, tells the story of a
+country lad who goes to New York to earn enough to support his widowed
+mother and orphaned sisters. Richard's energy, uprightness of
+character, and good sense carry him through some trying experiences,
+and gain him friends."--_The Churchman, New York._
+
+"A breezy boy's book is 'Oliver Bright's Search.' The author has a
+direct, graphic style, and every healthy minded youth will enjoy the
+volume."--_N.Y. Commercial Advertiser._
+
+"'Richard Dare's Venture' is a fresh, wholesome book to put into a
+boy's hands."--_St. Louis Post Dispatch._
+
+"'Richard Dare's Venture' is a wholesome story of a practical boy who
+made a way for himself when thrown upon his own resources."--_Christian
+Advocate._
+
+"It is such books as 'Richard Dare's Venture' that are calculated to
+inspire young readers with a determination to succeed in life, and to
+choose some honorable walk in which to find that success. The author,
+Edward Stratemeyer, has shown a judgment that is altogether too rare in
+the makers of books for boys, in that he has avoided that sort of
+heroics in the picturing of the life of his hero which deals in
+adventures of the daredevil sort. In that respect alone the book
+commends itself to the favor of parents who have a regard for the
+education of their sons, but the story is sufficiently enlivening and
+often thrilling to satisfy the healthful desires of the young
+reader."--_Kansas City Star._
+
+"Of standard writers of boys' stories there is quite a list, but those
+who have not read any by Edward Stratemeyer have missed a very goodly
+thing."--_Boston Ideas._
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+_For sale by all booksellers, or will be sent, postpaid, on receipt
+of price by_
+
+LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers,
+
+BOSTON.
+
+
+
+
+THE SHIP AND SHORE SERIES
+
+By EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
+
+Three Volumes.    Cloth.    Illustrated.    Price per volume, $1.00.
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Luke Foster's Strange Voyage.
+
+REUBEN STONE'S DISCOVERY Or The Young Miller of Torrent Bend.
+
+TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strong's Struggle for Place. (_In press._)
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+PRESS OPINIONS OF EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
+
+"Mr. Edward Stratemeyer is in danger of becoming very popular among the
+young people of the country."--_Burlington_ (Iowa) _Hawk-eye._
+
+"'The Last Cruise of the Spitfire' is of deep interest to the bounding
+heart of an enthusiastic boy. The book leaves a good impression on a
+boy's mind, as it teaches the triumph of noble deeds and true
+heroism."--_Kansas City_ (Mo.) _Times._
+
+"Let us mention in passing two admirable books for boys, 'Reuben Stone's
+Discovery' and 'Oliver Bright's Search,' by Edward Stratemeyer, with
+whom we are all acquainted. This last bit of his work is especially
+good, and the boy who gets one of these volumes will become very
+popular among his fellows until the book is worn threadbare."--_N.Y.
+Herald._
+
+"A good sea-tale for boys is 'The Last Cruise of the Spitfire,' by
+Edward Stratemeyer. There is plenty of adventure in it, a shipwreck, a
+cruise on a raft, and other stirring perils of the deep."--_Detroit_
+(Mich.) _Journal._
+
+"In a simple, plain, straightforward manner, Mr. Edward Stratemeyer
+endeavors to show his boy readers what persistency, honesty, and
+willingness to work have accomplished for his young hero, and his moral
+is evident. Mr. Stratemeyer is very earnest and sincere in his
+portraiture of young character beginning to shape itself to weather
+against the future. A book of this sort is calculated to interest boys,
+to feed their ambition with hope, and to indicate how they must fortify
+themselves against the wiles of vice."--_Boston Herald._
+
+                     *      *      *      *      *
+
+_For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price
+by_
+
+LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers,
+
+BOSTON.
+
+
+
+
+AMERICAN BOYS' SERIES
+
+
+The books selected for this series are all thoroughly American, by such
+favorite American authors of boys' books as Oliver Optic, Elijah
+Kellogg, Prof. James DeMille, and others, now made for the first time
+at a largely reduced price, in order to bring them within the reach of
+all. Each volume complete in itself.
+
+
+UNIFORM CLOTH BINDING    ILLUSTRATED
+NEW AND ATTRACTIVE DIES
+Price per volume $1.00
+
+ 1. ADRIFT IN THE ICE FIELDS by Capt. Chas. W. Hall
+ 2. ALL ABOARD OR LIFE ON THE LAKE by Oliver Optic
+ 3. ARK OF ELM ISLAND by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+ 4. ARTHUR BROWN THE YOUNG CAPTAIN by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+ 5. BOAT CLUB, THE, Or the Bunkers of Rippleton by Oliver Optic
+ 6. BOY FARMERS OF ELM ISLAND, THE by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+ 7. BOYS OF GRAND PRÉ SCHOOL by Prof. James DeMille
+ 8. "B.O.W.C", THE by Prof. James DeMille
+ 9. BROUGHT TO THE FRONT Or the Young Defenders by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+10. BURYING THE HATCHET Or the Young Brave of the Delawares by Rev.
+      Elijah Kellogg
+11. CAST AWAY IN THE COLD by Dr. Isaac I. Hayes
+12. CHARLIE BELL THE WAIF OF ELM ISLAND by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+13. CHILD OF THE ISLAND GLEN by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+14. CROSSING THE QUICKSANDS by Samuel W. Cozzens
+15. CRUISE OF THE CASCO by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+16. FIRE IN THE WOODS by Prof. James DeMille
+17. FISHER BOYS OF PLEASANT COVE by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+18. FOREST GLEN Or the Mohawk's Friendship by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+19. GOOD OLD TIMES by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+20. HARDSCRABBLE OF ELM ISLAND by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+21. HASTE OR WASTE Or the Young Pilot of Lake Champlain by Oliver Optic
+22. HOPE AND HAVE by Oliver Optic
+23. IN SCHOOL AND OUT or the Conquest of Richard Grant by Oliver Optic
+24. JOHN GODSOE'S LEGACY by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+25. JUST HIS LUCK by Oliver Optic
+26. LION BEN OF ELM ISLAND by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+27. LITTLE BY LITTLE or the Cruise of the Flyaway by Oliver Optic
+28. LIVE OAK BOYS or the Adventures of Richard Constable Afloat and
+      Ashore by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+29. LOST IN THE FOG by Prof. James DeMille
+30. MISSION OF BLACK RIFLE or on the Trail by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+31. NOW OR NEVER or the Adventures of Bobby Bright By Oliver Optic
+32. POOR AND PROUD or the Fortunes Or Kate Redburn By Oliver Optic
+33. RICH AND HUMBLE or the Mission of Bertha Grant By Oliver Optic
+34. SOPHOMORES OF RADCLIFFE or James Trafton and His Boston Friends
+      by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+35. SOWED BY THE WIND or the Poor Boy's Fortune by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+36. SPARK OF GENIUS or the College Life of James Trafton By Elijah
+      Kellogg
+37. STOUT HEART or the Student From Over the Sea by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+38. STRONG ARM AND A MOTHER'S BLESSING by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+39. TREASURE OF THE SEA by Prof. James DeMille
+40. TRY AGAIN or the Trials and Triumphs of Harry West By Oliver Optic
+41. TURNING OF THE TIDE or Radcliffe Rich and His Patients By Rev.
+      Elijah Kellogg
+42. UNSEEN HAND or James Renfew and His Boy Helpers By Rev. Elijah
+      Kellogg
+43. WATCH AND WAIT or the Young Fugitives by Oliver Optic
+44. WHISPERING PINE or the Graduates of Radcliffe by Rev. Elijah
+      Kellogg
+45. WINNING HIS SPURS or Henry Morton's First Trial by Rev. Elijah
+     Kellogg
+46. WOLF RUN or the Boys of the Wilderness by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+47. WORK AND WIN or Noddy Newman on a Cruise by Oliver Optic
+48. YOUNG DELIVERERS OF PLEASANT COVE by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+49. YOUNG SHIPBUILDERS OF ELM ISLAND by Rev. Elijah Kellogg
+50. YOUNG TRAIL HUNTERS by Samuel W. Cozzens
+
+
+LEE and SHEPARD Publishers    Boston
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Freaks of Fortune, by Oliver Optic
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FREAKS OF FORTUNE ***
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