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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..daad341 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54909 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54909) diff --git a/old/54909-0.txt b/old/54909-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3dda947..0000000 --- a/old/54909-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8573 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Harry's Island, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Harry's Island - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Illustrator: C. M. Relyea - -Release Date: June 15, 2017 [EBook #54909] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARRY'S ISLAND *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Harry’s Island - - - - -[Illustration: “Chub, who had been sent to the larder, interrupted them”] - - - - - Harry’s Island - - By - Ralph Henry Barbour - - Author of “The Crimson Sweater,” “For the Honor of the School,” - “The Half-Back,” “Tom, Dick, and Harriet,” etc. - - - With Illustrations - By C. M. Relyea - - - [Illustration] - - - New York - The Century Co. - 1908 - - - - - Copyright, 1907, 1908, by - THE CENTURY CO. - - - _Published September, 1908_ - - - THE DE VINNE PRESS - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - I ON HOOD’S HILL 3 - II THE RACE WITH HAMMOND 15 - III GRADUATION AND GOOD NEWS 29 - IV CAMP TOROHADIK 46 - V A BATCH OF DOUGHNUTS 63 - VI EXPLORATION 76 - VII “W. N.” PAYS A VISIT 95 - VIII A GUEST AT CAMP 108 - IX THE LICENSED POET 123 - X ADVENTURES WITH A LAUNCH 138 - XI THE LAUNCH IS CHRISTENED 151 - XII CHUB SCENTS A MYSTERY 169 - XIII BILLY ENTERTAINS 180 - XIV VOICES IN THE NIGHT 201 - XV THE FLOATING ARTIST 213 - XVI A MEETING OF FRIENDS 233 - XVII HARRY SITS FOR HER PICTURE 244 - XVIII THE STORM 257 - XIX THE RESCUE 270 - XX ABOARD THE _JOLLY ROGER_ 285 - XXI “UNTIL TO-MORROW” 297 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Chub, who had been sent to the larder, interrupted them - _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - Three boys lay at their ease in the shade of the white - birches 7 - - “Did we win the race?” 25 - - In the evening there was a grand ball 41 - - “What is the name of the camp?” 57 - - Chub and Roy paddled her across the darkening water 73 - - They followed the edge of the water 89 - - At their feet lay the still smoldering remains of a small - fire 111 - - “I have the honor to introduce to your attention the - world-famed Signor Billinuni” 125 - - “When is a fly-wheel not a fly-wheel?” 145 - - “What did he tell us he gave for that boat?” 155 - - “Did it just come natural for you to make poetry?” 173 - - Mr. Noon entertains the three boys 195 - - “A Daniel come to judgment!” 219 - - Harry 229 - - Chub turned in time to see Billy press a finger swiftly - against his lips 237 - - Harry sitting for her portrait 249 - - “It’s a boat bottom-up with a man clinging to it!” 267 - - And this time she was genuinely surprised 289 - - “Good-by” 301 - - - - -HARRY’S ISLAND - - - - -CHAPTER I - -ON HOOD’S HILL - - -Three boys lay at their ease in the shade of the white birches which -crown the top of Hood’s Hill, that modest elevation on Fox Island at -the upper end of Outer Beach which, with the exception of Mount Emery, -is the highest point on the island. From this proud vantage, some -twelve feet above the surface of the river, the view was unobstructed -for two miles up and down the Hudson. At the foot of the little slope, -where coarse grass sprouted from the loose sand, Outer Beach began, -shelving abruptly to the lapping waves and shimmering with heat waves; -for in the neighborhood of Ferry Hill and Coleville, toward the end of -the month of June, the sun can be very ardent when it tries; and to-day -it was evidently resolved to be as fervent as it could, for, although -it still lacked a few minutes of eleven, the heat was intense even out -here on the island. - -In front of the three boys and across the river, which dazzled the -eyes like a great sheet of metal, Coleville glimmered amid its -broad-spreading elms and the buildings of Hammond Academy were visible. -Back of them, on the opposite shore and a little farther down-stream, -a modest boat-house and landing lay at the margin of the river, and -from these a path wound upward until it disappeared into the dim green -depths of the grove which spread down the side of the hill. Where -the trees ended the red, ivy-draped buildings of Ferry Hill School -appeared, crowning the summit of the slope. There was School Hall with -its tower, the dormitory, angular and uncompromising, the gymnasium, -the little brick Cottage, and the white barns. And, looking carefully, -one could see, beyond the dormitory, fence-like erections of gleaming -new boards marking the excavations for Kearney Hall, the new dormitory -building which was to be rushed to completion for the next school year. - -It would have been apparent even to a stranger that to-day was a gala -day, for along the shores for a quarter of a mile up-stream and down, -little groups of people were daring sunstroke, while below the Ferry -Hill landing rowboats, canoes, sailing craft, and motor-boats rocked -lazily on the sun-smitten surface of the water. Every craft flew either -the brown-and-white of Ferry Hill or the vivid cherry-and-black of -Hammond. The show boat of the fleet was a gleaming, sixty-foot gasolene -yacht, resplendent in white paint and glistening brass, which lay just -off the lower end of the island, and which had supplied an interesting -subject for conversation to the three boys under the birches. - -The yacht was the _Idler_ of New York, and on board were the Welches, -whose son, “Sid,” was a student at Ferry Hill, and who had journeyed -up the river for to-day’s festivities, and were to remain over for the -school graduation. Sid had been in a state of excitement and mental -intoxication ever since the yacht had dropped anchor yesterday evening -and a flippant little mahogany tender had _chugged_ him away from the -landing to a dinner on board. At this moment, had you known Sid by -sight, you could readily have discerned him under the striped awning, -the proudest person aboard. With him were several of his school-mates, -Chase, Cullum, Fernald and Kirby being visible just now. If there was -any fly in the ointment of Sid’s contentment it was due to the fact -that the three boys sprawled under the trees here on Fox Island were -not aboard the _Idler_ instead. He had begged them to come almost with -tears in his eyes, but in the end had been forced to content himself -with a promise to become his guests in the evening. Sid’s devotion was -about equally divided among the trio, with the odds, if there were any, -slightly in favor of the big, broad-shouldered, light-haired youth who -lies with closed eyes beatifically munching a birch twig, and whose -name is Dick Somes. - -But there are two light-haired youths present, and lest you get them -confused I will explain that the other, the boy who is sprawled face -downward, chin in hands, he of the well-developed shoulders and chest -and hips, sandy hair and nice blue eyes, is Roy Porter. Roy is Dick’s -senior by one year, although that fact would never be suspected. - -The third member of the trio is Tom Eaton, but as he is never called -Tom save in banter perhaps it would be well to introduce him as Chub. -Chub, like Roy, is seventeen years old. He is more heavily built than -Roy, has hair that just escapes being red, eyes that nearly match -the hair, and an ever-present air and expression of good-humor and -self-confidence. Strangely enough, each of the three has captained -one or more of the Ferry Hill athletic teams during the school year -just closing, and each has won victory. Roy has been captain of the -foot-ball eleven and the hockey team as well; Dick has organized a -track team and led it to a well-deserved triumph, and Chub, as captain -of the base-ball nine, has plucked victory from defeat so recently--to -be exact, only yesterday afternoon--that the feat is still the chief -topic of conversation about the school. Roy and Chub are first seniors, -and will graduate in less than a week. Dick is a second senior and -so is due to return again to Ferry Hill in the autumn. Already he is -pointed to as the probable leader to succeed Roy. - -Chub rolled over and sat up Turk-fashion, yawning loudly. - -“What time is it, anyway?” he asked with a suggestion of grievance. - -[Illustration: “Three boys lay at their ease in the shade of the white -birches”] - -“Four minutes past,” answered Roy, glancing at his watch and then -following his chum’s example and sitting up. - -“Wonder why it is,” Chub complained, “they can never get a boat-race -started on time.” - -“Or a hockey game,” added Dick with a chuckle. Roy tossed a twig at him -and Dick caught it and transferred it to his mouth. - -“Well, I wish they’d hurry,” said Chub. “I’m roasting. Say, wouldn’t -you think those folks over there on the bank would die with the heat?” - -“It’ll be a wonder if Harry doesn’t die,” said Roy. - -“Why?” Dick asked. - -“Because she had an examination this morning, and she’s going to try -and get through by a quarter of eleven, and then race back here all -the way from the Cove in time to see the finish of the race. And that -Silver Cove road is just about the hottest place on earth!” - -“She’s silly to try to do that,” said Dick anxiously. “You ought to -have told her so, Roy.” - -“I did. I told her worse than that, but she just laughed at me.” - -“You and I are losing our authority now that we’re going to leave so -soon,” said Chub, sadly. “Dick’s the only one she will listen to, -nowadays.” Dick smiled. - -“You fellows ought to know by this time,” he said, “that it isn’t any -use trying to dictate to Harry. If you want her to do anything very -much you’d much better ask it as a favor.” - -“Your wisdom is something uncanny,” replied Chub. “You’d better soak -your head or you’ll have a sunstroke or something. You needn’t worry -about Harry, though; you can’t hurt her.” - -The others received this in silence. Roy looked up the river toward the -starting-point of the race almost two miles distant. But the glare made -it impossible to discern even the little gathering of boats, and he -turned away blinking. - -“Just think,” said Chub presently, “in another week we three fellows -will be scattered to the four winds of heaven.” - -“Now whose head needs soaking?” asked Dick. “‘Four winds of heaven!’ -My, but you are poetical!” - -“I don’t just see how we’re going to manage that,” Roy laughed. “How -can three fellows be distributed over four winds?” - -“Oh, you run away and play,” answered Chub, good-naturedly. “You know -what I mean.” - -“It isn’t so bad for you fellows,” said Dick mournfully. “You’ll see -each other again at college in the fall; but I’ll be here all alone.” - -“All alone, with half a hundred other chaps,” Chub amended smilingly. - -“That’s not the same thing,” said Dick. “Just when you go and get kind -of chummy with some one, why then something comes along and busts it -all up.” - -“Vague but beautiful,” murmured Chub. “Why don’t you come to college -too, Dick?” - -“Me? Thunder, I’d never pass the exams!” - -“Oh, I don’t know. They’re not so fierce; Roy expects to get by.” - -“I’m not so sure that I do expect it,” answered Roy, seriously. “The -nearer the time comes to take them the more scared I get.” - -“That’s just your natural modesty,” said Chub. “You’ll get through with -flying colors, while I--well, I’ll probably be like the chap whose -mother was crowing about him. Some one asked her if her son passed the -examinations for college. ‘Oh, yes, indeed,’ she answered, ‘Willie did -beautifully. He entered with four conditions, one more than any one -else had!’” - -“I might be able to get in that way,” laughed Dick. “But, say, you -chaps, I wish we weren’t going to split up so soon.” - -“So do I,” answered Roy. “I’m real sorry at leaving Ferry Hill. I’ve -had some bully times here during the last two years.” - -“Well, I’ve only been here six months or so,” said Dick; “but I’ve had -the time of my life. And of course I’ve got you fellows to thank for -that, you and Harry together. I wish--I wish I was going to see you -this summer for a while.” - -“Well, why not?” asked Chub, eagerly. - -“Dad wants me to go over to London and stay with him,” answered Dick. -“I hate London. Folks are so stupid there, and can’t talk decent -English. Last time I was there I couldn’t make anybody understand what -I wanted.” - -“Well, you’ve dropped some of your more picturesque expressions since -you came up here,” laughed Roy. “Maybe this time you can make yourself -understood.” - -“What I’d like to do,” Dick continued, “is to stay right here and--” - -“Where?” asked Chub, innocently. “On Fox Island?” - -“Well, somewhere around these diggings,” answered Dick. - -“A chap might do worse than spend a time on this old island,” said -Roy, as he leaned back against the trunk of a birch-tree and smiled -contentedly. “It’s a dandy camping place.” - -“That’s it!” cried Dick. - -“What’s it, you old chump?” asked Chub. - -“Let’s do that! Let’s camp out here this summer! I’ll beg off from -going across, and we’ll have a swell time. What do you say?” - -Chub grinned. - -“Say, are you in earnest?” he asked. - -“Dead earnest!” - -“Well, then, let me recommend the water cure again. If you’ll just hold -your overheated brow under the surface for a minute--” - -“Look here, though, you fellows,” said Roy, suddenly, “why couldn’t -we do it? Not for all summer, of course, but, say, for a month or six -weeks. Where are you going, Chub?” - -“Me? Same old place, I suppose: Delaware Water Gap. Gee! If the folks -would only let me, I’d do it as quick as a flash.” - -“Well, write and ask them,” said Roy. “I’ll do it if you fellows will.” - -“Do you mean it?” cried Dick, eagerly. - -Roy nodded, smilingly. - -“Then it’s settled!” - -“Not for me it isn’t,” objected Chub, ruefully. “You don’t know my dad. -If he gets an idea into his head you can’t get it out with a crowbar!” - -“Well, you ask him, anyway,” said Roy. - -“That’s right,” Dick added with enthusiasm. “And I’ll write across to -my dad, to-night. How about you, Roy?” - -“Me? Oh, I’ll get permission all right. But, of course, we’ll have to -wait until we’ve taken our exams, Dick.” - -“That’s so. How long will that be?” - -“About ten days from now.” - -“Well, that will be all right,” said Dick, cheerfully. “I’ll have -everything all fixed up by the time you fellows get back, and--” - -“You’ll do nothing of the sort!” exclaimed Chub, emphatically. “Why, -that’s half the fun. You’ll just wait for us, Dickums. We’ll borrow one -of the school tents and some cooking things--” - -“And blankets.” - -“And a boat,” added Dick, “and we can fish and--and have a high old -time.” - -“You bet,” said Chub. “It will beat that old summer hotel all hollow. -Me for the simple life!” - -“And I tell you what I’ll do,” exclaimed Dick. “I’ll get a little old -gasolene launch, and we can make trips up the river--” - -“Who’s going to run it?” asked Chub suspiciously. - -“I am. It isn’t hard. I can learn in a day or two.” - -“Oh, very well, but it’s me for the interior of our island home while -you’re learning, Dickums!” - -Dick laughed. “That’s all right,” he answered. “You’ll be glad enough -to go in it when the time comes.” - -“Well, maybe,” Chub agreed. “If it isn’t much worse than the ice-boat I -guess I can live through it. How fast--” - -“There’s the gun!” cried Roy as a distant boom floated down to them. - -“That’s right,” said Dick. “We’d better pile into the canoe and find a -place at the finish. Come on!” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE RACE WITH HAMMOND - - -They scrambled to their feet, slid down the little slope, and crossed -the shelving beach to where Chub’s canoe, its crimson sides and gold -monogram on the bow a torment to the eyes in such sunlight, was nosing -the sand. Chub and Roy took the paddles, while Dick, who had never -been able to master the art of canoeing, settled himself in the middle -of the craft, his knees level with his chin, and looked like an alert -toad. The stern paddle grated through the white sand as the canoe was -shoved off, and then after a stroke or two that sent the bow toward the -stream, the craft slid gently down the river. They kept to the shaded -shallows near the shore of the island until Victory Cove was passed, -and then headed out into the sunlight glare and drifted down toward -where the flotilla lay about the finish line. It was no difficult -matter to find a good berth since the canoe was slender enough to worm -its way in between the anchored boats. On the edge of the path left for -the crews they found a sail-boat lying a few yards above the finish, -and up to this they paddled until they could lay hold of it. - -“We’re under the enemy’s flag here,” observed Dick pointing to the -cherry-and-black banner flying from the mast. - -“We’ll fix that,” Roy answered. “Where’s the flag?” - -Dick happened to be sitting on it and the cautious way in which he -disentangled it from his feet made the others laugh. Chub fastened it -to the bow and received a salvo of applause from the occupants of a -near-by punt. The punt was only some ten feet long, but it held eight -Ferry Hill boys by actual count. Mr. Buckman, one of the instructors, -hailed them from the bow of the judges’ boat, a few yards distant, and -warned them that they were on the course, but they pretended not to -hear him. - -“Just as though a couple of feet were going to make any difference!” -growled Chub, disgustedly. “Buckman is stuck on himself to-day.” - -“A nice judge he will make,” laughed Dick under his breath. “He will -be so excited that he won’t have the least idea which boat crosses the -line first!” - -“I wonder which will,” murmured Roy. - -“Ours will,” replied Chub, stoutly. “I’ll bet you we’ve got ’em beaten -already.” - -“I hope so,” Roy answered, “but--” - -“Whitcomb told me yesterday that he expected to win,” said Dick, “and I -guess he wouldn’t say that unless he was pretty certain.” - -“Well, if we win the boat-race it’ll make a clean sweep for the year,” -said Roy: “foot-ball, hockey, track, base-ball, and rowing. We’ve -never done that before, and I’m afraid it’s too much to hope for. You -can bet that Hammond will do all she knows how to win one event out of -the five.” - -“Yes, but we’ve got the crew,” Chub replied, untroubled. “Hammond will -have to take it out in trying. You’ll see. They ought to be here pretty -quick. Can you see anything, Roy?” - -“N-no; at least, I don’t think so. Yes, I can, though. There they are, -but the sun’s so strong--” - -“Hammond’s in the lead!” cried a voice from the sail-boat, where, -clustered at the bow, a group of Hammond supporters were looking -intently up the river. The one who had spoken, a youth in white -flannels who held a pair of field-glasses to his eyes, was visibly -excited. - -“Pshaw!” muttered Dick, disgustedly. - -“Don’t you believe it,” said Chub. “He can’t tell at this distance.” - -“He’s got glasses,” said Roy. - -“I don’t care if he’s got a twelve-inch telescope! He doesn’t know -which side Hammond has got, and it isn’t likely he can tell red oars -from brown at this distance. You wait until they get under the cliff up -there, out of the sunlight, and then you can see for yourself.” - -By this time the excitement was beginning to tell on the spectators -along the shore and at the finish. Cheers for Ferry Hill and for -Hammond floated across the water, and flags began to wave. Then, a mile -up the stream, the two four-oared crews suddenly shot their slender -craft into the shadowed water and so became plainly visible to hundreds -of anxious eyes. The boat having the inner course was leading by fully -a length, it seemed, but whether that fortunate boat was Hammond’s or -Ferry Hill’s it was still impossible to tell since the courses had been -drawn just before the start and the result was not known down here at -the finish. Behind the two crews came the referee’s launch, a white -speck on the water. - -Now it was possible to see the rise and fall of the oars, and--a groan -of disappointment arose from the Ferry Hill supporters. The leading -boat was Hammond’s; the tips of the oars showed brilliantly red as they -were lifted dripping from the water. Cheers for Hammond broke forth -anew, and the cherry-and-black flags waved bravely in the hot sunlight. - -“Pshaw!” muttered Dick again. But Chub was still undismayed. - -“That’s all right,” he cried, excitedly. “You wait until they reach the -three quarters and then see what will happen. Ed’s letting them wear -themselves out. He will catch them before the finish, all right.” - -But the three quarters flag was swept astern and still the Hammond crew -held the lead; and, moreover, it was plain to all that Ferry Hill’s -four was rowing raggedly: Warren at three was splashing badly, and -there was a perceptible let-up to the boat between strokes. Even Chub -looked worried. - -“What’s the matter with Billy Warren?” he muttered. “Must think he’s -a blooming geyser! Oh, thunder, Hammond’s just walking away from us! -Doesn’t Ed see it? Why doesn’t he hit it up?” - -“Because he can’t,” answered Roy quietly. “Our fellows are rowed out; -that’s what’s the matter.” - -“That’s right,” said Dick, sorrowfully; “we’re beaten good and hard. -Well--” - -Such of the launches as had whistles began to make themselves heard, -and the cheering, triumphant on one side and defiant on the other, was -continuous. The rival crews were scarce a quarter of a mile distant -now, coming straight down the middle of the narrow course, with Hammond -leading by a full two lengths. In the sterns the coxswains bobbed back -and forth as the eight oars dipped into the water and came out dripping -yards astern, seemed to hang motionless for an instant, and then -dropped again under the sunflecked surface. Suddenly there was a low -cry from Roy. - -“They’ve hit it up!” shouted Chub. “They’re gaining! Come on, Ferry -Hill! You can do it! Row, you beggars, row!” - -The rear shell was cutting down the stretch of clear water that had -separated the two boats, her four oarsmen working despairingly as -the finish line drew nearer and nearer. In and out went the long -oars, back and forward bent the white-shirted bodies, and the narrow -craft responded. In the stern little Perry, the tiller lines clutched -desperately in his hands, cried encouragement, entreaty, threats. The -bow of the Ferry Hill shell lapped the stern of the Hammond boat by -a scant foot. But the effort was costing the crew dearly. Warren was -swaying limply above his oar as the battling craft swept into the lane -of boats, and in the bow Walker was clipping each stroke woefully. For -a moment the two boats clung together, Hammond’s rudder hidden by Ferry -Hill’s bow. Then, while whistles shrilled and hoarse voices shouted, a -glimmer of open water showed between shell and shell, just a few scant -inches, there was a puff of gray smoke over the bow of the judges’ -boat and a sharp report and the race was over. For an instant more the -brown-tipped oars sank and rose in the wake of the rival shell, and -then-- - -“Let her run!” piped Perry, weakly. - -And with the last stroke Warren toppled in his seat. - -Chub gave vent to a deep sigh, a sigh that expressed at once -disappointment and relief. - -“Well, I’m glad it’s over,” he said. “It was a hard race to lose, -though, fellows.” Roy nodded, and Dick said: - -“I guess Hammond found it a hard race to win. Look at them.” - -The Hammond shell was floating broadside to the current a few rods down -the stream, and in it only the coxswain and Number Two were taking any -interest in affairs. The other occupants were frankly fighting for -breath and strength as they leaned forward over their oars. In the -Ferry Hill boat Warren and Whitcomb were the worse sufferers, although -Walker’s white, drawn face showed that he, too, had felt the pace. He -and Fernald were paddling the shell toward the referee’s launch, which -was churning the water at a little distance. Perry called out something -to Mr. Cobb, a Ferry Hill instructor, who was on the launch, and a -slight commotion ensued. Then the shell drew alongside, was seized and -held and Warren’s inert form was lifted to the deck. - -“By Jove!” cried Roy. “Warren’s done up, fellows!” - -The engine-room bell tinkled, and the launch moved cautiously toward -the Ferry Hill landing, drawing the shell with it. There was a weak -cheer for Ferry Hill from the Hammond crew, and the four remaining -occupants of the rival shell returned the compliment. And then, with -much good-natured raillery, the flotilla broke up, the Hammond boats -sending back cheers as they made for the farther shore. The crimson -canoe shot across to the landing and the three disembarked. - -“You fellows lift her out, will you?” asked Chub. “I want to see how -Warren is.” - -He pushed his way through the crowd about the launch until he found -himself looking into the white, troubled face of the crew captain. - -“Ed, it was a good race,” he said cheerfully and earnestly as he seized -Whitcomb’s hand. “We’re proud of you. Did anything go wrong?” - -“Billy,” answered the other wearily. “He had a touch of sun at the half -mile and had to stop rowing. We had three lengths on them before that.” -Chub whistled. - -“Say, that was tough luck!” he exclaimed. “What did you do?” - -“Soaked Billy with water and pulled three oars for about a quarter of a -mile. Then he came around and helped out some, but he wasn’t good for -much, poor duffer. He’s down and out now, and Cobb says he’ll have to -go to bed. They’ve sent for the doctor.” - -“Is he dangerous?” - -“No, I guess not. Just a touch of sunstroke. It was frightfully hot up -there at the start, and Hammond kept us waiting there in the broiling -sun about twenty minutes: something was wrong with one of her slides. -Well, I’m going up. I’m pretty well played out. Coming?” - -“In a minute. I’ll see you in the dormitory. I’m sorry, Ed.” - -Whitcomb nodded and joined the throng which was filing up the path. -Chub returned to Roy and Dick with his news. When the canoe was on its -rack in the boat-house, the three followed the others up the winding -path under the close-hanging branches of the beeches and oaks, through -the gate in the hedge which marked the school’s inner bounds and around -the corner of Burgess Hall. - -“What time is it?” asked Chub as they paused with one consent on the -dormitory steps. - -“Eighteen minutes of twelve,” answered Dick, glancing at a very -handsome gold watch. “Gee, but I’m warm! And hungry!” - -“Echo,” said Chub, fanning his flushed face with his cap. “Let’s sit -down here and cool off. What shall we do this afternoon?” - -“I was thinking of taking my books somewhere where it’s cool and doing -a line or two of study,” answered Roy. “Better come along, Chub.” - -“What, study on a day like this? In all this heat? And have a sunstroke -like Billy Warren? Roy, I’m surprised at you, I really am!” - -“That’s all right; but just remember that we’ve got exams in physics -and chemistry on Monday. What do you know about that?” - -“I don’t know nothing about nothing,” answered Chub, cheerfully; “and -I’m proud of it. But I tell you what we’ll do, fellows: we’ll go -fishing.” - -“Oh, fishing!” scoffed Roy. “The last time we went, we didn’t get a -thing but a ducking.” - -“Then let’s go ducking, and maybe we’ll get a fish,” laughed Chub. -“Come along, Dick?” Dick shook his head soberly. - -“I’d better not,” he said. “I’m no star like you chaps, and I can’t -learn a thing in five minutes. I’ve got a terror of an exam coming; -English, you know. It’ll take me from now until Monday morning to get -ready for it, and even then I bet I’ll flunk.” - -“Well, what do you care?” laughed Chub. “You’re not graduating.” - -“Thank goodness!” said Dick, so devoutly, that the others went into -peals of laughter. - -“What you want to do,” said Dick, when they had sobered down, “is to -get those letters written to your dads so they’ll go to the Cove in -time for to-night’s mail. If you don’t they won’t get off until Monday.” - -“That’s so,” Chub agreed. “But, say, fellows, there isn’t any use in -my asking; the folks won’t let me stay up here. Dad will tell me I’m -crazy.” - -“Don’t you care,” answered Roy. “The truth won’t hurt you.” - -“There’s no harm in asking,” urged Dick. - -“All right, I’ll do it now. Come on in and help me.” - -“Wait a minute,” said Roy. “Isn’t that Harry coming around the gym?” - -“Yes,” answered Dick. “And she missed the race. Let’s walk over and -meet her.” - -They ran down the steps and followed the curving graveled path which -led toward the gymnasium. Approaching them was a girl of fifteen -years, a rather slender young lady with a face which, in spite of its -irregular features, was undeniably attractive. The tilt of the short -nose lent an air of saucy good-humor, the bright blue eyes were frank -and pleasing, and the very red hair suggested a temper. And she had a -temper, too, did Miss Harriet Emery, a temper which, to quote Roy, was -as sharp as her eyes and as short as her nose. That same nose wasn’t -by any means free from freckles, wherein it resembled the rest of the -face; but already the sun had found its way under the brim of the plain -sailor hat, and a healthy coat of tan was hiding the freckles. - -[Illustration: “‘Did we win the race?’”] - -Harry--for she hated to be called Harriet--was the daughter of the -principal, Doctor Emery. As she was an only child she had been perhaps -a little bit spoiled; or, at least, that is what her Aunt Harriet -Beverly often intimated; and as she had been born and brought up in -a boys’ school she was not unnaturally somewhat of a tomboy, to the -extent of being fonder of boys’ games than girls’, and of being no mean -hand with oar or paddle, bat or racket. But still she was very much of -a girl at heart, was Harry, although she wouldn’t have thanked you for -saying so. - -At the present moment, in spite of the cool white waist and skirt which -she wore, she looked far from comfortable. Her low tan shoes were -covered with the dust--for Silver Cove was a full mile distant, and -there had been no rain for over a fortnight--her face was very red and -her hair, usually decently well-behaved, had lost most of its waviness, -and was straggling around her flushed face and around her neck in -straight, damp strands. She had been hurrying as she had crossed the -athletic field, and had turned the corner of the gymnasium, but at -sight of the three boys coming to meet her her pace slackened and an -expression of disappointment came into her face. - -“Oh, I’m too late!” she cried. “Did we win the race?” - -“No,” answered Roy. “Billy Warren had a sunstroke after he’d rowed half -a mile, and Hammond won by just a length.” - -Harry sank on to a seat under a tree, her face eloquent of sorrow, -while the three boys told her the particulars. Finally her face cleared. - -“I ran almost half the way,” she said, “and I was never so hot in my -life. But,” she added, philosophically, “I’m glad now I was too late. -I’m glad I didn’t see Hammond win!” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -GRADUATION AND GOOD NEWS - - -By Monday afternoon Dick’s fears regarding the result of the English -examination proved groundless, perhaps because he had heroically -resisted Chub’s invitation to go fishing Saturday afternoon and had -spent most of that period with his head close above his books and his -lips moving continuously. There was only one more day of work, and Dick -was heartily glad of it. He didn’t like studying, and frankly said so. -His mother had died when he was fourteen, and his schooling, decidedly -intermittent at best, ceased abruptly while he and his father dwelt in -hotels at home and abroad as the latter’s business demanded. Dick’s -recent years had been spent in the West, and when, in January last, his -father had suggested another trip abroad, Dick had rebelled, professing -a preference for school. That he now owed allegiance to Ferry Hill -rather than to Hammond was due to a chance meeting on the ice with -Harry, who had so cleverly proclaimed the merits of Ferry Hill that -Dick, already domiciled at the rival academy awaiting the beginning -of the new term, had coolly repacked his trunk and transferred it and -himself across the river. For awhile the others had called him “the -Brand from the Burning,” but the name was much too long for everyday -use, and now he was just Dick--save when Chub or Roy elaborated and -called him Dickums--one of the most popular fellows at Ferry Hill -School, and the most promising candidate in sight for the school -leadership in the autumn. - -At three o’clock on Tuesday the last examination was over, and at a few -minutes past that hour Dick, Roy, Chub, and Harry, the three former in -a blissful state of relief, feeling as boys do feel when the last book -has been flung aside for the summer, sat in the shade of the Cottage -porch. - -“If Cobb gives me a C in German,” said Chub hopefully, “I’m all right.” - -“Well, I guess I got through,” said Dick proudly, “but it was hard -work.” - -“Shucks!” scoffed Chub. “Just you wait until next year!” - -“Now don’t scare him to death,” Roy protested. “If you don’t look out -he won’t show up in the fall at all. How are you getting on, Harry?” - -“Me? Oh, I’m all right, I guess. My last exam’s to-morrow; botany. Now -you needn’t laugh,” she added indignantly. “Botany’s awfully hard.” - -“What’s the sense of it?” asked Chub. “What good is it going to do you -to know whether a leaf’s lanceolate or--or composite?” - -“Don’t display your ignorance, Chub,” laughed Roy. - -“What good are lots of things they teach us?” Harry demanded. -“Like--like music and drawing?” - -“Come now, Harry, music’s all right,” Roy protested. “As for drawing--” - -“It’s perfect nonsense! Why, I couldn’t draw one of those wooden cubes -and make it look square if I was to try a whole year!” - -“But you ought to like music, Harry,” said Chub. “You know you have a -charming voice, a natural--er--contralto, isn’t it?” - -Harry made a face at him. - -“I can sing just as well as you can, Smarty, anyhow!” - -“I hope so,” said Dick. “Chub sings like a coyote in distress!” - -“There speaks envy,” murmured Chub sadly. “I have a very melodious -voice, and the beauty of it is that I can sing bass or tenor or--what’s -the other thing I sing, Roy?” - -“Discord,” answered his chum unkindly. - -“That is not so,” responded Chub indignantly. “To show you what a -fine voice I have I will now sing for you that charming little ditty -entitled--” - -“Not much you won’t!” declared Dick threateningly. “If you try to sing -we’ll thrash you. Look here, how about that letter? Have you heard from -your folks yet?” - -“No, do you think I correspond by wireless?” answered Chub. “I can’t -possibly hear before Thursday morning. It doesn’t matter, anyhow, I -keep telling you. Dad won’t hear of such a thing.” - -“How would it do if we all wrote to him?” asked Dick, anxiously. Chub -smiled grimly. - -“You’d better not if you don’t want to get a scorcher of a letter -in reply. My dad’s a good sort, all right, but he doesn’t let any -one else run his business for him. I have inherited that quality -of--er--firmness.” Roy and Dick howled impolitely. - -“What are you all talking about?” asked Harry anxiously. “You’ve gone -and got a secret, and I don’t think it’s very nice of you!” - -“Why, it isn’t really a secret,” answered Roy, hurriedly. “If there -hadn’t been so much going on we’d have told you about it. We three are -trying to get our folks to let us camp out for a month or so on Fox -Island after school closes; that is, if your father will let us, and I -guess he will.” - -“Then you won’t go home yet?” cried Harry, delightedly. - -“Not if we get permission. It all depends on Chub--” - -“On Chub’s father you mean,” growled that youth. - -“Because I’m pretty sure of my folks,” continued Roy; “and Dick says -his father won’t mind if he stays a month longer.” - -“That will be fine,” said Harry; but a moment later her face fell -prodigiously. “Only it won’t do me any good,” she added, sorrowfully, -“because I’ll be visiting Aunt Harriet most of the time.” - -“That’s too bad,” said Roy. “Can’t you fix it to go later?” - -Harry shook her head. “No, she goes to the seashore in August, you see. -I think it’s just too mean for anything; and I know you will just have -lovely times. I--I hope papa won’t let you do it!” - -“Well!” ejaculated Chub. “Of all dogs in the manger that I ever met, -Harry, you take the prize!” - -“Well, I just do,” muttered Harry, rebelliously; “and I’m going to tell -him not to!” - -Chub and Dick viewed her anxiously, but Roy only smiled. - -“We’re not afraid of that, Harry,” he said. - -She looked at him a moment frowningly, then sighed and smiled as she -said plaintively: - -“Well, I don’t care, Roy Porter, I think it’s awfully mean! Maybe I -won’t ever see you and Chub again, and just when I might be with you I -have to go away. And I don’t have any fun at Aunt Harriet’s, anyway; -it’s too stupid for anything!” - -“Well, I wouldn’t worry yet,” said Roy, “because, maybe it will all -fall through. You heard what Chub said about getting permission, and, -of course, if he can’t stay we won’t; it wouldn’t be any fun for just -two fellows.” - -“I guess you could find some one else,” said Chub. - -“I guess we’re not going to try,” said Dick. - -“Of course not,” Roy agreed. “If you can’t make it we’ll call it off; -but we will hope for the best, eh?” - -“It won’t do you any good,” muttered Chub. “It’s me for that old Water -Gap place.” - -“And me for Aunt Harriet Beverly’s,” sighed Harry. And then, struck by -a radiant idea, she added breathlessly: “Maybe I could run away and -come back here and live with you on the island!” - -The boys laughed. - -“When do you have to go to Aunty’s?” asked Chub. - -“I don’t know exactly,” Harry replied. “She hasn’t said anything about -it yet, but usually I go the first of July and stay two or three weeks; -once I had to stay a month--papa and mama went to the mountains.” - -“Well, we couldn’t go into camp until about the first,” said Chub; “and -then, if you only stayed two weeks with Aunty, you could be here a -whole fortnight before we left.” - -Harry brightened perceptibly. “That’s so,” she cried. “I’ll ask mama -if I’ll have to stay more than two weeks. Wouldn’t that be lovely? We -could have the dandiest times, couldn’t we?” - -“I don’t believe your mother would let you stay on the island at night, -though,” said Roy. - -“Well, but I could go over real early in the morning and have breakfast -with you, and stay all day. I could do the cooking for you! I can cook -real well. I can make doughnuts and vanilla cookies and cheese-straws -and--” - -“Can you fry eggs?” asked Chub anxiously. - -“Of course, stupid! Any one can do that!” - -“All right, Harry, consider yourself engaged. There’s nothing like a -few eggs to begin a hard day’s work on.” - -“I want mine scrambled,” said Dick. “Can you do that, Harry?” - -“Yes; you just put some milk with the eggs and stir them all up nice -and messy with a silver knife,” replied Harry. - -“You’ll have to bring your own knife,” laughed Roy. “We’ll use tin -ones, I guess. As for me, though, I have to have my eggs in an omelet, -Harry. How are you at omelets?” - -Harry looked troubled, failing to see the smile which quivered around -the corners of Roy’s mouth. - -“I--I’m afraid I can’t make an omelet, Roy,” she said dejectedly. -“You see, they always get burned on the bottom; and then I never can -flop them over. You know they have to be flopped over?” Roy nodded -sympathetically. - -“I always flop them before I cook them,” said Chub sententiously. - -“How can you?” asked Harry, indignantly. “I never heard of anything -so--so--” - -“Why, you--er--you seize the egg between the thumb and first finger,” -answered Chub, frowning intensely as though striving to recollect the -process. “Then you slowly exert sufficient pressure to choke it to -death. When nicely choked--” - -Just here Dick pushed him off the steps. - -“Isn’t he the silliest thing?” asked Harry. And then, returning to the -subject of omelets: “But I could get mama to show me how, Roy.” - -“What I want to know is,” said Chub as he crawled back up the steps, -“is where all the eggs are coming from. I can eat three myself when I’m -in camp, and you know what an appetite Dickums has!” - -“We’ll hire a hen,” suggested Roy. - -“We have lots of eggs,” said Harry. “I’ll bring some over every -morning.” - -“And a few doughnuts,” begged Chub. “That’s the ideal breakfast: three -or four fried eggs, and half a dozen doughnuts, and a cup of coffee. -Um-m! Gee, fellows, I wish my dad would say yes!” - -“Maybe he will. Let’s throw our thought on him,” said Roy. - -“You’d better not let him catch you at it,” said Chub with a grin. -“Say, there goes Billy Warren. Let’s call him over and get him to show -us his sunstroke.” - -“Thomas Eaton, you’re too foolish for anything, to-day!” declared -Harry, severely. “And it’s mean of you to make fun of Billy. He feels -terribly bad about losing the race.” - -“I’m not making fun of him,” denied Chub, indignantly. “The idea! Only -if I had a sunstroke I’d be proud to show it around! I’d be pleased -purple if fellows would ask me--” - -“I’ll bet a dollar that’s what’s the matter with you,” laughed Dick. -“It’s affected your brain.” - -“Pretty smart sun if it found Chub’s brain,” added Roy. - -“Enjoy yourselves,” said Chub, cheerfully. “Get into the game, -Harry; find your little hammer! Here, there’s a monotony about this -conversation that wearies me. I’m going out in the canoe. Anybody want -to come along?” - -“Me!” cried Harry, jumping up. - -“You’d better not,” counseled Roy. “He will make you do all the work, -Harry.” - -“Pay no attention to him,” said Chub to Harry, confidentially. “I hate -to say it about a friend, Harry, but he’s never been the same since he -made that two-bagger the other day. It’s affected his brain. Let us -leave them to their own foolish devices.” - -He and Harry went off together along the path toward the Grove, and Roy -and Dick watched them in smiling silence until they had disappeared -through the hedge gate. Then, - -“I wonder if his father will turn him down,” said Dick. - -“I’m afraid so,” answered Roy as he arose, “but we will know all about -it by Thursday. There’s time for a couple of sets of tennis before -supper. Want to play? I’ll give you fifteen.” - -Dick agreed, and they walked over to the dormitory to get their rackets. - -Wednesday and Thursday were given over to the ceremonies of graduation. -Wednesday was Class-Day, and Thursday Graduate’s Day. The school had -taken on festal attire. John the gardener and general factotum had -been busy for a week past raking the walks, clipping the hedges and -trimming the borders until when the first influx of guests began on -Wednesday morning the grounds were looking their best. The gymnasium -was draped inside with flags and bunting and decorated outside with -Japanese lanterns. School Hall became suddenly a bower of palms and -other things in pots or tubs which looked like palms but were really -something quite different with far more unpronounceable names. On -Wednesday morning there was the Tennis Tournament, won by Chase of -the Second Middle Class. In the afternoon the corner-stone of the new -dormitory was laid with appropriate ceremonies, and there was a spread -under the trees. In the evening the Silver Cove Band, much augmented -for the occasion, gave a concert in front of the gymnasium. - -The graduation exercises took place the next morning in School Hall -before a flatteringly attentive and applausive audience. There was -an oration by Augustus Prince Pryor on “Opportunity and the Man”; -there was an essay by Edgar Whitcomb entitled “The Exploration of the -Northwest”; there was a declamation by William Truscott Warren called -“Napoleon the Man”; there was a thesis by Howard C. Glidden on “Science -and Progress”; there was a narration by Thomas H. Eaton entitled “The -Pilgrims,” and an oration on “Destiny” by Roy Porter. Then came the -awarding of diplomas to the graduates, in number a round dozen, and the -audience dispersed in search of dinner. Both Roy and Chub had graduated -with honors, and if, on that one day, they held their heads a little -bit higher than usual and looked a little bit more dignified, why, -surely, they may be excused. Dick pretended to be much impressed, and -always saluted whenever he met them. This went on until just before -supper, when Chub’s patience became exhausted and he forgot his dignity -and chased Dick twice around School Hall, finally capturing his quarry -in a corner and administering punishment. In the evening there was a -grand ball in the gymnasium to which came many Silver Cove folks and -at which Harry, in a pink muslin party dress, danced to her heart’s -content. And the next day came the exodus. - -But Thursday morning’s mail had brought Chub his letter and the tenor -of it had pleased him even more than it had surprised him; and that -is saying much; for Mr. Eaton had written that the plan suggested met -with his unqualified approval, and intimated broadly that it must have -originated with some one other than Chub because of its reasonableness. - -“Sounds like a knock,” said Roy as he read the letter. - -“Oh, he always has his hammer handy,” laughed Chub. “But I don’t care; -he’s given permission, and that’s what I wanted. Say, won’t it be -great? Let’s find Dick and tell him.” - -So they did, and Dick was overjoyed. Roy had already heard from home, -and his mother had agreed, although less enthusiastically than Chub’s -father, to his remaining at Ferry Hill for the month of camp life. As -for Dick, well, Dick merely took permission for granted, for it would -be all of two weeks before a reply could reach him from London. When -the letter finally did come it was all that he had wished. In substance -it told him to please himself, adding that it was quite within the -possibilities that the writer would return home for a short visit about -the middle of the summer, in which case it wouldn’t really be worth -Dick’s while to cross to England now. - -So when, Friday morning, bright and early, Chub and Roy piled into the -carriage with their suit cases, Dick said good-by and watched them -disappear in the direction of Silver Cove and the railroad station -with perfect equanimity; for four or five days at the most would see -them both back again. Naturally enough, though, Dick found existence -strangely quiet at first. By Friday evening the last boy had departed -homeward, and an uncanny stillness held the campus. - -At Mrs. Emery’s invitation Dick moved his belongings over to the -guest-room at the Cottage, for the dormitories were to be given over on -the morrow to the regular summer cleaning, and then subsequently closed -until fall. Harry, too, was somewhat depressed, and she and Dick made -the most of each other’s society. There were walks and little trips -on the river and a good deal of tennis, a game which Dick was rapidly -learning. Harry was an excellent player, and by the time Roy and Chub -returned Dick, under her tuition, had vastly improved his game. - -[Illustration: “In the evening there was a grand ball”] - -Living at the Cottage was very pleasant. Now that school was over with -Doctor Emery doffed his immaculate black clothes and appeared in faded -negligée shirts and patched knickerbockers. At the table he was quite -often the more flippant and irresponsible of the four, and Mrs. Emery -frequently remonstrated laughingly, telling him that Dick would report -his actions, and that when autumn came he would find his authority -departed. Whereupon the Doctor swore Dick to secrecy, and Harry naïvely -remarked that she never could see why any one was afraid of her father, -anyhow. One day there was a notable event on the tennis-court when -Harry played against her father and Dick, and won two sets out of -three. When nothing better offered Dick and Harry got into a boat or a -canoe and went over to Fox Island and picked out the site for the camp. -By the time that Roy and Chub got back they had speculatively pitched -that camp on almost every foot of the island. - -But the most exciting event that occurred was the receipt of an -apologetic letter from Harry’s Aunt Harriet Beverly. It seemed that -Aunt Harriet had decided almost at a moment’s notice to go abroad with -a party of friends, and they were to sail on the tenth of July. Under -the circumstances, she explained, it would be necessary for Harry to -postpone her visit until late in the summer. She hoped that the dear -child would not be very greatly disappointed. The dear child waved the -letter over her head and howled with glee. - -“Isn’t it beautiful?” she cried. “Isn’t it perfectly dandy? Now I can -go to camp with you. It’s just like things that happen in books. Mama, -I may, mayn’t I?” - -“Goodness, child!” exclaimed her mother. “You may what? What’s all this -noise about?” - -“Camp out with Roy and Chub and Dick on the island! I may, mayn’t I? -You know you said--” - -“Well, I’m surely not going to let you sleep on the island, my dear, if -that’s what you mean. You’d catch your death of cold.” - -“Not to speak of the likelihood of being devoured alive by bears,” -added the Doctor as he joined them on the porch. - -“Bears!” scoffed Harry. “I don’t suppose there’s even a rabbit on the -island! And, mama dear, folks never catch cold in camps.” - -“Well, I think it will do, Harry, if you go over and visit the boys in -the daytime. Besides, maybe they had rather be alone, my dear.” - -“But they wouldn’t! Would you, Dick?” - -“No,” answered Dick promptly. “We’d like Harry to join us if you will -let her, Mrs. Emery.” - -“And I’m going to cook for them--sometimes!” exclaimed Harry, eagerly, -“and you’re going to teach me how to make an omelet, mama, because -Roy has to have omelet for his breakfast. And I’m going to mend their -clothing for them, too. I--I don’t believe they could do without me.” -And Harry gazed anxiously from Dick to her mother. Dick asserted -stoutly that it would be simply impossible and Mrs. Emery consented to -Harry’s joining the campers by day. After that it was all arranged -very quickly by Harry. One of the boys was to row over every morning to -the landing, very, very early, and get her, since she was not allowed -to go in a boat by herself, and she was to take over doughnuts and -cookies, and--and a great many things! - -The Doctor had readily consented to the use of one of the school tents -and such things as they needed, so when, late one afternoon, Roy and -Chub arrived triumphant from the ordeal of preliminary examinations at -college, everything was in readiness for the occupation of the island. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -CAMP TOROHADIK - - -Fox Island lies on the Ferry Hill side of the river some two hundred -yards from shore and about a quarter of a mile above the school -landing. It is fairly high, contains very nearly two acres, and is -beautifully wooded. It is about one third as wide as it is long, and -the shores, the inner shore especially, are full of tiny coves and -promontories. There are two excellent beaches of white sand and nice -round pebbles. Inner Beach, because of its more gradual slope, being -the favorite bathing place. At the up-stream end of the beach a great -granite boulder, worn round and smooth by water and weather, juts into -the river, and forms an excellent place on which to lie in the sun and -dry off without the aid of towels. - -Back of the Inner Beach the trees and underbrush begin, climbing the -side of Mount Emery, the tiniest heap of rocks and earth ever dignified -with the name of mountain, and hurrying down the other side to riot -across the island to where Outer Beach stretches from The Grapes to -School Point. At the lower end of the island the underbrush has been -cleared away and a grove of birches and maples makes a capital camp -site. It was here that the boys decided to pitch their tent. They -embarked bright and early the morning after the return of Roy and Chub, -the tent and accompanying paraphernalia stowed away in a rowboat which -was trailed behind Chub’s crimson canoe. Harry was not with them. Fired -with enthusiasm, she was up at the Cottage making a batch of doughnuts. -Harry and the doughnuts and a cold luncheon were to be brought over to -the camp later on. - -It was a bright morning with a crisp, cool breeze out of the northeast. -The sun was still low over the hill behind them as they paddled slowly -up the stream toward the island. The trees along the shore threw green -shadows far out on to the bosom of the sparkling river. It was rather -hard paddling with that clumsy rowboat tagging along astern, and -presently Roy turned to Dick, who, as usual, was enacting the rôle of -freight in the middle of the craft. - -“Thought you were going to have a gasolene launch,” he said, jeeringly. - -“I am. It would be just the thing this morning, wouldn’t it? We could -have put all this truck right into it and been at the island in a -minute.” - -“Huh!” puffed Chub, skeptically. - -“I’ve written to a fellow who makes them,” Dick continued, “and he’s -got just the thing we want all ready to put the engine in.” - -“Get him to leave the engine out,” suggested Chub, “then we won’t have -so much trouble with the thing.” - -[Illustration: - MAP OF - FOX ISLAND - DRAWN BY ROY PORTER - CARTOGRAPHER-IN-EXTRAORDINARY - JULY, 1906 -] - -“It’s a sixteen-footer,” continued Dick unheeding, “and has a -two-horse-power motor, and only costs a hundred and sixty dollars.” - -“Phew!” breathed Roy. “That’s a whole lot, isn’t it?” - -“Not for a launch like that,” protested Dick. - -“No,” said Chub, judicially, “not for a launch. It would be a good deal -for a piece of pie or a hard-boiled egg, but--” - -“Oh, you shut up,” interrupted Dick good-naturedly. - -“No sooner said than stung,” murmured Chub, flicking a shower of water -with his paddle on to Dick’s back and bringing a howl from that youth. - -“Are you going to get it?” asked Roy. - -“He did get it,” Chub laughed. - -“Yes, I think so. I thought I’d wait and talk it over with you fellows. -Maybe we ought to have a larger boat; sixteen feet isn’t very long--” - -“It’ll be all we want to row,” said Chub. - -“We won’t have to row it,” answered Dick warmly. “It’s a Saxon launch, -and they’re as good as any made.” - -“How fast will it go?” Chub inquired, interestedly. “I mean when it -does go?” - -“It’s capable of eight miles an hour.” - -“Humph! I’m capable of lots of things I don’t do.” - -“Yes, and you try to do lots of things you aren’t capable of,” -responded Dick, “and judging motor-boats is one of them.” - -“Whereupon,” murmured Chub, “our hero bent manfully at his oar.” - -“How long will it take to get it?” pursued Roy. - -“About six days the man said,” answered Dick. “If you fellows think -it’s all right I’ll send for it to-day.” - -“I don’t see why it shouldn’t be all right. Do you, Chub?” - -“Well, it’s nice to be able to go fast, you know, and I suppose that a -boat with eighteen feet can go faster than one with only sixteen. If -you could afford it, Dick, it would be nice to get a centipede boat -that could do about a mile a minute.” - -“Oh, cut it out,” laughed Roy, “and head her in toward the point, Chub. -Funny how much easier she paddles now.” - -“We’re out of the current, probably,” answered Chub. “Shall we paddle -around the point to the cove or--” - -But at that instant Roy set up a howl of laughter, pointing speechlessly -down the stream. Dick and Chub turned. Four or five hundred yards away, -drifting gaily away from them, was the rowboat containing the tent. Chub -looked hurriedly behind him. - -“The rope slipped,” he muttered. - -“Didn’t you tie it?” asked Dick. - -“No, I sat on it. Turn her back, Roy; we’ll have to get the old thing.” - -“You’re a nice one,” laughed Roy. “Why didn’t you hold the rope in your -teeth?” - -“Oh, he’d have to keep his mouth shut,” Dick scoffed, “and you know -plaguey well he couldn’t do that.” - -“Say, suppose you take a paddle and do some of the work,” suggested -Chub, fretfully. “I’d like to know what we’re hauling you around for, -anyway, you--you lump of dead weight! Let’s throw him overboard and -lighten the ship, Roy.” - -“Save your breath for paddling,” Dick advised cheerfully. “It’s a -quarter of a mile to the boat and a quarter mile back. Don’t worry -about me; I’m very comfortable,” and Dick proceeded to find an easier -position, rocking the canoe perilously in the process. - -“Sit still, you idiot,” said Chub, “or I’ll duck you again. Do you want -to have us in the water?” - -“Now, if I had my motor-boat--” Dick commenced. - -“Oh, blow you and your old motor-boat,” spluttered Chub. “You’ve got to -learn to paddle, that’s what you’ve got to do!” - -The runaway boat was soon captured, but it was some time before they -had reached the island again, and during the return trip both Chub -and Roy saved their breath for their work. They were both pretty well -tuckered by the time they had regained the end of Inner Beach. Just -when the canoe was floating into shallow water, Dick, who for several -minutes past had been smiling inscrutably at Roy’s back, observed -casually: - -“Of course what we ought to have done--but it’s too late now.” - -“What are you mumbling about?” asked Chub crossly. - -“Nothing; that is, I was going to say that if you had put me in the -rowboat I could have taken the oars and it wouldn’t have been so hard -on you fellows.” - -Chub paused with paddle suspended and viewed Dick disgustedly. Then, - -“Well, why didn’t you think of it before, you lazy loafer?” he demanded. - -“Oh, I did think of it,” answered Dick calmly, hunching his shoulders -in expectation of a shower of water, “but as I am only a passenger I -didn’t think I had any right to make suggestions.” - -“Gee!” muttered Chub. But before he could bring his paddle into play -Dick had thrown himself out of the canoe into a foot of water and was -plunging up the beach out of danger. - -“Got your feet good and wet,” taunted Chub. - -“I like them that way,” laughed Dick from a safe distance. “If I had -that motor-boat I could have saved you fellows--” - -“If you mention that fool motor-boat again to-day,” cried Chub wildly, -“I’ll--I’ll--” - -But the threat was never finished, for a canoe with its bow grounded on -the beach and its stern afloat is something you can’t take liberties -with. Chub, balancing himself in the stern, forgot this fact for a -moment, and when he remembered it he was sitting in the water and Roy -and Dick were howling gleefully. Strange to say, this misadventure -restored Chub’s good-nature, and, after sitting for a minute up to -his waist in the water and laughing at his predicament, he jumped up -dripping, and hauled the canoe up the beach. They unloaded the rowboat, -depositing tent and poles and supplies on the sand, and then considered -the matter of a site for the camp. - -They had landed on Inner Beach where School Point curves toward the -middle of the river. Above the beach there was a fringe of scrub-pines -and a few low bushes, but beyond these all underbrush had been cleared -away so that there was a full quarter of an acre of grass-carpeted -ground interspersed with well-grown maples and birches. There were -plenty of signs of former occupancy; here and there benches had been -built between a couple of neighborly trees; some wooden pegs driven -into the trunk above one of these benches showed where during the -spring camping the towels had been hung. Paths crossed and recrossed -the clearing, many of them converging at the beach. - -“’Most any place here is all right,” said Chub. - -“When we look for a camp site out our way,” observed Dick, “we think -first about water.” - -“Well, I guess we won’t suffer for that with the river so near,” said -Chub dryly. - -“I’d forgotten the river!” murmured Dick, looking foolish. - -In the end they decided on a spot some ten yards back from the beach at -Victory Cove. This, being well out on the point, Roy argued, would be -cool and at the same time accessible from both sides. The sun would -reach the tent for awhile in the afternoon, but not when it was hot -enough to matter. The trees were well thinned out on both sides so that -they had a clear view of the river to right and left. It was a good -deal like camping out in one’s own back yard, said Roy, for there, -just across the inner channel, was the float and the boat-house, and, -further up on the hill, the familiar forms of the school buildings. -Over their heads the branches of the trees almost met, and, as Chub -pointed out, in case of a heavy rainstorm they would have a second roof -above them. There were a few pines scattered near by toward the rising -ground inland, and their resinous fragrance mingled with the aroma of -damp earth and dewy foliage. - -They brought the tent and poles up and, under the direction of Dick, -who was quite in his element now, soon had them erected. Dick showed -them how to drive the pegs in a line with the guy-ropes instead of at -an angle, so that the straining of the tent in a wind would not loosen -them. The tent was not a new one, as several patches proved, but it was -made of good heavy duck and was quite tight. It was a wall tent, twelve -by eight feet in size, and there was a shelter curtain which could -be raised over the doorway. Chub called it the porch roof. Then they -had brought a third piece of canvas which could be stretched over the -little sheet-iron stove on rainy days. Dick, who had volunteered to do -the cooking, selected a site for the “kitchen,” and, while the others -went off for pine branches for the beds, he set up the stove. After -the boughs were placed in the tent and the blankets spread over them -they scooped out a trench around the outside of the tent to drain off -the water in case of a heavy rain. Then the boys separated in search -of firewood, Roy looking for dead branches in the “forest” and Chub -and Dick going to the upper end of the island. Chub took the canoe and -Dick the rowboat, and by the time they had met, after having paddled -along opposite shores, each had accumulated a respectable quantity of -driftwood. Much of it was too wet to burn, and so when they got back -to camp they spread it out in the sun. Roy had meanwhile made several -trips into the woods and a good-sized heap of dry branches lay beside -the stove. - -“Now what?” asked Dick, surveying the scene with satisfaction and -wiping the perspiration from his face. Chub looked speculatively at the -flagpole which stands at the end of School Point. - -“We ought to have a flag,” he said. “Why didn’t we bring along the -school flag?” - -“Because this isn’t the school camp,” answered Roy. “It’s a private -affair. We must have a flag of our own.” - -“With the name of the camp on it,” said Dick. “By the way, what is the -name of the camp?” - -“Well, I’ve been thinking of that,” answered Chub, gravely, seating -himself on a root which had apparently shaped itself for the purpose, -“and I’ve got it all settled. It’s a nice camp, and it ought to have a -nice name, a name that stands for--er--respectability and renown. So I -suggest that we call it Camp Thomas H. Eaton.” - -“What I’ve always admired in you,” said Dick, sarcastically, “is your -modesty, Chub.” - -“Yes, it is one of my many excellent qualities,” Chub replied sweetly. - -“Who’s got a piece of paper?” Roy demanded. No one had, so he pulled -a strip of bark from a birch-tree. “I’ve got an idea,” he said. “You -fellows wait a minute.” He seated himself cross-legged and began to -write on the bark, scowling intently. Chub viewed him apprehensively. - -“Do you think it’s over-study?” he asked Dick in a hoarse whisper, “or -merely the sun?” - -“Crazed by the heat,” responded Dick, sadly. - -“Isn’t it a sad case?” continued Chub. “Such a promising youth as he -was! He was always promising--and never doing it. And so young, too!” - -“Say, dry up a minute, you fellows,” Roy begged. - -“He may get over it, though,” observed Dick, thoughtfully. But Chub -shook his head. - -“I’m afraid not,” he said. “Just look at his eyes; see that baleful -glare, Dick? That’s what tells the story, the baleful glare; when you -develop the baleful glare you are quite incurable. And see his lips -work. He’s muttering to himself. That’s a frightfully bad sign, Dick. -Pretty soon he will gibber, and when--” - -[Illustration: “‘What is the name of the camp?’”] - -“Dry up, Chub,” commanded Roy. “Now listen. Let’s get a name the way -the soap and biscuit people do.” - -“A romantic idea,” murmured Chub, politely. - -“I mean by using the initials or first two letters.” - -“What first two letters?” asked Dick. - -“Of our names, of course. You can’t make anything out of the initials, -because they’re all consonants, but--” - -“We could make believe it was a Russian name,” said Chub helpfully. - -“By using the first two letters,” continued Roy, “you get Torodi. How’s -that?” - -“It’s even worse than we feared!” said Chub to Dick sotto voce. - -“Oh, cut it out,” exclaimed Roy, testily. “Talk sense.” - -“Well, it sounds rather--er--interesting, don’t you think, Dick?” - -“Oh, it’s great,” Dick answered. “What’s it mean?” - -“It doesn’t mean anything, you silly chump!” Roy answered warmly. “It’s -just a name; T-o, for Tom; r-o, for Roy; d-i, for Dick.” - -“Sort of a shorthand effect,” said Chub, thoughtfully. “But why not -put it the other way, and call it Rotodi? I think Rotodi is much more -musical to the ear.” - -“Lend me your pencil,” said Dick. “I’ve got a better one.” - -“Let him have it, Roy,” Chub said. “In the end you’ll all come back to -my suggestion; you can’t beat Camp Thomas H. Eaton if you spoil all -the bark on the tree. Hand him a new piece of bark Roy; humor him; let -him have his way.” - -“Say, can’t you stop talking for a minute?” demanded Dick. - -Chub grinned and accepted the suggestion. In a minute Dick said -triumphantly: - -“I’ve got it! Camp Sopœa!” - -“So--what?” asked Chub. - -“How do you get that?” inquired Roy. - -“First two letters of our last names,” answered Dick, proudly. - -“Sounds like Camp Sapolio,” Chub objected, “and if you’re going in for -that sort of thing I think Camp Pearline would be much prettier.” - -“Oh, well, you try it, then,” said Dick, tossing the pencil to Chub. - -“I knew you’d have to come to me in the end,” said Chub. “Now let me -see.” - -“No funny business,” warned Roy. Chub shook his head. At that moment -the silence, which had been disturbed only by the puffing of a distant -steamer, was suddenly rudely shattered by a discordant sound that was -like something between the finished efforts of a fish peddler and the -wail of a bereaved cow. - -“Tell Dick to stop snoring,” said Chub without looking up from his task. - -“What the dickens is that?” marvelled Roy, as the sound again reached -them, apparently from some distance down the river. - -“Blamed if I know!” said Dick. - -“It’s a cow,” said Chub. “She’s in great pain.” - -“A cow!” jeered Dick. - -“Certainly. Cows eat too much nice green grass at this time of year and -have the tummy ache. I know. We used to own one.” - -“What, a tummy ache?” asked Roy. But Chub was busy again and made no -answer. Presently he looked up with a smile of satisfaction. - -“I’ve beat you at your own game, Roy,” he said. “The name is Camp -Torohadik, with the accent, you will kindly observe, on the penultimate -syllable.” - -“How do you spell it?” questioned Roy suspiciously. And, when Chub had -responded, “Where do you get your ‘h,a’?” he asked. - -“I will explain. I put myself first--” - -“That’s your modesty,” said Dick. - -“Because I was here first. Then Roy came next and then that sneering -youth over there. That made ‘Torodi,’ which is just what Roy had. But -by adding another letter of Dick’s name, out of compliment, and because -of the fact that the camp was his idea, I get ‘Torodik,’ which is a -better sounding word than ‘Torodi.’ But still, it is not yet perfect. -At this point genius gets in its work. I introduce the letters h,a, and -the thing is complete.” - -“Yes, but where do you get your old ‘h,a’?” demanded Roy. - -“From the first name of the fourth member of the party,” replied Chub -triumphantly. - -“The fourth member?” puzzled Roy. - -“Harry, of course,” said Dick. “And what does it make, Chub?” - -“Torohadik, an Indian word meaning ‘four friends,’” responded the -inventor affably. - -“That’s not so bad,” laughed Roy. “It really does sound like an Indian -word, doesn’t it, Dick?” - -“Sure. It’s all right. Camp Torohadik it is. We’ll get Harry to make us -a flag out of a piece of white cloth, and we’ll paint the name on it. -Only I don’t know how--” - -“There’s Chub’s cow again,” interrupted Roy as the wail once more broke -the silence. “I wish you’d give her some Jamaica ginger or something, -Chub.” - -“I’m going to see what that is,” said Dick, scrambling to his feet. -“Sounds like a horn to me.” - -“Horn!” cried Chub. “That’s just what it is, I’ll bet. It’s Harry at -the landing. She said she’d blow a tin horn when she was ready to--” - -“Yes, there she is,” said Dick, “on the landing, with a basket. I’d -forgotten all about the horn part of it. I’ll go over for her in the -rowboat. You fellows are more tired than I am.” - -“All right,” Chub agreed with a laugh, “but the current’s pretty strong -coming back, and you’ll have to _row hard, Dick_!” - -Dick groaned as he made toward the beach, leaving Roy to administer -well-deserved punishment. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -A BATCH OF DOUGHNUTS - - -“Of course this isn’t real camping,” said Dick as he munched his fifth -sandwich. - -“It’s a mighty good lunch, though,” answered Chub. “And I can’t wait to -get to those crullers--I mean doughnuts. What’s the difference, anyway, -Roy?” - -“A cruller is a doughnut with the hole left out.” - -“Get out! What we call crullers are built just like these, with a hole -in the middle.” - -“Some folks call them fried-cakes,” offered Dick. - -“Well, it doesn’t matter what they’re called,” said Chub, cheerfully; -“they look fine and Harry has made lots of them. And, say, fellows, -look at the sugar on them! Let’s hurry and reach the dessert.” - -Dick had brought Harry and her lunch basket across to the island -and now they were seated on the grass in front of the tent with the -contents of the basket spread before them. There were two kinds of -sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, bananas and doughnuts. There was also -clear, cold water from the river served from a tin coffee-pot for want -of anything more suitable and drunk from tin cups. Strange to say, the -enthusiasm over the doughnuts brought no response from Harry. In fact, -as the meal progressed and the time for the dessert drew near, she -exhibited well-defined symptoms of uneasiness, and when, finally, Chub, -unable to hold off any longer, seized the first doughnut and bit into -it, she forgot the sandwich she was struggling with and watched him -anxiously. - -“Um-m!” said Chub rapturously. Then he repeated the remark, but with a -note of doubt. Then he shot a puzzled look at Harry, who dropped her -eyes quickly and devoured her sandwich so hurriedly that she choked -and had to be slapped on the back by Dick. During this diversion -Chub glanced frowningly at the doughnut in his hand, dropped it -surreptitiously into his pocket and took a banana. When Harry looked -again the doughnut had disappeared and her face expressed relief. Then -Dick reached for one. - -“How are Harry’s doughnuts, Chub?” he asked. - -“Great!” said Chub with extraordinary, even suspicious, enthusiasm. - -“Well, they certainly look fine,” replied Dick, setting his teeth into -one. - -“They surely do,” agreed Roy, following his example. “Aren’t you going -to have one, Harry?” - -“Please,” said Harry, her hand stretched toward the plate and her gaze -on Dick. - -Dick was munching his first mouthful somewhat gingerly and viewing the -doughnut with surprise. There was a moment of silence. Then, - -“I say, Harry,” blurted Dick, “what the dickens did you put into these -things?” - -“Why?” she faltered. - -“Don’t they taste sort of funny?” he asked. “How’s yours, Roy?” - -“All right,” replied Roy, eating doggedly, his eyes fixed on space as -though he were trying to concentrate all efforts on the task. Dick laid -his doughnut aside and picked up another. - -“Maybe that one isn’t a fair sample,” he said hopefully. “I thought it -tasted of--of--I don’t know just what.” - -But he appeared to derive small pleasure from his second one and with -a sigh of disappointment he laid it down on his knee with a fine -simulation of carelessness and took a banana. Then: - -“Hello,” he said, “aren’t you eating any doughnuts, Chub?” - -“Me? Oh, yes, I had one,” answered Chub. “Fine, aren’t they?” - -“Great,” answered Dick warmly. - -“Toss me a banana, will you, Dick?” This from Roy, who, having -caused the last of his doughnut to disappear, was still swallowing -convulsively. “I ate so many sandwiches,” he added, in an apologetic -tone, “that I can’t do justice to the doughnuts. Doughnuts are awfully -filling things, aren’t they?” - -“They certainly are,” agreed Dick and Chub together. - -“These will be fine for supper,” continued Dick. - -“Yes,” answered Roy, but with less enthusiasm. - -“Or breakfast,” suggested Chub. “I’m awfully fond of doughnuts for -breakfast. With lots of coffee,” he added as an afterthought. - -Harry, who had listened to the remarks with a puckered brow and -downcast eyes, struggling heroically with her own doughnut meanwhile, -suddenly dropped her face into her hands and there was an audible sob. - -“Hello!” cried Chub. “What’s the matter, Harry?” - -There was no reply save more sobs. The three boys gazed from Harry’s -heaving shoulders and bent head to each other’s faces and then back -again in dismay. - -“It’s the doughnuts,” whispered Dick in a flash of comprehension. Then -in loud, cheerful tones, “Have another doughnut, Roy?” he asked. “I’m -going to.” - -“Sure,” said Roy. “Have one, Chub?” - -“You bet! I just didn’t want to eat them all now for fear there -wouldn’t be any left for breakfast; but I dare say there’ll be enough. -Good, aren’t they?” - -“Don’t think I ever tasted better,” said Dick. - -“Swell!” said Roy. - -“They’re not! They’re perfectly horrid!” Harry’s tearful eyes were -gazing at them tragically. “It--it’s the almond!” - -“The--the what?” asked Roy. - -“The almond flav-flavoring,” faltered Harry. “I thought it would be -nice to put some flavoring in--and I got too--too much, and they’re -nasty!” - -“Nothing of the sort!” cried Chub, deftly tossing a half-devoured -doughnut over his head and reaching for another. “They’re not bad at -all, are they, fellows?” - -“I should say not!” exclaimed Dick. “I guess it was the flavoring I -tasted that time. You see, I didn’t know they were flavored, Harry. If -I’d known it, I’d have--er--understood.” - -“I put in too much,” sniffed Harry, dabbing her eyes with a diminutive -handkerchief. “I didn’t know how much to use and so I put in four -tablespoonfuls. They’re just as bitter and horrid as they can be!” - -“Oh, well, don’t you care, Harry,” Roy comforted. “You’ll know better -next time.” - -“There isn’t going to be any--next time,” answered Harry, dolefully. -“I’m never going to make any more.” - -But this elicited such a torrent of protestation, and it sounded so -genuine, that Harry was comforted, and in the end relented. - -“Maybe they’d be better just plain,” she said, “without any flavoring -at all.” - -“Well, we could try them that way next time,” said Chub, “and see. -I suppose the trouble with almond is that it’s pretty strong. Now, -vanilla or--or wintergreen--” - -This produced a howl of derisive laughter in which even Harry joined. -Chub pretended that his feelings were wounded and in another minute -or two the doughnut incident was quite forgotten and Harry was eating -a banana very cheerfully. The only untoward incident to threaten the -serenity occurred when Chub absent-mindedly whisked his handkerchief -from his pocket and at the same time whisked forth a half-eaten -doughnut which flew across into Harry’s lap. For a moment her gloom -returned, and Dick and Roy silently threatened Chub with dire -punishment; but Chub saved the situation in a measure by rare presence -of mind. - -“Here,” he said calmly, “that’s mine.” And when it was returned to -him he ate it unflinchingly, nay, even with every mark of enjoyment, -allowing carelessly that possibly there was a little too much flavor -to it but that he thought one could get very fond of almond after a -time. But to go a little ahead of our story, when supper was eaten the -doughnuts, through some oversight, were not placed on the menu, and -every one tactfully forebore to remark upon the omission. - -They had made out a list of groceries and supplies the evening before -which Mrs. Emery was to hand to the groceryman from Silver Cove when -he came for her order in the morning. And so in the middle of the -afternoon they went over in the rowboat to get the things. - -They made Dick row both ways because, as Chub put it, “he had imposed -upon his superiors in the morning.” Dick made a great fuss about the -labor but in reality enjoyed rowing hugely. - -They found their supplies awaiting them at the Cottage--two big -baskets of them. They had managed to get quite a little excitement the -evening before out of ordering. They had all made suggestions, Dick’s -imagination refusing to go farther than bacon, potatoes, and coffee; -Roy holding forth for what might be called staples, fresh meat, flour, -sugar, salt, pepper, and lard, and Chub’s fancy roaming blissfully -amid such delicacies as guava jelly, fancy biscuits, and pickles. As -for Harry, her suggestions, like Chub’s, ran to “trimmings,” such as -nuts and raisins, chocolate, patent preparations which by the addition -of boiling water magically turned into highly-colored puddings, and -dried fruit. (Dried fruit, she explained, was awfully nice when you -were hungry between meals.) But Mrs. Emery’s counsel usually prevailed, -and so when it was finished the list didn’t contain many unnecessary -articles. They stopped at the Cottage long enough for Dick to write his -letter to the boat-builder ordering the launch. As he signed his name -to the check which was to accompany it he grinned. - -“Can’t go to London now, anyway,” he said; “haven’t enough money left.” - -“Oh, it doesn’t cost much by steerage,” observed Chub. - -Then they carried the baskets down to the boat and across to the -island. Here Harry took command and directed the arrangement of the -supplies in the packing-case in the tent. Butter and lard, they -decided, would not keep hard there, so Chub built what he called a -“larder” on the edge of the water. He dug away the sand until he had a -small hole. At the bottom of this he placed a flat stone. Then he built -up around with pieces of box cover driven into the sand. The butter -firkin and lard tin were placed on the bottom and the water, passing in -between the pieces of wood, came half-way up them, keeping them cold. -A nice square piece of wood, selected from the pile which was drying -on the beach, was placed over the top and a stone was rested on it -to keep it from blowing off. Chub was very proud of his “larder” and -straightway insisted that each member of the party should stop his or -her labors and admire it. Each member good-naturedly did so. - -By this time the sun was getting down and Dick started a fire in the -stove and prepared to cook the evening meal. As it did not grow dark -until quite late Harry had received permission to remain on the island -for supper. Roy and Chub piled wood together for the camp-fire, and -Harry, having stowed away the last of the groceries to her liking, -furnished Dick with some slight assistance and much advice. He accepted -both thankfully and paid no heed to the latter; for Harry’s way of -cooking was not Dick’s. She was not too insistent with her advice; -possibly with the doughnut fiasco still in mind she thought it behooved -her to be humble. As a camp cook, Dick proved himself an unqualified -success from the start. Even Harry acknowledged that he was a wonder. -He possessed the knack of doing several things at once and not losing -his head, and the easy, unflustered manner in which he boiled potatoes, -made tea, and fried steak at one and the same moment was a source of -wonderment to the others, who, washed and ready for supper, sat around -and almost forgot their hunger in admiration. - -Now when you have been busy out of doors all day long, steak sizzling -in butter, potatoes steaming through burst jackets, thick slices of -snowy bread, and tea glowing like amber when it is poured from the pot -in the late sunlight, are just about the finest things ever fashioned. -If the steak was a little bit overdone no one realized it, and if -condensed milk wasn’t quite up to the fresh article it was too paltry a -fact to mention. From where they sat, within, for Dick, easy reaching -distance of the stove, they looked out upon the placid water of the -river, hued like molten gold under the last rays of the setting sun, -across to the green-black shadows of the tree-lined shore. High up -above the slope of verdure a window in School Hall caught the radiance -and shot it back, glowing ruddily. When for a moment, which was not -frequently, the conversation paused there was only the leap of a small -fish from the stream, the twittering of a bird, the distant screech of -a locomotive, or the lazy creak of a boom as some small boat crept by -the island, to mar the mellow stillness of the sunset hour. - -But you may be sure the fish and the bird, the engine and the boat, had -scant opportunity to make themselves heard at Camp Torohadik, for every -one was in the best of spirits and there was so much to talk about -that it required all of one’s politeness to keep from interrupting. -The school year just closed was a never-failing subject, for there -were dozens of incidents to be recalled. And there were plans to lay, -marvelous plans for excursions and explorations. After every one had -eaten as much as possible, and when there was no longer any excuse for -remaining about the “table,” they cleaned up, washing the tin pans and -plates in the water of the cove where an accommodating stone jutted out -from the sand. - -The sunlight lingered and lingered on the tops of the hills in the west -and then the twilight filled the valley with soft shadows and toned the -bosom of the river to shades of steely gray. And so it was almost eight -o’clock before there was any valid excuse for lighting the camp-fire. -A tiny breeze sprang up out of the east and fanned the flames into -leaping forms of orange and ruby. Gradually the conversation died away, -and finally Harry yawned frankly and sleepily. Chub and Roy paddled -her across the darkening water to the landing, pausing now and then -and letting the canoe drift while they gazed back at the point, where -Dick’s shadow, monstrous and grotesque, moved across the side of the -tent as he mended the fire. They went part way up the path with Harry, -bade her good night, and scampered back to the landing and the canoe. -As they glided softly into the shadow of the island Dick’s voice -challenged them. - -[Illustration: “Chub and Roy paddled her across the darkening water”] - -“Who goes there?” - -“Friends,” answered Chub. - -“Advance, friends, and give the countersign.” - -“What the dickens is the countersign?” whispered Chub. - -“You may search me,” replied Roy with a yawn. - -“Torohadik,” ventured Chub. - -“Wrong,” answered Dick, sternly. - -“Liberty,” said Roy. - -“Freedom,” said Chub. - -“Wrong,” replied Dick. - -“Oh, go to thunder,” grumbled Chub, paddling for the beach. “I don’t -know what it is.” - -“Doughnuts!” laughed Dick, pulling the canoe up. “Any one ought to know -that.” - -“Well, it isn’t anything you could easily forget,” answered Chub, -ruefully. “Weren’t they fierce?” - -“They certainly were,” answered Roy as he jumped ashore. “And,” he -added determinedly, “that reminds me of a duty to humanity.” He -disappeared into the tent and when he emerged again he bore something -in one hand. An instant later there was a series of light splashes. -Chub took his cap off. - -“_Requiescat in pace_,” he murmured. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -EXPLORATION - - -“Get up, you lazy beggar!” cried Roy, snatching off the gray woolen -blanket and disclosing Chub, in a pair of blue pajamas, sprawled, face -down, on his bed. - -“Eh?” muttered Chub sleepily. - -“Get up! Harry’s over on the landing blowing that tin tooter of hers -for all she’s worth. It’s after seven o’clock. You’re a great camper, -you are!” - -Chub turned over dazedly on his elbow and blinked at his chum. Then his -eyes wandered to the other two empty beds. - -“Where’s Dick?” he asked. - -“Getting breakfast. He’s been up half an hour. And we’ve been yelling -at you at the top of our lungs, and all we could get out of you was -‘Ye-e-s!’” - -“Get out,” answered Chub, indignantly, sitting up on his lowly couch, -“I haven’t opened my mouth!” - -“Haven’t you? You had it open most of the night, for one thing. -To-night we’re going to make you sleep outdoors, probably on the other -end of the island. Get some clothes on and we’ll go over and fetch -Harry.” - -Chub shook his head anxiously. - -“It occurs to me,” he said, “that that girl is going to annoy me with -her strenuousness. This is no time to be making such noises as that. -Think of the poor little birdies trying to sleep in their downy nests.” - -“Well, you get a move out of your downy nest,” laughed Roy. “If you -don’t I’ll call Dick and we’ll pull you out.” - -“Think I’m afraid of you brutes?” asked Chub, scathingly. “I’d have you -understand, Mr. Porter, that I am not to be coerced. I am a free-born -citizen of this glorious Republic, and as such I have rights which -cannot--” - -“Oh, Dick!” shouted Roy. Chub gave a bound off his bed and was standing -in the middle of the tent in a twinkling. - -“I dare you to pull me out!” he said with immense dignity. Then, “How’s -the water?” he asked. - -“Cold,” replied Roy. “Besides, you haven’t got time for a bath. If you -want to bathe before breakfast you must get up at a decent time. Get a -move on now.” - -Roy went out, leaving Chub indignantly searching for a pair of -stockings which he plainly remembered having taken off last night but -which at the present moment were not to be seen. - -“Decent time!” he muttered. “What’s a vacation for if you can’t lie in -bed when you’re sleepy? I’ve a good mind to go back again.” He looked -speculatively at his disordered bed, and then peeped through the tent -door. What he saw decided him. - -“Bacon and eggs,” he murmured appreciatively. “Where are my trousers? -A fellow doesn’t have to have socks to eat breakfast in.” But the -trousers revealed the missing stockings, and as he proceeded to dress -leisurely he warbled loudly for the benefit of the others: - - “The lark came up to meet the sun - And carol forth its lay; - The farmer’s boy took down his gun - And at him blazed away. - - “The busy bee arose at five - And hummed the meadows o’er; - The farmer’s wife went to his hive - And robbed him of his store. - - “The little ant rose early too, - His labors to begin; - The greedy sparrow that way flew - And took his antship in. - - “O birds and bees and ants, be wise; - In proverbs take no stock; - Like me, refuse from bed to rise - Till half past eight o’clock.” - -“If you’re not out here in two minutes,” called Dick, “we’re going to -duck you.” - -“Brutes!” answered Chub. “Who’s got my necktie?” - -The inquiry elicited no response and he was compelled to solve the -mystery unaided. The missing article was finally discovered dangling -from the pocket of his shirt. The tent was filled with a subdued -yellow light, for the sun was shining brightly from a clear, blue sky, -and here and there a low-hanging branch was silhouetted against the -canvas. Through the opening a cool, moist breeze blew in, tempting the -dawdler into the morning world. But what tempted him still more was the -fragrant odor that came from Dick’s pan and the accompanying eloquent -sizzling sound. Chub was out before the two minutes had expired. The -bacon and eggs were frying merrily, the coffee-pot was exhaling a -fragrant aroma through its spout, and life was wonderfully well worth -living. Chub balanced himself precariously on the jutting stone and -performed a somewhat sketchy toilet. Then he and Roy tumbled into the -canoe and shot it out across the green-shadowed water. - -Harry had given up her horn in disgust and was sitting on the landing, -a picture of patience. As they drew near a fox terrier rustled out of -the trees and ran toward them wagging a wisp of a tail in hilarious -greeting. - -“I brought Snip along,” explained Harry. “He loves to run around on the -island, and I’m not afraid of his getting lost because, of course, he -can’t get off. Methuselah wanted to come too, but I didn’t see how I -could bring him.” - -“It’s just as well,” said Roy. “He might get seasick crossing over.” - -“Do you think parrots can get seasick?” asked Harry curiously as she -took her place in the canoe. - -“Well, we wouldn’t want to risk it,” answered Roy evasively. “Isn’t it -a swell morning?” - -“Beautiful. I’ve been up nearly two hours. I hope you’ve got something -nice for breakfast.” - -“You bet we have,” said Chub. “Bacon and eggs, all sputtering together -in a pan like a happy family. Gee, I’m hungry enough to eat this -paddle. Talk about being up a long time, Harry! Why, I’ve been up ever -since--” - -“Ten minutes ago,” finished Roy. “Snip, if you lean any farther out -you’ll find a watery grave.” - -“Snip can swim beautifully,” said Harry indignantly. “Can’t you, -darling?” Darling intimated by a quick dab of his tongue at her chin -that swimming was one of the easiest things he did. - -“Huh!” said Chub. “Snip swims like Sid Welch; makes an awful lot of -fuss but doesn’t get anywhere. Why, when Sid gets into the water -there’s foam for a mile up and down the river; looks like a regular -flotilla of excursion steamers had been along. As for Sid, he grunts -and thrashes his arms and legs around and stays just where he started.” - -“I think Snip swims very well for a small dog,” said Harry with hauteur. - -“Talking about swimming,” observed Roy, “who’s going in this forenoon? -Did you bring your bathing-suit, Harry?” - -“I guess I’ll wait until to-morrow,” answered Harry. “Then I can get -into my bathing-suit at the house and put on a mackintosh and you can -row me over.” - -“For that matter,” said Roy, “we might just as well go in from the -float. The swimming’s just as good there as it is on the island.” But -Harry raised instant protest. - -“No, you mustn’t,” she declared. “That wouldn’t be fair. You must make -believe that the island is away off from everywhere and that it takes -days and days to get to the camp.” - -“Of course,” laughed Roy. “Let me see, to-day’s Friday; we ought to get -breakfast about Sunday, eh?” - -“Dick will have it all eaten by then,” said Chub sadly. - -“Oh, we’ve already been two days on the trip,” answered Harry merrily. -“We’ll be there in a few minutes now.” - -“Hooray!” Chub shouted. “Land ho!” - -“Where away?” asked Roy. - -“Two points off the bow paddle,” answered Chub. “And, say, I can smell -that bacon!” - -A moment later they were aground on Inner Beach and Roy helped Harry -out on to the sand. At the stove Dick was busily transferring slices of -crisp bacon and golden-brown eggs on to the tin plates. - -“Good morning, Harry,” he shouted. “You’re just in time. Have a fried -egg?” - -“No,” answered Chub, “she isn’t hungry. She says I can have hers.” - -“Oh, you fibber!” cried Harry. “I didn’t say anything of the kind, -Dick! I’m so hungry--” - -“That’s all right,” Dick replied. “No one ever believes Chub. Here you -are, now; get busy. Pass your cups if you want coffee. Say, Roy, get -the sugar, will you? I forgot it.” - -“Oh, don’t we have the best things to eat!” sighed Harry presently. - -“We sure do,” answered Roy. “Is there another egg there, Dickums?” - -“Yes, there’s two each. Pass your plate.” - -“I don’t want a second one,” Harry announced, “so some one can have it.” - -“Thanks,” said Roy. “Much obliged, Harry.” Chub, who had opened his -mouth, shut it again and looked disgustedly at Roy. He was silent a -moment, while the others watched him amusedly, then: - -“I know a good English conundrum about a lobster,” he announced gravely. - -“All right,” said Dick. “Out with it; get it off your mind.” - -“Why is Roy like a lobster?” - -“Why _is_ he a lobster, you mean, don’t you?” - -“No, that’s beyond explaining. I mean why is he like a lobster?” - -“Is there any known answer?” scoffed Roy, “or is it like most of your -conundrums?” - -“There’s a very excellent answer,” replied Chub with dignity, as he -stole Dick’s slice of bread undetected. “The answer is: because he is -selfish.” - -“Selfish? I don’t see--” began Dick. - -“Oh, shell-fish!” cried Harry. “Don’t you see? Selfish--shell-fish. -That’s it, isn’t it, Chub?” - -“Yes, that’s it; good, isn’t it?” - -“About the poorest I ever heard,” said Roy. “Shell-fish!” - -“It’s an English conundrum,” answered Chub, calmly. - -“It sounds like one,” Dick agreed. - -“Yes, if you drop the h it’s all right!” - -“O-oh!” cried the others in chorus. Chub bowed modestly. - -“I’d like another egg, please,” he said. - -“Well, you don’t deserve it,” said Roy. “But I’ll give you Harry’s.” - -“I’ll compromise on half.” - -“Here, I’ll cook another,” said Dick, but Chub and Roy decided that -half an egg would be all they could eat with comfort. - -After breakfast it was decided that they were to walk around the -island, or, in the words of Harry, explore their domain. - -“I tell you what we ought to do,” said Roy. “We ought to make a map of -it, showing all the bays and peninsulas and--and--” - -“Rivers,” suggested Chub. “Who’s going to do it?” - -“I will,” Roy answered. “Where can I get a piece of paper?” - -“There’s a tablet in my suit case that I brought along to write letters -on,” said Dick. “Will that do?” - -“Have to,” Roy replied. “Can I find it?” - -“Sure. Pull things out until you reach it. It’s there somewhere. -Where’s Snip got to, Harry?” - -“Oh, he’s around somewhere,” Chub answered. “I heard him barking like -anything awhile ago. Probably he’s caught a bear.” - -“Yes, a Teddy bear,” said Dick. “Here, Snip! Here, Snip!” - -“I hope it’s a white one,” laughed Harry; “I like them better than the -brown ones, don’t you?” - -“Yes, the cinnamon gets up my nose,” Chub assured them. “Here he comes, -with his tongue hanging out so far that he’s stepping on it! What did -you find, Snipper-Snapper?” - -“That’s not his name, Chub Eaton,” Harry remonstrated. “His name’s -Darlingest Snip.” - -“Well, come on, Darlingest Snip,” said Chub as Roy joined them; “but -you must behave yourself and not kill any more bears. If you do you’ll -be arrested for violation of the game laws of Fox Island.” - -They set off along Inner Beach, pausing every minute or so while Roy -made marks on the tablet. - -“Of course,” he explained, apologetically, “this will be only a rough -map, you know.” Chub sniffed but forebore to make any comment. - -At Round Head, the big rock at the farther end of the beach, they sat -down in the sunlight for awhile and allowed Roy to puzzle over his map. -Then they followed the little well-worn path which skirts the shore -under the trees past Turtle Cove, Turtle Point, and Round Harbor. This -brought them to the upper end of the island where it terminates in a -rocky point that breasts the water like the prow of a battle-ship. Roy -originated the simile, and Chub remarked that it wasn’t the bow of a -ship but the stern, and that the two little islets lying beyond were -the battle-ship’s tenders in tow. - -“We’re getting quite--quite poetical,” said Dick. “What’s the name of -this point, Roy?” - -Roy shook his head and looked questioningly at Chub. - -“Don’t believe it has any name,” said the latter. “We’ve always called -it just ‘the other end,’ or something like that.” - -“Oh, let’s name it!” cried Harry. - -“Point Torohadik,” Roy suggested. - -“Point Harriet,” Chub corrected. Harry clapped her hands. - -“Couldn’t we call it that?” she asked eagerly. - -“That’s its name henceforth,” replied Chub solemnly. “And we ought -really to change the names of those islands there to Snip and -Methuselah!” - -“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” laughed Roy. “They’ve been called -Treasure Island and Far Island for years.” - -“I tell you, though,” cried Chub. “The Grapes haven’t been named. -There are eight of them. We’ll name those!” - -They hurried past the point to where a cluster of tiny islets, the -largest scarcely bigger than a barn door, lay just off the shore. A few -of them held turf and bushes, but most were just barren lumps of rock -and sand. - -“Now,” said Chub, “the largest we will name Snip Island, the next -largest Methuselah, the next Spot, the next--” - -“Lady Gray!” prompted Harry. - -“Lady Gray. Then comes--are there any more cats or kittens, Harry?” - -“There’s Joe,” said Harry, somewhat reproachfully. - -“Oh, yes, of course. Well, that’s Joe Island over there, the -three-cornered one. Now what?” - -“Well, there are the black rabbits,” Harry suggested. - -“Just the thing!” said Roy. “There are three of them and there are just -three islands left. I name thee--” - -“Say, who’s officiating at this christening, anyhow?” asked Chub. “You -run away and play, Mr. Porter. Now, the next island to Joe is Pete, the -next Repeat, and the last one Threepete.” - -“Referred to in the geographies as the Rabbit Group,” added Dick. “And -now, if the ceremony is completed, we will move on to the next exhibit.” - -They ran up the little slope of Hood’s Hill, where the three boys -had awaited the boat-race, and then, like a celebrated army, ran down -again. That brought them to Outer Beach, and they followed the edge -of the water to Gull Point and from there on to Lookout, a small -promontory dividing Outer Beach proper from the smaller crescent of -sand known as Victory Cove. Then they were home again. - -“Let’s see your old map,” said Chub, and when it was exhibited he -laughed uproariously. - -“Call that a map!” he shouted. “Why, say, Roy, that’s the diagram of a -nightmare! Come and look, Dick.” - -“You wait until I fix it up,” answered Roy, unruffled, thrusting it in -his pocket to Dick’s disappointment. “It’s got to be drawn over again -with ink.” - -“Huh!” scoffed Chub. “The ink will turn pale when it sees that!” - -They threw themselves down on the ground in the shade of the whispering -birches, and Snip, who had wandered afield some moments before, came -trotting into sight, his tongue hanging out, and subsided, very warm -and happy, at Harry’s feet. - -“He’s been at it again,” said Chub regretfully. - -“At what?” Harry demanded. - -“Killing bears. We won’t have any left on the island if you don’t stop -him, Harry.” - -“You’re very silly,” said Harry. - -“Oh, very well,” was the response. “I’m not going to stay here and be -insulted. Me for the water.” With a glance of contempt our hero turned -upon his heel and strode haughtily away. - -Chub tried turning on his heel, but as there was a root in the way he -made rather a failure of it. But he had better success with the rest -of the performance, for the look of haughtiness which he assumed sent -the others into howls of laughter. Dick and Roy followed him into the -tent and Harry and Snip wandered away along Inner Beach in search of -blueberries. Presently there was a chorus of yells that sent the hair -along the middle of Snip’s back pointing upward like the quills of -the fretful porcupine and the three boys came tearing along the beach -in their bathing-suits. As they came abreast of Harry and Snip Chub -shouted: - -“Last one in is a fool!” - -There was a mighty thrashing of the water as the trio floundered -through the first few yards and then three splashes almost simultaneous -followed. In a moment they were all up, laughing and gasping, and -calling to Harry to settle the question of who the fool was. - -“Why,” said Harry, “you all went in at the same time, so you’re all -three fools!” - -“No sooner said than stung,” cried Chub. “Harry, if you’ll come nearer -I’ll tell you a secret.” - -“Yes, and throw water on me,” answered Harry shrewdly. “No thanks; I’m -very comfortable where I am.” - -[Illustration: “They followed the edge of the water”] - -“I hate a suspicious person,” Chub grumbled. “That’s what I like -about Dick. He’s never suspicious.” Whereupon Chub dived quickly and -grabbed the unsuspicious one by the ankle and for a minute the water -boiled as the two struggled together. At length Chub broke away and -fled to the beach, and presently they were all out of the water and -sunning themselves on the sloping surface of Round Head. Harry and -Snip joined them, Snip hitting upon the enjoyable pastime of licking -the boys’ faces as soon as they lay down and closed their eyes against -the sunlight. This innocent diversion proved to be Snip’s undoing, -for while he was operating on Dick, that youth, unable to stand the -tickling sensation any longer, arose suddenly and toppled the luckless -Snip over the edge of the rock into the water. - -“Oh, he will drown!” wailed Harry. - -But Snip came up coughing and choking and struck out bravely for the -beach, and his anxious mistress reached him just in time to get well -spattered as he emerged from the water and shook himself. - -“I thought you said he could swim beautifully,” said Chub. - -“Well, didn’t he?” - -“Yes, but you were scared he’d drown. If you knew he could swim--” - -“Of course I knew he could swim, but--but supposing a shark got him!” -And she was quite incredulous when they assured her that there were no -sharks that far up the Hudson. “You don’t know anything about it,” she -said. “A shark could swim up here if he wanted to.” - -“Oh, well, the only shark Snip need be afraid of is a dog-shark,” said -Chub. “And they keep those muzzled.” - -Presently, inaction beginning to pall on them, they started diving from -the rock, Dick, who knew little about diving, cheerfully striving to -duplicate every stunt shown by Roy and Chub and coming many a cropper -in consequence. Then they had a foot-race up the beach which Chub won -handily, and a broad-jumping contest which went to Roy. - -“What time do we have dinner?” asked Chub, as he climbed back to the -rock, panting. - -“Any time; whenever we’re ready for it,” answered Roy. - -“Well, I’m ready right now,” Chub assured him. “What time is it, do you -suppose?” - -“About a quarter of twelve,” replied Dick after a scrutiny of the sun -and the shadows. “Let’s mosey back and get dressed. There are potatoes -to get ready.” - -“O-o-oh!” howled Chub. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Harry anxiously. - -“I hurt my wrist when I was jumping,” answered Chub. - -“Badly? Did you sprain it?” - -“Well, I don’t think it’s actually sprained,” answered Chub cautiously, -“but it’s too badly hurt to allow me to hold a potato-knife.” - -“Oh!” said Harry indignantly, as the others laughed. “I thought you -meant it.” - -“For that,” said Roy, “we’ll make him peel them all, eh, Dick?” - -“Every last one,” replied Dick sternly. There was no answer from Chub -for a moment. Then he observed casually, apparently addressing his -remarks to Snip: - -“I was reading somewhere the other day that the most healthful way in -which to eat potatoes was with the bark on.” - -“Bark!” ridiculed Harry. - -“We had them that way last night,” said Dick. “To-day they’re to be -peeled; and you’re going to peel them. So come along.” - -“I wonder,” muttered Chub as he arose and followed the others along the -beach, “why it is I always have to do most of the work. I suppose I’m -too good-natured and obliging. Woe is me!” - -Ten minutes later he was sitting cross-legged on the rock in the cove -with a pan of potatoes beside him, peeling and whistling contentedly. - -“How many have you got?” asked Dick, coming down for the butter. - -“Plenty,” answered Chub cheerfully. “Let’s see, there’s one for you and -one for Harry and a little one for Roy and a tiny one for Snip and four -for me.” - -“Two or three more will be enough,” said Dick. “But, for goodness sake, -Chub, which are the potatoes and which are the peelings?” - -“You run away,” answered Chub aggrievedly. “Those peelings are mere -wafers. I’m celebrated for peeling potatoes.” - -“Humph!” Dick grunted as he turned away. - -“Humph yourself!” answered Chub, throwing a peeling at him. “Chub,” -he continued, talking to himself, “this is a very ungrateful world. -But you must make the best of it. Do your duty, Chub, and all will be -well. Whereupon our hero, brushing aside the unmanly tears, applied -himself with renewed vigor to his degrading task.” And Chub, working -the potato-knife slowly, took up his whistling again. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -“W. N.” PAYS A VISIT - - -“I’m not grumbling,” denied Chub. “I’m only--only stating my position.” - -They had been on Fox Island just one week; had bathed, canoed up and -down the river, explored the country on each side of them to some -extent, had eaten three generous meals every day, and had slept nine -hours every night; and now Chub had given the first expression of -dissatisfaction. They had finished dinner and were still sitting -about the scanty remains of the feast. Harry was not present, to-day -being one of the two days in the week when piano practice kept her an -unwilling prisoner at the Cottage. Yesterday it had rained from morning -until night, keeping them close to camp, and to-day, although the rain -had ceased after breakfast, the clouds hung low, and there was an -uncomfortable rawness in the east wind. The square of canvas over the -stove flapped dismally, and the camp fire smoldered smokily, as though -it were depressed by the cheerlessness of the leaden sky and the gray -river. - -“What do you expect in camp?” asked Roy, almost irritably, tilting back -on the soap-box which had served him for a dining chair. “A parade in -the morning, circus in the afternoon, and theater in the evening?” - -“Maybe he’d rather have a garden-party this afternoon and a concert -to-night,” suggested Dick, sarcastically. - -“Now, look here,” answered Chub, warmly, “you fellows needn’t jump on -me. I only said that life was growing dull, and it is, and you know it -is--only you’re afraid to say so.” - -“Who’s jumping on you?” asked Dick. - -“You, you old lobster; and Roy, too. I’m bored to death, if you want to -know; and I don’t care who hears it. I say let’s _do_ something. We’ve -stuck around the camp here for two days and played cards till I can’t -tell a king from a four-spot. I want excitement!” And in proof of the -assertion Chub rolled over backward off his box and flourished his legs -in air. The others laughed and good nature returned to Camp Torohadik. - -“Well, what is there to do?” asked Dick. “You suggest something and -we’ll do it. If the launch was only here--” - -“You and your launch!” jeered Chub. “It was going to be here in six -days, and it’s eight now. I don’t believe you bought it.” - -“It may be at the Cove now,” answered Dick. “Suppose we go down and -see?” - -“Oh, there’s no fun paddling around in this sort of weather,” said Roy. -“We’ll go up to the Cottage and telephone. Then if it is there we can -go down in the canoe and get it and we won’t have to paddle home.” - -“Won’t we?” asked Chub, ironically. “How do you propose to get the -launch up here?” - -“We’ll get you to push it,” answered Dick. “Well, let’s go over and -telephone, then. That’ll take Chub’s mind from his troubles.” - -“And, say,” added Chub, “while we’re there, let’s have a couple of sets -of tennis. Harry and I will play you two.” - -“Harry won’t be through practising until three or half past,” answered -Roy. “Besides, it doesn’t seem quite fair, somehow, to play tennis when -you’re camping out.” - -“Fair be blowed!” said Chub. “If it will keep me from growing dippy, -it’s all right, isn’t it?” - -They agreed that it was, and after the dinner things were cleared up -they tumbled into the canoe and paddled over to the landing. As they -neared the Cottage the dismal strains of the piano, suffering an agony -of scales and five-finger exercises, reached them. - -“Poor Harry!” sighed Roy. “She’s worse off than we are.” - -They stole up to the window and rapped on the pane, and when Harry -looked startledly up she was confronted with a row of three grinning -faces whose owners applauded silently with their hands. - -She flew across to the window and threw it open. - -“What is it?” she demanded eagerly. - -“Nothing. We came up to telephone to the Cove to see if the launch has -come. How much longer have you to torture that piano?” - -“About--” Harry looked doubtfully at the little gilt clock on the -mantel--“about half an hour--or twenty minutes.” - -“Make it fifteen,” said Chub, “and come on out and play tennis. Dick -and Roy against you and me. A cinch!” - -“I can’t,” faltered Harry. “I have to practice two hours, you know. -Mama’s away. If she were here I might skimp a little, but I don’t like -to cheat when she’s gone.” - -“That’s a noble sentiment,” said Dick. “Go ahead and do your worst, -Harry; we’ll wait for you.” - -“We’ll get our rackets and go over to the court,” said Roy. - -“You’ll have to put the net up,” said Harry. “But don’t you go and -begin to play till I come. Promise!” - -“We promise!” answered the three in unison. Then they went around to -the door, and as Harry closed the window, laughing, she heard them -stampeding into the hall. - -The launch had not arrived, the freight agent at the steamboat -wharf informed them. There followed a council and Dick returned to -the telephone and sent a message to be forwarded by wire to the -boat-builder. - -“When he gets that I bet he’ll sit up and take notice,” growled Dick. - -“He will be scared to death,” agreed Chub. “I didn’t know you could be -so stern and masterful, Dickums. It becomes you, though, ’deed it does, -Dickums!” - -Half an hour later they were all four engaged in mighty combat on the -tennis-court. Chub forgot his boredom and, with Harry at his side, -played splendid tennis. But the first set went to the opponents, none -the less, six games to four. They changed courts and the contest was -renewed. This time Chub performed so well that the first two games went -to them before the others had found themselves. Then, at two games to -one, Harry, encouraged by their success, won on her serve, and they had -a lead of three; and, although Dick and Roy fought doggedly and brought -the score up to 3--5, Chub and Harry went out brilliantly on the next -game. At that moment, as though in applause, the sun burst through the -bank of clouds in the west and lighted the damp world with a soft, -golden glow. - -“Come on, Harry!” cried Chub. “That set made even the sun sit up! Let’s -take the next one now.” - -But Roy was on his mettle and made his service tell every time, which -is equivalent to saying that he had things his own way. But it was no -walkover at that, and when the quartet threw themselves down on the -bench under the apple-tree the score was 6--4. - -“If you’d serve like a gentleman,” grumbled Chub, good-naturedly, “we -might have a show. But I’d like to know how any fellow can be expected -to take those fool twisters of yours that never leave the ground after -they ’light!” - -“When Roy came here two years ago,” said Harry reminiscently, “he -couldn’t play hardly at all. Could you, Roy? Why, I used to beat him -all the time!” - -“That’s so,” answered Roy. “Harry taught me the game.” - -“I didn’t teach you that serve,” said Harry. “I wish I could do it.” - -“Well, I’ve tried to show you,” Roy laughed. - -“Wish I could play as well as Harry,” remarked Dick disconsolately. - -“Oh, you can, Dick, and you know it!” cried Harry. - -“Indeed I can’t!” - -“Well, there’s only one way to settle it,” said Chub. “You two get up -and have it out.” - -“Are you too tired?” asked Dick. Harry assured him that she wasn’t -a bit tired, and they took their places. Roy and Chub made a very -appreciative “gallery,” applauding everything, even mis-strokes. In the -end Dick proved his assertion by getting himself beaten seven games to -five, and the four, stopping at the Cottage for Harry to get her coat, -raced down to the landing and paddled across to camp in the highest of -spirits. The camp-fire had gone out in their absence, but Dick soon -had it going again. And then the stove was lighted and he set about -getting supper, Harry, as usual, volunteering to assist and becoming -wildly enthusiastic over the frying of the potatoes, so enthusiastic -that she allowed them to burn under her nose. It mustn’t be imagined -from this, however, that her culinary efforts always ended in disaster, -for there had been several batches of doughnuts--unflavored--which -had turned out excellently, and even now the party was finishing a -recent baking of vanilla cookies. Doughnuts and cookies, however, were -prepared at the Cottage; when it came to camp cookery Harry wasn’t -an unqualified success; perhaps there was too much to distract her -attention. - -Chub declared that he preferred his potatoes well browned and the -others said that it didn’t matter a bit. Harry, who had been suddenly -plunged into deepest woe by the calamity, recovered her spirits -sufficiently to suggest tentatively that perhaps it was better to have -them too well done than not done enough. Dick and Roy were about to -agree heartily to this sentiment when a shout from Chub who had been -sent to the “larder” for the butter interrupted them. - -“Somebody’s swiped almost half the butter,” he called, “and left a -piece of poetry.” - -“Swiped the butter!” exclaimed Dick. - -“Left a piece of poultry!” cried Roy. - -“Yes,” answered Chub as he came up, a plate of butter in one hand and a -very dirty slip of paper in the other, “helped himself to about half a -pound of it, and left this in the tub.” And he fluttered the paper. - -“What is it?” asked Harry, as they crowded around him. - -“Poetry, verse,” answered Chub, “and the craziest stuff you ever read.” - -“Oh, I thought you said poultry,” said Roy. “What does it say?” - - “Thanks for your hospitality - Which I accept, as you can see. - When I possess what you have not - Pray help yourself to what I’ve got. - - “W. N.” - -“Well, what do you think of that?” gasped Roy when Chub had finished -reading. “Of all the cheeky beggars!” - -“Let’s see it,” said Dick. He took the paper and looked it over -carefully. It appeared to be the half of a page from a pocket -note-book. It was traversed by pale blue lines and the lower corners -were curled as though from much handling. The writing was small and the -letters well formed. - -“Do you reckon it’s a joke?” asked Chub. - -“Who could have done it?” inquired Roy. “We don’t know any one around -here, now that school is closed.” - -“Wait a bit,” exclaimed Dick. “Here’s something on the other side; it’s -been rubbed out, but I can see the words ‘set’ and ‘Billings,’ and -there are some figures, I think.” - -“‘Seth Billings,’” pondered Roy. “It isn’t ‘Seth Billings,’ is it?” - -“No, I don’t think so; I can’t see any h. Here, you see what you can -make of it.” - -Roy took the paper and scrutinized it closely, but was unable to -decipher any more than Dick. - -“Well, ‘Seth Billings’ wants to keep away from this camp in future,” -said Chub, “or he will get his head punched.” - -“I don’t think his name can be Seth Billings,” said Harry, “because he -signed that verse ‘N. W.’” - -“‘W. N.,’” Chub corrected. “Not that it matters, though. He was -probably going by in a boat and saw the camp and just naturally snooped -around and helped himself to--say, do you suppose he’s taken anything -else?” - -There was a concerted movement toward the tent and a rapid inventory -of their property. Nothing was missing, however; or so, at least, it -seemed until Dick raised the cover of the tin bread-box. Then: - -“Bread, too,” he said dryly; “and here’s another sonnet in the bottom -of the box. Listen to this: - - “What’s the good o’ butter - When it can’t be spread? - Hence I am your debtor - For half a loaf of bread. - - “W. N.” - -Chub burst into a laugh and the others joined him. - -“He’s a joker, he is!” he gasped. “As far as I’m concerned he’s -welcome. But I wouldn’t want him to visit us every day; we’d be -bankrupt in a week!” - -“But who is he?” puzzled Roy. “Any one know a ‘W. N.’?” - -They all thought hard but without solving the riddle. - -“Oh, he’s probably a tramp or--or something like that,” said Roy. - -“Tramps don’t usually pay for what they take with verses,” Chub -objected; “and his rhymes aren’t bad, you know, all except ‘butter,’ -and ‘debtor’; that’s poetic license with a vengeance.” - -“Well, we’ll call him the Licensed Poet,” said Dick, “and have our -supper. We ought to be thankful that he didn’t take more than he did. -There were two whole loaves of bread there besides the half loaf; it -was decent of him to take the half.” - -“For that matter,” observed Roy, “it was decent of him, I suppose, not -to swipe the tent and the cook stove. After this we won’t dare to leave -the camp alone.” - -“Supper! Supper!” cried Chub. “We can talk about it just as well while -we’re eating. Come on, Harry; take the head of the table, please.” - -“No, I’m not going to sit at the head,” Harry declared. “There’s a -horrid old root there. I’m going to sit here, right by the preserve.” - -Of course there was just one all-absorbing topic of conversation, and -that was “W. N.,” “Seth Billings,” or “The Licensed Poet,” as he was -variously called. Harry advanced a theory to account for the difference -between the initials signed to the verses and the name on the reverse -of the paper which found instant favor. The theory was that there had -been two visitors, that “W. N.” had written the verses, and that “Seth -Billings” had supplied the leaf out of his note-book. That explanation -was very plausible, and, while it didn’t begin to explain all they -wanted to know, it brought a measure of relief. - -As the twilight fell Harry became fidgety and evinced a disposition -to start abruptly at slight noises and to glance continually over her -shoulder toward the edge of the woods, and long before her accustomed -hour for leaving she decided that she would return to the Cottage, -pleading that the tennis had made her very tired and sleepy. Chub -grinned skeptically but said nothing, and he and Roy took Harry home, -accompanying her all the way up the hill and only turning back when the -lights of the Cottage were in sight across the campus. - -“Shall we fasten the tent-flap?” asked Roy when they had undressed -under the swinging lantern and were ready to dispense with its feeble -radiance. - -“What’s the use?” yawned Chub. “If Seth Billings wants to steal us I -guess he will do it anyhow.” - -“I’d like to see what he’d write after he’d stolen you and had a good -look at you,” said Roy as he blew out the lantern. For once Chub made -no retort, for he was already fast asleep. - -They awoke the next morning to find the sky swept clear of clouds and -the sunlight burnishing the green leaves. There was a dip in the blue -waters of the cove and a race back to the tent where three tingling -bodies were rubbed dry and invested with clothing. Then Dick, who -could dress or undress while Roy or Chub were getting ready to do it, -went whistling out to start the fire. In a moment the whistling ceased -abruptly and there was silence. Then the tent flap was pushed back and -Dick appeared in the opening holding forth a square of birch bark on -which lay four good-sized fish. - -“Pickerel!” exclaimed Roy. “Where’d you get them?” - -“Found them on top of the stove.” - -“Seth Billings, I’ll bet!” cried Chub. “Was there any poetry?” - -“Not a line,” answered Dick. “If Seth left them, we’re very much -obliged to him, but I’d just like to catch a glimpse of him; he’s too -plaguey mysterious for comfort.” - -“I tell you!” said Roy. “He’s camping out here on the island! What’ll -you bet he isn’t?” - -“I’ll bet he is!” answered Chub. “Let’s go and look for him!” - -“All right. But it was careless of him not to write a poem this time,” -said Dick. - -“Are you sure there wasn’t one?” Chub asked. “Did you look around? It -might have blown off.” - -“Yes, I looked. What I like best about these fish is that they’re -already cleaned. All I’ve got to do is to slide them into the -frying-pan.” - -Roy and Chub followed him out and watched while the pickerel were -transferred from the birch bark to the pan. Dick tossed the bark aside -and Chub rescued it out of curiosity. - -“It made a pretty good platter,” he said. Then, “Here it is!” he cried -delightedly. - -“What?” asked the others in a breath. - -“The verse! He wrote it on the other side of the bark! Listen! - - “Fish, so the scientists agree, - As food for brain do serve. - So help yourself, but as for me, - I take them for my nerve! - - “W. N.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -A GUEST AT CAMP - - -“For his nerve!” gasped Dick. - -Then they all howled with laughter until Dick leaped to the stove to -rescue the coffee which was bubbling out of the spout. - -“Think of his needing anything for his nerve!” said Chub. “Isn’t he the -dizzy joker? I guess he’s squared himself now for the butter and the -bread, eh?” - -“I suppose so,” answered Roy, “but he had no business stealing our -things.” - -“Oh, well, he’s paid us back.” - -“Just the same he had no right to--” - -But just at that moment there came an imperative tooting from the -Ferry Hill landing, and Roy and Chub shoved the canoe into the water -and paddled over for Harry and Snip. Harry was wildly excited as soon -as she had learned of “W. N.’s” latest vagary, and insisted that they -should at once set out on a hunt for him. The boys, however, were -unanimously in favor of eating breakfast first, and Harry was forced to -submit to the delay. The fish were delicious; even Snip agreed to that; -and before the repast was ended the four were feeling very kindly -toward the Licensed Poet. - -“I tell you what we’ll do,” said Chub. “We’ll get Snip to trail Seth -Billings to his lair.” - -“How?” demanded Harry. - -“Let him smell the piece of birch bark,” answered Chub promptly. “Here, -Snip! Come, smell! Good dog! Find him, sir, find him!” - -Snip sniffed at the bark in a really interested manner, and Chub was -quite encouraged until Roy remarked that what Snip smelled was the -fish. Snip next evinced a strong inclination to chew up the bark, and, -foiled in this, he wagged his tail cordially, just to prove that there -was no ill-feeling, and sat down. Chub shook his head. - -“He doesn’t understand,” he said. “He will never make a man-hunter.” - -As though pained at this observation, Snip got up and ambled down to -the river for a drink, and Chub turned to the others triumphantly. - -“There!” he cried. “How’s that for intelligence? He smelled the fish -and went right down to the river where they came from! Talk about your -bloodhounds!” - -“Come on,” laughed Dick. “We’ll be our own bloodhounds.” - -“What are we going to say to him if we find him?” asked Roy as they set -off, Snip far in the lead, along Inner Beach. - -“Thank him for the fish,” suggested Chub. - -“Tell him to keep out of our camp,” said Dick. - -“I don’t think I’d say it just that way,” remonstrated Harry -cautiously. “You see, Dick, he’s a poet, and poets are very easily -offended; they’re so--so sensitive, you know.” - -“Seems to me you know a lot about them!” said Roy. - -“I’ve read,” answered Harry oracularly. - -“Well, I’ll bet you anything this poet isn’t very sensitive,” scoffed -Chub. “Any fellow who will swipe your butter can’t be suffering much -that way!” - -“I don’t believe we ought to accuse him of swiping anything, either,” -said Harry. “Swiping is a very--very ordinary word, Chub.” - -“Gee!” exclaimed Chub. “You must want us to thank him for stealing our -grub and invite him to dinner!” - -“I think it would be very nice to invite him to dinner. I’ve never met -a real poet.” - -“Well, if we do,” said Dick grimly, “I’m for hiding the solid silver.” - -They reached Point Harriet without finding trace of the quarry, -although whenever Snip barked in the woods Chub insisted that the poet -was treed. They turned homeward and passed the Grapes and Hood’s Hill. -Then, as they scrambled down to Outer Beach, Roy gave a shout. At their -feet lay the still smoldering remains of a small fire. The sand between -the fire and the edge of the water was trampled, and marks showed where -a boat of some sort had been pulled partly out of the water. But there -was no one in sight. - -[Illustration: “At their feet lay the still smoldering remains of a -small fire”] - -“He’s gone,” said Harry disappointedly. - -“Yes,” answered Dick. “He spent the night here, I guess, although there -isn’t any sign of a tent or anything. Perhaps he slept in his boat.” - -“Well,” said Roy, “we won’t have to hide the grub when we leave camp. -That’s one comfort.” - -“Maybe he will come back.” Harry spoke at once questioningly and -hopefully. - -“Guess not,” answered Dick. “I suppose he has gone on down the river.” - -“Maybe he didn’t like our butter,” suggested Chub. “I’ve thought -sometimes myself that it wasn’t all it should be. He can’t have been -gone very long, though, fellows; look at the fire.” - -“Well,” said Roy, “he’s gone, and that’s enough for us.” - -They went on finally along the beach and so back to camp. They had -planned a trip to the hills after huckleberries. Harry knew a place -where there were just millions of them, she declared; and so as soon -as camp was cleaned up they set out for the west shore at a point a -mile or so above Coleville, armed with an empty lard-pail, two tin -cans which had once held preserved peaches, and a pint measure. It was -a long walk, made more so by the fact that Harry had forgotten just -how to reach the spot, and it was well on toward eleven before they -began picking. But Harry’s startling tales of the fruitfulness of the -locality proved in no wise exaggerated. - -“Thunder!” exclaimed Chub, as he pushed back his cap and wiped the -perspiration from his forehead, “there’s just slathers of ’em!” - -And there was. By one o’clock their pails were filled to overflowing -and Dick’s cap had been called into service. So they started homeward, -very warm and hungry. Only one incident marred the return. Dick in a -moment of forgetfulness, finding the sun uncomfortably warm on his -head, thoughtlessly attempted to put his cap on, and half a pint of -berries was lost. They still had fully five quarts, however, and, as -Chub pointed out, philosophically, there was no use in crying over -spilled berries. They reached the island again at a little after two -and found a note pinned to the front of the tent. - -“Very sorry,” it read, “to be out when you called. Come again. W. N.” - -“He’s back!” cried Harry. - -“Wonder why he didn’t write it in poetry,” said Chub. - -“Wonder what he swiped,” growled Roy. - -“By Jove!” exclaimed Dick. “That’s so. I guess we’d better look around.” - -“I think it’s horrid of you to be so suspicious,” said Harry. “I just -know he didn’t take a thing!” - -And as far as they could find out Harry was right. - -“As soon as we’ve had dinner,” said Dick, “we’ll go around there and -see him. How would it do to take some berries along? We’ve got heaps -more than we need.” - -“Bully!” said Chub. - -“And let’s ask him to supper,” added Harry. The boys laughed. - -“Harry’s fallen in love with the Licensed Poet!” cried Chub. - -“I haven’t!” denied Harry warmly. “But I do think it would be nice to -ask him to supper.” - -“Maybe he didn’t bring his dress-clothes,” said Roy. - -“I guess we’d better have a look at him first,” said Dick. “Then if we -want to ask him we can. Only there isn’t very much in the pantry just -now; I guess bacon or ham and some fried potatoes will be about all we -can set before his poetship.” - -“There’s plenty of preserve and jelly,” said Harry, hopefully; “and -there’s huckleberries, too, and fancy crackers. I do wish I’d made some -doughnuts to-day.” - -Dick had been very busy meanwhile, and already a slice of steak was -sizzling on the dry skillet. A quarter of an hour later they were very -eagerly assuaging their hunger: three famished boys, one famished girl, -and a famished dog. - -It took some time to get enough to eat to-day, and so it was well -into the middle of the afternoon before the procession set out for -the farther end of Outer Beach, bearing a quart of huckleberries as -an offering to the Licensed Poet. But once more they were doomed to -disappointment, for the poet was again away from home. A new fire had -been built since the morning and some egg-shells at the edge of the -bushes showed that the poet had not wanted for food. I think Harry -resented the sight of those egg-shells as being unromantic and opposed -to her notion of poets, who, according to her reading, always starved -in garrets. Roy pretended to be relieved at finding “W. N.” away, but -in reality he was quite as curious as any one, and just as anxious to -see the mysterious person. - -“We can’t invite him to supper,” said Harry sorrowfully. - -“Let’s leave him a note and put it on the berries,” said Chub. - -After some discussion this plan was agreed to. Dick supplied a scrap of -paper from the back of an envelop and Chub had a pencil at the end of -his watch chain. - -“I suppose this ought to be in rhyme,” said Chub, “but it’s beyond me.” - -“Oh, never mind that,” said Roy. “We can’t all be poets.” - -“Well, how will this do? ‘The pleasure of W. N.’s company is cordially -requested at Camp Torohadik this evening at six thirty for supper. -R.S.V.P.’ Is that all right?” - -“Dandy!” cried Harry. - -“Fine,” said Dick and Roy in unison. “Only,” added Roy, “I’d leave -off the ‘R.S.V.P.’ part of it. We don’t want him coming around this -afternoon while we’re away.” - -“That’s so,” laughed Chub, cancelling the letters, “the tent’s only -pegged down.” - -“If he’d wanted to steal anything he could have done it when he left -that note,” said Harry indignantly. - -“Please be careful how you speak of Harry’s poet,” begged Dick, “or we -won’t get any more doughnuts and cookies.” - -They placed the can of berries with the note on top of it beside the -smoldering ashes and, calling Snip, who was trying very hard to eat an -egg-shell, they returned to camp. Later Roy and Chub went canoeing down -the river while Dick and Harry and Snip rowed over to the landing in -the skiff and went up to the Cottage to see if there was any news of -the launch. They found word from the freight agent that the boat had -arrived and was awaiting the consignee at the wharf at Silver Cove. -It was too late to go after it to-day, so, after Harry had begged for -and received half a loaf of cake from her mother, they returned to the -landing and set forth in search of Chub and Roy to tell them the news. -The canoe was finally descried half a mile above Fox Island and Dick -rowed toward it. That its occupants had not been entirely upon pleasure -bent was evident from the pile of wood which lay in the middle of the -craft. Firewood was getting low at Camp Torohadik and the cargo would -be welcome. When within hailing distance Dick shouted his news: - -“Fellows, the launch is here!” - -Chub looked around him and searched the horizon. - -“Where?” he shouted back. - -“Down at the Cove,” answered Dick. “We’ll go down the first thing in -the morning and bring it up. What do you say?” - -“Sure,” answered Roy. “I suppose it’s too late to go this evening?” - -“Yes, I guess so. Besides, we’ve got company coming to supper, you -know, and I’ll have to get busy pretty soon. Mrs. Emery gave us a whole -half a cake.” - -“That’s rank partiality,” grumbled Chub as the two boats drew together. -“Here we’ve been camping out for over a week and not a bit of cake have -I seen. And now, just because the Licensed Poet is going to take supper -with us, Harry brings a whole half loaf! Gee! Wish I was a poet!” - -“You always have cake when there’s company,” answered Harry. - -“Wish I was company, then,” said Chub. “I tell you what, fellows; I’ll -go off and camp by myself at the other end of the island and then you -can invite me to take dinner and supper with you and feed me cake. -Chocolate cake, for choice,” he added reflectively. - -The two boats drifted down to the island and presently were side by -side on Inner Beach. In the intervals of assisting Dick with the -task of preparing the evening meal, the others played quoits with -horse-shoes which had been left from spring camping. At six Harry -stopped playing and seated herself with dignity on a log near the tent, -smoothing her skirt and retying her hair-ribbons. Chub wondered whether -they ought to dress for their guest. - -“About all I could do,” he reflected, “would be to change my necktie -and put on another shirt. But as the shirt would be just like this one, -he wouldn’t know that I’d changed. In fact, as he has never seen me at -all, he wouldn’t know whether this one was the one I’d been wearing -right along or one that I’d put on in his honor; and so if I changed -this one for another one he wouldn’t know which one--” - -“That’ll do for you,” interrupted Roy. “Seeing that you’ve got only two -shirts on the island you do an awful lot of talking about them. I’m not -going to change anything. If Seth Billings doesn’t like what I wear he -can get off our island.” - -Harry’s gaze wandered frequently toward the path from Outer Beach as -half past six drew near; and so did that of the boys; but the half hour -came and passed and no guest arrived. - -“He’s awfully fashionable,” grumbled Chub. - -“Maybe he didn’t come back,” said Roy. - -“Perhaps he didn’t find the note,” Dick suggested. “Perhaps one of -those bears which Chub’s always talking about ate the huckleberries and -the note too.” - -“Most likely he’s dropped his collar stud under the bureau and can’t -find it,” said Chub. “I vote we sit down and eat.” - -But Harry begged for another ten minutes and the boys agreed to wait. -But at last they were forced to begin the meal without the guest of -honor. It was plain that Harry was greatly disappointed, but I can’t -truthfully say that the absence of the Licensed Poet interfered with -the appetites of any of the others. And a very nice supper it was, -too, for Dick had gone to extra pains, while Harry had ransacked the -packing-case cupboard and had set out everything which she thought -might tempt the palate of a starving poet. - -They had been eating several minutes when Snip, who since the return -to camp had been appearing and disappearing as he pleased, treeing -mythical bears and barking himself hoarse over the scent of a squirrel, -trotted out of the woods with his tongue hanging and crawled into -Harry’s lap. - -“You must wait awhile, Snip,” said Harry, “for your supper. I guess -you’re a pretty hungry little dog, aren’t you?” - -“I should think he would be,” said Chub, “the way he’s been--say, -what’s that on his neck?” - -It proved to be a piece of twisted paper tied about the middle and -attached to Snip’s collar. - -“Hold him still,” said Chub, “and I’ll get it off.” - -The others had gathered around and, in spite of Snip’s struggles--he -laboring under the delusion that Chub wanted to play with him--the -paper was untied and unfolded amid the breathless interest of the group. - -“It’s ‘W. N.’ again!” cried Chub. “Poetry, too! Listen, fellows! - - “A man with his clothes on the line - With friends is unable to dine; - So he shivers and frets - And sends his regrets - By messenger No. K 9.” - -“But--but how did he manage to get hold of Snip?” marveled Dick. They -all talked at once for a minute and great excitement reigned at Camp -Torohadik. Finally Harry’s voice triumphed above the babel. - -“I think it’s perfectly wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Snip will never go -near strangers. It just shows that he must be a beautiful character!” - -“Who?” asked Dick. “The dog?” - -“No, the poet,” replied Harry, earnestly. “Couldn’t we lend him some -clothes, Roy?” - -“Yes, if we knew his size. But we don’t. He may be as big as all -outdoors or as small as Chub.” - -“We might offer to do it, anyway,” said Chub, ignoring the insult. -“I’ve got a shirt he can take, and a sweater--” - -“And he can have my duck trousers,” said Dick. “We might take them over -to him and tell him we’d be glad to have him come, no matter if he -wasn’t dressed quite conventionally.” - -“Who’ll go?” asked Chub. - -“Tie the things on to Snip and let him take them,” Roy said. - -“I don’t mind going,” Dick volunteered. “Get your shirt and sweater, -Chub, and I’ll find those trousers. I dare say he has shoes and -stockings. It’s a jolly good lark, anyhow, isn’t it?” - -“It’s downright exciting,” answered Chub. “I’m all of a tremble. Want -me to go along?” - -“Oh, no, Chub,” said Harry, earnestly. “You mustn’t! It might embarrass -him if so many went. Let Dick go alone. Tell him we don’t mind what he -wears, Dick; that we will feel--feel much honored--and pleased--” - -“Tell him we’ll send the carriage for him in a quarter of an hour,” -interrupted Roy unkindly. “You’d better take Snip along to show you the -way.” - -Perhaps Snip understood what Roy said. At all events, he jumped up at -once and bounded over to where Dick was bundling the garments under his -arm, wagging his tail and barking hysterically. - -“Snip, too, has fallen victim to the charms of the Unknown One,” said -Chub. “Tell Seth that I’ve got a necktie he can have if he’s fussy, and -that if he wants me to, I’ll go over and tie it for him.” - -“All right; but you’d better put the supper back on the stove so it -won’t be all cold if he does come. I’ll be right back and let you -know.” Dick, with Snip running excitedly ahead, moved toward the path -leading to Lookout and Outer Beach. - -“Be sure and tell him, Dick, that we don’t mind what he wears,” called -Harry. “Tell him we’re none of us dressed up, and that--” - -“Dear young lady, say no more!” - -Harry gave a little shriek, the boys turned quickly around and Snip -barked valiantly. Behind them, standing in the mellow glow of the -setting sun, bowing with one hand on his heart, stood as strange a -looking figure as had ever met their sight. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE LICENSED POET - - -The group about the camp stared in open-mouthed amazement, while Snip -barked hysterically and the stranger having completed his bow, returned -their regard with merry, twinkling eyes. - -He was rather small in stature and slight of build, with a round, -much freckled face, an extremely stubbed nose, a wide mouth, a pair -of intensely blue eyes and, crowning all, a thin crop of the most -violently red hair that you can conceive of, red hair of that peculiar -shade which usually wins for the possessor the nickname of “Carrots.” -In age he appeared to be somewhere--almost anywhere, in fact--between -thirty and thirty-five years. - -But it was neither face nor figure which excited the wonder and -amusement of the campers, but the attire. To begin at the ground and -work upward, there was, first of all, a pair of low tan shoes; then -came a pair of black stockings; then, strange to relate, a pair of -voluminous white trousers which hung about the wearer like the folds of -a deflated balloon and reached down one leg almost to the ankle and on -the other scarcely below the knee. They were decorated in the queerest -way, too! For on one leg was a disk of red, while on the other was a -black star. Above the trousers was what seemed to be a brief space -of red flannel, and surmounting this was a light blue Zouave jacket, -much faded and stained, trimmed with a deal of tarnished silver braid -and many silver buttons. Above this was a high collar and a black -dress-tie, and as a finishing touch to the incongruous apparel he -held in his hand a high silk hat upon which the level rays of the sun -scintillated dazzlingly. Roy was the first one to find his voice. - -“H-how do you do?” he stammered. But Dick’s amazement got the better of -his manners, and-- - -“Who the dickens are you?” he blurted. - -The stranger’s broad, smiling mouth drew itself into lines of decorum -and, with the silk hat held at his breast, he advanced toward them with -measured and dignified tread. At three yards’ distance he stopped, drew -himself up with his right knee bent until only the toe touched the -ground, thrust his left hand into a pocket of his huge trousers and -pulled them out for almost a yard on that side, stretched the silk hat -straight before him, crown down, at arm’s length, threw back his head, -and-- - -“Lady and gentlemen!” he announced grandiloquently. “I have the honor -to introduce to your attention the world-famed Signor Billinuni, late -of the Royal Hippodrome, Vienna!” - -Harry gasped, Snip redoubled his barking and the others stared in -amazed and admiring awe. There was a moment of silence, save for the -frantic voice of the indomitable Snip. Then-- - -[Illustration: “‘I have the honor to introduce to your attention the -world-famed Signor Billinuni’”] - -“It’s Seth Billings!” cried Chub. - -“It’s ‘W. N.’!” murmured Roy. - -“It’s the Poet!” exclaimed Harry. - -“More familiarly known,” laughed the man, abandoning his pose and -extravagant manner, “as Billy Noon, at your service.” - -“Oh!” cried Harry, scrambling somewhat confusedly to her feet. -“You--you’ve come to supper, haven’t you? Won’t you--won’t you be -seated?” - -“After you, my dear young lady,” answered Mr. Noon gallantly. - -“We thought you weren’t coming,” said Chub. “We were just sending Dick -over on a relief expedition with some clothes. What happened? Did you -get wet?” - -The guest had laid aside his tall silk hat and seated himself on the -ground at Harry’s side. At Chub’s question his smiling face instantly -took on an expression of thoughtful gravity. - -“Have you ever,” he asked Chub, “been immersed in the Hudson River with -your clothes on?” - -Chub assured him that he never had, feeling rather apologetic about it. -Mr. Noon sighed. - -“Then you don’t know what it is to be thoroughly wet. I was so wet that -after I had removed my apparel I was obliged to go in bathing to get -dry.” - -Harry gasped and looked puzzledly at Mr. Noon’s sober countenance -until Chub and Dick and Roy burst out laughing. Then Mr. Noon laughed -also, and Snip, who had been nosing nearer and nearer, took courage -to sniff at the newcomer, and, recognizing an acquaintance, to strive -frantically to lick his face. - -“Hello, ‘K 9,’” said the guest of honor, patting Snip, “did you deliver -that note I gave you?” - -“Yes, he did,” answered Harry. “And we were so surprised, because Snip -doesn’t like strangers usually.” - -“I never have any trouble making friends with dogs,” said Mr. Noon. -“And that’s a lucky thing for me, because in my present pursuit I meet -all kinds of dogs, and if I didn’t get on with them pretty well I -wouldn’t do much business.” - -“Oh, are you a dog doc--I mean a veterinary surgeon?” asked Harry -interestedly. But the other shook his head. - -“I have been a good many things,” he said, “but I haven’t tried that -yet. It’s a good idea, though,” he added thoughtfully, “a very good -idea. I’ll keep it in mind.” - -Dick, assisted by Roy, had been transferring the delayed supper back on -to the “table,” and now all was in readiness for a new start. Mr. Noon -sniffed the aroma of ham and potatoes and tea with frank appreciation. -Then he sighed comfortably. - -“Well, I’m glad I decided to waive the conventions and accept your -kind invitation,” he remarked as he accepted his helping. “You -see, as soon as I sent that note I regretted it. I said to myself: -‘Billy, you’ve made a mistake. You’ve missed a good meal because -of over-sensitiveness. These kind friends don’t care what sort of -clothes you wear. Forget your pride.’ So I overhauled my wardrobe and -found--these.” He looked down at the blue jacket and the flowing white -pantaloons and sighed. “They are all I have left to remind me of my -former glory. Faded but dear to my heart,” he murmured sadly. - -Harry looked very sympathetic. - -“Well, it’s a mighty nobby coat,” said Chub cheerfully, between -mouthfuls. “Were you in the army?” - -Mr. Noon shook his head and chuckled. - -“No,” he answered. “These garments were worn by me when I traveled with -Northcott’s Great United Shows. I was Signor Billinuni, the celebrated -European Clown. That explains the pantaloons. The coat I wore in the -parades. I played the trombone in the band.” He sighed again. “Those -were indeed glorious days!” - -“A circus clown!” cried Chub. “Say, that’s bully. I’ve always wanted -to meet a real clown!” And the others murmured assent; all save Harry, -whose face fell. - -“I thought you were a poet,” she faltered. - -Mr. Noon turned to her and smiled apologetically. - -“I have been a great many things,” he said, “but I can’t truthfully -claim the poet’s mantle. I own to a certain ability in the felicitous -rhyming of words, but nothing more, nothing more.” He waved his fork on -which a slice of fried potato was impaled and smiled modestly about the -circle. - -“But I think your verses are perfectly lovely!” cried Harry. - -“You are too kind,” he murmured with a bow. “Which reminds me that I -owe an apology, never rightly expressed, for the liberty I took with -your commissariat.” They all looked rather blank; all except Dick. “I -had arrived on this island but an hour before and the problem of supper -was occupying a great deal of thought. To be frank, I had in my pantry -a little coffee, a fried egg left over from dinner and--and a can of -mushrooms, I may better say _the_ can of mushrooms.” - -“Mushrooms!” repeated Roy curiously. - -“Yes. You see, I happen to be inordinately fond of mushrooms. In an -extravagant moment I purchased a can of them; they cost me sixty -cents. Naturally, they can only be opened on some occasion of special -importance, an occasion which has not yet transpired. So, to all -practical purposes, the can of mushrooms was non-existent. Well, -considering the problem confronting me, I took a walk about my new -domain and stumbled on your camp. It was empty. ‘Providence,’ thought -I, ‘has befriended me. I will investigate.’ I assure you, young -gentlemen--and young lady--that I took no liberties beyond what you -know of. Said I, ‘I will take of their plenty, paying as I can, now in -a verse and later, maybe, in something more practical.’ So I took half -a loaf of bread and perhaps half a pound of butter, the whole valued at -about eighteen cents, let us say. In return I left two verses worth, -at market rates, about two dollars. My conscience was at rest and my -stomach at peace.” - -“Why,” exclaimed Harry, “then we owe you a dollar and seventy-two -cents!” - -“Eighty-two,” corrected Roy. But the Licensed Poet raised his left -hand, which at that moment happened not to be busy, in a gesture of -disavowal. - -“The market price, dear young lady,” he said, “is not my price. My -price for the verses was about eighteen cents.” - -“Oh!” murmured Harry, a little mystified. - -“Thanks for the fish,” said Dick. “They were fine.” - -“You are very welcome. I was so fortunate as to catch eight that -morning.” - -“Here on the island?” asked Chub interestedly. - -“No, some distance up the river, near where a small stream enters.” - -“I know the place,” said Chub eagerly. “We must try it some time, -fellows.” - -“Then you have a boat,” said Roy. - -“Yes,” answered the Poet. “The _Minerva_. She is neither large nor -beautiful, but she does very well. I bought her for four dollars and -a half, throwing in a set of dentist’s instruments. The instruments -originally cost nearly twenty dollars, but they were no longer in their -first bloom.” - -“Are you a dentist, too?” asked Harry, shrinking a little away from him. - -“I was a dentist for a brief space,” was the reply. “But I never -had any heart for the profession. I am by nature, though I say it -myself, very gentle. If I had my way there’d be no pain in the world. -Naturally, extracting teeth was not an agreeable task; I believe that -in most cases I suffered more agony than the patient. Would it be a -breach of manners to ask for another small piece of the ham?” - -“No, indeed,” declared Dick, replenishing the guest’s plate. Although -he had been talking almost constantly since sitting down, the Poet had -managed to do full justice to the viands. Harry was at first pained -to observe that his table manners did not match his speech; he relied -rather too much on his knife, for one thing, while there was also a -marked tendency to fill the mouth somewhat too full and to talk while -it was in that condition. But presently Harry recollected that the -poets of whom she had read had all been notably eccentric and, in some -cases, even more disregardful of the social niceties than Mr. Noon. - -“Are you going to be here long?” asked Roy when the visitor’s wants had -been attended to. - -“I hardly know,” was the reply. “It is a convenient spot and very -attractive and peaceful. I love peace and Nature. I have led rather a -busy life heretofore, and now to sleep under the trees when I want to, -to lie on my back in the sunlight, to watch the water ripple past the -boat--these are delights for which my soul has long yearned.” - -Harry breathed a sigh of ecstasy and forgot then and there that the -Poet had ever been a dentist. - -“Then you’re just camping out?” asked Dick curiously. - -Mr. Noon waved a slice of bread airily and smiled gently across the -twilight water. - -“I am combining business with pleasure, sir. After the day’s work -is over I am the owner of the yacht _Minerva_, taking a pleasure -cruise down the Hudson River. During the day I am an agent for the -enlightenment of mankind and more especially for Billings’ ‘Wonders of -the Deep.’” - -“You’re a book agent!” exclaimed Dick. - -Mr. Noon bowed. - -“Right the first time! Although I prefer the word canvasser. I am -selling sets of Billings’ great work, I may say his masterpiece--” - -“Seth Billings!” cried Chub. - -“On the contrary, I believe his given name is Horace,” replied Mr. -Noon. Whereupon they explained about the words found on the back of the -slip of paper and their interpretation of them. Mr. Noon found this -interesting and amusing, but not enough so to divert his attention from -the supper. Harry pressed preserves and cake on him and he politely -helped himself generously. - -“It must be hard work,” said Roy. “Selling books, I mean.” - -“All work is hard if you make it so,” was the reply. “In the same way -the hardest work may be easy if you enjoy it. I enjoy selling books. -To be a successful book agent one must be a general. Every engagement -requires special study. The prospective customer is the enemy to be -surrounded and captured. Your ammunition is address, tact, patience, -the ability to read character and the power of presenting your wares -attractively.” Mr. Noon took a third helping of preserve and cake and -warmed to his subject. “To sell a set of books to some one who wants -them is nothing; it brings no warmth to the heart. To sell a set of -books to some one who needs them but doesn’t want to buy them is worth -while but still lacks the highest artistic touch. But to sell those -books to a person who doesn’t need them, doesn’t want them and will -never use them--that is an accomplishment!” - -“I should think so!” muttered Roy admiringly. - -“Yes,” resumed Mr. Noon, smiling reminiscently, “yes. One of the most -artistic sales I ever made was of a set of Brainard’s ‘Animal Kingdom’; -six volumes, half morocco, profusely illustrated by the world’s -foremost artists. I sold that set to a gentleman who had been blind for -twenty years.” - -Harry gave a gasp. - -“Why, what did he want with them?” she asked. - -“He wanted to possess them,” was the reply. “I pictured those books to -him so graphically, so attractively, that he found he couldn’t be happy -without them.” - -“But he couldn’t read them, nor see the pictures,” objected Dick. - -“And that,” replied Mr. Noon gravely, “was an advantage, for the -‘Animal Kingdom’ is a miserable set of books; I handled it less than -three months. If he had read them he’d have been disappointed. As it -was he imagined what he liked.” - -“But that doesn’t seem to me to be quite--quite fair,” said Roy. “It -was a good deal like--like cheating.” - -“Roy!” murmured Harry distressedly. But Mr. Noon only smiled gently as -he gazed over the empty plates. - -“I may have been guilty,” he replied, “of slight exaggeration, but the -gentleman was quite able to afford the books and the possession of them -made him happier than he had been before. We should always keep in mind -the Final Good.” - -Roy looked perplexed but not convinced. - -“Only this afternoon,” continued Mr. Noon, leaning comfortably back on -one elbow, “I made a creditable sale and at the same time met a most -agreeable gentleman. This afternoon was one of the bright spots in the -life of a canvasser. I waited on a Doctor Emery who keeps the school -over there, and--” - -“Why, that’s my father!” cried Harry. - -“Yes, so I learned,” replied Mr. Noon easily. “In fact, I introduced -you, my dear young lady, as an entering wedge, so to speak. I mentioned -that we were, in a manner, spending our vacations at the same resort--” - -“But you’d never seen me!” - -“Pardon me, but I had seen you several times. One morning I passed you -on the river in my boat. Once or twice I have seen you here at this -camp when I have been out looking for wood or communing with Nature.” - -“Oh,” said Harry. “And did you sell papa a set of--of--” - -“Billings, yes. He preferred the buckram binding. We had a very -pleasant chat, besides. A most interesting gentleman, I found him.” - -The Licensed Poet arose. It was almost dark. - -“And now,” he said, “having spent a busy day after an early arising -I find that mind and body yearn for repose. You will pardon me if I -take my departure early? I have enjoyed your hospitality greatly, -appreciating both the kindness which prompted its offer and the -excellent repast provided. I only regret that I am unable to return it. -Some day I shall hope to do so, but at present I am so situated that--” - -“That’s all right,” interrupted Chub. “We were mighty glad to have you, -and we’ve enjoyed meeting you. If you’re round here for awhile I hope -you’ll come again.” - -“Thank you,” responded the Poet earnestly. “And perhaps, although I -cannot entertain you at my board, you will call some time and view my -humble abode.” - -“Sure,” said Dick. “We’ll come around some time, maybe to-morrow.” - -“I hope you will. Good night, and again thanks. Good night, my dear -young lady.” The Licensed Poet bowed low to Harry, his ridiculous white -pantaloons looming large in the half darkness. - -“Good night,” said Harry. - -“Good night,” echoed the others. The Licensed Poet turned toward the -woods, exposing as he did so the startling design of a donkey’s head on -the back of his trousers. He waved his hat, set it jauntily over one -ear and moved away, becoming instantly lost in the gloom of the trees. - -“Please!” cried Harry. “Mr. Noon!” - -“At your service, my dear young lady,” came the reply from the darkness. - -“Won’t you--would you mind--couldn’t you compose a--a verse before you -go?” she asked breathlessly. There was a moment’s silence. Then the -Poet’s voice came back to them from a little distance: - - “Thanks, all, for this pleasant occasion, - And pardon my leaving so soon. - That you’ll spend a delightful vacation - Is the wish of your friend, Billy Noon.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -ADVENTURES WITH A LAUNCH - - -The next morning they went down to Silver Cove in the canoe to bring -back the launch. Harry didn’t accompany them, much as she wished to do -so, because the canoe held only three safely and they didn’t want to -take the rowboat. They promised to stop at the landing on the way back -and pick her up. - -The launch was awaiting them in the freight-shed and they spent a -busy half hour getting it out of its crate and into the water. For -the latter task they enlisted the services of two employees of the -wharf. When she was finally afloat she proved to be a very pretty -little boat. She was sixteen feet long and four feet five inches broad, -open the entire length save for a little triangle of deck at the bow -and a corresponding space at the stern. She was painted green below -and black above the water-line, and buff inside. The engine, of two -horse-power, was placed well toward the stern, and in front of it was -a cross seat with cushions covered with something that wasn’t leather -but that looked rather like it if you didn’t get too near. Other seats -ran forward on each side to the bow and were similarly attired. There -was a neat brass steering-wheel, brass flag-sockets, brass cleats and -a round disk of brass let into the forward deck which puzzled them all -until investigation proved it to be the inlet to the gasolene tank. - -“That’s so,” muttered Dick, “we’ve got to have gasolene, haven’t we?” - -“Well,” Chub answered, “you might get along with tomato catsup or witch -hazel, but gasolene launches seem to take to gasolene better than to -anything else.” - -“You run away,” said Dick. “Only thing is, I don’t know how much the -stuff costs or where you buy it. I’ve only got about three dollars with -me.” - -But inquiry solved the matter for them. Gasolene could be bought at -the next wharf above and the cost of it was only about twenty cents a -gallon. Roy stuck his head through the little door under the forward -decking and reported that the tank, according to his belief, would -hold only some ten gallons. Dick sighed with relief. One of the -freight-handlers took a great interest in them and their boat and -proved invaluable, producing a rope with which to tie the boat up -to the wharf, giving them the address of a man who could make flags -and poles to occupy the fascinating sockets and lending practical -assistance when, presently, they started to get the engine to running. - -I desire to say right now that some one ought to apologize for the -behavior of Thomas H. Eaton during that trying period, and as Thomas -H. Eaton has failed to apologize himself I’ll do it for him. Chub sat -well out of the way on the “near-leather” cushion in the bow and just -simply bubbled over with advice and observations. The engine consisted -of a mysterious vermilion-enameled cylinder about fourteen inches high -flanked on one side by a strange contrivance of brass called, according -to the card of directions which hung from it, a carbureter and which -looked like a small soup-bowl adorned with valves and springs. In front -of the cylinder was a heavy iron wheel which appeared to operate a -piston and a shaft. From the back of the engine a brass rod slanted -away until it disappeared under the flooring. On top of the cylinder -there was a contrivance of steel and porcelain which screwed into a -hole, and from this an insulated wire ran to a set of dry-cells tucked -under one of the seats. - -Well, it was all very confusing and mystifying, and unfortunately -their friend the freight-handler knew nothing about gas-engines. The -card of instructions contained a great deal of printed matter and -several diagrams, but after Dick and Roy had read it carefully over -the only things they were certain about were that it was necessary to -fill the tank with gasolene, lubricate all bearings with cylinder-oil -or grease and turn the fly-wheel to the right. So Dick went off in -search of gasolene and presently returned struggling with a five-gallon -can of it. This they poured into the tank. There was a small can of -cylinder-oil and one of graphite in the tool drawer, and, while Roy -read the directions, Dick poured oil or smeared grease. When that -operation was completed Dick looked as though he had been an engineer -all his life. Roy said he ought to have some cotton waste to wipe -his hands on and the freight-handler again proved a friend in need, -producing a bunch of the desired article as if by magic. - -Then Roy read the directions for starting the engine again, while Dick -turned valves and fussed with things generally and Chub approved or -disapproved as he thought proper. - -“‘Close switch,’” read Roy. “Have you done that?” - -“Yes, long ago. What next?” - -“‘Open relief cock, j.’” - -“Yes, open the relief cock, jay,” echoed Chub. - -“All right. Now what?” - -“‘Flood carbureter by depressing m.’” - -“What’s ‘m’?” growled Dick. Roy consulted the diagram. - -“Hanged if I know,” he muttered finally. “There doesn’t seem to be any -‘m’ here.” - -“Go on to the next letter,” suggested Chub. - -“Oh, here it is. It’s that little thing on top of it there. No, the -little jigger; that’s it.” - -“The stuff’s coming out on top,” said Dick doubtfully. - -“Better stop then; I suppose it’s flooded. Now let’s see. ‘Flood’--you’ve -done that. ‘Turn wheel over to right until engine starts. Then close -relief cock, open oil-cup and regulate carbureter as directed.’” - -“Well, let’s try it,” said Dick. “Where’s that handle thing?” - -“Behind you on the floor.” - -“If you start without unhitching,” said Chub, “you’ll tow the wharf -off; yank it right out by the roots and tow it away; and maybe we’ll -all be arrested for stealing a wharf.” - -“You dry up, will you? Maybe, though, we’d better do that, Roy.” - -But the freight-handler returned at that moment and solved that -difficulty by untying the rope and holding it. Then Dick inserted the -handle in the rim of the wheel and turned it over. There was a mild -click and a little puff from the relief cock, but the launch didn’t -dart off toward the dim distance. - -“Huh!” said Dick. “What’s the matter with it?” - -“Try it again,” said Roy. Dick tried it again. Then he tried it several -times. Then he said “Huh!” once more, got a new hold and turned until -he had a crick between his shoulders and was as red in the face as a -lobster. Roy studied the directions. - -“That’s funny,” he murmured. - -“What I like about these motor launches,” observed Chub to the world at -large, “is the ease of manipulation. You pour a little gasolene into a -tank, open a cock, turn a handle and--zip, you’re off! Simple! There’s -nothing simpler!” - -“Say, if you don’t shut up,” said Dick, turning a red, scowling -countenance upon him, “we’ll put you out of here. And that goes!” - -Chub subsided for a moment, smiling cheerfully. Dick bent over the -wheel again. After another full minute of labor, he stopped, wiped the -perspiration from his forehead and sat down on the seat. - -“Let me try,” said Roy. He took his turn. Over went the wheel with a -click, there was a soft sigh through the relief cock and nothing more -exciting transpired. Now and then they studied the directions anew and -examined everything all over again. Once in awhile the carbureter came -in for another flooding. After Roy the freight-handler had his go at -the wheel. He turned and turned, proving superior to exhaustion, and -would doubtless be turning yet if Dick hadn’t forced him away from the -wheel. - -“Must be something wrong,” said Dick wrathfully. Roy silently agreed. -Chub looked wise. - -“Have you drowned the carbureter lately?” he asked. No one paid any -attention to him. - -“It must be the battery,” said Dick helplessly. “Maybe we’re not -getting any spark. The directions said there should be a spark. Now -let’s see.” He studied the situation in silence for a moment. Then, “I -know,” he said. “I’ll bet something’s wrong with the wiring. What time -is it?” - -“Quarter to eleven, nearly,” Roy answered. - -“Then supposing I go up to the village and find some one who -understands electricity.” - -“Well,” said Roy doubtfully. “But suppose the trouble isn’t with the -battery or the wires? Wouldn’t it be better to find some one who knows -about gasolene engines?” - -Dick agreed that it would and they consulted the freight-handler. -He thought a long while and finally said that there was a man -named Hodgson who had “one of them boats.” But it also transpired -that Mr. Hodgson was extremely uncertain as to his habits and the -freight-handler couldn’t suggest a place where they would be likely to -find him. - -“Well, there’s no use looking all over the town for him,” said Dick -disgustedly. “I’ll try her once more. Flood that thing, will you?” - -“One good turn deserves another,” murmured Chub. Roy flooded the -carbureter for the twentieth time, remarking pessimistically that -pretty soon they’d have to buy more gasolene, and Roy “turned her over” -again. This time there was a real business-like sound from somewhere -inside the engine and a puff of vapor came through the relief cock. - -“Did you hear that?” cried Dick. - -“Yes,” answered Roy hopefully. “It sounded almost as though it was -going to start. Try it again.” - -“When is a fly-wheel not a fly-wheel?” asked Chub. “Answer: when it -doesn’t fly around. Good.” - -Dick bent over the wheel again and turned, but the engine, as though -quite satisfied with its brief sign of life, refused to evince any -further interest in proceedings. Dick turned again and again, getting -redder and redder, hotter and hotter, madder and madder. - -[Illustration: “‘When is a fly-wheel not a fly-wheel?’”] - -“Oh, hang the fool thing!” he exclaimed disgustedly, standing erect to -ease his aching back. “I’m going to ship it back and get my money.” -He looked wrathfully at Roy, who maintained a noncommittal silence. -Then he stared aggressively at Chub. But Chub was gazing off down the -river and humming “My Father’s the Engineer.” Then he challenged the -freight-handler. But that obliging man kept a discreet silence, looking -the while properly sympathetic, even shaking his head once. Dick -grunted and turned his regard to the stubborn engine. But he got no -satisfaction there. So, giving it a contemptuous kick and chipping off -half an inch of beautiful bright red enamel, he subsided on the seat -and studied the blisters on his hands. - -“I’ll try it again,” suggested Roy not over eagerly. - -“What’s the use?” growled Dick. “You’ll only break your back.” - -“Let me have a whack at it,” said Chub cheerfully, getting up. “I have -an irresistible way with engines, Dick.” - -“You!” snorted Dick. “All you can do is to lie around and make a fool -of yourself. You’re about as much help as a--a--” - -“Book of directions,” said Chub cheerfully. “Where’s the handle? Thank -you.” Inserting the handle in the rim of the wheel, our hero, with a -superhuman effort, spun-- - -_Puff! Puff! Puff!_ - -“It’s going!” yelled Roy. - -“What’ll I do with the rope?” shouted the man on the wharf, holding on -to it for dear life. - -“_Let go!_” cried Dick, jumping for the wheel. He reached it just in -time to turn the bow away from a spile, and with a grazing bump the -launch swung into the stream, pulling the canoe after it. - -“Good-by!” called the freight-handler. They waved to him as the boat’s -bow turned up-stream. - -“_Puff, puff, puff!_” went the engine. - -“_Chug, chug, chug!_” went the exhaust at the side. - -“Doesn’t she go great?” cried Dick turning to the others. - -“Fine,” answered Roy with proper enthusiasm. - -“When you understand her,” remarked Chub haughtily. - -“Get out,” said Roy. “No wonder she started after the way we’d worked -with her!” - -Chub looked grieved. - -“Of all the unappreciative guys I ever knew,” he said sadly, “you’re -the worst! Dick doesn’t talk that way. Dick realizes that if it hadn’t -been for me you’d be at the wharf yet. Dick is decently grateful and--” - -“What the dickens did you do any more than we did?” demanded Dick. “You -turned the wheel and she just happened to start.” - -“Happened!” murmured Chub, smiling pityingly. “Very well, think that -way if you want to. It doesn’t hurt me. Ingratitude only shows--” - -“Look out!” yelled Roy. Dick worked quickly and narrowly avoided -running down a rowboat containing two men. As they went by they were -forced to listen to a number of uncomplimentary remarks. But Dick -didn’t mind. The launch was running, and that’s all he cared about. To -be sure, she wasn’t making very great speed, but Dick explained that by -assuring Roy and Chub that she hadn’t got warmed up yet. - -“Well, you can’t say that of me,” answered Roy with a laugh. “I’m warm -enough, all right.” - -“I’ll bet I could paddle faster than this,” said Chub. - -“I’ll bet you couldn’t,” answered Dick indignantly. “She’s going a good -six miles an hour.” - -“If you don’t mind what you say,” supplemented Chub with an -exasperating grin. - -“It is too! I’ll bet you anything you like!” - -“Six miles an hour?” - -“Six miles, an hour!” - -“Oh, say, Dick, be good! Don’t talk so fancy! You know well enough that -if an able-bodied mud-scow came along it would make this boat look as -if it were standing still.” - -“You don’t dare to bet on it, though,” taunted Dick. - -“But there’s no way to prove it,” said Chub, “unless we use Roy for a -log and tow him astern.” - -“I’ll prove it all right,” Dick persisted. “We’ll start at the big -bridge and go up the river to Slicer’s Landing; that’s six miles and a -quarter, and if we don’t do it in an hour I’ll--I’ll lose my bet.” - -“Oh, that’s all right,” answered Chub affably, “but what I’m saying -is that she isn’t making any six miles an hour now. I don’t know what -she might do to-morrow. Why, you might grease her hull, or get Roy to -swim under water and tow her. Besides, I wouldn’t bet with a Westerner, -anyway; he’s too tricky.” - -“You always try to turn everything into a joke,” Dick growled. “When -you say we’re not making six miles you don’t know what you’re talking -about. Does he, Roy?” - -“Don’t ask me,” said Roy. “I don’t know anything about it. I would -like to suggest, however, that you turn the boat a bit so as to avoid -running into that point. Thank you, Dickums; I feel more comfortable.” - -“It’s a mighty poor launch that won’t make six miles,” muttered Dick as -he swung the boat’s head farther toward the middle of the river. - -“Dick, you’re stubborn to-day,” sighed Chub. “I refuse to argue with -you any longer. I will only remark in closing that this here boat is -not making any six miles per.” - -“And I say she is,” answered Dick warmly. “If she isn’t I’ll--” - -The chugging of the engine stopped, there was an expiring wheeze from -somewhere and the launch rocked silently and lazily on the water. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE LAUNCH IS CHRISTENED - - -Dick turned to Roy in dismay. Chub, stifling a chuckle, looked over -toward the nearest shore. - -“If she was going six miles,” he said, “things on shore would move by a -heap faster. I don’t believe she’s doing better than four.” - -“She’s stopped, you blamed lunatic!” cried Dick wildly. Chub stared in -surprise. - -“Stopped, has she? Why, I hadn’t noticed it! How can you tell?” - -“Cut it out, Chub,” said Roy. Dick glared at him a moment and then -turned with dark and somber looks toward the engine. - -“Where’s the handle?” he asked. - -“You put it in the drawer,” answered Roy. - -Their troubles began again. Dick turned and Roy turned and Chub -turned, and all the time the launch, having gradually swung her nose -down-stream was floating gently back toward Silver Cove. They had -accomplished fully three fourths of the distance between the Cove and -Fox Island when the engine stopped, but it seemed now that they would -soon have the trip to make over again. It was very hot with scarcely -any breeze rippling the water, and it was well on toward dinner-time. -Chub yielded the wheel to Dick and sat down to get his breath and wipe -the perspiration from his face. - -“Where’s the directions?” asked Roy. - -Search failed to reveal them. - -“It’s just as well,” grunted Dick. “They don’t tell you anything -anyhow. Turn the rudder, Roy, and keep her off that sand-bank.” - -“I tell you what we can do,” said Chub as Dick stopped to rest. “Roy -and I can get in the canoe and tow her and you can stay in here and -steer.” - -“It’ll be an all day’s job,” said Roy dispiritedly. “Why not tow her to -that landing over there and leave her until we can get some one to fix -her up right?” - -“You fellows get in the canoe and go on to the island,” said Dick. “I’m -going to stay here and make her go. She went once and she can do it -again; and she’s got to,” he added doggedly. - -“Don’t give up the ship,” cried Chub cheerfully. “We’ll stand by you, -Captain. Let me have another go at her.” He seized the handle and was -slipping it into the wheel when there was a hail from near by and they -looked across the water to where a small cat-boat was bobbing slowly -toward them. The boat contained a man in the stern, but who he was they -couldn’t make out because of the noonday glare on the surface of the -water. - -“Hello!” called Dick. - -“Anything wrong?” was the query. - -“Engine’s gone back on us,” answered Dick. At that moment the sail -swung over and threw the occupant of the cat-boat into shadow. - -“It’s the Licensed Poet,” marveled Roy. - -“Billy Noon, as big as life,” added Chub. - -“I’ll see what I can do for you if you want me to,” said the skipper of -the sailing craft. “I’ll be there pretty soon. It’s slow going in this -breeze.” - -The boys sat down, nothing loth, and waited for the launch and -sail-boat to draw together. - -“What did he tell us he gave for that boat?” asked Roy. - -“Four dollars, I think, and a set of dentist’s tools,” Dick replied. - -“Well, he got stuck! Look at it!” - -At some time, probably a good many years before, the _Minerva_ had -been new and trim. To-day she was a veritable apology for a boat. Some -twenty feet long, she was blunt of nose, wide of beam, almost guiltless -of paint. The cockpit was only large enough to hold one man and allow -the tiller to swing, the rest of the deck space being occupied by a -cabin. One port had been closed with a piece of tin through which a -length of stove-pipe and an elbow projected. The mast had apparently -not been scraped for years and the single sail was gray with age and -patched from boom to gaff. Once the hull had been white and the cabin -green, but time and the weather had subdued all to a neutral hue that -matched the old sail and the weather-stained mast. Closer acquaintance -revealed the fact that most of her seams had opened and that she -was about as near falling apart as anything could be that still held -together. - -The _Minerva_ dipped slowly and clumsily along, pushing the sparkling -wavelets away from her blunt nose, and presently Billy Noon swung her -head into the wind and brought her alongside the launch. He looked -quite different to-day. He wore a suit of gray clothes which, if a -little shabby, were very neat and clean, a figured shirt, turn-down -collar and blue tie and a straw hat which had apparently seen more than -one summer and undergone more than one cleansing at home. - -Also he had dropped his extravagant manner and phraseology. This -morning he was just a freckled-faced, red-haired, good-natured chap -with an alert manner and a pair of blue eyes that twinkled cleverly and -that seemed to take in the situation at one glance. Lowering his sail -and making fast the painter of the cat-boat, Billy climbed aboard the -launch and threw off his coat. Then he rolled up his shirt-sleeves, -revealing a pair of very muscular brown arms. - -“Had her going, did you?” he asked. - -“Yes,” said Dick, “she ran all the way from Silver Cove and went -finely; made six miles an hour easily.” He threw a defiant glance at -Chub. - -“To be exact,” amended that youth solemnly, “six miles and one eighth -by the patent log.” - -“Well, let’s see,” said Billy Noon. “I guess there’s nothing very -wrong.” He picked up the handle, fitted it to the fly-wheel and turned -her over several times without results. Then he tested the battery, an -operation which the boys watched with interest, and got a good spark. - -[Illustration: “‘What did he tell us he gave for that boat?’”] - -“Nothing wrong there,” he mused. - -“Have you ever run a launch?” asked Roy curiously. - -“No, but I operated a gas-engine once for about six months and got -pretty well acquainted,” answered Billy. “That was in a pottery.” -He looked over the engine for a moment in silence, his sharp eyes -twinkling from one part to another. “Let’s see how the gasolene is -coming. Maybe--hello!” - -“What?” asked Dick. - -“Why, your cock under the carbureter has worked open and all your -gasolene is running into the well. No wonder! Got a monkey-wrench?” - -“No, we haven’t,” answered Dick. - -“Well, the handle will do. All it needs is just a tap to tighten it. -There! Didn’t you try to flood your carbureter?” - -“No,” answered Dick a trifle sheepishly. “We forgot it the last time.” - -“If you had you’d have seen where the trouble was, because she wouldn’t -have flooded. Now let’s see.” - -One turn and the engine started. Billy retarded the spark until he saw -that the _Minerva_ was following all right, and then pushed the lever -in. The launch gathered speed and in a moment was cutting through the -water in a way that brought an admiring ejaculation from even Chub. But -Billy wasn’t satisfied. - -“That carbureter isn’t regulated very well,” he said. So he went at -that, Dick watching, and screwed and screwed until he had it to suit -him. “That’s better,” he said. He wiped his hands on the piece of waste -and looked over the boat. “A nice little launch,” he said. “And a good -engine. You’re getting fully two and a half horse-power out of it, I -guess.” - -“How fast do you think she is going?” asked Dick eagerly. - -Billy studied a moment. Then: - -“About seven miles,” he answered. “You ought to make nine with the -current and no tow.” - -Dick looked triumphantly at Chub. For once Chub had nothing to say. -Presently Dick observed: - -“What I don’t understand is why she wouldn’t start at the wharf. We -flooded the carbureter dozens of times then.” - -“Maybe that was the trouble,” was the reply. “Your engine was stiff -and cold and you got too much gasolene into it. That’s just as bad as -getting none at all. You’ve got to have the proper mixture of air and -gasolene, you know. After you’d turned her over awhile you worked the -gasolene out and she started. It’s a good plan to have a small oil-can -with some gasolene in it. Then if she doesn’t start with three or four -turns you can open your relief-cock and squirt a few drops into the -cylinder. That’ll start her all right.” - -For the next few minutes Dick took a short course in gas-engine -operating and by the time he had asked all the questions he wanted to -they were approaching the Ferry Hill landing and a disconsolate figure -in the shade of the boat-house. - -“There’s Harry,” said Chub. “I’ll bet she’s mad!” - -But she wasn’t; only grieved and reproachful until they told their -troubles to her, and after that vastly interested and sympathetic. -Harry, having just become a passenger, was by no means ready to end the -cruise, demanding that the launch should go up the river for a way. -The boys, however, being for the moment firm believers in punctuality -as regarded meals, compromised on a voyage around the island. So they -went up along the inner channel, swung around Far Island, which, as -every experienced mariner knows, lies nor’-nor’-west of Point Harriet, -and, navigating skilfully past the dangerous shoals which lie around -The Grapes, stopped off Hood’s Hill while Billy Noon returned to the -_Minerva_ and, with the aid of a broken oar, reached the beach. The -boys were properly grateful for his help, Dick thanking him profusely. - -“That’s all right,” said Billy, as he pulled the nose of the _Minerva_ -onto the beach and carried the painter up to the nearest tree. “Glad I -happened along. Any time you want any help you yell for me.” - -“Thanks,” answered Dick. “And--and come and see us.” - -“Yes, you must be neighborly,” added Harry. Billy nodded and waved his -hand, and Dick, with a bit of a swagger, took up the handle and turned -the wheel. The engine answered at once and the launch chugged off -toward the lower end of the island. - -“Isn’t he splendid?” asked Harry admiringly. - -“Who do you mean?” asked Chub. “Dick?” - -“No, Mr. Noon, of course.” - -“Well, he was certainly Johnny-on-the-Spot to-day,” Chub replied. “He -ought to be called the Licensed Engineer instead of the Licensed Poet. -Say, Roy, do you believe all the yarns he tells?” - -“About what?” asked Roy, drowning Harry’s indignant ejaculation. - -“Why, about being a circus clown and playing in the band and being a -dentist and running an engine in a pottery and--and all that. What do -they want with an engine in a pottery, anyhow?” - -“Well, I was never in a pottery, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t need -an engine. As for the other things, why, you saw those pants of his; -and if any one but a clown would wear them I miss my guess, Chub!” - -“That’s so, but he can’t be more than thirty or so.” - -“Bet you he’s nearer thirty-five,” said Dick from the wheel. - -“Anyhow, he must have spent a pretty busy life if he’s been all the -things he says he has!” - -“Papa says he’s the--the--I think he said the ‘smoothest’--book agent -he ever met,” said Harry eagerly. “I told him about his being a clown -and a poet, and I recited the verses he made up, and papa said they -were very good verses for a clown.” - -“Oh, he’s all right,” said Chub. “I haven’t anything against him, only -I do think he’s had a rather eventful life, so to speak. He seems a -pretty decent chap, though.” - -By this time the launch had passed Lookout, having practically -completed the circuit of the island, and Dick turned off the switch and -stopped the engine. The launch floated softly into the smooth water of -Victory Cove and Dick turned its nose to the beach. Then, with a little -grating sound the bow slid up on the sand and Roy, painter in hand, -jumped ashore. - -“That rope belongs to the fellow at the wharf, by the way,” said Dick. -“I must take it back to him. I’ll have to get some rope of my own. And -I need some tools, and an oil-can, and an anchor and lots of things!” - -“How about an engineer?” asked Chub slyly. Dick looked hurt and made no -reply, and when they were out on the beach Chub threw an arm over his -shoulder and playfully squeezed his neck. - -“Don’t be a chump, Dickums,” he said. “I was only fooling. You got the -hang of it finely.” - -Dick looked mollified. - -“It takes a while to learn,” he said, “but I bet I’ll be able to run -that boat to the Queen’s taste in a week.” - -“Of course you will,” answered Chub heartily. Then they set about -getting dinner. Chub declared that he could taste gasolene in -everything, but Dick was able to prove that he had washed his hands -well before beginning the cooking and so Chub’s assertion was received -with contempt. From where they sat they could see the launch. Dick had -shoved her off after making the painter fast to a tree and now she was -floating motionless on the mirror-like surface of the cove. Dick’s -glances sought her frequently during dinner, and presently he said: - -“I wish they had painted her white instead of black.” - -“It would have been much prettier,” agreed Harry. - -“We could paint her ourselves,” said Chub. “It wouldn’t be much of a -job.” - -“That’s so. I’ll get some paint the next time we go to the Cove and -we’ll do it. We’d have to haul her out, though, I suppose.” - -“No, we wouldn’t,” answered Roy. “I’ve seen them paint boats in the -water. You get a weight, like a big rock or something, and put it on -one side of the boat and that raises the other side out of the water. -You only have to paint to the water-line, you know. Then when you’ve -done one side you change the weight over and do the other side. It’s -easy.” - -“All but getting the weight out there,” said Chub. - -“We can find a big stone and put it in the rowboat and take it out to -the launch,” said Dick. - -“Yes, we could do that all right,” agreed Chub. “By the way, Dickums, -what are you going to call her? I’ve thought of a dandy name!” - -“I dare say,” answered Roy sarcastically. “The ‘Thomas Eaton,’ I’ll -bet.” - -“You wrong me,” said Chub. “Besides, I wouldn’t allow my name to be -associated with such a badly-behaved boat as that.” - -“I think she behaves beautifully!” exclaimed Harry. - -“You saw her at her best,” said Chub. “She acted all right after the -Engineer-Poet got at her.” - -“What’s the name, Chub?” Dick asked. - -“‘The Old Harry,’” answered Chub. “That’s the way she behaved.” - -“That’s not so bad,” laughed Roy. Harry looked doubtful. - -“I don’t think I’d like that,” she said finally. “People might think it -was named after me.” - -“Yes,” said Dick, apparently pleased to find an objection to the name. -“Besides, I had about decided on a name myself.” - -“What is it?” asked Chub. - -“Well--have you noticed the sound she makes when she’s going?” - -“No,” replied Chub, “she was going such a short time that I didn’t have -a chance.” - -“She says ‘_puff, puff, puff!_’ like that,” said Roy. - -“No, she doesn’t,” answered Dick. “I thought that was it at first, but -what she really says is ‘_pup, pup, pup, pup, pup, pup!_’ So I’m going -to call her the ‘Pup.’” - -“That’s all right,” said Chub admiringly. And Roy agreed. But Harry -objected. - -“I think it’s a perfectly horrid name,” she declared. “You’re just -fooling, aren’t you, Dick?” - -“Not a bit of it,” answered Dick stoutly. “I think it’s a fine name.” -And in the end, despite Harry’s negative vote, the name was formally -adopted. - -“We’ll have a christening,” suggested Roy. “And Harry can be -sponsor--if that’s what you call it--and break a bottle of--of -something over her bow.” - -“It’ll have to be tomato catsup, I guess,” laughed Dick. “That’s about -all we’ve got.” - -“I refuse to have the catsup wasted,” said Chub. “Besides, it would be -terribly messy. We’ll find an empty bottle and fill it with water. They -christen lots of boats with water nowadays.” - -So after dinner the ceremony took place. They rowed out to the launch -in the skiff, Harry tightly clasping a bottle of river water. They had -found the bottle on the beach. The lettering on one side proclaimed -the fact that it had at one time been filled with “Brainard’s Lucky -Discovery for Coughs and Colds.” When they had all climbed aboard the -launch Chub had an idea. - -“Look here,” he exclaimed, “we’re not doing this right. She ought to be -christened with gasolene!” - -“Of course!” cried the others in chorus. So the water was poured -out and the bottle was held under the carbureter and filled with -gasolene. Then Roy and Dick and Chub grouped themselves as imposingly -as possible on the small space of deck at the bow, maintaining their -precarious positions by holding onto each other, and Harry re-embarked -in the rowboat, working it around to the bow of the launch. - -“The band will now play,” said Chub. “_Tum_, tumty, tum; _Tum_, tumty, -tum; _Tum_--” - -“That’s the wedding march, you idiot,” laughed Roy. So Chub struck up -“Hail, Columbia” instead. - -“Now,” he said, “we will listen to an address by the Honorable Roy -Porter. Hear! Hear!” And he clapped his hands so strenuously that -he very nearly precipitated the entire company into the water. The -Honorable Roy Porter not being inclined to fulfil his portion of the -program, Commodore Dickums Somes was called upon. - -“Ladies and gentlemen,” began Dick. “We are met here on a memorable -occasion, one which--which will long live in the--in the--” - -“Memories of those present,” prompted Chub. - -“We are about to christen the pride of these waters, a boat which will -in future--in future--” - -“Hear! Hear!” shouted Chub appreciatively. - -“In future make for itself,” continued Dick, encouraged by the -applause, “a name which will become famous from--from Poughkeepsie -to Albany,--aye, from Long Island Sound to Lake George! We are about -to place another star in the galaxy which--which has for generations -upheld the supremacy of the American nation at home and abroad, by land -and by sea, in peace and in war!” - -The applause was almost deafening, largely due to the fact that Roy -had one arm around Dick’s shoulders and was clapping his hands within -three inches of his nose. On the other side Chub shouted “Bravo!” into -his ear, while at his feet, so to speak, Harry had let go of the launch -that she might have both hands to applaud with and was now squirming -undignifiedly across the gunwale trying to reach it again. Dick warmed -to his work. He threw back his head with a noble gesture and tried -to thrust his right hand into the bosom of his negligée shirt. [Chub -called them “neglected” shirts.] But as this would have seriously upset -his audience he was forcibly restrained. - -“Upon these beautiful, tranquil waters, upon the bosom of this historic -river this graceful boat will add the--the finishing touch to Nature’s -work. Breasting the curling waves, tossed by the singing winds--” - -“Hooray!” yelled Chub. “Hip, hip, hooray!” - -“Singing winds--” - -“Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!” Roy vociferated. - -“Winds, this lovely creation of the hands of--” - -“Somes! Somes! Somes! Speech! Speech!” cried Chub, and Harry, having -rescued herself, joined the hilarity. Dick gave it up and with a low -bow to the mythical multitude which lined the shore of Victory Cove, -he joined Roy in the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Of course -Chub and Harry lent what assistance they could, and for several minutes -discord reigned supreme. Then, having gained the attention of the -audience, Chub announced: - -“Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to present to you the Honorable -Thomas H. Eaton, Secretary of the Navy. Hooray! Eaton! Eaton!” Chub -bowed. “Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Camp Torohadik: It gives me -great pleasure to be with you to-day. I have traveled a long distance -and feel that I am amply repaid. I thank you for your invitation, for -the honor you have done me and for the evidences of your good-will. -This is indeed a suspicious--I should say auspicious occasion. Never -before, possibly, since the founding of our glorious Republic has so -much intelligence, so much worth, so much beauty been met together as -I see before me. Ladies and gentlemen, we are wonderfully privileged. -Generations hence posterity will look back with reverential awe upon -this--this grand occasion!” - -“Oh, that’s beautiful, Chub!” cried Harry. Chub faltered. - -“Er--er--and so I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, from the bottom -of my heart for the honor which you have seen fit to confer upon me. -I thank you, I thank you.” Chub bowed to three points of the compass -and the launch rocked uncomfortably. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, -according to time-honored precedent, a bottle of--er--of gasolene will -be broken over the bow and the boat will be named. I take pleasure in -introducing to you Miss Harriet Emery.” - -Harry climbed unsteadily to her feet in the rowboat and bowed to the -applause. Then she raised the bottle of gasolene and brought it down -smartly against the bow of the boat. - -“I name you _Pup_,” she cried. - -There was a tinkling of glass, a series of shrill barks from Chub and -the ceremony was at an end. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -CHUB SCENTS A MYSTERY - - -After the dinner things had been cleared up there was naturally but one -thing to do, and that was to go out in the _Pup_. So they did it. The -engine showed some unwillingness to start, but relented presently and -they were off. They had no boats in tow this time and were, besides, -going with the current, and the way the _Pup_ slid along brought joy to -Dick’s heart. - -“Isn’t she a great little _Pup_?” he asked, beamingly. And they all -agreed that she was, even Chub. - -“The _Pup_,” observed the latter impressively, “is a fine bark.” - -They had an exciting time in the village while Dick made his purchases -and ordered his flags. Chub was full of suggestions and wanted Dick to -buy all sorts of things, from a pocket compass to a pair of davits by -which to sling the canoe on to the launch and use it for a tender. Dick -got a gallon of white paint, warranted to dry hard in twelve hours, and -four brushes, Harry having expressed a determination to aid in the work -of turning the black _Pup_ into a white one. When they were ready to -leave the wharf Dick produced his small oil-can filled with gasolene -and set it beside him while he prepared to turn the fly-wheel over. -Whether it was the sight of that can I can’t say, but it’s a fact that -the engine started at the first turn. They ran up the river in the late -afternoon sunlight, a little wind which had risen since noon kicking -the water into tiny white-caps which caught the rays and turned to gold -and copper. The breeze rumpled their hair and tingled their cheeks, and -to what Chub called “the merry barking of the _Pup_” they sailed home -past the shadowed shore and dropped anchor (it was a folding one and -weighed seven pounds) in Victory Cove. - -“That was a dandy sail!” exclaimed Harry, her cheeks ruddy under their -tan. And they all agreed with her and vied with each other in saying -nice things about the _Pup_. And Dick beamed and beamed, and everything -was lovely. They had purchased provisions in the village, and supper -that evening was in the nature of a banquet, there being a large steak, -Saratoga chips, big rolls, still warm from the baker’s oven, cucumbers -(there wasn’t any vinegar, but no one seemed to care), and a blueberry -pie. And there were present appetites to do justice to the banquet. - -Afterward, just as Roy had lighted the camp-fire, which, to tell the -truth was necessary to distract the attention of the mosquitos, there -was a hail and Billy Noon appeared. He joined the group and listened -interestedly to Dick’s account of the afternoon’s experience with the -launch. - -“You won’t have much trouble with her now, I guess,” he said. -“Gas-engines are kind of queer things, but there’s generally a reason -for it when they don’t act right. The only trouble is in discovering -the reason. There’s a reason for everything if you can only find it.” - -“Have you composed any poetry lately?” asked Harry when the conversation -had wandered away from launches and gas-engines. Billy shook his head. - -“No, my dear young lady,” he answered. - - “There’s been no time for building rhyme, - For I’ve been very busy. - My daily work I must not shirk - For--for--” - -“For if you do, you’ll get dizzy,” suggested Chub. - -“Thank you,” laughed Billy. “‘Busy’ ’s a bad word to rhyme to. I ought -to have known better than to use it.” - -“Did--did it just come natural for you to make poetry?” asked Harry. -“Or did you have to learn?” - -“I guess it came natural,” was the reply. - -“I wish I could do it,” Harry said wistfully. “But I can’t. I’ve tried -and tried. I never can think of any rhymes. Do you think I could learn, -Mr. Noon?” - -“I dare say you could,” answered Billy. “I never did much of it until I -joined the Great Indian Chief Medicine Company. Then I sort of worked -it up.” - -“Did you write advertisements?” asked Chub. - -“No. You see, we traveled around from one place to another in a couple -of big wagons selling this medicine. It was fine medicine, too, if you -believed the wrappers and the boss. It cured anything, from warts to -laziness, and cost a dollar a bottle, or six bottles for five dollars -with your horoscope thrown in. There were five of us with the outfit, -and we dressed like Indians and talked five languages, including North -of Ireland. I was Wallapoola, the great Choctaw Poet, and my part was -to stand under the gasolene torch at the end of the wagon and make -rhymes on the names of the folks in the audience. That pleased them, -generally, and they’d plank down their dollar and go away happy with a -bottle of Great Indian. Some of the rhymes were pretty bad, especially -at first, and now and then I’d just simply get floored like I was -awhile ago. It was easy enough as long as they gave us names like Smith -and Jones and White and Brown, but one night a big, lanky farmer pushed -his way to the front and told Doc--Doc was the boss, you know--that -he’d buy six bottles if I’d make a rhyme for his name. I scented -trouble right away and tried to tip Doc the wink, but he wasn’t worried -a bit. He just laughed and said there wasn’t a word in the English -language I couldn’t find a rhyme for. And then he asked the farmer what -his name was. - -“‘Humphrey,’ says the farmer. - -[Illustration: “‘Did it just come natural for you to make poetry?’”] - -“Doc laughed scornfully. ‘I thought it was something difficult,’ he -says. ‘But that’s an easy one for the Choctaw Poet, that is. Why, -gentlemen, I assure you--’ But I was humping up and down on my toes the -way I did when courting the Muse and saying ‘Ugh! Ugh!’ which was all -the Indian I knew for ‘Nothing doing!’ And the Doc got on to the fact -that I wasn’t over pleased with the job. So says he, ‘While the Poet is -polishing up his pome we’ll have some music from the orchestra.’ Well, -the orchestra, which was a banjo, guitar, and accordion, gave them -some rag-time and I kept on dancing around on my toes and doing a lot -of hard thinking. I wanted to throw up my job pretty bad right then, -I tell you. But Doc was scowling hard at me and the big, lanky farmer -was grinning up like a catfish. The orchestra got through and I was -trying to make Doc see that I wanted more time for contemplation when -the rhyme came to me. It wasn’t much of a one, but it had to do. So I -stopped dancing and looked scornful at the farmer. And says I: - - “‘At a dollar a bottle it’s cheap, you know, - But you are in luck, Mr. Humphrey; - It’s six for five to you, and so - You see you are getting some free.’” - -“That was fine!” cried Chub above the laughter. “Did he buy the -medicine?” - -“He had to,” answered Billy. “He claimed that the rhyme ought to have -been one word, but Doc quoted authorities to him so fast he couldn’t -answer. You couldn’t very often feaze the Doc. Besides, we had the -crowd with us. So Mr. Humphrey gave up his five dollars and went off -growling with six bottles of Great Indian. I don’t know how much good -it did him; anyhow, it couldn’t do him any harm, I guess, for it was -mostly licorice and water. We had a big sale that evening.” - -“Was that before you joined the circus?” asked Chub with elaborate -carelessness, nudging Roy. - -“Yes, several years,” answered Billy. “I wasn’t with the Great Indian -Medicine Company more’n six weeks.” - -“Why did you leave?” asked Roy. “Did you run out of rhymes?” - -“No,” answered Billy reminiscently, “but I got my man and--I mean -I found another job that I liked better. After that,” he continued -hurriedly, “I found a chap out in Big Bow, Iowa, that was going out of -the dentist business and I bought him out, stock, good-will, and all. -The stock was a set of tools, a broken-down wagon, and a flea-bitten -gray horse about sixteen years old. I traveled around for awhile, but -the fellow only gave me three lessons and so I wasn’t up to much except -pulling. Filling was beyond me. Folks weren’t particular out there in -the country towns, though, and as it was cheaper to have a tooth out -at twenty-five cents than to have it filled at five dollars--you see, -I had to make the price steep so’s they wouldn’t want it done--they -generally had it out. But there wasn’t much money in dentistry, and I -sold the horse and wagon in Keokuk and came East.” - -“Then what did you do?” asked Chub. - -“Oh, I tried my hand at several things after that. Nothing particular, -though.” - -Billy didn’t seem to want to continue the subject and so Chub, with a -wink at Roy, desisted. Dick asked Billy how he was getting on with his -canvassing. - -“Pretty well,” was the answer. “I had a long tramp this afternoon for -nothing, though. I went about three miles up the river to a place -called Hutchins and then walked about eight miles. Ever been over in -that part of the world?” - -The boys said that they hadn’t. - -“Well, it’s a forsaken country; I only found about six houses all the -way, and didn’t sell a thing. Do you get around much on shore?” - -Roy explained that they had prospected the country around Ferry Hill -pretty well for several miles in each direction, and Billy asked a -good many questions about it; whether it was thickly settled, whether -the folks were well-off or poor, whether they had ever come across -any camps or huts. They answered his questions as best they could, -wondering somewhat at the character of them, and finally their guest -bade them good night and took his departure. There was silence for a -minute or two around the camp-fire after he had gone. Then Chub spoke. - -“Say, what do you think of him?” he asked. - -“Blessed if I know,” answered Roy. “According to his story he has been -a little of everything at some time or other. And what do you suppose -he wanted to know so much about the country around here for?” - -“Probably wanted to find out whether it was worth while going there to -sell Billings’ ‘Wonders of the Deep,’” answered Dick. - -“I don’t believe he’s a book agent at all!” exclaimed Roy. - -“What? Then what is he?” asked Dick. But Roy only shook his head. - -“I don’t know. But I don’t believe he’s what he says he is.” - -“Why, he sold some books to papa!” cried Harry. - -“Have you seen them?” Chub asked. - -“No, they haven’t come yet. He doesn’t carry them with him. He just -takes orders, you know, and the publishers send the books to you by -express.” - -“How much do you have to pay down?” asked Roy eagerly. - -“Not a cent,” answered Harry. “So, Mister Smarty!” - -“Huh!” muttered Chub. “That just shows how foxy he is.” - -“I think you’re perfectly horrid, Chub Eaton,” said Harry. “Mr. Noon is -just as nice as he can be, and very--very gentlemanly!” - -“That’s so,” allowed Chub. “He seems a mighty decent sort, but--but -just the same I don’t believe he’s a book agent. There’s a mystery -about him.” - -Harry’s eyes brightened. - -“Oh, do you think so?” she asked eagerly. “Perhaps he’s a lord or -something traveling in--in--” - -“Incognito,” aided Roy. - -“Yes,” cried Harry. “Haven’t you noticed that he talks sort of--sort of -foreign sometimes?” - -“Can’t say I have,” Roy laughed. “Although now and then there’s just a -suggestion of brogue about his talk.” - -“The idea!” Harry said indignantly. “He’s not Irish a bit! I think he’s -either English or--or Scotch.” - -“Probably Lord Kilmarnock looking for a wealthy bride,” said Chub. -“I’ll ask him to-morrow if he has his kilts with him.” - -“And his bagpipe,” Dick added. - -“Come now, it’s a shame to spoil Harry’s romance,” Roy remonstrated. -“We’ll call him His Lordship until we learn what he really is.” - -“He’s already been the ‘Licensed Poet,’ ‘W. N.,’ ‘Seth Billings,’ and -‘Mr. William Noon,’” said Chub. “So I guess another name or two won’t -matter. There’s just one thing I wouldn’t think of calling him, though.” - -“What’s that?” asked Roy. - -“Book agent,” Chub answered dryly. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -BILLY ENTERTAINS - - -The next morning they started the work of transforming the _Pup_ from -a black-and-tan--I am using Chub’s expression--to a fox-terrier. They -loaded a good-sized rock into the rowboat and from there lifted it -over the side of the launch and placed it on the starboard seat. But -as it didn’t raise the other side of the _Pup_ high enough out of the -water Harry was delegated to join the rock. With Harry perched on the -coaming all was ready for the painters. So Dick, Roy, and Chub began -work. Chub sat in the canoe and Dick and Roy in the rowboat. At first -it was lots of fun, but presently their wrists began to ache, while, -to add discouragement, they discovered that it would be necessary to -put on at least two coats to hide the black paint beneath. Chub began -to show signs of mutiny about eleven o’clock and was joined by Harry. -Chub declared that his wrist was paralyzed and Harry said she was -getting a headache and a backache, and that if they thought it was fun -sitting there on that edge they might come and try it themselves. Both -mutineers were, however, prevailed on to continue in service a few -minutes longer, and at half-past eleven the _Pup_ was painted with one -coat of white from bow to stem on the port side. Then all hands were -quite ready to quit work, Roy declaring that for his part he wished -they hadn’t begun. - -“There’s three days’ more work on her,” he grumbled, “for she’ll have -to have two coats all over her.” - -“Tell you what we might do, though,” said Chub. “We might put another -coat on this side and let her go. I think it would be kind of original -and sporty to have one side black and the other side white.” - -Dick said he was an idiot, and Roy indorsed the sentiment heartily, and -good nature was not restored until they had donned their bathing-suits -and were splashing around in the water off Inner Beach. - -After dinner Dick armed himself with pot and brush and went back to -work, and after looking on for awhile Roy and Chub were forced to join -him. - -“You fellows needn’t help,” Dick assured them. But the assurance was -only half-hearted and Chub grunted irritably. - -“Huh,” he said, “you know blamed well we can’t sit there in the shade -and see you working out here all alone. If I get sunstruck, like Billy -Warren in the boat-race, you’ll be sorry, I guess.” - -Dick had discovered that the first coat of white had dried sufficiently -to allow of a second and so before supper-time they had finished the -port side of the hull. And very nice it looked, too; until you got a -glimpse of the other side! - -“It’s like having two boats,” said Chub cheerfully, wiping the paint -from his hands to his trousers. “If it was mine I’d put one name on -one side and another name on the other. For instance, Dick, you could -call the white boat _Pup_ and the black boat _Kit_.” - -“They might fight,” said Harry, who had spent the afternoon comfortably -on shore. “Just supposing the _Pup_ began chasing the _Kit_, Dick!” - -“It would be a stern chase,” said Chub. - -The next day was Flag Day at Camp Torohadik. In the morning they sailed -down to Silver Cove in the _Pup_, the paint having fulfilled the -promise of its maker and dried overnight, and got their flags. There -was a nice red-white-and-blue yachting ensign for the stern and an -owner’s flag for the bow. The latter consisted of a white ground with -a blue Mercury’s foot on it, a design suggested by Roy in allusion to -Dick’s prowess on the cinder-path. The poles were each finished off -with a brass ball, and when poles and flags were set the _Pup_ looked -very gay and jaunty. - -Harry, who had been at work spasmodically on the camp banner, produced -the completed article that morning, and after their return to the -island Roy got busy with a small can of black paint and lettered the -long strip of white cotton cloth which Harry had brought with the -inscription: CAMP TOROHADIK. Then it was bent to the halyards and -with Chub, at popular request, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” it -was hoisted into place and for the rest of their stay flew proudly -by day above the camp. (The truth is that it also flew occasionally -by night; but it wasn’t supposed to, of course, and any fellow is -likely to forget things now and then, and so we won’t mention it save -parenthetically.) - -Taken all in all, that was a busy and eventful day on Fox Island. For -late in the afternoon, shortly after they had returned from a six-mile -trip up the river in the _Pup_ (it having been unanimously decided -to postpone painting operations until next day) and just as Dick was -kindling his fire, there was a hail from the water and they ran to the -point to discover Doctor Emery paddling toward them in a canoe. Harry -at once decided that she was wanted at home and was busily lamenting -her fate when the Doctor announced cheerfully that he had come to visit -the camp and take supper. Mrs. Emery, he explained as the boys drew -his canoe up on the beach, had gone to the Cove to spend the afternoon -and evening, and he had decided to beg hospitality of the campers. The -campers declared with enthusiasm that they were awfully glad to see -him, and that supper would be ready in about half an hour, and that -they were going to have fricasseed beef, and that fricasseed beef was -the best thing their chef did, and--oh, lots more besides, every one -talking at once! The Doctor could have had no doubt of his welcome. -Presently it developed that he was lamentably ignorant of his island, -and so he was personally conducted around by Harry and Chub. - -“If I owned an island,” said Harry, “I guess I’d know every inch of it! -I’d just love to have an island all my own, too! Wouldn’t you, Chub?” - -“You bet I would! One away off from everywhere, you know. I’d live on -it, and I wouldn’t let any one on it that I didn’t like.” - -“Wouldn’t that be lovely!” cried Harry. “Still, you wouldn’t want it -so far off that you couldn’t get to the land sometimes, would you? -Supposing you needed things to eat?” - -“Oh, I’d keep plenty on hand,” answered Chub. - -“Well, I think an island like this is pretty nice,” said Harry. “I -guess I’d like sometimes to go home at night.” And she stole her hand -into her father’s. - -“Then you think this one would suit, do you?” asked the Doctor -smilingly, and Harry nodded ready assent. When they reached the farther -end of the domain Harry pointed out Point Harriet very proudly and -the Doctor was properly impressed. Then they kept on past The Grapes, -ascended Hood’s Hill, ran down the other side and--came plump upon -Billy Noon in the act of jabbing a knife-blade into the lid of a can. -His fire was already lighted and a few cooking utensils were scattered -around him. - -“It’s the Licensed Poet!” cried Harry. - -Billy turned suddenly at sound of the voice, dropped can and knife, -and whipped his right hand quickly behind him. Then he recognized his -visitors and laughed apologetically. - -“I didn’t hear you coming,” he explained. He greeted Harry with a -gallant bow, expressed his pleasure at meeting the Doctor again, and -nodded to Chub. “You find me immersed in household duties,” he went on -lightly. “I was just about to prepare my frugal repast.” As there was -nothing edible in sight save bread, butter, and the contents of the tin -can, the others thought the adjective well chosen. - -“Well, don’t let us disturb you,” said the Doctor. He glanced about the -beach and the underbrush. “But you surely don’t sleep here without any -cover?” he asked. - -“No, I sleep aboard the boat,” answered Billy, nodding to the -_Minerva_, which rocked gently in the current with her nose imbedded -in the sand. “She’s not very large, but I manage to keep pretty -comfortable in her. I cook on board, too, sometimes, but when it’s -possible I like to build my fire outdoors. Perhaps you’d like to see -my private yacht?” he added smilingly. The Doctor hesitated, but Harry -was already scrambling over the bow, and so the others followed. There -wasn’t much to see; just the tiny cockpit and, beyond, a rather dim -cabin lighted by the sun which streamed through a few round ports. -There was a bunk on one side, made ready for the night, a small stove -at the apex of the space and, on the other side, a bench. There was -a small clock above the stove, a few hooks which held clothing, a -wash-basin and bucket of water, a few books on a small shelf, a pair of -shoes and a valise under the bunk, and some cooking things in a tiny -cupboard above the bench. - -The middle of the cabin was taken up by the center-board and the Poet -pointed out a shelf which was made to fit over the center-board box and -serve as a table. But there was one other thing which aroused Chub’s -curiosity. On the bench just where the light from the hatchway fell -upon it, was a pocket map spread out. Thinking that it was a sailing -chart, Chub leaned over to examine it. It proved, however, to be a map -of the country thereabouts, and the words Silver Cove stared him in the -face. The map had been ruled with pencil into squares about half an -inch each way and many of these squares had been filled in with pencil -strokes until the map around the words Silver Cove was checkered with -dark spaces. Chub had time to see no more, for Billy Noon reached past -him and, taking the map, deftly folded it and tossed it carelessly on -top of the few books, inviting them to be seated. But they had seen -all there was to be seen and so they filed out on to deck again, Harry -declaring ecstatically that it must be beautiful to live in a boat, and -asking Billy how he managed to sail it when he was asleep. She and Chub -found themselves back on the sand before the others and she seized the -opportunity to whisper hurriedly in Chub’s ear. - -“Let’s ask him to supper,” she said. “Shall we?” And seeing his -hesitation, she added: “Why, he hasn’t a thing to eat! Just look, -Chub!” And Chub looked and relented. - -And so the Licensed Poet was invited and he accepted instantly. They -waited while he gathered his few things together and returned them to -the _Minerva_, closing and locking the hatch after him. Then he drew -on his coat and the four went on. Presently Chub found himself walking -beside Billy, Harry and her father having lost ground because it was -necessary that the former should see the view from Gull Point. - -“Say,” asked Chub suddenly, “what were you reaching for when we came -up?” - -Billy darted a swift glance at him. Then he answered: - -“My handkerchief. I’d been making the fire and my hands weren’t very -clean, you know.” - -“Do you carry your handkerchief in your hip pocket?” asked Chub -skeptically. - -“When I haven’t my coat on,” replied the other. “I guess it’s there -yet; I don’t think I’ve taken it out. Yes, here it is.” And he reached -back to his hip pocket and drew it forth. - -“Oh,” said Chub, looking a little foolish. “I thought--” He hesitated. - -“You thought,” said Billy, his blue eyes sparkling with good-natured -raillery, “that I was going to ‘pull a gun’ and blow holes in you. -Wasn’t that it?” - -“Well, it looked as though you were reaching for a revolver.” - -“Did it? You’re too suspicious,” laughed the other. “I’ll confess you -startled me, but I’m a more peaceable chap than you give me credit for -being.” There was a moment’s silence. Then Billy laughed softly. “Say,” -he asked, “do you know what I was doing when you folks came along?” - -Chub shook his head. - -“I was just going to open that can of mushrooms,” answered Billy. -“I’d had a pretty successful day and thought that now was my chance to -celebrate.” - -“Did you sell some books?” Chub asked. - -“Well, something of that sort. I found a customer, in fact, two or -three of them. But I guess those mushrooms bear a charmed life. Just -as I’m going to stick my knife through the lid you come along and ask -me to supper, and back go the mushrooms to the store-room. It’s funny, -isn’t it? That’s the second time I’ve almost had them opened.” - -“Maybe the third time will be successful,” laughed Chub. - -Supper was late that evening, for Dick had two extra persons to provide -for, and it was incumbent, besides, to set a rather more elaborate -repast than usual. But when it was ready it proved to be well worth -waiting for, and the fricassee of beef was delicious. Dick had learned -the trick from a ranch cook out West. The ranch cook used to call it -“frigasy de boof,” but he made it much better than he pronounced it. -After supper Billy Noon and the Doctor got into a spirited discussion -on the subject of Early Elizabethan Drama, a subject which didn’t -greatly interest the others after the first ten minutes. But taken in -connection with one thing and another, including the marked map seen in -the cabin, Billy Noon’s knowledge of the subject in discussion set the -boys wondering harder than ever that night after the guests had taken -their departures. - -“Of course he isn’t a book agent,” snorted Chub contemptuously. “And -what’s more, he isn’t staying around here for any good. I’ll just bet -he was going to pull out a revolver this afternoon, even if he did have -a handkerchief there!” - -But Roy and Dick weren’t willing to go so far as to suspect the -Licensed Poet of wrong intentions. - -“Maybe he isn’t a book agent,” allowed Dick, “but that doesn’t mean -that he’s a--a pirate or a ‘bad man.’” - -“Pirate!” answered Chub. “Who said anything about pirates? He might be -looking around the country to see what was worth swiping, mightn’t he?” - -“A burglar? Pshaw,” said Roy, “you’re daffy! Why, any one could see -he’s too much of a gentleman for that. Besides, you crazy chump, -burglars don’t take all that trouble. They just go and find out where -there’s stuff worth stealing and steal it. Why, he’d starve to death -before he got anything!” - -“Well, then, what--” began Chub stubbornly. - -“Bless you, _I_ don’t know,” yawned Roy. “But he’s no burglar; I’ll bet -anything on that.” - -“He swiped our butter and our bread,” said Chub. - -“Shucks! That was just a sort of joke. Look at the way he talked -back at the Doctor about those old play-writers! Think burglars know -about--what was it, Dick?” - -“Early Elizabethan Dramas,” answered Dick glibly. - -“Some might,” answered Chub, warming to the argument. “Look at that -fellow in the book.” - -“Raffles? Pshaw, that was just fiction; I’m talking about real -burglars.” - -“Well, it’s mighty funny,” grunted Chub. “And I think we ought to ask -him point-blank what he’s up to.” - -“That would be polite!” scoffed Dick. “Why, we wouldn’t do that to a -Greaser out West. You haven’t any sense of hospitality; and you’re too -suspicious, besides.” - -“That’s what he said,” murmured Chub. - -“And he was right. The idea of accusing him of going to shoot you!” - -“I didn’t! I just meant that he was feeling for a revolver, like he was -scared. I didn’t think he meant to shoot us.” - -“Same thing,” said Roy. “Men don’t carry revolvers in their pockets if -they’re all right.” - -“That’s what I’m saying,” answered Chub triumphantly. - -“But you don’t know he had a revolver there,” said Roy. “He said it was -a handkerchief he was after, and he showed it to you.” - -“Yes, but he might have had a revolver there too, mightn’t he? Besides, -I don’t know that he didn’t put the handkerchief there after he got -into his coat. I wasn’t watching him.” - -“You ought to have been,” said Roy severely. Chub grunted. Then he -returned to the argument. - -“What’s that map for, then?” he demanded. - -“Maybe he’s employed by the Government to make--observations,” -suggested Dick vaguely. “They do that.” - -“Oh, tommyrot!” said Chub. “You fellows make me tired. I’m going to -bed.” - -“Guess we’d all better go,” said Dick, yawning. “If we’re going to -finish painting that boat to-morrow we want to get to work before the -sun’s very hot.” - -Chub and Roy groaned in unison. - -But they didn’t paint the boat the next day, as it happened; nor for -many days afterward. For when they awoke in the morning it was raining -hard and by the time breakfast was over with it had settled down into -a regular torrent. Going for Harry was quite out of the question. They -passed the morning as best they could, remaining, for the most part, in -the tent. They were glad enough for the ditch which surrounded them, -for if it hadn’t been there they’d have had to sit in water. Even as -it was little rivulets crept over the banks of the ditch and meandered -across the floor. Roy was the only one of the three who wasn’t -thoroughly bored by the middle of the afternoon. He was at work on his -map of the island, becoming so absorbed in the task of tracing his -lines on the big sheet of paper he had purchased for the purpose that -he forgot all about the weather. Once it became necessary to verify a -portion of his map, and he donned his thickest sweater and went around -to Turtle Point, unheeding the ridicule of the others. By supper-time -he had finished it, and although there were many criticisms offered he -was very proud of it. - -After supper Billy Noon came over to visit them, and they were heartily -glad to see him. There was no camp-fire that night, for they had -thoughtlessly left their store of wood exposed and there wasn’t enough -dry fuel, beside what was needed for the stove, to make any kind of a -blaze. Billy was in the best of spirits and this affected the spirits -of the others favorably. He shed a yellow oilskin coat and hung it from -a tent-pole under the single flickering lantern. - -“Well, how goes it to-night, boys?” he asked. - -“Oh, we’ve been bored to death all day,” answered Dick. “I never saw -such weather!” - -“Oh, I don’t know,” said Billy. “I like a day like this once in awhile. -I like to get out and feel the rain. Where’s Miss Emery to-night?” - -They explained that the weather had been too bad for her to come. - -“I see,” said Billy. “Well, what have you been doing to pass the time?” - -“Reading,” sighed Dick, “and playing two-handed euchre. Roy has been -making a silly old map all day and wouldn’t say a word. Show him your -map, Roy.” - -Roy did so and Billy praised it highly. - -“You’re a genuine chartographer, aren’t you?” he said. - -“Gee, Chub,” laughed Dick. “We called him everything else, but we never -thought of that, did we?” - -But Chub only grunted. Ever since Billy’s entrance he had been -sitting silent, watching the visitor as a cat watches a mouse. Roy -kicked his shins once when Billy wasn’t looking and begged him not to -be a silly fool, but Chub only looked wise and frowned. Soon Billy -was telling stories, some warranted strictly true and some frankly -impossible, but all interesting. The boys forgot their low spirits and -laughed and applauded and begged for more. All save Chub. Chub sat and -watched, soberly, like an avenging Fate. From tales Billy passed to -ventriloquism and held an animated conversation with a man named Bill -Jones who was presumably sitting astride the ridge-pole and doubtless -getting very wet. - -“Gee!” said Dick admiringly. “I wish I could do that! Couldn’t you -teach me?” - -“If there was time enough,” answered Billy. “But I’m going on in a -week or so, and as it took me two months to learn what I know about it -I guess it wouldn’t be worth while starting to teach you. It’s just a -trick of the voice, but it takes a lot of practice. Now I’ll hold a key -in my teeth. Professionals pretend that that’s a difficult stunt, but -as a matter of fact it isn’t anything at all, because you keep your -mouth still anyway.” - -“Were you ever on the stage?” asked Roy eagerly. - -Billy shook his head. - -“Not regularly,” he answered. “I did ventriloquism and sleight-of-hand -tricks once for three nights.” - -“Oh, can you do tricks, too?” cried Dick. - -“A few,” replied Billy modestly. “I’m rather out of practice, I’m -afraid. You’ve got to work every day to keep your muscles limber or -you’re not much good. I’ll try a few card tricks, if you like.” - -So the cards were produced, and for the next quarter of an hour Billy -Noon had Dick’s eyes popping out of his head. Chub still glowered, -but it was noticeable that he leaned forward now and then and seemed -pretty well interested in the Licensed Poet’s dexterous fingers. Then -Billy did some palming tricks with, first, a coin and, afterward, a -tennis-ball which Roy happened to have. - -“Now,” said Billy, “to conclude the entertainment, ladies and -gentlemen, I will ask one of you to kindly step upon the platform and -lend me a moment’s assistance.” Billy arose and looked over the tent -as he drew back his coat sleeves. “Thank you, sir,” he said, smiling -professionally at Roy, “you will do nicely. I can see that it will be -very hard to deceive you, sir. You will observe, ladies and gentlemen, -that I have nothing up my sleeves, nothing in my hands.” He turned his -palms out and back quickly. “Now I should like to borrow a silk hat -from some member of the audience.” Dick and Roy were chuckling merrily. -“Or failing that--let me see, ah, that cap on the bunk will do nicely. -Thank you, sir.” And Billy bowed impressively as Dick handed him his -cap. “And now may I have a handkerchief, if you please?” - -That proved a rather embarrassing request, and in the end Roy had to -go to his suit-case and dig out a clean one from the bottom of the -confusion therein. Billy took it with a flourish. - -[Illustration: Mr. Noon entertains the three boys] - -“Now, sir, if you will kindly stand here.” He placed Roy beside him, -facing the “audience.” Roy grinned steadily and watched Billy as though -he feared the latter was going to make him disappear. - -“In doing these tricks,” said Billy, rolling the handkerchief between -his palms, “it is necessary to demand of the audience the very closest -attention. So I will ask you to keep your eyes on me very carefully, -ve-e-ery carefully, because I might do something that you didn’t see, -and I wouldn’t want to do that, believe me. I always take my audiences -into my confidence, and if anything transpires here this evening which -you do not fully understand--” - -Dick and Chub were gazing fascinatedly at the handkerchief which had -been rolled into a smaller and yet smaller ball and which was now -entirely out of sight between Billy’s palms. - -“I want you to tell me so that I can explain,” continued Billy. Then he -brushed the palms of his hands lightly together. The handkerchief had -utterly disappeared! - -“Gosh!” said Dick. - -“Blamed if I understand that,” muttered Chub. Billy laughed. - -“Oh, that’s very simple,” he replied with a laugh. “Merely transference. -Now, if the person in the audience is quite through with the handkerchief -I’ll ask him to return it by one of the ushers.” Billy’s eyes ranged -questioningly from Dick to Chub and back again, while he smiled politely -and expectantly. Then, “I say if you are quite through with the -handkerchief,” he announced in a louder voice, “you will be kind enough -to return it.” Chub and Dick grinned. Roy stood on his other foot for a -change and grinned too. Billy pretended to be cross. “Really, ladies and -gentlemen,” he said, “I assure you that I can’t go on with the -performance until the handkerchief is returned. I know where it is and -if the gentleman who has it doesn’t return it at once I shall be obliged -to call on one of the ushers for assistance.” The audience made no reply. -“You, there,” cried Billy, pointing suddenly at Chub. “There’s no use in -acting this way. The handkerchief is in your right-hand coat pocket. -Kindly return it, sir!” - -Chub nearly jumped off his soap-box. Then he stared dazedly at Billy -for a moment, finally dropping one hand into the pocket specified, a -look of incredulity on his face. But he found it, or at least he found -something, for, - -“_Thunder!_” he yelled, jerked his hand out again and jumped to his -feet as something fell to the ground with a soft _thud_. The something -went hopping away toward the tent door amidst howls of laughter from -Roy and Dick. It was a large fat toad. Chub stared at it until it -had hopped from sight. Then he stared at Billy. Finally he stared at -Roy and Dick, and those youths went into spasms of even more riotous -laughter. “Gee!” said Chub finally, and sat down again after looking -at the soap-box carefully to see that there were no more toads about. - -“You’d better look in your pocket again, Chub!” cried Dick. “There may -be another!” - -Chub obeyed the suggestion very gingerly and heaved a sigh of relief -when he found the pocket empty. - -“My mistake,” said Billy easily, when the laughter had subsided. “I beg -your pardon, sir. Had I known that you were in the habit of carrying -pets around with you I should have been more careful, sir. I’m very -sorry, really. You’ll pardon me, I trust?” Chub grinned sheepishly and -Billy was silent a moment, frowning intently at the lantern. Then, -“Ah!” he exclaimed. “How stupid of me! Really, ladies and gentlemen, I -don’t know when I’ve made such a foolish mistake before! I am really -chagrined, I assure you!” He turned to Roy beside him. “You, sir, are -at liberty to return to your seat. I thank you very much.” Roy smiled, -hesitated, and moved toward his bed upon which he had been seated when -summoned to assist “the Professor.” But he wasn’t destined to get off -so easily, for: - -“Oh, but one moment, sir, if you please,” said Billy. “You had better -leave the handkerchief here, hadn’t you?” - -Roy stopped and smiled helplessly. - -“I suppose so,” he said, “if I’ve got it.” - -“Do you mean to deny that you have it?” exclaimed Billy in apparent -astonishment. - -“You bet I don’t,” answered Roy forcibly, to the amusement of the -others. - -“Ah,” said Billy, “then I’ll trouble you for it.” And he held out his -hand. - -“I--I guess you’ll have to take it,” answered Roy uneasily. - -“You compel me to use force,” said Billy. “I’m sorry, but--” He seized -Roy quickly, plunged a hand into the inside pocket of his jacket and -drew forth the handkerchief neatly folded! - -Roy stared at the handkerchief and at Billy. Then he shook his head and -made for his seat. - -“Gee,” he said laughingly, “I wasn’t sure it wasn’t in my mouth!” - -“Tell us how you did it!” demanded Dick. But Billy, pulling his sleeves -down, shook his head smilingly. - -“Professional secrets,” he said. “And now I must be off to bed. I’ve -kept you fellows up pretty late, I’m afraid.” They assured him that -they liked it and that he should stay longer. But he got into his -oilskin coat and took his departure through the rain. - -“Say, he’s all right, isn’t he?” asked Dick awedly. They all agreed -that he was. But a moment later Chub said suddenly: - -“I guess a fellow who can do things like that wouldn’t have much -trouble getting a handkerchief into his hip pocket!” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -VOICES IN THE NIGHT - - -The next morning when they awoke they found that it was still raining, -although not so heavily. At half-past ten Roy and Chub went over to the -Cottage and found Harry and brought her back with them. It very nearly -ceased raining after dinner and they all went around to Billy Noon’s -camp to pay him a visit. But both he and the _Minerva_ were absent. -After supper, however, he showed up and there was another evening of -stories and tricks, Harry demanding them since she had not been in -the audience the evening before. Even Chub took part in the general -hilarity to-night. He still had his suspicions of Billy Noon, but it -was very hard to remember them when that gentleman was so frank and -friendly and entertaining. To the amusement of the others, Chub kept -his hands in the pockets of his jacket all the time Billy was doing -his sleight-of-hand tricks; no more toads for him, he asserted. So the -toad this evening was a pine-cone, and Harry found it in the pocket of -her rain-coat and was terribly disturbed until she discovered that it -wasn’t nearly as dangerous as it felt. - -The party broke up early, however, in spite of the jolly time they -were having, for Harry was nervous about going home because of an -attempted burglary the night before at Farmer Mercer’s house about a -half mile away. So at half-past eight Roy and Chub paddled her across -to the landing and only left her when the gate in the hedge was reached. - -“There,” said Chub, “burglars can’t steal you now, Harry.” - -“No,” answered Harry, “good night!” And she dashed across the campus. -Roy and Chub stumbled back down the path. It was very dark there in the -grove, for there was neither moonlight nor starlight, and so it wasn’t -altogether awkwardness that sent Chub sprawling over a root. - -“Hello!” cried Roy. “Are you hurt?” - -“No,” Chub answered, picking himself up from the ground. “At least, not -much. I’ve gone and wrenched that old tendon again, the one I hurt last -year. Gee! Give me an arm down to the landing, Roy.” - -“That’s too bad,” said Roy as they went on, Chub supporting himself on -the other’s shoulder. “It’s the tendon at the back of the ankle, isn’t -it?” - -“Yes, but it will be all right to-morrow if I don’t use it. My, isn’t -it dark! and warm, too! Where’s the canoe? All right, I can get in.” - -Back in camp Roy turned himself into a doctor and treated Chub’s -bruised ankle with cold water. Then he gave it a good rubbing and -finally did it up in wet bandages. It had swollen up considerably and -hurt half-way up the back of Chub’s leg. But it was nothing serious, -and he knew it, and so composed himself to sleep when Dick blew out -the light. But slumber didn’t come easily to him. His foot and leg -pained him considerably, and, besides, it was a warm, muggy night with -almost no air stirring and the interior of the tent was stifling. So -Chub lay awake, staring into the darkness, listening enviously to -the measured breathing of Dick and Roy, and all the time trying to -discover a comfortable position for the injured foot. The night was -very still save for the soft lapping of the water and the incessant -voices of the insects. To make matters worse the mosquitos were having -a gala night of it; the weather was just the sort they liked best. -Usually Chub wouldn’t have stayed awake for all the mosquitos in the -world, but to-night their buzzing got on his nerves badly. He stuck it -out for nearly two hours. Then he sat up in bed irritably, muttered -uncomplimentary remarks in the direction of Roy, who was snoring -softly, and suddenly felt as wide awake as he had ever felt in his life! - -It was absurd to stay here in bed and suffer from the heat when it was, -of course, much cooler outside. So he swung his injured foot carefully -to the floor, arose and hobbled out of the tent. It wasn’t very cool -out there, but the air was fresher and the odor of the damp woods and -pine trees was soothing. So he hopped across to the nearest bench and -made himself comfortable with his feet off the ground and his back -against the trunk of a tree. It was a relief to get out of that hot, -stuffy tent, he told himself. It wasn’t long before the mosquitos -found him, but he didn’t mind them greatly; some people experience -very little distress from mosquito bites and Chub was one of them. -Presently, too, the rough bark of the tree began to make itself felt -through his pajamas, while his aching leg protested against the cramped -position it held. But in spite of all this Chub was actually nodding, -nearly asleep, when voices, seemingly almost beside him, drove all -thought of slumber from his mind. Startled, he raised his head and -peered about into the darkness. He couldn’t see a yard away from him, -but the voices--and now he realized that, although distinct, they came -from some little distance--reached him again. - -“I don’t like the idea of waiting,” said one speaker. “They may move -the stuff.” - -“Not if they don’t suspect,” said a second voice. “And it’s better to -get them all while we’re at it. Once let them know we’re after them and -they’ll scatter, destroy the stuff, and hide the plates!” - -“Yes,” said the first voice, “I guess that’s so. He’s due back on -Thursday, Whipple says. Then Thursday night--?” - -“Thursday night, unless something happens meanwhile. Only thing I’m -afraid of is that the local police will blunder on to a clue and spoil -the whole job.” - -“Not them! I know ’em all and--” - -The voices suddenly died away to a faint murmur, and while Chub was -trying to explain this the creak of boom came to him. That was it! -The two men had been in a sail-boat on their way either up or down the -river in the main channel and very near the island. There was almost -no wind where Chub was, but there was probably enough on the water to -keep a boat moving. But the odd part of it all was the fact that Chub -was almost certain that he had heard both voices before, although, try -as he might, he couldn’t place them. If the voices were familiar it -disposed of the theory that the men were merely traveling the river. -Perhaps they were going to land on the island! Perhaps--! Chub started, -forgot his injured ankle and sank back on the bench with a groan. -Supposing one of the men was--he uttered a sudden exclamation. - -“Billy Noon!” he whispered. He knew the voice of the second speaker -now; there was no doubt about it. And yet Billy had left them at -half-past eight in the direction of his boat, declaring that he was -going to turn in. Still, that didn’t signify anything. The voice was -Billy Noon’s voice without a doubt, and very probably the boat was his -as well. At that moment, from below the island, came again the creak -of a boom. Then they were bound down-stream, thought Chub. In that -case--but it was all an unfathomable mystery, and although Chub sat -there for the better part of the next hour and tried to explain it he -was at last forced to give it up. By this time he was very sleepy, and -so, hobbling back to the tent, he threw himself down on his bed and -dropped off to slumber on the instant. - -When he awoke Roy and Dick had finished breakfast and it was nearly -nine o’clock! Roy explained that they thought maybe he hadn’t slept -very well, and so they didn’t awaken him. The ankle was almost well, -and after giving it another sousing with cold water Chub ate the -breakfast which they had left on the stove for him with hearty relish. -Dick was out in the launch bailing the water out with a saucepan. The -sun was shining brightly and almost every cloud had been swept aside by -the westerly breeze that rumpled the surface of the river. - -“Say, this is Sunday, isn’t it?” Chub asked. And Roy replied that it -was. Chub groaned. - -“That means letters to write,” he sighed. - -“How did you sleep?” asked Roy. - -“Pretty well,” answered Chub thoughtfully. “I was awake until long -after midnight, though.” He was trying to decide whether to mention -the men in the sail-boat. Viewed by the sane light of morning the -incident seemed to mean very little. And while he was still hesitating -there came the sound of a merry whistle and Billy Noon appeared around -the point. Chub looked at him attentively. He didn’t look at all like -a person who had been up half the night. Perhaps, after all, Chub -thought, he had been mistaken in the voice; lots of voices sounded -alike, especially in the dark. So he kept his own counsel for the -present. - -“Well, what’s the program for to-day?” asked Billy merrily. - -“Write letters,” said Chub dismally. - -“Go to church,” said Roy. “We didn’t go last Sunday and so Dick and I -are going to-day. You coming, Chub?” - -“With this ankle?” asked Chub in surprise. - -“You said it was about well,” Roy answered. Chub sighed. - -“I know,” he said, “but I wouldn’t want to have a relapse.” - -Billy asked about the injury and by the time Chub had finished telling -him Dick came back with the saucepan. - -“She’s all ready,” he announced, greeting Billy. “We’re going to sail -down to the Cove and go to church,” he explained. “Want to come along?” - -“I don’t know but I might,” was the reply after a moment’s thought. -“I’ll have to spruce up a little first, though. Can you wait a few -minutes?” - -“Easy! We don’t need to start for an hour yet, I guess. You going -along, Chub?” - -“Sure,” replied Chub cheerfully. “Church for mine!” - -“Thought you said your foot was too bad,” observed Roy suspiciously. - -“Well, you didn’t tell me you were going in the launch, did you? -Sea-trips are beneficial to invalids.” - -Billy was back shortly and a little before ten they started off. The -_Pup_ ran splendidly and they reached the cove long before church-time. -As they passed up the street they encountered the freight-handler who -had helped them get the launch into the water. They didn’t recognize -him until he spoke to them, for he had his Sunday clothes on and was -quite a respectable looking citizen. As he passed Chub turned to have a -further view of him. The freight-handler had also turned his head and -as their glances met, the latter nodded and: - -“A fine morning after the rain,” he called cheerily. - -But Chub made no answer. He went on silently for the next block, -stumbling over two curbstones and thinking busily. Even if he had made -a mistake in thinking that he had heard Billy Noon’s voice last night, -he was positive that he was making no mistake now. One of the men in -the boat was the freight-handler! Chub was stumbling over his third -curb when Billy, who was walking beside him, put out a hand quickly and -steadied him. - -“Here,” he said, “that isn’t good for your ankle. Maybe we’re walking -too fast for you?” - -“Not a bit of it,” murmured Chub. - -I’m afraid he didn’t hear very much of the sermon, for his thoughts -were busy with the problem of the man in the boat. He wished that he -had looked at Billy as they had passed the freight-handler and seen -whether the two had recognized each other. He might ask Billy, but -there was no reason to suppose that the latter would confess to an -acquaintance with the freight-handler unless he chose to. No, he would -just keep things to himself and watch. Whatever was to happen would not -occur until Thursday, and that was four days distant. Perhaps before -that he could find a solution of the mystery. - -Letter-writing and reading consumed most of the afternoon. At about -four Billy passed down the river in his boat, hailing them as he sped -briskly along. Chub watched him as long as he was in sight and then -returned with a sigh to his letter. Later they went into the woods in -search of fuel and at six sat down to supper. Harry was spending the -day with a girl friend at the Cove and so there were only three at -table this evening. - -But Harry was on hand bright and early next morning with Snip and a -basket of fresh, still warm doughnuts. - -“I’ve been up ever since a quarter of six,” she explained proudly, “and -I had these all made by half-past seven.” - -“I’ll bet they’re good, too,” said Chub as he stole one and put his -teeth into it. “Yum, yum! No almond flavoring this time, fellows!” - -After breakfast they went fishing about two miles up the river and had -fairly good luck. Chub had wanted to go in the launch, but Dick had -declared that he wasn’t going to have the _Pup_ all messed up with bait -and fish-scales. So they took the canoe and the rowboat, and by the -time they were back in camp and the fish were sizzling in the pan they -were four of the hungriest persons extant. The boys did full justice -to the doughnuts and praised Harry’s cooking ability until she blushed -with pleasure. - -“Oh, these are dead easy to make,” she said. “I only wish I could make -cake, though.” - -“I’ll show you any time you like,” said Chub kindly. “I’ve taken prizes -for my cake.” - -“I guess you mean for eating it,” laughed Harry. “Oh, but just you all -wait! On my birthday I’m going to have the biggest cake you ever saw! -It’s going to be fourteen inches across on top and it’s going to have -pink and white icing all over it and sixteen candles!” - -“By jove!” cried Roy. “I’d forgotten about your birthday. Is it this -week, Harry?” - -“Yes, Thursday, and I shall be--” - -“_Thursday!_” exclaimed Chub sharply. The others stared at him in -surprise. - -“Why, yes,” said Harry. - -“Do you object to Thursday?” asked Roy sarcastically. “Because if you -do Harry can change it.” - -“No,” muttered Chub, “but I didn’t know it was so soon.” - -“He’s worried because he’s forgotten to buy you that diamond necklace,” -explained Dick. “How old will you be, Harry? Not sixteen?” - -“Sixteen!” declared Harry proudly. “Isn’t that lovely? And I’m going to -have a birthday party at the Cottage. And you are all invited.” - -“Hum,” said Roy suspiciously, “who else is coming?” - -“Oh, just some of the girls I know,” answered Harry carelessly. But she -looked at the boys anxiously. Roy shook his head. - -“I guess that lets us out, Harry,” he said. “I wouldn’t dare take Chub -into society. He’d probably eat the candles off the cake or drink out -of his finger-bowl.” - -“Oh, I think that’s mean!” Harry cried disappointedly. “I wanted you to -come!” - -“Too many girls,” grunted Dick. “Can’t stand them in bunches like that. -I get nervous for fear I’ll tread on one of ’em.” - -“I tell you what we will do, though,” said Roy. “We’ll give you another -birthday party here in camp in the evening, and it’ll be a dandy, too! -What do you say to that?” - -“Oh, that would be nice!” said Harry rapturously. Then her face fell -again. “But I did so want you to come to the Cottage, Roy!” - -“Much obliged,” murmured Dick. - -“Oh, I meant all of you,” declared Harry, “and you know very well I -did.” - -“I’m not afraid of a few girls,” said Chub. “I’ll go, Harry.” - -“You’ll stay right here,” answered Roy. “I’d just like to see you at a -girl’s party!” - -“I’ve been to lots of them,” said Chub loftily. “I’m a great success at -functions of that sort. At home they can’t do without me.” - -“Well, they can do without you here, all right,” responded Roy cruelly. -“And they’re going to. Harry’s going to have her girls’ party in the -afternoon and then she’s coming over here and we’re going to give her -another. We will employ that celebrated caterer, Mr. Richard Somes, to -prepare the repast.” - -“And we’ll invite the Poet!” cried Harry. - -“Of course,” said Dick. “We’ll have him write an ‘Ode to Harriet on her -Sixteenth Birthday.’” - -It was settled so, and Harry regained her good spirits and fed -doughnuts to Snip until the boys made her desist, not, as Chub -explained, because they had any fears for the dog’s health, but for the -reason that it was a shame to waste good doughnuts on an unappreciative -nature. Harry declared that Snip had a very appreciative nature, but -was at a loss when Chub demanded proof. Snip, finding the harvest -at an end, jogged off to investigate things in the woods, and while -the dinner things were being cleared up he made day hideous with his -incessant barking. Finally Chub went off to investigate. - -“I’ll bet he’s treed another bear,” he said. “You dig your revolver out -of your bag, Dick, and stand ready to come when I yell.” - -But Chub didn’t yell. Instead he was back in a minute with news written -all over his face. - -“What do you think?” he cried. - -“A racoon!” guessed Roy. - -“A skunk!” cried Dick. - -“No, a house-boat,” answered Chub with a grin. - -“A what? A house-boat?” exclaimed Roy. “What are you talking about? -Snip caught a house-boat! Say, you’re too funny for anything, Chub, you -are, I don’t think!” - -“I didn’t say he’d caught it,” answered Chub, “but he discovered -it. It’s lying against the shore near Round Head. Come and see for -yourselves!” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE FLOATING ARTIST - - -Sure enough, there it was; although from where they were it was hard -to get a good look at it. So they hurried along the beach until they -came up to it. It was lying close against Round Head, its deck almost -on a level with the top of the big rock, two ropes--Chub called them -“hawsers” and no one dared dispute with him--holding the boat at bow -and stern. - -The first thing they noticed when they arrived abreast of the boat was -a big, handsome red setter watching them intently from his place on -the deck. His head lay between his paws and he never moved at their -approach, but his brown eyes watched them suspiciously every moment. -It was doubtless the presence of the setter which had so excited Snip. -Snip was still excited, and said so plainly and at the top of his -lungs, but the red setter paid absolutely no attention to him. There -was no one in sight on the boat. The four stopped at the edge of the -wood and examined the odd craft to their hearts’ content. - -For it was odd; there was no doubt about that. In the first place, -it was painted in such a funny way. The lower part of the hull was -green--a real pea-green like the boat that the Owl and the Pussy-Cat -went to sea in--and above that was a foot-wide streak of reddish-pink, -and above that again the hull was finished off in white. She looked -very much like a scow with a little cottage on board. There was a -suggestion of a bow, however, and a rudder-post arose a few inches -above the level of the deck at the stern. In length she was about -thirty feet and in breadth about ten. There was a few feet of -deck space at the bow and a few more at the stern, just enough to -accommodate a small dinghy and leave room to pass, and it seemed just -possible to walk along the side of the boat without falling off. But -the rest of the deck was monopolized by a cabin, or, more properly, -house, some eight feet high. This was painted a dazzling white, while -the two doors and the six one-sash windows which faced them were -trimmed with green. The top of the house seemed to be something between -a promenade deck and a roof-garden. There was a railing about it and it -was covered with a faded red-and-white canvas awning. Here and there -about the edge were red flower-boxes filled with crimson geraniums -which were masses of bloom, German ivy which was already creeping up -and along the iron railing and the white-and-green-leaved vinca whose -drooping sprays made a swaying festoon along the top of the house. -There were several green willow chairs on the roof-deck, a small table -holding magazines and books and some bright-hued rugs beneath. At the -stern a flight of steps gave access from the deck below, while at the -bow the house was crowned with a small pilot-house. - -The windows were curtained with white dimity and through one of the -doors, which stood partly open, they saw an engine. (“Gasolene,” -murmured Dick knowingly.) On the hull at the bow was painted the name -in bold black letters: _Jolly Roger_; and above, from a pole at the -forward end of the roof-deck was a white flag which, when the little -breeze spread its folds, displayed the gruesome skull-and-cross-bones -in black! - -“Must be a pirate ship,” said Roy, and Harry looked somewhat uneasy -until she saw that the others took it as a joke. - -“Isn’t she a wonder, though!” exclaimed Chub, half in admiration and -half in derision. - -“I think she’s perfectly lovely!” cried Harry. “Wouldn’t it be the -biggest fun to live in a boat like that and travel all around the -world?” - -“Well,” Roy laughed, “I don’t believe I’d want to go across the ocean -in her! Still you could have lots of fun.” - -“Why don’t you buy her?” asked Chub. “She’s for sale, you see.” - -Which was true, since on the forward end of the house was a board -bearing the inscription in startlingly large letters: - - FOR SALE! - INQUIRE WITHIN - OR WITHOUT - -“What’s it mean by ‘without’?” asked Harry. - -“Without any money,” Chub suggested. - -“I suppose,” said Dick, “it means that if the owner isn’t inside he’s -up there on top.” - -“He should have said ‘Inquire above or below,’ then,” said Roy. - -“Let’s change it for him,” Chub proposed genially. But Roy glanced at -the dog and shook his head. - -“There’s no sense in carrying philanthropy too far,” he answered. -“We’ll let him make his own changes.” - -“I wish we could see inside of it,” said Dick. “Do you suppose he’s in -there? We might say we wanted to purchase and would like to look it -over first.” - -“That’s so,” said Chub. “We could tell him we were particular about the -drains. I wonder how much land goes with it?” - -“Just what’s in the flower-boxes, I suppose,” answered Roy. - -“Let’s call out and see if he’s at home,” whispered Harry. - -“All right; you shout,” Roy said. But Harry told him it wasn’t a lady’s -place to shout. - -“I guess if he was at home,” remarked Dick, “he’d been out here five -minutes ago to see what the trouble was; Snip’s been making enough -racket to wake the dead.” - -“Who do you suppose he is?” wondered Harry. “And how long do you -suppose he’s going to stay here?” - -“I think,” said Chub, “that he’s a traveling salesman for a paint -factory, and this is his color card. I think I’ll go in and order a -gallon of that old-shrimp pink.” - -“I think it’s painted very prettily,” murmured Harry. - -“Ought to have a touch of blue, though,” said Dick. - -“And orange,” Chub added. “There ought to be more variety; it’s -too--too somber as it is.” The others laughed; all save Harry. She had -advanced across the rock until she had only to take a step to reach the -deck of the house-boat. The setter didn’t move an inch, but he kept his -eyes on her very intently. - -“How do you do, Mr. Red Setter?” inquired Harry affably. The red setter -flapped his tail once or twice, feebly but good-naturedly. “Will -you kindly tell us where your master is?” For reply the dog arose, -stretched himself luxuriously, and walked dignifiedly to the edge of -the deck. Harry had no fear of any dog that ever was born, and so she -reached forward and patted the setter’s head. He responded by wagging -his tail in a leisurely and friendly manner and looking up into her -face with a pair of very intelligent brown eyes. - -“Isn’t he a dear?” cried Harry. - -“He’s a rascal, that’s what he is,” laughed Chub. “Here he had us all -scared stiff and he’s just an amiable old Towser, after all!” And Chub -started across the rock to join Harry. But he thought better of it, -for the setter turned his head toward him and growled warningly, the -hair along his back standing on end. - -“Well, of all the rank partiality!” cried Chub, rejoining Dick and Roy, -who were laughing at his discomfiture. - -“He knows I love dogs, don’t you, you old dear?” murmured Harry. - -“I love dogs myself, don’t I?” asked Chub offendedly. “Why doesn’t he -know that?” - -“It’s your face, Chub,” said Roy. “He has only to look at that to see -that you’re a suspicious character. He’s a very intelligent animal, -isn’t he, Dick?” - -“Oh, I don’t know; ’most anybody could size Chub up after a glance -at him. Well, if we can’t see any more, suppose we go on about our -business and come back later on when the chap’s at home? I’d sure like -to get a look inside, fellows.” - -“Oh, so would I!” cried Harry. “Do you suppose that he’d invite us in -if he was here?” - -“No,” replied Chub, somewhat disgustedly, eying the setter in disfavor. -“I’ll bet he’s a regular old bear! A man that’ll have a dog with as -suspicious a disposition as that one isn’t going to invite us in to see -his old boat.” - -“A Daniel come to judgment!” exclaimed a deep voice behind them. - -[Illustration: “‘A Daniel come to judgment!’”] - -Snip, who had ceased barking for very weariness, broke out again -frantically as the boys turned startledly about. At the edge of the -wood, a few yards away, stood a big, brown-bearded man viewing them -solemnly with his legs apart and his hands thrust into the pockets of -a pair of yellow corduroy trousers. I say yellow because they were -possibly a little more yellow than they were anything else, but there -were many other colors to be found on those trousers; spots of red and -blue and green, splashes of brown and white and black, and smears of -all the variants possible. Even in his surprise and embarrassment Chub -remembered his guess that the owner of the _Jolly Roger_ was a paint -salesman, and silently congratulated himself on his acumen. - -I have said that the man was big, but that doesn’t begin to convey an -idea of the impression received by Roy and Dick, Chub and Harry, as -they turned and found him there. At first glance he seemed to them the -biggest man outside of a museum. He was tall, well above six feet, -and more than correspondingly broad, with huge muscles that indicated -great strength. He was wonderfully good looking, with a long, straight -nose, wide, brown eyes, a heavy head of wavy brown hair and a thick -brown beard trimmed to a point. He suggested strength, health, sanity, -and kindness. And after the first instant even his intense solemnity -of countenance didn’t deceive the campers. For there was a half-hidden -twinkle in the brown eyes. The red setter began to bark joyfully and so -for a moment the dogs had everything their own way. Then: - -“Be quiet, Jack,” commanded the man, and the setter dropped obediently -to the deck and restricted his manifestations of delight to a frantic -wagging of his tail. Snip was not so easily controlled, but Dick -grabbed him up and muzzled him with his hand. - -“Well, here’s the bear,” said the man, still regarding them solemnly. -“A big brown bear ready to eat you up. Aren’t you frightened?” - -“No,” said Harry, “not a bit! That was just some of Chub’s nonsense. He -didn’t mean anything.” - -“You’re sure?” asked the man anxiously. He had a splendid deep voice -that made one almost love him at once. - -“Yes, quite sure,” laughed Harry. - -“I am relieved,” said the man soberly. He took his hands from his -pockets and came toward them with long, easy steps which showed that, -in spite of his size, he was far more graceful than many a smaller man. -“So you’d like to see inside the bear’s den, would you?” he asked. -“Well, come along then, ladies and gentlemen; this way to the grand -salon.” - -They followed him on to the boat, Harry, Dick, Roy, and Chub, Chub -still looking a trifle abashed and keeping to the rear. Their guide led -them along the side of the house to the space at the rear, threw open -a door and bowed them in. They found themselves in a little room about -ten feet square. The sunlight streamed through the two windows on the -island side and cast a golden glow over the apartment. It was furnished -with a table, which still held the remains of a meal, two chairs, -a large easel holding a clean canvas, a high stand bearing a huge -paint-box, brushes, knives, and tubes, and a green bench. There was a -cupboard built against the wall in one corner, a pile of canvases under -the table and a few pictures between the windows. - -“This is the workroom,” explained the host. “Not lavishly furnished, -you see.” - -No one answered. What they were all wondering was, how on earth the man -managed to move around in that tiny room without upsetting the easel or -the table! Perhaps he surmised their thoughts, for: - -“Rather a small den for a big bear, isn’t it?” he laughed, showing a -set of big white teeth through his beard. - -“It’s very nice,” murmured Harry. “Do you make pictures?” - -“Yes, I’m a painter,” he answered, as he opened another door. - -“Told you he was!” whispered Chub to Roy, and received a scathing -glance in reply. - -Out of the living-room was a tiny kitchen with an oil-stove, cupboards -for dishes and food, a sink, and, in short, all the requirements -for housekeeping. Harry went into raptures over the place, and the -boys agreed that it was “just about all right.” On the other side of -the kitchen, or the “galley,” as their host termed it, was a small -engine-room with a twenty horse-power gasolene engine. That interested -Dick, and he had to know all about it before he would consent to go on. -The man explained smilingly, obligingly. - -“It’s a fairish engine, I guess,” he said, “but I’m free to confess -that I don’t understand it and never shall. Engines and machinery are -beyond me. I start it going and if it wants to it keeps on. If it -doesn’t want to it stops. And I stay there until it gets ready to go -again. It’s stopped now, as it happens. That’s why I’m here.” - -From the engine-room he conducted them on deck and then through a door -near the bow. Here was a narrow entry crossing the boat, opening on one -side into a bedroom and on the other into a sitting-room. The bedroom -was simply and comfortably furnished and had a real brass bedstead in -it. The sitting-room was very cozy and inviting, and was the largest -room of all. There were two windows on each side and one looking over -the bow. A queer circular iron stairway popped straight upward to the -pilot-house above. There was a window-seat along the front containing -some comfortable leather cushions--the sort a fellow isn’t afraid of -soiling--a table in the center, three comfortable chairs, a bookcase -half full of volumes and holding a bowl of geraniums, a talking-machine -which pointed its horn threateningly toward the front window as though -ready to be fired at any moment, and, to Harry’s delighted approval, a -big, gray Angora cat asleep on the window-seat. - -“Isn’t he a perfect beauty,” cried Harry, falling on her knees beside -him. “Oh, I never felt such long, silky hair! Dick, maybe you’d better -put Snip outside. You know he sometimes chases cats that he isn’t -acquainted with.” - -Dick, who still held the excited Snip in his arms, turned toward the -door but his host stopped him. - -“Put him down, put him down,” he said. “Let him get acquainted with -my family. The cat won’t hurt him, and if he wants to tackle the -cat--well, I believe in letting folks fight their own battles. It’s -good for them. Beastie, observe the fox-terrier. Behave yourself, now. -You, too, Jack.” - -Snip was set at liberty. Approaching Beastie cautiously he gave one -experimental bark. Beastie only blinked at him. Whereupon Snip paid no -more attention to the cat, but proceeded to make friends with the red -setter. - -“I don’t use this room much,” said their host as they sat down at -his invitation, “so I fancy it doesn’t look very well. I’m a poor -housekeeper. Well, boys, what do you think of the bear’s den?” - -“It’s just swell!” answered Chub earnestly. “I shouldn’t think you’d -want to sell it, sir.” - -“No,” murmured Roy and Dick. - -“Had it four years,” said the painter, “and been all around in it. -Besides, it’s too big for comfort. Two rooms are all I need. So I’ll -sell when I get a chance. But I’ve been trying to get rid of the thing -for over a year and haven’t done it yet.” - -“Wish I could buy it,” said Dick seriously. “I suppose, though, it -would be worth a lot of money, sir?” - -“Not a bit of it, my boy! You can have it to-morrow for a thousand -dollars. It cost me just short of three, engine and all. But I’ll sell -it cheap. It’s in the best of condition, too; nothing run down--except -the engine.” He chuckled. “Or I’ll take the engine out and you can have -the boat for fifteen hundred! Want to buy?” - -Dick shook his head ruefully. “I’d like to,” he said, “but I guess I -couldn’t find that much money right now.” - -“Well, when you do you let me know and maybe the boat will still be -waiting for you. Cole’s my name, Forbes Cole, and ‘New York City’ will -reach me any time. You see, I began to lose interest in this boat when -I’d worked out the last combination in color on her. How do you like -the way she’s painted now?” - -“Very nice,” answered Dick, after an appreciable pause. - -Mr. Cole burst into a bellow of deep laughter. - -“Don’t care for it, eh? Well, you should have seen her two years ago; -she was worth while then. I had her in Roman stripes. Beginning at -the water line, she was blue, white, orange, cerise, purple, and pale -green; stripes about six inches broad. Well, she attracted a lot of -attention that summer. Folks thought I was crazy.” And he chuckled -enjoyably, his brown eyes twinkling. “Then, the year before, I had the -hull all bright green and the house burnt-orange. But I didn’t care -much for that myself; it was a bit too plain.” - -The boys laughed. - -“Are you going to stay here long?” asked Roy politely. - -“Ask the engine,” replied the artist, “ask the engine. I give her a -few turns every morning. If she starts, why, I go on; if she doesn’t -I stay. It’s simple enough. Saves me the bother of deciding, too. But -I’ve never stopped just here before, and it looks as though I might -find some paintable bits around. Where am I, by the way? Is this a -private island I’m hitched to? Any law against trespassing?” - -“It’s Fox Island,” answered Roy, “and it belongs to Doctor Emery, Miss -Harriet Emery’s father.” He nodded toward Harry. “He is principal of -Ferry Hill School which is just across there on the hill. I don’t -believe he would mind your staying here as long as you--as long as your -engine likes.” - -“Do you boys go to school there?” - -“Yes, that is, Chub and I have just graduated and Dick has another year -of it. We three are camping out here, and Harry comes over every day. -It’s pretty good fun.” - -“Yes, but it would be more fun in a boat like this,” said Dick. “I’m -going to have one some day, you bet!” - -“So’m I,” said Harry, lifting her face from where it had been buried -in Beastie’s silken coat. “And I’m going to travel all around in it, -Japan, Greece, Africa, Venice, Holland--everywhere!” - -Mr. Cole laughed again until Chub wondered why the windows didn’t fall -out. - -“Bless me,” said the artist, “you’re adventurous for a young lady, -Miss--er--Emery! I’ll have to sell the _Roger_ to you.” - -“Roy says,” remarked Chub, “that you ought to have your sign read: -‘Inquire above or below.’ We wanted to change it for you,” he added -audaciously, “only we didn’t like the look of the dog.” - -“‘Above or below,’ eh? Ho, that’s not bad, boys, that’s not bad! I’ll -do it, I’ll change it myself. ‘Above or below,’ eh? Yes, yes, that’s a -splendid idea. Folks will think I’m dead, maybe.” - -“Roy meant,” began Harry anxiously, “that--” - -“Don’t tell me,” interrupted Mr. Cole. “It might spoil it. Now, where’s -this camp of yours, boys?” - -Roy explained and told him that they would like very much to have him -come and see them. - -“Of course I’ll come,” answered the artist heartily. “And you come and -see me, any time. If I’m at work, why, here’s some books and there’s -the ready-made music.” He pointed to the talking-machine. “You can’t -disturb me, so come around whenever you like while I’m here. And we’ll -have a dinner-party some time, maybe, when I get some provisions in.” - -They made their adieus, their host accompanying them to land and -shaking them each by the hand with a pressure that made them gasp. -Jack, too, followed, wagging his tail in friendly farewell, and Beastie -stood at the doorway and blinked benevolently. - -“You needn’t be afraid of Jack the next time,” said Mr. Cole. “He knows -you now. Good-by, good-by. Come again. The bear’s den is always open, -and if I’m not here make yourselves at home.” He waved one big brown -hand in farewell as they passed around the point. - -[Illustration: Harry] - -“Isn’t he jolly?” exclaimed Dick when they were out of his hearing. - -“Bully,” said Dick. - -“He’s all right,” added Chub. “Nothing stuck-up about him. I knew an -artist chap at home once and he was a chump. Always talking about when -he studied in Rome. I asked him once if he meant Rome, Georgia, and he -got all het up about it.” - -They went back to camp by way of Point Harriet and Billy Noon’s camping -place, but, as usual, Billy wasn’t at home. - -“If people keep on coming here,” said Roy, “we’ll have a regular -village pretty soon. Already the population has increased fifty per -cent. That’s pretty near the record, I guess.” - -“We ought to establish a form of government,” said Chub. “I’ll be -mayor.” - -“You’re too modest,” replied Roy. “You ought to try and fight against -it, Chub.” - -“It’s no use,” Chub sighed. “I was born that way. Lots of folks have -spoken about it.” - -“Well, I don’t care who’s mayor,” said Dick, “if I can be chief of -police.” - -When they got back to camp Dick remarked casually: “This would be a -dandy afternoon to do a little painting, wouldn’t it?” - -“Yes, and it would be a dandy afternoon to do no painting at all,” -answered Chub. “Let’s go out in the launch and bum around up and down -the river. Let’s go over to Coleville and make faces at Hammond. By -the way, I wonder if Mr. Cole comes from Coleville.” - -Dick finally allowed himself to be persuaded that it would do them more -good to take a sail than to paint, and so they all four piled into the -_Pup_ and, as Chub put it, went barking around for an hour or more, -Harry serenely happy at being allowed to take the wheel and steer, Snip -fast asleep in her lap. Harry reverted to the subject of the birthday -party that they were to give her and begged them not to forget to -invite the Licensed Poet. - -“We won’t,” said Chub. “And, say, why not ask the Floating Artist, too?” - -“That’ll be lovely!” cried Harry, laughingly. “A Licensed Poet and a -Floating Artist for supper!” - -“That’s all right,” answered Dick, “but I’d rather have a Broiled -Beefsteak.” - -“I have an idea,” remarked Chub, “that the Licensed Poet won’t be able -to accept.” - -“Why?” demanded Harry anxiously. - -“I think he’s going to be busy Thursday night.” - -“Doing what?” - -“Well, I don’t know just what,” answered Chub mysteriously, “but -something.” - -And although they tried their best to make him explain he only shook -his head and frowned darkly at the passing shore. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -A MEETING OF FRIENDS - - -It turned off quite cool that evening toward sunset, a stiff breeze -blowing up the river, snapping the flag at the top of the pole and -sending the smoke from the stove swirling away in sudden gusts. They -lighted the camp-fire early and, although the “dining-room” was -sometimes invaded by choking gray fumes that made them cough and set -their eyes to smarting, the warmth was grateful. Scarcely had the -things been cleared up when there came a mighty hail from Inner Beach: - -“Hello, the camp!” - -They answered, and the big form of the Floating Artist, as Chub -insisted on calling him, arose into sight over the bank, looking -bigger than ever against the golden haze of sunset. Jack was with him, -trotting demurely at his heels. Of course Snip was thrown into a fit -of terrible excitement and had to dance around and bark wildly for the -ensuing minute. But at last order was restored in camp, Snip silenced, -Mr. Cole installed on an empty box that creaked loudly whenever he -moved, and Jack was lying at Harry’s side with his head in her lap. - -“Well, you’re pretty comfortably settled here,” said Mr. Cole. “And I -suppose you’re having a grand time.” - -“Yes, sir,” answered Roy, “we’ve had a good deal of fun so far.” - -“Got a launch, too, I see; and a rowboat and a canoe. Quite a navy at -your command.” - -“The launch belongs to Dick,” said Chub. “The canoe is mine and the -skiff belongs to the school. The launch is named the _Pup_.” - -“The _Pup_?” laughed their guest. “How’d you happen to think of that?” -Dick explained and the artist was vastly amused. - -“Well,” he said, “if I followed your method my boat would be called the -_Great Silence_, I guess.” - -“Won’t the engine go yet?” asked Dick solicitously. - -“Oh, I haven’t tried it since morning. I don’t like to hurry it. I -think, though, that I’ll stay here a day or so. I’ve found some nice -bits that I’d like to try my hand at.” - -“Do you paint landscapes?” asked Harry. - -“Mostly, yes; figures now and then. Landscape is my line, but I’d -rather do figures; I guess it’s human nature to always want to do -something you can’t. And that reminds me,” he turned to Harry, “you -look like an amiable young lady. Suppose, now, you should sit for me -a little while to-morrow. What do you say? It won’t be difficult, you -know. Just sit kind of still for--hem--an hour. I’d be awfully much -obliged, really.” - -“Sit for you?” stammered Harry. “Do you mean that you want to _paint_ -me!” - -“Exactly. Sounds a bit alarming, does it?” - -“N-no,” answered Harry, “only--” - -“I know,” laughed the artist. “You haven’t anything to wear. Isn’t that -it?” Harry’s silence gave assent. - -“Well, now, I’d like you to wear just what you’ve got on.” He paused -and eyed her critically. “Never mind a hat. I want that glorious hair -of yours, Miss Emery. And--let me see--if you have a bit of blue ribbon -at home you might just tie it around your waist. What do you say, now? -Yes, I hope.” - -Harry was much too delighted to speak, but the others mistook the -emotion. - -“Oh, go ahead, Harry,” said Roy. “I’d like to see a picture of you.” - -“Sure,” chimed in Chub. “And maybe if it’s awfully good we’ll buy it -for the camp.” - -“There’ll be refreshments in case you get hungry,” said the artist -smilingly. “Let me see, what do young ladies like? Candy, of course, -and--hum--pickled limes and gingerbread.” - -Harry giggled nervously. - -“I don’t like pickled limes,” she said. - -“All the better, for I haven’t any. How about gingerbread?” - -Harry shook her head. - -“No? Then it will have to be candy. I can manage that, I guess. It’s -all settled, then, is it?” - -“If you want me,” answered Harry shyly. - -“Of course I do! And what time, now? Morning? Afternoon? Morning would -be better for me; the light’s clearer. What do you say to ten to-morrow -forenoon, Miss Emery?” - -Harry nodded. - -“Very well, and thank you. I’ll expect you then at ten o’clock. If you -like you may bring one of these young gentlemen with you, but we don’t -want a crowd, do we?” - -“I guess I’d rather not have any one, if it doesn’t matter,” answered -Harry. - -“Isn’t she tight?” cried Chub. “She’s afraid we’ll get some of the -candy! If she backs down, Mr. Cole, I’ll sit for you any time.” - -“Ho, ho!” laughed the artist. “You like candy, too, do you? Well, -there’ll be enough for all. The rest of you can happen around when the -sitting’s over.” - -There was a noise in the woods and Billy Noon appeared and joined the -circle around the fire. As he came into the light the artist exclaimed: - -“Well, well! Where’d you come from, Noon?” - -Chub turned in time to see Billy press a finger swiftly against his -lips. - -“Eh?” said Mr. Cole. “Oh, yes--er--well, I didn’t expect to come across -you up here on this desert island.” The two shook hands, as Billy -replied: - -“Guess I didn’t expect to see you, sir. In your boat, are you?” - -“Yes, in the old _Jolly Roger_.” - -[Illustration: “Chub turned in time to see Billy press a finger swiftly -against his lips”] - -“I see,” said Billy as he found a seat. “You’ve changed her name and -her paint, haven’t you?” - -“Oh, plenty of times since you saw her last,” was the reply. “Let’s -see, she was the _Ark_, then, wasn’t she?” - -“No, sir, the _Greased Lightning_.” - -“To be sure, so she was. That was when she was ultramarine and sulphur -yellow: Well, she’s had many names since then, and many colors. You -ought to have seen her when she was _Joseph’s Coat_; she was striped -then with six colors and very effective. At one place I stopped they -wanted to arrest me for disturbing the peace.” And the artist laid back -his head and laughed uproariously in his deep voice. - -“I saw her lying at the island this morning,” said Billy, “and I -thought that she looked something like your boat, but the difference in -the name and the painting misled me.” - -“Naturally, although you ought to be able to penetrate a disguise, -Noon. I mean that you ought to have remembered her graceful lines. I -was telling these chaps this afternoon that I wanted to get rid of her -now, for I’ve tried about every combination of colors I can think of, -and I’m running out of names as well.” - -“How would the _Keep Mum_ do for a name?” asked Billy carelessly. - -“Eh? Oh, well, it might,” answered the artist thoughtfully, eying Billy -across the firelight. “By the way, what are you doing now?” - -“I’ve got a bit of a boat with a sail in it, and I’m going down the -river in the interests of Billings’s ‘Wonders of the Deep,’” answered -Billy. The artist chuckled. - -“Let’s see,” he said, “the last time I saw you you were buying old -furniture, weren’t you? Ever do any of that sort of thing now?” - -“I’m doing a little on the side,” was the reply. “Had a pleasant -summer, Mr. Cole?” - -“So far, yes, although I’ve been pretty lazy. But then, I generally -am lazy. Miss Emery here has just consented to pose for me to-morrow. -I’ve got a little sketch in mind that ought to turn out well.” He half -closed his eyes, cocked his head on one side and studied Harry for a -moment, a proceeding which brought the color into her cheeks and caused -Chub to grin maliciously. Billy asked the boys what they had been doing -to-day and they gave him a history of events. Harry reminded Roy in -a whisper that they were to invite the Poet and the Artist to supper -Thursday, and Roy promptly issued the invitations. To Chub’s surprise -Billy accepted at once, as did the artist. - -“It’s some time, though,” the latter added, “since I’ve attended a -birthday celebration, and I don’t know whether I’ll behave myself.” - -“We’ll risk that,” laughed Dick. “It won’t be very much of an affair, -sir; just some supper here in camp, you know. Harry’s going to hold her -real celebration at home in the afternoon.” - -“I see. Well, now, look here, boys! I don’t want to upset any plans, -but the fact is that I was thinking about having you all on board the -_Roger_ some evening while I’m here. And as I don’t suppose I’ll remain -here more than two or three days, why can’t we lump the thing and hold -the celebration on the boat? You bring your things and I’ll supply the -rest, and we can do the cooking in my galley. Now, what do you say?” - -The boys hesitated, but Harry clapped her hands in delighted approval. - -“That would be dandy!” she cried. “Let’s do that, Dick! Do you mind?” - -“No, I think it would be very nice,” answered Dick. And so it was -arranged that on Thursday afternoon Dick was to bring their share of -the feast to the _Jolly Roger_, and as chef, was to take charge of the -preparation of the feast. Presently Mr. Cole rose to leave. - -“By the way, Noon,” he said, “you’re a sort of Jack-of-all-trades. Know -anything about gasolene engines?” - -“He knows all about them, sir,” answered Dick. - -“Does, eh? Well, then supposing you walk back to the boat with me and -look over mine, Noon? It hasn’t been acting quite fair lately. I don’t -mind its stopping now and then for a day or so, but it’s been overdoing -it recently; it’s been imposing on me.” - -So the Floating Artist and the Licensed Poet took their departure, -followed by Jack. When they were gone Harry turned to the boys. - -“Why do you suppose he wants to paint me?” she cried breathlessly. - -“Well,” answered Roy judicially, “you know you’re not half bad looking, -Harry.” - -“Pshaw!” exclaimed Chub. “It’s a case of love at first sight. He just -wants an excuse to see her. Oh, look at Harry’s blushes, fellows!” - -“I’m not blushing!” cried Harry, with a stamp of her foot. - -“Oh, of course not,” answered Chub, “it’s just the light from the fire!” - -“You’re terribly fickle, though,” teased Dick. “A few days ago it was -the Licensed Poet, and now--” - -“Harry’s a patron of the arts,” laughed Roy. “She won’t look at us -pretty soon.” - -“I,” declared Chub, “shall learn to sculp.” - -“Learn what?” asked Roy. - -“Learn to sculp; to be a sculptor, you ninny. That’s an art, isn’t it?” - -“Not the way you’d do it,” answered Roy unkindly. “It would be a crime. -Say, I thought you said Billy wouldn’t accept for Thursday.” - -“I didn’t say he wouldn’t accept,” Chub replied. “I said I didn’t think -he’d be able to.” - -“Well, what’s the difference?” asked Dick jeeringly. - -“If you don’t know I shan’t tell you,” answered Chub with intense -dignity. “Come on and get the canoe, Roy. This young artist’s model -must go home and get her beauty-sleep.” - -Harry, who for several minutes had been sitting chin in hand staring -into the fire, roused herself. - -“I think,” she remarked dreamily, half to herself, “that I’ll wear the -gold brooch Aunt Harriet gave me for Christmas.” - -When they were getting ready for bed Dick said suddenly: - -“I’d like to know who the dickens this Billy Noon is! Where do you -suppose the painter chap got to know him?” - -“Oh, that’s easy,” yawned Chub. “It was when Billy was with the circus. -Mr. Cole was the elephant.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -HARRY SITS FOR HER PICTURE - - -When Harry reached the _Jolly Roger_ the next forenoon Jack arose from -his place on the sunny deck and walked forward to meet her, wagging his -tail in cordial welcome. As she spoke to him Mr. Cole heard her voice -and put his head out of one of the studio windows. - -“Good morning,” he said. “Come aboard. I’m just getting my things -ready.” - -From the stern of the boat she saw that the little cedar tender was -floating in the water at the end of its painter and that the oars which -lay across the seats were still wet. Evidently the artist had been out -rowing. - -“I’m going to ask you to sit up top,” said Mr. Cole, emerging from -the studio with an easel tucked under one arm and a paint-box in his -hand. “It’ll be cooler there, I guess, and the light’s better than down -here.” He led the way up the steps and Harry followed. “Now just make -yourself comfortable for a moment, please. You’ll find that big rocker -fairly easy, and there are some magazines on the table. I’ll be back in -a minute.” - -He swung himself down the steps in two strides, and Harry heard him -singing to himself in his mellow bass as he moved about underneath. -Obediently she picked up a magazine from the willow table and perched -herself in the big green rocker, but it was far more interesting to -look around her than to study the pages of the magazine. It was so -pretty up here. The bright rugs underfoot echoed the colors of the -blossoms in the boxes around the edge. The faded awning overhead -filtered the ardent sunlight to a soft, mellow glow. Framed by the -flowers and the fluttering scallops of the canopy was a picture of blue -water aglint in the sunlight, a purple-shadowed shore and a green hill -arising to the fleece-flecked sky. It promised to be a very warm day, -but as yet the morning breeze still stole up the river. The door of -the little pilot-house was open and Harry could see the steering-wheel -with its brass hub and rim, a little shelf of folded charts and several -gleaming brass switches and pulls which she supposed connected with -the engine-room. At that moment the artist climbed the stairs again, -a clean creamy-white canvas and a bunch of brushes in one hand and a -white box in the other. He handed the box to Harry. - -“I pay in advance, you see,” he said smilingly. - -“Oh,” said Harry in concern, as she opened the box and glanced at the -name on the lid, “you had to go ’way down to the Cove for this! You -oughtn’t to have done that, Mr. Cole!” - -“What? Why, it’s no more than a mile, I’m sure; just a nice -after-breakfast row. I enjoyed it, really. But I’m afraid the candy -isn’t very good. However, you probably know what to expect; you -doubtless know all about Silver Cove confectionery.” - -As he talked he set up his easel at one side of the deck, got out his -palette and began to squeeze wonderful blots of color on to it. - -“It’s very nice candy,” answered Harry earnestly. “Won’t--won’t you -have some?” - -Mr. Cole glanced at his hands, the fingers of which were already -stained with paint, and hesitated. Then: - -“Suppose you feed me a piece,” he said. He came over to her and leaned -down with his mouth open. - -“What do you like,” laughed Harry. - -“Oh, something with nuts in it, I guess,” he replied. - -“Well, I think there’s a nut in this, but I’m not sure.” She popped a -chocolate into the open mouth and watched anxiously while he bit into -it. After a moment of suspense he nodded his head vigorously. - -“Right,” he said, returning to his palette. “That was a good guess. Do -you know, I think they ought to mark the pieces that have nuts in them -so we could tell, don’t you?” - -Harry said she thought that was a very good plan, the while she cuddled -the big four-pound box to her and munched happily at a nougat. It was -very interesting to see the paint come squirming out of the tubes. -Each succeeding tube was a new surprise. She wondered why he needed so -many, many colors to paint her since she was all in white save for the -tan shoes and stockings and the dainty blue ribbon at her waist. Then, -as a flash of orange vermilion joined the other mounds of color, she -wondered in consternation whether that was for her hair! Presently the -palette was set, the canvas on the easel and all in readiness. Then the -artist stood up and looked at his model. Harry began to feel nervous. -Maybe she wasn’t as pret--well, as nice looking this morning! Maybe he -was disappointed in her! Oh, he was, for he was frowning! - -“My dear child,” he said, “what have you done to your hair?” - -“N-nothing,” faltered Harry. “At least, I just put it up in a different -way. Mama thought it would look nicer. She says I always have my hair -so untidy. So I--I made it neat. Don’t you like it?” - -“Yes, indeed,” he answered heartily, “it looks very nice that way, but -for my purpose the other way was the better. You know, artists are -strange persons with unaccountable tastes. I don’t suppose you could -rearrange it, could you, as you wore it yesterday?” - -“Oh, yes, I can; that is, I could if I had another ribbon. I guess you -wouldn’t have one, would you?” - -“What kind of a ribbon?” he asked. - -“Oh, just any old ribbon would do; just to tie around the end, you -know.” - -“Well, now you run down and skirmish around. Maybe you’ll find -something. How would a ribbon off one of the curtains in the -sitting-room do? They’re white, but that wouldn’t matter to me.” - -So Harry disappeared for a few minutes, and when she returned her -beautiful coronet was gone and her hair was once more down her back in -two shimmering red-gold braids. - -“That’s more like it,” said Mr. Cole. “Now, if you’ll just sit here -in this chair. That’s it. Could you turn your head a little more -toward the side? Just make believe that you are very much interested -in something that’s going on across the river. That’s it! Fine! Just -hold it that way for a few minutes; not too stiff, or you’ll tire -the muscles. Now the hands--there, just folded loosely in the lap. -That’s stunning! Hm!” He backed away toward his easel, observing her -through half-closed eyes. “Now you must forgive me if I’m not very -entertaining, for I’m liable to forget my duties as host when I get -at work. But you might talk to me, if you like, and tell me about -yourself. I suppose you have a pretty good time living at a big boys’ -school as you do?” - -His voice trailed off into a murmur and Harry could hear the soft sound -of the charcoal on the canvas, although, as her head was turned away, -she could not see the rapid, deft strokes of his hand. It wasn’t hard -for Harry to talk, and here was a fine opportunity. So she made the -most of it for some little time, the artist throwing in an occasional -word or question which, if not always especially apropos, encouraged -the sitter to continue. But finally Harry noticed that the replies had -ceased and so she allowed the one-sided conversation to lapse. She -was getting rather tired of looking at the shore, across the dazzling -river, and her neck was beginning to feel stiff; also her hands simply -wouldn’t keep still in her lap. Unconsciously she emitted a deep sigh -and the man at the easel heard it, looked up quickly, smiled, and: - -[Illustration: Harry sitting for her portrait] - -“Rest, please,” he said. “Walk around a minute and have some more -candy.” - -“Could I see it?” asked Harry as she obeyed. But the artist shook his -head. - -“There’s nothing to see yet,” he replied. “You’d be disappointed and -perhaps throw up your job or demand higher wages. Wait until the -sitting’s over.” - -As he talked and as Harry strolled around the deck, not forgetting to -return at frequent intervals to the box on the table, he worked on at -the canvas, shooting little glances at her and painting rapidly. - -“I’m rested now,” said Harry presently. “Shall I sit down again?” - -“Please, and take the same position. That’s it, only please lean the -body a little further back. Thank you. Just a little while longer now.” - -Then silence fell over the _Jolly Roger_ again, broken by the movements -of the painter or the lazy stirring of Jack on the deck below. The sun -crept upward and the heat grew. After all, reflected Harry, it wasn’t -such good fun, this sitting for your picture! She knew she would have a -headache pretty soon if he didn’t let her go. She wished Roy and Dick -and Chub would come, as they had promised, and set her free. She closed -her tired eyes against the blur of the sunlit water, but: - -“The eyes, please, Miss Emery,” said the artist. “Thank you.” - -Another period of silence, and then: - -“There!” said Mr. Cole. “That’ll do for this time. Would you like to -see it now?” - -Harry stared at the canvas in bewilderment. The picture wasn’t at all -as she had expected to find it. There she sat in a green willow chair, -to be sure, and there was the river beyond and the shore beyond that, -but the green chair had turned very dark, the river was a radiant, -magical blue and the woods on the shore were just a lot of broad -blue-green brush-strokes. As for herself--well, it wasn’t finished yet, -as the painter reminded her, but if she looked anything like the girl -on the canvas she would be happy for ever and ever! And if her hair was -anywhere near as beautiful as that golden-red mass she would never be -dissatisfied with it again as long as she lived! Mr. Cole watched her -amusedly as she stood in rapt contemplation of the picture with the -color heightening in her soft cheeks. Perhaps he guessed her thoughts, -for: - -“I’m afraid I haven’t done full justice to my subject,” he said, “but -the next sitting will remedy that somewhat. The detail comes later, you -know. You’re not disappointed, I trust?” - -“Disappointed!” breathed Harry. “I think it’s beautiful! Only--only--” -she paused, “I suppose artists are like photographers, aren’t they? I -mean that they sort of change things to suit themselves?” - -“Change things? Oh, yes, sometimes; that is, we idealize things. What -are you thinking of, the water?” - -“Yes, and--” - -“I deepened it a few shades. It throws out the figure, you see. Observe -how the white gown stands out against it.” - -“Ye-es,” said Harry, “and I daresay you have to flatter folks too, -don’t you? Idealize them, I mean.” - -“Sometimes, but not on this occasion,” replied the artist smilingly. -Harry gave a gasp. - -“Do you mean,” she cried, turning to him with wide eyes, “that I really -look like that?” - -“Well, as near as I could do it, young lady, I put you into that -picture just as you are. I hope I haven’t made you vain?” - -But Harry was looking raptly at the picture again. Presently: - -“Yes, I guess it’s me,” she sighed, coming out of her trance, “for -there’s my horrid little snub nose!” - -“A very interesting nose,” replied the artist. “Not classic, perhaps, -but human. And put there, I fancy, for a good purpose.” - -“What?” asked Harry. - -“To keep you from getting over-vain,” was the response. “Ah, here come -your squires.” - -The _Pup_ came chugging alongside and Dick gave a hail. Harry and Mr. -Cole went to the railing. - -“Come aboard,” cried the artist. “Hitch your steed and come up, and -let’s have your judgment on the picture.” - -A moment later they were all clustered about the canvas, emitting -various exclamations of admiration. It was Chub who finally summed up -the sentiments of the three in one terse sentence. - -“It’s a James Dandy!” he said emphatically. - -“Do you think--it looks much like me?” asked Harry with elaborate -carelessness. Chub grinned at her. - -“Well, it’s got your nose,” he answered. - -Harry’s mouth drooped until Roy cut in with an indignant: “Don’t you -mind him, Harry. It’s a bully likeness. I’d know it anywhere!” - -“So would I,” said Dick. “Chub’s just teasing.” And Chub owned up that -he was. - -“Say, don’t you love the colors, though?” asked Roy eagerly. “Why, that -blue looks good enough to eat!” He turned toward the artist with a new -respect. “I guess you’re a cracker-jack, sir.” - -“Oh, you’re all too flattering,” laughed Mr. Cole. “You’ll never make -art critics of yourselves unless you restrain your enthusiasm. I will -acknowledge, though, that I’ve been rather successful with this; it’s -one of the best figure studies I’ve ever done; and much of my success -has been due to my subject who proved quite a model model, if I may use -such an expression.” - -Harry smiled shyly and recollecting the candy, passed it around. - -“Me, I don’t care for any,” said Chub as he scooped up a handful. -Then they sat down and had a nice cozy talk up there on the roof-deck, -and ate candy to their hearts’--or rather their stomachs’--content. -Presently Chub asked: - -“Wasn’t it funny, Mr. Cole, that you should meet Billy Noon here?” - -“Why, yes, it was,” was the answer. “Still, Noon’s the sort of a chap -that you’re likely to come across in strange places and when you least -expect to.” - -“Have you known him long?” asked Chub in politely conversational tones. -The artist suppressed a smile. - -“For several years,” he replied. - -“He seems to have tried all sorts of trades,” continued Chub, nothing -daunted. “He says he’s been a dentist, a clown in a circus, a -sleight-of-hand performer, a ventriloquist, a--a--” - -“Book agent,” prompted Dick. - -“Engineer,” supplied Roy. - -“Yes,” Chub went on, “and a poet.” - -“Indeed,” laughed the artist, “I’d never heard of that. How did you -find that out?” - -So Chub told him about the missing bread and butter and the verses -substituted, about the fish and the poem written on birch bark, and -so worked around to Billy’s experience with the Great Indian Chief -Medicine Company. - -“Well, he’s tried his hand at lots of things,” said Mr. Cole, “and -strangely enough he does everything well. I haven’t any doubt but that -if I could persuade Noon to take the _Roger_ to sell for me he’d find -a buyer inside of a week.” - -“Couldn’t you?” asked Dick. The artist shook his head. - -“I’m afraid not,” he answered. “He’s a pretty busy person.” - -“But I should think it would pay him better than selling books,” Chub -insisted. Mr. Cole smiled mysteriously. - -“Noon’s book-selling is a bigger thing than you think,” he replied. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE STORM - - -“Chub! - -“_Chub!!_ - -“CHU-U-UB!!!” - -“Eh?” asked Chub drowsily. - -“Get up; it’s after eight o’clock,” said Roy. - -“Pull the bedclothes off of him,” counseled a voice outside the tent -which Chub, just dropping back to slumber, recognized as belonging to -Dick. - -“Can’t,” Roy answered. “He’s kicked them on to the floor. Chub, you -lazy duffer, get up! Do you hear? We’re eating breakfast.” - -“Then it’s too late,” murmured Chub serenely. “Call me before lunch.” - -“He won’t get up, Dick,” announced Roy. “You’d better come.” - -“No!” yelled the tardy one, jumping as though a yellow-jacket had -wandered into bed with him. “I’m up, Dick, honest! Ain’t I, Roy?” - -“You’re half up,” was the answer. “I want to see you all up before I -leave.” - -“All right.” Chub stretched his arms above his head, yawned and -stumbled to his feet. “What time did you say it was?” - -“About ten minutes after eight.” - -“Phew! Don’t it get late early? I did sleep, didn’t I? Go ahead and -eat, Roy, I’ll be out in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. My, but I’m -sleepy! Say, what time was it when we got to bed last night, anyway?” - -“A little after eleven.” - -“Is that all? I thought it must have been about one. These parties -are very unsettling affairs. Say, but wasn’t Billy funny with his -imitations?” - -“He surely was,” answered Roy, smiling reminiscently. “We had a lot of -fun, didn’t we?” - -“Well, rather! And can’t that Floating Artist sing, what? Say, if I had -a voice like that I’d never do a lick of work!” - -“I haven’t noticed that you are killing yourself with labor,” answered -Roy as he moved toward the door of the tent. Chub reached for a shoe, -but Roy was gone before he got his hand on it. So he sat down again on -the side of his bunk and thought of some of the funny things that Billy -Noon had said last evening and grinned and chuckled all to himself -until a little breeze came frolicking in through the door bringing a -fragrant aroma of coffee. Then Chub came back to earth and tumbled -feverishly into his clothes. - -Harry was to sit again for the Floating Artist at ten o’clock and so -was not coming over to the camp for breakfast. Besides, as to-morrow -was Thursday, Harry had much to do in regard to her birthday party at -the Cottage, and Fox Island was not likely to see much of her before -Thursday evening at seven, at which hour the celebration on board the -_Jolly Roger_ was to commence. After breakfast Dick made a bee-line for -his paint-pots and brushes, and it took all Chub’s and Roy’s diplomacy -to restrain him from going to work again on the _Pup_. - -“Honest, Dick,” said Chub, “there’s too much to do to-day and to-morrow -for us to start messing with paint. Wait until after Harry’s birthday, -like a good chap.” - -“What is there to do to-day?” demanded Dick. - -“Why,” answered Chub, “we--er--why, we’ve got to go to the Cove to buy -provisions for one thing, and--” - -“We can get those to-morrow just as well.” - -“But think of the time it will take to finish that painting,” begged -Roy. “We’ve got to find another rock and lug it out there first.” - -“Yes, and there’ll be only you and Roy to do the painting,” said Chub, -“because I’ll have to sit on the gunwale to heel her over so as you can -reach the bottom; and that means an all-day job.” - -“Oh, if you fellows don’t want to help,” said Dick with dignity, “I -guess I can get it done somehow.” - -“But we do want to help,” answered Chub eagerly. “That’s just it, don’t -you see? That’s why we want you to wait until we can all take a hand at -it. When Harry’s here, you see, I can paint too, because she will do -the heavyweight act for us.” - -“Oh, thunder!” muttered Dick, half laughing, half scowling, “you -fellows are a pair of squealers, that’s what you are! Hang it, I’ll -never get the launch finished!” - -“Oh, yes, you will,” said Chub soothingly. “Besides, what if you don’t? -I should think you’d be proud to have the only half-and-half boat on -the Hudson River!” - -They went in bathing instead, managing to kill the better part of two -hours in that occupation. They didn’t go far up Inner Beach for fear -of disturbing Mr. Cole, who, with Harry, was plainly to be seen on the -roof-deck of the house-boat. But about noon, having dressed themselves, -they walked up there. The sitting was over and the picture practically -finished, although the artist explained that there was a little more to -be done to it. - -“But he doesn’t want me to sit any more,” said Harry, almost -regretfully. - -“No, that isn’t necessary,” replied Mr. Cole. “The rest can be done any -time.” - -“If I had money enough I’d buy that picture,” declared Chub. “I think -it’s dandy. I suppose you get a good deal for one like that?” - -“Well, that won’t be sold, I guess. If it should, though, I’d want -about three hundred for it.” - -Chub’s eyes hung out of his head. - -“Three hundred!” he gasped. Then, fearing that the artist would think -him discourteous, he added: “I--I guess that’s pretty reasonable.” - -Mr. Cole laughed. “Well, I don’t think it exorbitant,” he said. “I’ve -seen a much smaller canvas than that sell for four thousand.” - -“Guess I’ll be an artist,” said Chub with a helpless shake of his head. -“Want to give me lessons, sir?” - -“Hardly,” was the reply. “I don’t think you would ever make a Sargent -or a Chase; do you?” - -“Sure,” answered Chub with assurance. “If I learned how I could make -them.” - -When the rest had stopped laughing Roy said: - -“We’re going to Silver Cove after dinner, Mr. Cole, and we thought -maybe you’d like to come along and have a sail in the _Pup_.” - -“I’d like to first rate,” said the artist, “but I’m going to be busy -this afternoon. I’m sorry. Perhaps you’ll let me come some other -time, boys.” They assured him that they would be glad to have him -whenever it suited him to go, and then they took their departure, Harry -accompanying them after a final look at the picture. - -“Well,” said Dick as they walked back to camp along the beach, “I -suppose you’re feeling pretty stuck-up, Harry, since you’ve had your -picture painted by a real artist.” - -“And a Floating Artist at that,” added Chub. But Harry shook her head -soberly. - -“It must be beautiful,” she said softly and wistfully, “to be able to -paint pictures like that!” - -“That’s so,” agreed Chub vigorously. “I used to think that an artist -chap must be a sort of a sissy; I knew one once: I told you about him, -remember? I never thought that sitting down and painting pictures of -things on pieces of canvas was a decent job for a full-grown man. But -I do now, by jove! A chap must have a whole lot of--of _goodness_, -don’t you think, fellows, to do a thing like that picture of Harry?” - -“I should think so,” answered Roy. “Painting a thing like that seems to -me like composing a wonderful poem or writing a fine piece of music, -eh?” - -“You bet!” said Chub. “But I’d rather be a painter than a poet any old -day.” - -“You’re like Harry,” laughed Dick. “She prefers painters to poets, too, -nowadays.” - -“Harry’s fickle,” said Chub. - -But Harry seemed to be in a strangely chastened mood and paid no heed -to their insinuations. After dinner they took her across to the Ferry -Hill landing in the canoe. A pile of big purple clouds had formed in -the west above the distant hills and already the thunder was muttering -along the horizon and flashes of lightning were appearing behind the -ragged edges of the clouds. - -“We’re going to get that sure,” said Dick, who was the weather-wise -member of the party. “You’d better hurry back, you fellows.” - -They did, sending the canoe up-stream with long racing strokes of the -paddles. But already the big drops were popping down upon the leaves -and a little wind was moaning through the woods as they landed. - -“No launch sail this afternoon,” said Dick aggrievedly. - -“No,” answered Roy. “It’s the tent for us, I guess. Wish there was -something to do besides play cards and read.” - -“We can write letters,” suggested Chub virtuously, and the others -laughed consumedly. - -“I tell you what, fellows,” said Dick a moment later, while they were -tightening the guy-ropes around the tent. “Mr. Cole told us to come -over there whenever we wanted to. Let’s go now. Shall we?” - -“He said he was going to be busy, didn’t he?” asked Roy. - -“Yes, but he said before that we wouldn’t bother him. Let’s go!” And -Chub tossed his cap into the tent, ready for a dash along the beach. - -“All right,” said Roy. “We can keep quiet and read. I saw some dandy -books there the other day.” - -“Last man there’s a chump!” bawled Chub as, having already taken a good -lead, he darted off toward the beach. The others followed and the three -raced along in the rain, which was now coming down in torrents, and -reached the _Jolly Roger_ side by side. A door was thrown open and the -smiling face of the artist greeted them. - -“In with you!” he cried to an accompaniment of delighted barks from -Jack, and they found themselves in the studio, panting and laughing and -dripping. “Just in time,” said their host as he put his weight against -the door and swung it shut. As if in explanation, a sudden gust of wind -burst against the boat, making the windows rattle in their frames and -the timbers creak. With the wind came a blinding wall of rain that -darkened the little room as though sudden twilight had fallen. The -great drops ran down the panes in tiny rivulets and on the island side -it was impossible to see a thing. The sound of wind and rain was for -a moment deafening. Then the wind died down for a moment and a mighty -crash of thunder sent Jack cowering to his master. - -“Glad I’m on the leeward side of this island of yours,” said the -artist. “It must be pretty rough on the other side.” - -“Gee!” exclaimed Chub. “The tent, fellows!” - -They looked at each other in consternation. Then Dick whistled, Roy -smiled, and Chub burst into a peal of laughter. - -“I’ll bet a hat it’s gone home,” he said. “The wind would just about -carry it toward the boat-house.” - -“Oh, maybe it hasn’t any more than blown down,” said Dick. “We made -those ropes good and tight. I’ll bet our things will be good and soppy, -though.” - -“And I left my bag open!” mourned Chub. - -“Well, there’s no use in worrying,” said Mr. Cole cheerfully. “Get your -wet coats off, boys. You don’t want to catch cold!” - -“I’m afraid we’re disturbing you,” said Roy glancing at a canvas on the -easel. - -“Not you, the storm,” was the answer. “I can’t work in this light. -Suppose we go forward to the sitting-room and make ourselves -comfortable?” - -He led the way through the engine-room, remarking as they passed the -engine: “Noon fixed her up for me the other day and I guess she’s all -ready to move on when I am.” In the sitting-room Chub went to a window -on the river side. - -“Gee,” he exclaimed, “I never saw the Inner Channel cutting up like -this! Come, look, Roy.” - -It certainly did look tempestuous. The shore was almost hidden in -the smother of rain. The river which an hour before had been like a -mill-pond, was a gray-green waste of tumbling waves. - -“I wouldn’t care to go out there in the canoe now,” said Roy. - -“We might have some music,” observed Mr. Cole, “but I don’t believe -we could much more than hear it.” As though to prove the truth of -his assertion there came a dazzling flash of lightning and a burst -of thunder that shook the boat until the china danced on the kitchen -shelves. - -“_Thunder!_” exclaimed Chub involuntarily. - -“And lightning,” added Dick. - -“Well,” said Mr. Cole, “find seats, boys, and be as comfortable as you -can. This can’t last very long; it’s too severe. As long as the cables -hold us to the shore we’re all right.” - -Roy and Dick settled themselves on the window-seat, but for Chub the -seething expanse of troubled water held a fascination and he remained -at the window watching. Jack had crawled between his master’s knees and -placed his head in his lap, trembling and glancing about affrightedly. - -“Poor old boy,” said the artist, patting the dog’s head, “thunder just -about scares him to death, doesn’t it, Jack?” - -At that instant there was a sharp cry from Chub, and as the others -sprang to their feet he turned a pale, excited face toward them. - -“Look!” he cried. “There! It’s a boat bottom-up with a man clinging to -it! Can you see?” - -“Yes,” they answered, and for a moment they were silent while the wind -and rain roared outside and the capsized boat tossed heavily between -the waves. - -“The wind will drive him on shore if he can hold on,” said Roy. But -there was little conviction in his tones. - -“Not with that current,” answered Chub hoarsely. “He’s going -down-stream fast. When I first saw him he was fifty yards further up.” - -“Haven’t you a boat?” demanded Dick eagerly of Mr. Cole. - -“Yes,” replied that gentleman calmly and thoughtfully, “but it’s just a -cockle-shell and hard to row. There’s no use in thinking of that.” - -“But we can’t let him drown!” cried Chub. - -“No,” answered the artist. “We can’t do that. One of you look in the -locker in the engine-room and bring me the coil of rope you’ll find -there.” - -Roy darted away in obedience. - -“What are you going to do?” asked Dick. - -“Swim out to him,” was the reply. Mr. Cole was already shedding his -outer clothes. “Do you know who he is?” - -They shook their heads. - -[Illustration: “‘It’s a boat bottom-up with a man clinging to it!’”] - -“I can’t see,” said Chub. “But he’s having a hard time staying there, I -can tell that. The waves are going over him every minute. Do you think -you can get to him, sir? Wouldn’t you like me to go along? I’m a pretty -fairish swimmer, sir.” - -“Let me go!” cried Roy, hurrying back with the big coil of half-inch -rope. But Mr. Cole shook his head as he took the rope and tied it under -his armpits. - -“One’s enough,” he answered. “You keep this end of the rope and when -you think best--haul in hard.” He took a final look out of the window -at the tossing boat and went to the door and flung it open. The wind -and rain burst in upon them, making them gasp. Mr. Cole turned to Dick. - -“Hold the dog,” he shouted. “He may try to follow. Pay out the rope as -long as you can, boys. If it won’t reach, let go of it and I’ll try to -make the end of the island. All right.” - -He raised his arms and plunged far out into the tossing water. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE RESCUE - - -There was a moment of suspense for those on the deck of the house-boat. -Then a brown head arose from the water fully twenty feet away, and -a powerful arm followed it, and with long, swift strokes the artist -headed toward the overturned boat on his mission of rescue. His task -was not a difficult one for a good swimmer, as he at once proved -himself, as long as he was going with the wind behind him and the -current partly in his favor. The water was terribly rough, but as he -swam low anyhow, with his face under the surface more than half the -time, that didn’t matter very much. The difficult work would begin -when, with the rescued man in tow, he faced wind and current to regain -the island. - -The boys watched eagerly and silently. Dick had shut Jack inside the -cabin and his dismal howls arose above the roar of the wind. Roy, -with the coil of rope in his hand, fought his way to the bow, for the -capsized boat had already drifted past them and it was a question -whether the rope would prove long enough. The rain had almost ceased, -but the wind still blew violently, although here, in the lee of the -island, it was less intense than it was out in the channel. - -“Wonder how long the rope is,” said Chub anxiously as he looked at the -lessening coil on the deck. Roy shook his head. - -“Too short, I’m afraid,” he answered. “Can you see him now?” Chub -answered no, but Dick pointed him out, a darker speck on the dark, -tossing water, almost up to the boat. Boat and swimmer, borne by the -current, which was always strong in the narrow inner channel, had -passed the center of the island and in another moment or two would be -abreast of the camp. - -“Let’s get off of here,” cried Dick, “and go on down the beach. That -rope will never reach from here.” - -It was true, for already the last coil passed into Roy’s hands. - -“Is he there yet?” he asked. - -“No, twenty feet this side, I’d say,” shouted Dick, who had climbed -part way up the steps to the roof-deck. “If we go down the beach, -though, the rope will be plenty long enough.” - -But there remained but a scant five feet of rope and to reach the shore -without letting go of it would necessitate hauling it in. - -“We ought to have done it before,” muttered Chub. But Dick was equal to -the emergency. - -“Here,” he cried, “let me have it.” - -He took a turn with it about his waist and, just as he was, minus only -his coat, he jumped off the stern of the boat, swam two or three -strokes and then, finding his feet, stumbled up the beach where Roy and -Chub had hurried around to reach him. - -“Don’t feel much wetter than I did before,” he said as they hurried -along in the teeth of the wind, pulling in the slack of the rope. In -another moment Roy gave a cry and began to pull hard. - -“He’s got him,” he said. “Lend a hand and pull like anything!” - -They did, but presently the rope grew taut and came very unwillingly. -With two men at the other end and wind and tide both striving to defeat -them it was a veritable tug-of-war. But foot by foot the line came in, -wet and dripping, as the three boys dug their heels into the yielding -sand and put weight and muscle into the task. - -“There they are,” muttered Dick in a moment. “I can see them. They’re -almost into the calm water.” - -And then the rope came easier, and presently, with Chub and Roy still -pulling, Dick sprang out, floundered to his armpits, and relieved the -artist of his limp burden. In another moment the rescued man lay on -the sand above the water and the artist was throwing off the rope with -hurrying fingers. His face was white and his breath came in gasps. But -the boys were staring in amazement at the upturned face on the beach. - -“Billy Noon!” cried Chub. - -“Is he drowned?” asked Roy in a trembling voice. - -“No, he’s alive,” answered the artist, “but we’ve got to get him to -the boat. Who’ll give me a hand with him?” - -“Here,” said Dick, “you let us take him, Mr. Cole. You’ve done enough. -He isn’t heavy.” - -But he was, for his clothes were sodden with water; and the wind -buffeted them at every step. Mr. Cole bore his share of the burden and -in a few moments they laid him on the floor of the studio. Pillows -from the bedroom were hurriedly brought and the limp body was turned -over on them, face downward, while coat and shirt were torn away and -the artist’s strong hands manipulated the body. There proved to be but -little water in the lungs and so they turned Billy over on his back -and placed one of the pillows under his head. Then Roy pumped the arms -up and down as he had learned to do in the foot-ball field while the -artist massaged the upper part of the body until the flesh began to -glow. The ashen hue of the lips disappeared and a faint spot of color -came into each cheek. The breathing, which had been faint and labored, -became strong and regular. Mr. Cole brought a flask and pressed a few -spoonfuls of spirits between the lips. Then they finished undressing -him and all took a hand at bringing warmth back to the chilled body. In -another moment the eyelids flickered and opened. Billy looked weakly at -Mr. Cole and closed his eyes again. - -“He’s all right,” said the artist heartily. - -And Billy proved it by saying something, the sense of which no one -gathered, and trying to sit up. - -“Here, you stay where you are for a minute,” commanded the artist. He -brought a big dressing-gown and they rolled Billy up in it. Then they -carried him into the bedroom and laid him on the bed, covering him with -blankets until Chub feared that they’d go to the other extreme and -smother him to death. - -“Now you go to sleep,” said Mr. Cole, and Billy obeyed like a sleepy -child. The others returned to the sitting-room where Jack went into -spasms of delight over the return of his master. - -“That’ll do, old fellow,” said the artist, sinking into a chair. “Now -you boys had better get dry. I don’t want you to catch cold. You,” he -added to Dick, “look as though you’d been in the water yourself.” - -They explained the reason and he insisted that Dick should take off his -wet garments and dry himself. - -“I will if you will,” answered Dick. - -“Eh? Well, that’s so,” laughed the artist. “I’m not very dry myself, am -I? But I’m warm enough, goodness knows. However, it’s a bargain. We’ll -get some blankets and towels and go to the studio. I guess the storm’s -about over, from the looks.” - -And, sure enough, the clouds were breaking and there was even a -suggestion of watery sunshine on the opposite hills. The wind had -lessened and was now blowing steadily, like a well-behaved westerly -gale. Mr. Cole and Dick disappeared and the others found their coats -and put them on. - -“What do you suppose happened to Billy Noon?” asked Chub. - -“I think he was capsized,” answered Roy. - -“Smart, aren’t you? I mean, how do you suppose it happened?” - -“Search me,” Roy replied. “I thought Billy was a good sailor. I guess -we’ll know about after he gets awake. Say, Mr. Cole’s about all right, -isn’t he?” - -“You bet!” said Chub heartily. “And he’s a dandy swimmer.” - -“Let’s go and look at the camp,” Roy suggested presently. “We might as -well know the worst.” - -So they went, and half way up the beach the sun came forth with a -sudden dazzling burst of splendor, lighting the tossing waves and -glinting the windows of the school buildings across on the slope of the -hill. Evidences of the storm were plentiful. Broken branches strewed -the edge of the wood and the beach grass was flattened down. When they -left the beach and came in sight of the camp they gave a shout of -surprise and delight. The tent was just as they had left it. Inside, -however, things were pretty wet. - -“Don’t see how we can sleep here to-night,” said Roy, feeling the -bedding. But Chub was gazing ruefully at his bag which had been left -open. He took it outside and spread the contents in the sunlight, -such of them as would not blow away. The contents of the larder were -in pretty good shape, since ’most everything was kept in tin boxes or -pails. Suddenly Chub uttered an exclamation and ran to the beach. Then -he gave a sigh of relief. For once the canoe had been left in the cove -instead of on Inner Beach, and the worst that the storm had been able -to do was to hurl it up against the bank, where, save for a few deep -scratches, Chub found it undamaged. The _Pup_ was pretty filled with -water and had dragged her anchor until she had buried her nose in the -sand. The rowboat, which had been left on Inner Beach, had utterly -disappeared. - -“I guess it’s joined Billy’s cat-boat,” said Chub. “Maybe we’ll find -it, though.” - -They spread the bedding and such of their clothing as had got wet out -of doors, and trudged back to the _Jolly Roger_, Roy remarking on the -way that there wouldn’t be much difficulty now in finding firewood. It -was after five o’clock by this time. They found Billy, wrapped in a -blanket, sitting in a chair in the sitting-room. He had just started -his account of the afternoon’s adventures as they came in. - -“I had been up the river a couple of miles on business,” Billy was -saying. “When I got back to my boat I noticed some clouds over in the -west but didn’t think much about them. I’d gone about half a mile or -so, with almost no wind, when I saw that I was in for a squall. I -turned and headed for the shore, but the squall struck before I was -half way there and so suddenly that I had only started to drop the -sail. The _Minerva_ went over like a ninepin. I thought she’d float on -her side; thought the sail would keep her up; but the canvas must have -dropped as she went over, for she just stuck her mast straight down, -and the best thing I could find to lay hold of was the center-board. -It wasn’t so bad for a while, and I thought we’d be driven ashore -about a mile up here. But the current got us then and the waves began -breaking right over me. I was just about half drowned in five minutes. -I remember seeing the end of the island come abreast of me, and after -that I guess I didn’t know anything. Of course, I’m eternally grateful -to you, Mr. Cole; I can’t begin to thank you enough. I guess I’d have -let go in another minute or so; and I never cared much for drowning. -Besides, there’s a rather important matter to be settled up before I -leave.” - -“Well, all’s well that ends well,” said the artist heartily. “Now I’ll -go and see what there is in the kitchen for five hungry men.” - -“Oh, we’re not going to stay to supper,” Dick protested. - -But Mr. Cole contradicted him flatly. - -“There’s no use trying to get anything at your camp,” he said. “Why, -you haven’t any dry wood, for one thing. You stay right where you are. -There may not be much of a variety to be had, but I guess there’ll be -enough.” - -And there was, and they had a very merry meal, although Billy was -rather more quiet than usual. After supper Mr. Cole asked how the boys -had found their camp, and it ended with their camping out on the _Jolly -Roger_ for the night, Billy sharing Mr. Cole’s bed and the three boys -occupying the window-seat and a bunk on the floor in the sitting-room. - -They awoke late, to find the sun pouring in at the windows and Nature -looking as pleasant and tranquil as though yesterday’s storm had never -been. The first thing after breakfast was to search for the lost boats, -and at half-past nine the three boys and Billy set out in the _Pup_. -The rowboat was soon located a few hundred yards below the Ferry Hill -landing and taken in tow. But the _Minerva_ failed to reveal herself -for some time. - -“Of course,” said Billy, “she may have sunk, although I don’t quite see -how she could.” - -“I hope not,” said Roy. “Did you have much in her?” Billy shook his -head. - -“No, not much. Just a few clothes and a few books and the can of -mushrooms. I guess I’ll never eat those mushrooms,” he added sadly. -Fate proved kind, after all, for they came on the runaway boat about -a mile below Silver Cove, stranded in a little natural harbor. They -returned to the Cove and Billy went off to find some one to rescue his -craft while the others started on a shopping tour. They had lots of -things to buy for Harry’s birthday supper, for besides their own list -Mr. Cole had asked them to bring back supplies for the _Jolly Roger_. -It was over an hour before the last purchase had been made. And then, -when everything had been stowed aboard the _Pup_, Chub announced the -fact that they had neglected to stop at the post-office for their mail. -So, while they waited for Billy Noon, he went back uptown. When he -returned he wore a long face. - -“Bad news?” asked Roy anxiously. Chub nodded. - -“I got a letter from dad,” he answered. “He says I must come home.” - -“How soon?” asked Dick after a moment of sorrowful silence. - -“This week, he says, and here it is Thursday already. The letter was -written Monday.” - -“By Jove, that’s too bad,” said Roy. “I wonder what made him change his -mind.” - -“Oh, I know what it means,” said Chub disgustedly. “It means that he -can’t find any one to play golf with him, and so he sends for me. He -doesn’t mind breaking up _my_ fun.” - -“Well, I guess that settles camp,” said Roy. “Were there any other -letters, Chub?” - -“Oh, yes, I beg your pardon, Dick. There’s one for you, from your -father.” He took it out of his pocket and handed it across. Dick opened -it and ran his eyes quickly down the single sheet of paper. - -“Me too!” he cried. “Dad says he’s coming across and I’m to meet him in -New York. He sailed three days after he wrote, and he wrote on Saturday -week. He’s on his way now, then, and ought to be here next Tuesday.” - -“Well, I guess we’ll shut up camp,” laughed Roy. - -“It’s mighty mean, though,” said Chub. “Why, we haven’t been here a -month yet!” - -“Look here, though,” Roy said. “There’s no use in spoiling Harry’s fun -to-day. So we won’t say anything about it until to-morrow, eh?” - -“Right you are,” Chub replied. “It’s her birthday and she ought to be -allowed to enjoy it. I suppose I’ll have to leave Saturday morning. How -about you, Dickums?” - -“Well, I might as well go then, too.” - -“We’ll all go down Saturday morning on the eleven o’clock,” said Roy. -“That’ll give us to-morrow to pack up and get ready. Well, we’ve had a -bully good time, haven’t we?” - -“Sure,” answered Chub and Dick in unison. - -“But I wish there was going to be more of it; that’s all,” added Dick. - -“Why not?” asked Roy. “There’s next summer, you know.” - -“That’s so! Will you come up? Will you, Chub?” - -“Yes,” said Roy, and Chub echoed him. Dick looked more cheerful. -“That’s the ticket!” he said joyfully. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you -fellows again until I got to--to college.” - -“_What?_” cried the others. Dick nodded sheepishly. - -“I’ve been thinking about it,” he answered. “I guess I’ll try, anyhow.” - -“Bully for you!” Chub cried, clapping him on the back. “We’ll make a -man of you yet, Dickums!” - -At that moment Billy Noon returned, reporting success, and jumped -aboard to be taken back to the island. Mr. Cole had offered him -hospitality until his cat-boat was restored to him and had placed the -tender at his services. Dick started the engine and the _Pup_ barked -her way back to the island. The boys were rather thoughtful, although -the prospect of meeting again the next summer had taken away the sting -of present parting. Billy, too, was unusually silent, and the trip was -a quiet one indeed for the _Pup_. The artist appeared on the after deck -of the _Jolly Roger_ as they approached and waved a handful of brushes -at them. - -“What luck?” he roared. - -“Found them both,” answered Dick. The _Pup_ sidled up to the house-boat -and they put off Billy and the groceries. - -“Everything’s there,” said Dick. “And I’ll come around about four -o’clock and get to work.” - -As they rounded School Point on their way to the anchorage they sighed -regretfully as the camp came into view. The white tent in the green -clearing had never looked so homelike and so attractive as then. - -At four Dick, dressed in his best camp attire, went over to the _Jolly -Roger_ to enter upon his duties as chef and caterer. Chub and Roy got -into the crimson canoe and went for a paddle, realizing that it might -be the last one they would take together in those waters. - -“I won’t have much time to crate this canoe to-morrow,” said Chub. - -“I’d forgotten about that,” Roy replied. “It seems funny to think that -we’re pulling out of here for keeps, doesn’t it? And Dick will have to -get the _Pup_ stored somewhere, I guess, until he comes back in the -fall.” - -“Johnson, the fellow who has his ice-boat, will look after it for him, -I guess. He will have to take her down to-morrow. Hello, there goes -Billy.” - -A half mile above them the artist’s little cedar tender was bobbing -its way across the inner channel, Billy Noon alone in it. - -“He’s a mystery, that fellow,” observed Roy thoughtfully. - -“Yes, but I’ll bet we’ll know more about him by to-morrow,” said Chub. - -“Why to-morrow?” - -“Because to-day’s Thursday.” - -“Say, you know something, I’ll bet. Out with it, Chub.” - -“No.” Chub shook his head. “No, I don’t know anything--for sure; I just -suspect.” - -“Well, what do you suspect?” - -Chub thought a moment. Then, “I don’t know,” he answered with a grin. - -“You’re an idiot,” said Roy good-naturedly. “Come on, let’s go back to -the landing and get Harry. It must be nearly time.” - -Harry, however, was late, and it was well past six before she came -scampering down the path. She had on a brand new dimity dress--white, -it was, sprinkled with little yellow rosebuds--and her cheeks were very -pink. - -“Merry Christmas!” called Chub. - -“Happy New Year!” added Roy as she stepped into the canoe. - -“Oh, I’ve had the loveliest things!” said Harry, fighting for breath. -“Mama gave me this; see?” She held forth the little gold necklace -which encircled her throat. “And papa--he gave me something perfectly -beautiful! I’ll tell you about it later. And Aunt Harriet--” her -face fell a little--“sent me a dandy work-box made of ivory and -all--all--oh, deary, I’ve forgotten it!” - -“Forgotten what?” asked Roy. - -“The word. It’s something about Arabs.” - -“What word is it?” - -“Why, what papa said. He said the box was ara--ara--” - -“Arabesqued?” asked Roy. - -“Yes, that’s it! All arabesqued with silver. It’s splendid!” - -“What else did you get?” Chub inquired. - -“Oh, lots of little things from the girls; two handkerchiefs, a book, -a sachet bag and something else; I don’t know what it’s for yet; I’ll -have to ask, I guess.” - -Roy and Chub laughed. - -“And what’s that you’re holding on to so tightly?” asked Chub. Harry -glanced at the folded paper in her hand and smiled happily. - -“That’s what papa gave me,” she replied. “It’s very important.” - -“It looks it,” Chub agreed. “It looks like a will. Maybe it’s the -long-lost will, Roy, leaving us the old farm and the family plate.” - -“No, it isn’t,” laughed Harry. “But--but you’re warm.” - -“That’s no joke,” answered Chub as he wiped the perspiration from his -brow. “But what is it, Harry?” - -“I’m not going to tell you until supper.” - -“Oh, very well.” - -Roy gave a shout and Dick and the artist appeared on the deck of the -_Jolly Roger_. - -“Many happy returns, Miss Emery!” called the latter as the boys lifted -their paddles and let the canoe glide up alongside the stern. - -“Me, too!” called Dick. - -“Is supper ready?” asked Chub. - -“It will be in five minutes,” Dick answered. “Come on and help lay the -table, Chub.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -ABOARD THE _JOLLY ROGER_ - - -The artist held out his hand gallantly and Harry stepped on to the -_Jolly Roger_ with all the impressiveness of a queen disembarking from -a royal barge. - -“This way, if you please,” said Mr. Cole, holding open the studio -door. They all trooped in and Harry gave a little cry of surprise and -delight. On the easel, with a broad shaft of sunlight across it, stood -a small canvas. The others echoed Harry’s exclamation. For there were -two Harrys present, one gazing with shining eyes at the canvas, and -one gazing smilingly back at her. Mr. Cole had copied the head and -shoulders from the sketch for which Harry had posed, and in the lower -right-hand corner were painted the words “To Harriet Emery with the -artist’s homage.” Then followed the date and the signature: “F. Cole,” -and for once Harry didn’t mind being called Harriet. - -“Oh, it’s--it’s lovely!” she sighed. “Do you--do you really mean that -it’s for me?” - -“I really do,” answered Mr. Cole. “But there’s a string to it.” - -“Wh-what?” faltered Harry anxiously. - -“You’ll have to leave it with me until to-morrow at least, for I only -finished it an hour ago and the paint is still wet.” - -“Oh, that’s nothing,” she answered vastly relieved. “And--and I can’t -tell you how much I thank you.” Then, in spite of the fact that she had -been sixteen for several hours, which, as every one knows, is quite -grown up, she impulsively threw her arms about the artist and hugged -him. And Mr. Cole stood it beautifully! - -“And now,” cried Harry, blushing a little, “I’ve got something to show -you all. Look! You take it, Roy.” - -She held out the folded paper which she had kept tightly clutched in -her hand and Roy took it. He looked it over. - -“Shall I read it?” he asked. - -Harry nodded vehemently. Roy unfolded it and began to read. - -“Why, it’s a deed!” he exclaimed. - -“Yes!” - -“And--and--why, say, Harry, that’s great!” - -“Oh, come,” said Chub impatiently. “Let us into it!” - -“Papa has given me the island!” cried Harry. - -“The isl--you mean _this_ island, Fox Island?” - -“Yes, he’s given it to me--forever--and my ‘heirs and signs--’” - -“_As_signs,” corrected Roy. - -“And--and it’s all my owntiest own!” ended Harry happily. - -“Well, that _is_ great!” cried Chub. - -“And some day I’m going to live on it,” declared Harry. “And I’ll -invite you all to come and visit me.” - -“And we all hereby accept,” laughed Mr. Cole. “Well, I suppose I shall -have to begin and pay you wharfage after to-day.” - -“And I guess we’ll have to pay you rent,” laughed Dick. - -“No, you won’t,” answered Harry. “But isn’t it fine to have an island -all of your own? Oh, I’ve always wanted to own an island.” - -“So have I,” answered the artist, “but no one has ever insisted on -giving me one, and I’ve never been able to make up my mind which -particular island I wanted to buy. Well, and now how about supper, Mr. -Dick?” - -“Ready as soon as we finish setting the table.” - -“Let me do it!” Harry begged. - -“No, sir,” answered Dick. “You’re to stay out until it’s all ready.” - -“Where are we going to eat?” asked Chub, looking anxiously about for -the table which had disappeared. - -“Forward, in the sitting-room,” answered Mr. Cole. “There’s more room -there, and it’s pleasanter. You and I, Miss Emery, will take a stroll -on deck until they’re ready for us.” - -And so Harry and her host went up to the roof-deck and watched the sun -setting behind the western hills, and Harry told about her birthday -luncheon at the Cottage, and the big cake with its sixteen pink -candles, and-- - -“Oh!” she cried, halting in the midst of her narrative, “I ought to -have brought some of the cake for you!” - -“Well, it’s just as well,” said Mr. Cole, “because--er--well, you see, -there’s another cake! I believe it was to be a surprise, but I didn’t -want you to feel bad about not bringing any of the other, you see. -Perhaps you won’t mind just _seeming_ a little surprised when you go -in?” - -“Oh, no” laughed Harry, “not a bit. That’ll be fun, won’t it? They -won’t know that I knew anything about it!” - -And they never did, for when, presently, they were summoned to supper, -and Harry entered the sitting-room on Mr. Cole’s arm, she simulated -astonishment so perfectly that the boys howled with glee. - -“Why,” exclaimed Harry, “I was never so surprised--!” - -The cake--it wasn’t a very big one, nor, as events proved, a very -excellent one--sat in the center of the round table, the sixteen flames -from the sixteen little pink candles making sixteen little points of -rosy flame in the glow of the late sunlight. There were five places set -and one of them, to which Harry was ceremoniously conducted, was piled -with packages. - -“Oh!” said Harry. And this time she was genuinely surprised, and her -eyes grew large as she looked from the packages to the merry watching -faces. Then the candle flames grew suddenly blurred for her and a tear -stole down one side of her nose. - -[Illustration: “And this time she was genuinely surprised”] - -“What’s the matter?” asked Chub in distress. - -“Every one’s much too nice to me,” sniffed Harry, searching for her -handkerchief. (Of course she didn’t have one and so had to borrow -Roy’s.) - -“Nonsense!” said Roy cheerfully. “Don’t cry, Harry.” - -“I’m n-not cr-crying,” answered Harry from behind the folds of the -handkerchief. “I’m ju-just blowing my n-nose!” - -Every one laughed then and sat down with much scraping of chairs, and -Harry, smiling apologetically, opened her packages. There was a pair of -silver links for the cuffs of her shirt-waist from Roy, a little gold -bar pin from Dick, a Ferry Hill pin from Chub (Harry had lost hers a -month before), and a volume of Whittier’s poems from Billy Noon. - -“Oh!” said Harry distressfully, when she reached the last present, “I’d -forgotten him! Isn’t he coming?” - -“No,” answered the artist. “He begged me to make his excuses and tell -you that he was very sorry he couldn’t be present. He has a rather -important piece of business on hand for this evening, I believe.” - -Chub looked triumphantly at Roy and Dick with an “I-told-you-so” -expression. But it was quite lost, for they were watching Harry’s -face as she read the lines which the Licensed Poet had written on the -fly-leaf of the book. - -“Aren’t they beautiful?” she sighed finally, looking about the table. - -“We don’t know,” laughed Roy. “Suppose you read them to us?” - -But Harry shyly pushed the book to Mr. Cole. - -“You do it, please,” she said. - -“Very well,” answered the artist. “Here they are”: - - TO MISS EMERY - ON HER SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY - - Accept, I pray, this little book, - For in it, if you will but look, - You’ll find lines sweet enough, ’tis true, - To have been written just for you. - - Were I a poet I would write - Words fair enough to meet your sight; - But as it is, ’twill have to suit - To make this book my substitute - - In hope that, as you read, it may - Arrange its lines in magic way - Until you find before your sight - The Birthday Poem I’d fain write! - - Sincerely yours, - WILLIAM NOON. - -“Oh, but I think that’s just too sweet for anything,” cried Harry. -“It’s--it’s perfectly dandy! And I think it’s too bad he can’t be -here.” The others echoed both sentiments. Then Harry deposited her -presents in a place of safety and the feast began, much to Chub’s -satisfaction, for that youth declared that he was rapidly starving to -death. I’m not going to even attempt to do justice to that banquet, -but you may rest assured that the five persons around the table did. -The sun sank lower and lower, and the golden glow faded from the quiet -surface of the river. Lamps were lighted and the shades pulled across -the little windows. The cake was cut, Harry declaring that never had -she dreamed of having two birthday cakes in one day, and Chub convulsed -the table by surreptitiously concealing a pink candle in Roy’s slice -and causing his chum to leave the room precipitately. - -“Aren’t mad, are you?” asked Chub when Roy returned. - -“Not if I get another piece of cake without any filling,” was the -answer. - -“I was afraid you’d wax wroth,” said Chub. For that he was captured -by Roy and Dick and made to apologize to the assemblage, Mr. Cole -encouraging them to administer any punishment they saw fit. The -dessert finished--there was ice-cream in two flavors, cake, fruit, and -candy--the table was hurriedly cleared and moved back to the studio -and Mr. Cole started the talking-machine. The first selection was, as -Mr. Cole announced, Handel’s “Sweet Bird,” sung by Madame Melba. The -audience listened very closely and politely, the artist watching them -with twinkling eyes. When it was finished he asked them how they liked -it. Harry was quite enthusiastic, Roy said it was splendid, Dick said -it was very pretty, and Chub merely strove to look appreciative and -didn’t succeed. - -“Well,” said Mr. Cole, “since you like classic music we’ll have some -more. I was afraid you wouldn’t care for it.” - -Chub winked soberly at Roy, their host having turned his back to select -a new record, and Dick fidgeted in his chair. - -“I think you’ll like this one immensely,” said Mr. Cole, clasping -his hands on his breast and looking dreamily at the ceiling. The -machine began to play and suddenly some one with an inimitable negro -pronunciation launched forth into “Bill Simmons.” The surprise depicted -on the faces of his audience was too much for Mr. Cole’s gravity and he -laid his head back and for a moment drowned the music with his mellow -laughter. There was no more classic music that evening; in fact, the -cabinet seemed to be devoted principally to the other sort; for almost -an hour the machine poured forth songs and instrumental selections that -wrought the audience to the wildest enthusiasm. When they knew a song -they joined in and helped the talking-machine, Mr. Cole almost raising -the roof when he let himself out. Then Chub had a brilliant idea, the -rug was taken up, the furniture moved out and they had a dance. Of -course Harry was in great demand and she went from Roy to Chub and from -Chub to Dick and from Dick to Mr. Cole with scarcely a pause. But even -without Harry for a partner it was still possible to dance and the -evolutions of Mr. Cole and Chub, clasped in each other’s arms was well -worth a long journey to witness. - -Perhaps that is what Billy Noon thought when at about half-past nine he -peeked through one of the windows after having made fast his boat, for -he smiled broadly as he looked. Then he went to the door and knocked. -Dick, who was nearest, threw it open and Billy walked in. - -“Hello, Noon!” cried Mr. Cole, pausing in the dance. “Is that you? What -luck?” - -“Good,” answered Billy smilingly as he laid down his hat and seated -himself beside it on the window-seat. - -“Then you got them?” - -“All three.” - -“Good for you!” said the artist heartily. “Where are they?” - -“Silver Cove. Brady has them. We’re going down on the midnight. I -brought your boat back and thought I’d stop a minute and say good-by.” - -“Are you going away?” cried Harry. - -“Yes, I must go now,” was the answer. - -“I’m so sorry,” said Harry. “And I want to thank you a thousand times -for your present and the poem you wrote for me. I think it’s perfectly -beautiful, Mr. Noon.” - -“I’m glad you liked it,” answered Billy, looking pleased. - -“Are you going away to-night?” asked Chub. - -“Yes, we’re taking the midnight train for New York.” - -“Oh, there’s some one with you?” - -“Yes,” answered Billy, with a slight smile, “I have four others with -me now.” Chub frowned, while Dick and Roy and Harry looked perplexed. -The atmosphere of mystery grew heavier every moment. - -“Are they all--book agents?” faltered Harry. Mr. Cole broke into a -laugh. - -“You’d better let me show you up in your true colors, Noon,” he said. -Billy smiled. - -“Well, I guess there’s no harm in it now,” he answered. - -Mr. Cole struck an attitude. - -“Miss Emery and gentlemen,” he said, “allow me the honor of introducing -to you Mr. William Noon of the United States Secret Service!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -“UNTIL TO-MORROW” - - -There was a moment of silent amazement. It was broken by Chub. - -“Huh,” he grunted. “I knew you weren’t any book agent!” - -“And I knew you knew it,” laughed Billy. “I’m sorry I had to sail under -false colors, but I had a difficult job on hand and I was forced to -take every precaution. And when you say I was not a book agent you -aren’t altogether correct, for I really have been a book agent for -nearly two months this time, and I’ve acted the same part before. As -a matter of fact I’ve taken orders for nineteen sets of Mr. Billings’ -‘Wonders of the Deep’ during my stay around here.” - -“Were you trying to arrest some one?” asked Dick eagerly. - -“Just that,” was the reply. “The Department found nearly a year ago -that some one was getting out some very clever imitations of ten-dollar -bank-notes of the series of 1902. I was instructed to find the -counterfeiters and arrest them. With me was a man named Brady. You’ve -seen him.” - -“The man at the wharf!” cried Chub. “The fellow that helped us with -the launch that day, Roy! Remember? Isn’t that right, Mr. Noon?” - -“That’s right. He was watching the freight and people that went out -from Silver Cove because I discovered finally that the counterfeit -money was being sent to New York from this point. I took up the -vocation of book agent since it provided me with an excuse for visiting -all the houses around here. About the time you boys came to the -island--I was camping on the shore of the mainland then--we got word -from New York that a new batch of the bills had made their appearance -there. We knew that they didn’t go by express, and satisfied ourselves -that they hadn’t gone by freight; so we concluded that they had been -taken by messenger, probably by one of the gang itself. As it is easier -to come and go unnoticed by boat than by train we decided that the -messenger had traveled by river. For awhile I thought that perhaps he -had a small boat of some sort and was making trips up and down in it, -but after watching closely for over two weeks I gave that notion up. -Brady found the messenger when he returned,--spotted him the moment he -put his foot off the boat,--and followed him out of town only to lose -him finally about three miles north. Then I took up the hunt again and -finally located the outfit in a small cabin up in the hills some four -miles from here. But we wanted to get all the evidence we could, press, -plates that the bills are printed from, and some of the counterfeit -money itself; and we wanted to get the whole gang. - -“So we watched for awhile, Brady and I taking turns, and found that -there were only three of them. One of them, the engraver, was an old -hand and the Department had been after him for years. He was the one -who took the money down to New York and handed it over to a confederate -there for circulation. About two weeks ago he made another trip, and -we set men to watch him when he reached the city. He was shadowed, his -confederate marked down and we learned that he was coming back to-day. -He reached here on the noon boat. At seven o’clock Brady and I went up -and rounded up the three of them.” - -“Was there fighting?” asked Chub eagerly. - -“No, we managed to surprise them. We got their press, some plates, and -a few counterfeit bills, enough to convict them, I guess. We took them -to the jail at Silver Cove, and at midnight we’ll go on with them to -New York. Now you know all about it. I’m sorry I’ve had to deceive you -at times, but it’s necessary in my business.” - -“Then you weren’t a clown at all?” asked Roy. - -“Oh, yes, I was--for awhile. And all the other things I told you -about,” answered Billy smilingly. “In the service we have to play many -parts. Well, I must, be getting on. I was sorry I couldn’t come to your -party, Miss Emery. Perhaps, though, we will meet again some day. I -hope so. I’ve enjoyed knowing you and these young gentlemen immensely. -It’s been real fun, and it isn’t often I manage to combine fun with -business. Good-by.” - -Harry shook hands with him sorrowfully. - -“I wish you weren’t going,” she said. - -“Thank you,” he answered. “So do I. I’ll miss the fishing and the good -times we’ve had around your camp-fire.” - -“I hope we’ll meet you again,” said Chub. “It’s been awfully jolly for -us fellows, having you here.” - -“That’s so,” echoed Dick and Roy. “And I’m very much obliged for the -help you gave me with the launch,” added the former. Billy smiled, -hesitated, and-- - -“I’ve got a confession to make,” he answered. “I don’t want you to -think I wouldn’t have done anything for you that I could have, but I -was more interested in that launch than you suspected. I thought that -perhaps some day I might want to use it and use it in a hurry. And so -I made up my mind to find out just how she ran. As things turned out, -though, I had no use for her.” - -Dick laughed. - -“Well, I hadn’t suspected that,” he said, “but you’d have been welcome -to her if you’d wanted her. And I’m just as much obliged to you.” - -Billy turned to Mr. Cole. - -“Good-by,” he said. “You and I’ll see each other again.” - -“Well, we always have so far,” said the artist heartily as he shook -hands. - -“We’re bound to,” was the response. “I owe you for something since -yesterday, you know, and I’ve got to pay that off. Until then, -good-by.” - -[Illustration: “Good-by”] - -They all followed Billy out to the deck and watched while he jumped -into the _Minerva_, which lay with idly flapping sail beside the _Jolly -Roger_. - -“What becomes of your boat?” asked Mr. Cole. - -“I sold her this morning to the chap who brought her up for me. I’d -have let her stay where she was if it hadn’t been for the few things on -board of her. There was the can of mushrooms, you know. Brady and I are -going to have those for supper when I get back!” - -He pushed off, the sail filled and the _Minerva_ began to drop down the -river. Billy waved and called a last good-by. - -“Good-by,” answered Mr. Cole. “And good luck.” - -“Good-by,” called Roy and Dick and Chub. Only Harry was silent. But in -a moment she was running along the deck toward the stern. - -“Mr. Noon!” she cried. “Mr. Noon! You’ve forgotten something!” - -There was an instant or two of silence and Harry thought he hadn’t -heard. But he had, for presently his voice floated back to them across -the water: - - Good-by and good night! - And I hope as we part - That I float from your sight, - But not from your heart! - -“Bravo! Bravo!” cried the artist. And “Good-by!” called the others. But -there was no answer from the darkness which had swallowed the last wan -gleam of the _Minerva’s_ sail. They turned back to the sitting-room. - -“I didn’t want him to go,” said Harry rebelliously. - -“I trust you’ll say the same when I’m gone,” said Mr. Cole. “For I, -too, must up sail and away soon.” - -Chub glanced at Roy and the latter nodded. - -“I guess it’s good-by all around,” said Chub. “Dick and I have got to -go Saturday, and Roy thinks he might as well go too.” - -“Oh!” cried Harry. “I’m so glad!” - -“What!” they cried in one voice. - -“Oh, not because you’re going, exactly,” she explained, “but I’ve got -to go too!” - -“You!” - -“Yes, Aunt Harriet’s back and she wants me to come to her the last -of this week. Isn’t that horrid? I didn’t tell you before because I -thought you’d be sorry.” - -“That’s the reason we didn’t tell,” laughed Roy. “So we’re all in the -same boat.” - -“Yes,” said Mr. Cole, “and the boat’s name is the _Jolly Roger_. Where -do you boys go to?” - -“New York,” they answered. - -“And you?” he asked of Harry. And when she had told him: “Well, that’s -all right then. We sail Saturday morning.” - -“What do you mean?” cried Harry. - -“Why, that you must be my guests, Miss Emery, the whole lot and parcel -of you. I’ll get you to New York Sunday morning, and that ought to -be soon enough for any one. You’ve never sailed under the skull and -cross-bones before, I’ll wager, and here’s your chance. So pack up your -duds to-morrow and come aboard bright and early Saturday morning. And -it’s, Hey for the pirate’s life!” - -“Oh, wouldn’t that be glorious!” cried Harry. “Do you suppose we could?” - -“Of course we can,” said Roy stoutly. “And we’ll do it. And we’re -awfully much obliged, Mr. Cole. It’ll be fine!” - -“That’s settled then,” answered the artist. “To-morrow we’ll get in our -stores and prepare to slip anchor.” - -“Bully!” cried Chub. “I’ve always wanted to be a pirate.” - -“So have I,” declared Harry quite seriously. “Oh, dear, what time is -it, please, somebody?” - -It was after ten and Harry scurried around for her things. Roy brought -the canoe alongside and Harry was helped into it, her precious deed and -her presents in her lap. Then Roy and Chub followed and lifted their -paddles. - -“Good night, Mr. Cole,” said Harry. “I’ve had a perfectly splendid -time. And I can’t tell you how much I like my picture.” - -“Not nearly as much as I like the original,” answered the artist -gravely. The darkness hid Harry’s blushes. Then: - -“Please be very careful of my island,” she called. - -“I will,” was the answer. “Until to-morrow!” - -“Until to-morrow!” they replied. And-- - -“Until to-morrow!” echoed Dick as he stepped ashore and headed toward -the camp. - -Mr. Cole pulled his tender over the stern and then paused at the studio -door. From across the darkness in one direction came the faint sound of -voices and the sibilant swish of the paddles. From down the beach came -the sound of a merry whistle. The artist smiled. - -“‘Until to-morrow,’” he murmured. “It’s a good world where we can say -that!” - -He closed the door behind him, and, as he did so, a great golden moon -pushed its rim up over the edge of the eastern hills and threw a mantle -of radiant light over Harry’s Island. - - -THE END - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - --Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - --Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected. - - --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Harry's Island, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARRY'S ISLAND *** - -***** This file should be named 54909-0.txt or 54909-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/9/0/54909/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Harry's Island - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Illustrator: C. M. Relyea - -Release Date: June 15, 2017 [EBook #54909] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARRY'S ISLAND *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="600" height="714" alt="cover" title="cover" /> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi halftitle">Harry’s Island</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 385px;"> -<a id="image01"> - <img src="images/image01.jpg" width="385" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_101">“Chub, who had been sent to the larder, interrupted them”</a></div> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>Harry’s Island</h1> - -<p class="p2 noic">By</p> - -<p class="noic author">Ralph Henry Barbour</p> - -<p class="noi works">Author of “The Crimson Sweater,” “For the Honor of the School,”<br /> -“The Half-Back,” “Tom, Dick, and Harriet,” etc.</p> - -<p class="p2 noic">With Illustrations</p> - -<p class="noic author">By C. M. Relyea</p> - -<div class="pad4"> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 134px;"> -<img src="images/logo.jpg" width="134" height="131" alt="logo" title="logo" /> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noic author">New York<br /> -The Century Co.<br /> -1908</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic">Copyright, 1907, 1908, by<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Century Co.</span></p> - -<hr class="r15" /> - -<p class="noic"><i>Published September, 1908</i></p> - -<p class="p6 noic">THE DE VINNE PRESS</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<col style="width: 15%;" /> -<col style="width: 75%;" /> -<col style="width: 10%;" /> -<tr> - <th class="smfontr"> </th> - <th class="tdl"> </th> - <th class="smfontr">PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">I</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">On Hood’s Hill</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">3</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">II</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">The Race with Hammond</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">15</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">III</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">Graduation and Good News</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">29</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Camp Torohadik</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">46</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">V</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">A Batch of Doughnuts</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">63</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Exploration</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">76</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">“W. N.” Pays a Visit</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">95</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">A Guest at Camp</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">108</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">The Licensed Poet</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">123</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">X</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Adventures with a Launch</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">138</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">The Launch is Christened</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">151</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">Chub Scents a Mystery</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">169</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">Billy Entertains</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">180</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">Voices in the Night</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">201</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">The Floating Artist</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">213</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">A Meeting of Friends</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">233</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">Harry Sits for Her Picture</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">244</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">The Storm</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">257</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">The Rescue</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">270</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Aboard the <i>Jolly Roger</i></a></td> - <td class="tdrb">285</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">“Until To-morrow”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">297</td> -</tr> -</table> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations"> -<col style="width: 80%;" /> -<col style="width: 20%;" /> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image01">Chub, who had been sent to the larder, -interrupted them</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"><i>Frontispiece</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"> </td> - <td class="smfontr">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image02">Three boys lay at their ease in the -shade of the white birches</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">7</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image03">“Did we win the race?”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">25</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image04">In the evening there was a grand ball</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">41</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image05">“What is the name of the camp?”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">57</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image06">Chub and Roy paddled her across the -darkening water</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">73</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image07">They followed the edge of the water</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">89</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image08">At their feet lay the still smoldering -remains of a small fire</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">111</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image09">“I have the honor to introduce to your -attention the world-famed Signor Billinuni”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">125</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image10">“When is a fly-wheel not a fly-wheel?”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">145</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image11">“What did he tell us he gave for that -boat?”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">155</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image12">“Did it just come natural for you to -make poetry?”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">173</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image13">Mr. Noon entertains the three boys</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">195</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image14">“A Daniel come to judgment!”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">219</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image15">Harry</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">229</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image16">Chub turned in time to see Billy press -a finger swiftly against his lips</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">237</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image17">Harry sitting for her portrait</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">249</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image18">“It’s a boat bottom-up with a man -clinging to it!”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">267</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image19">And this time she was genuinely -surprised</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">289</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image20">“Good-by”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">301</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="title">HARRY’S ISLAND</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<small>ON HOOD’S HILL</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap"><a href="#image02">Three boys lay at their ease in the shade of the -white birches</a> which crown the top of Hood’s -Hill, that modest elevation on Fox Island at the -upper end of Outer Beach which, with the exception -of Mount Emery, is the highest point on the island. -From this proud vantage, some twelve feet above -the surface of the river, the view was unobstructed -for two miles up and down the Hudson. At the foot -of the little slope, where coarse grass sprouted from -the loose sand, Outer Beach began, shelving abruptly -to the lapping waves and shimmering with heat -waves; for in the neighborhood of Ferry Hill and -Coleville, toward the end of the month of June, the -sun can be very ardent when it tries; and to-day it -was evidently resolved to be as fervent as it could, -for, although it still lacked a few minutes of eleven, -the heat was intense even out here on the island.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p> - -<p>In front of the three boys and across the river, -which dazzled the eyes like a great sheet of metal, -Coleville glimmered amid its broad-spreading elms -and the buildings of Hammond Academy were visible. -Back of them, on the opposite shore and a little -farther down-stream, a modest boat-house and landing -lay at the margin of the river, and from these a -path wound upward until it disappeared into the -dim green depths of the grove which spread down -the side of the hill. Where the trees ended the red, -ivy-draped buildings of Ferry Hill School appeared, -crowning the summit of the slope. There was -School Hall with its tower, the dormitory, angular -and uncompromising, the gymnasium, the little -brick Cottage, and the white barns. And, looking -carefully, one could see, beyond the dormitory, -fence-like erections of gleaming new boards marking -the excavations for Kearney Hall, the new dormitory -building which was to be rushed to completion -for the next school year.</p> - -<p>It would have been apparent even to a stranger -that to-day was a gala day, for along the shores for -a quarter of a mile up-stream and down, little groups -of people were daring sunstroke, while below the -Ferry Hill landing rowboats, canoes, sailing craft, -and motor-boats rocked lazily on the sun-smitten -surface of the water. Every craft flew either the -brown-and-white of Ferry Hill or the vivid cherry-and-black -of Hammond. The show boat of the fleet -was a gleaming, sixty-foot gasolene yacht, resplendent -in white paint and glistening brass, which lay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> -just off the lower end of the island, and which had -supplied an interesting subject for conversation to -the three boys under the birches.</p> - -<p>The yacht was the <i>Idler</i> of New York, and on -board were the Welches, whose son, “Sid,” was a -student at Ferry Hill, and who had journeyed up -the river for to-day’s festivities, and were to remain -over for the school graduation. Sid had been in a -state of excitement and mental intoxication ever -since the yacht had dropped anchor yesterday evening -and a flippant little mahogany tender had -<em>chugged</em> him away from the landing to a dinner on -board. At this moment, had you known Sid by -sight, you could readily have discerned him under -the striped awning, the proudest person aboard. -With him were several of his school-mates, Chase, -Cullum, Fernald and Kirby being visible just now. -If there was any fly in the ointment of Sid’s contentment -it was due to the fact that the three boys -sprawled under the trees here on Fox Island were -not aboard the <i>Idler</i> instead. He had begged them -to come almost with tears in his eyes, but in the end -had been forced to content himself with a promise -to become his guests in the evening. Sid’s devotion -was about equally divided among the trio, with the -odds, if there were any, slightly in favor of the big, -broad-shouldered, light-haired youth who lies with -closed eyes beatifically munching a birch twig, and -whose name is Dick Somes.</p> - -<p>But there are two light-haired youths present, -and lest you get them confused I will explain that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -the other, the boy who is sprawled face downward, -chin in hands, he of the well-developed shoulders -and chest and hips, sandy hair and nice blue eyes, is -Roy Porter. Roy is Dick’s senior by one year, although -that fact would never be suspected.</p> - -<p>The third member of the trio is Tom Eaton, but as -he is never called Tom save in banter perhaps it -would be well to introduce him as Chub. Chub, like -Roy, is seventeen years old. He is more heavily -built than Roy, has hair that just escapes being red, -eyes that nearly match the hair, and an ever-present -air and expression of good-humor and self-confidence. -Strangely enough, each of the three has captained -one or more of the Ferry Hill athletic teams -during the school year just closing, and each has -won victory. Roy has been captain of the foot-ball -eleven and the hockey team as well; Dick has organized -a track team and led it to a well-deserved triumph, -and Chub, as captain of the base-ball nine, -has plucked victory from defeat so recently—to be -exact, only yesterday afternoon—that the feat is -still the chief topic of conversation about the -school. Roy and Chub are first seniors, and will -graduate in less than a week. Dick is a second -senior and so is due to return again to Ferry Hill in -the autumn. Already he is pointed to as the probable -leader to succeed Roy.</p> - -<p>Chub rolled over and sat up Turk-fashion, yawning -loudly.</p> - -<p>“What time is it, anyway?” he asked with a suggestion -of grievance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 401px;"> -<a id="image02"> - <img src="images/image02.jpg" width="401" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_3">“Three boys lay at their ease in the shade of -the white birches”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8-<br />9]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Four minutes past,” answered Roy, glancing at -his watch and then following his chum’s example -and sitting up.</p> - -<p>“Wonder why it is,” Chub complained, “they -can never get a boat-race started on time.”</p> - -<p>“Or a hockey game,” added Dick with a chuckle. -Roy tossed a twig at him and Dick caught it and -transferred it to his mouth.</p> - -<p>“Well, I wish they’d hurry,” said Chub. “I’m -roasting. Say, wouldn’t you think those folks over -there on the bank would die with the heat?”</p> - -<p>“It’ll be a wonder if Harry doesn’t die,” said -Roy.</p> - -<p>“Why?” Dick asked.</p> - -<p>“Because she had an examination this morning, -and she’s going to try and get through by a quarter -of eleven, and then race back here all the way -from the Cove in time to see the finish of the race. -And that Silver Cove road is just about the hottest -place on earth!”</p> - -<p>“She’s silly to try to do that,” said Dick -anxiously. “You ought to have told her so, -Roy.”</p> - -<p>“I did. I told her worse than that, but she just -laughed at me.”</p> - -<p>“You and I are losing our authority now that -we’re going to leave so soon,” said Chub, sadly. -“Dick’s the only one she will listen to, nowadays.” -Dick smiled.</p> - -<p>“You fellows ought to know by this time,” he -said, “that it isn’t any use trying to dictate to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -Harry. If you want her to do anything very much -you’d much better ask it as a favor.”</p> - -<p>“Your wisdom is something uncanny,” replied -Chub. “You’d better soak your head or you’ll -have a sunstroke or something. You needn’t worry -about Harry, though; you can’t hurt her.”</p> - -<p>The others received this in silence. Roy looked -up the river toward the starting-point of the race -almost two miles distant. But the glare made it impossible -to discern even the little gathering of boats, -and he turned away blinking.</p> - -<p>“Just think,” said Chub presently, “in another -week we three fellows will be scattered to the four -winds of heaven.”</p> - -<p>“Now whose head needs soaking?” asked Dick. -“‘Four winds of heaven!’ My, but you are poetical!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t just see how we’re going to manage -that,” Roy laughed. “How can three fellows be distributed -over four winds?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you run away and play,” answered Chub, -good-naturedly. “You know what I mean.”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t so bad for you fellows,” said Dick -mournfully. “You’ll see each other again at college -in the fall; but I’ll be here all alone.”</p> - -<p>“All alone, with half a hundred other chaps,” -Chub amended smilingly.</p> - -<p>“That’s not the same thing,” said Dick. “Just -when you go and get kind of chummy with some -one, why then something comes along and busts it -all up.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Vague but beautiful,” murmured Chub. “Why -don’t you come to college too, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Me? Thunder, I’d never pass the exams!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know. They’re not so fierce; Roy expects -to get by.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not so sure that I do expect it,” answered -Roy, seriously. “The nearer the time comes to -take them the more scared I get.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just your natural modesty,” said Chub. -“You’ll get through with flying colors, while I—well, -I’ll probably be like the chap whose mother -was crowing about him. Some one asked her if her -son passed the examinations for college. ‘Oh, yes, indeed,’ -she answered, ‘Willie did beautifully. He -entered with four conditions, one more than any -one else had!’”</p> - -<p>“I might be able to get in that way,” laughed -Dick. “But, say, you chaps, I wish we weren’t going -to split up so soon.”</p> - -<p>“So do I,” answered Roy. “I’m real sorry at -leaving Ferry Hill. I’ve had some bully times here -during the last two years.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve only been here six months or so,” -said Dick; “but I’ve had the time of my life. And -of course I’ve got you fellows to thank for that, -you and Harry together. I wish—I wish I was going -to see you this summer for a while.”</p> - -<p>“Well, why not?” asked Chub, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Dad wants me to go over to London and stay -with him,” answered Dick. “I hate London. Folks -are so stupid there, and can’t talk decent English.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -Last time I was there I couldn’t make anybody understand -what I wanted.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’ve dropped some of your more picturesque -expressions since you came up here,” -laughed Roy. “Maybe this time you can make -yourself understood.”</p> - -<p>“What I’d like to do,” Dick continued, “is to -stay right here and—”</p> - -<p>“Where?” asked Chub, innocently. “On Fox Island?”</p> - -<p>“Well, somewhere around these diggings,” answered -Dick.</p> - -<p>“A chap might do worse than spend a time on -this old island,” said Roy, as he leaned back against -the trunk of a birch-tree and smiled contentedly. -“It’s a dandy camping place.”</p> - -<p>“That’s it!” cried Dick.</p> - -<p>“What’s it, you old chump?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Let’s do that! Let’s camp out here this summer! -I’ll beg off from going across, and we’ll -have a swell time. What do you say?”</p> - -<p>Chub grinned.</p> - -<p>“Say, are you in earnest?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Dead earnest!”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, let me recommend the water cure -again. If you’ll just hold your overheated brow -under the surface for a minute—”</p> - -<p>“Look here, though, you fellows,” said Roy, -suddenly, “why couldn’t we do it? Not for all -summer, of course, but, say, for a month or six -weeks. Where are you going, Chub?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Me? Same old place, I suppose: Delaware Water -Gap. Gee! If the folks would only let me, I’d -do it as quick as a flash.”</p> - -<p>“Well, write and ask them,” said Roy. “I’ll -do it if you fellows will.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean it?” cried Dick, eagerly.</p> - -<p>Roy nodded, smilingly.</p> - -<p>“Then it’s settled!”</p> - -<p>“Not for me it isn’t,” objected Chub, ruefully. -“You don’t know my dad. If he gets an idea into -his head you can’t get it out with a crowbar!”</p> - -<p>“Well, you ask him, anyway,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Dick added with enthusiasm. -“And I’ll write across to my dad, to-night. How -about you, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“Me? Oh, I’ll get permission all right. But, of -course, we’ll have to wait until we’ve taken our -exams, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. How long will that be?”</p> - -<p>“About ten days from now.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that will be all right,” said Dick, cheerfully. -“I’ll have everything all fixed up by the -time you fellows get back, and—”</p> - -<p>“You’ll do nothing of the sort!” exclaimed -Chub, emphatically. “Why, that’s half the fun. -You’ll just wait for us, Dickums. We’ll borrow -one of the school tents and some cooking things—”</p> - -<p>“And blankets.”</p> - -<p>“And a boat,” added Dick, “and we can fish and—and -have a high old time.”</p> - -<p>“You bet,” said Chub. “It will beat that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -old summer hotel all hollow. Me for the simple -life!”</p> - -<p>“And I tell you what I’ll do,” exclaimed Dick. -“I’ll get a little old gasolene launch, and we can -make trips up the river—”</p> - -<p>“Who’s going to run it?” asked Chub suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“I am. It isn’t hard. I can learn in a day or -two.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, very well, but it’s me for the interior of our -island home while you’re learning, Dickums!”</p> - -<p>Dick laughed. “That’s all right,” he answered. -“You’ll be glad enough to go in it when -the time comes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe,” Chub agreed. “If it isn’t much -worse than the ice-boat I guess I can live through it. -How fast—”</p> - -<p>“There’s the gun!” cried Roy as a distant boom -floated down to them.</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” said Dick. “We’d better pile -into the canoe and find a place at the finish. Come -on!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<small>THE RACE WITH HAMMOND</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">They scrambled to their feet, slid down the little -slope, and crossed the shelving beach to -where Chub’s canoe, its crimson sides and gold monogram -on the bow a torment to the eyes in such sunlight, -was nosing the sand. Chub and Roy took the -paddles, while Dick, who had never been able to -master the art of canoeing, settled himself in the -middle of the craft, his knees level with his chin, -and looked like an alert toad. The stern paddle -grated through the white sand as the canoe was -shoved off, and then after a stroke or two that sent -the bow toward the stream, the craft slid gently -down the river. They kept to the shaded shallows -near the shore of the island until Victory Cove was -passed, and then headed out into the sunlight glare -and drifted down toward where the flotilla lay -about the finish line. It was no difficult matter to -find a good berth since the canoe was slender enough -to worm its way in between the anchored boats. On -the edge of the path left for the crews they found a -sail-boat lying a few yards above the finish, and up -to this they paddled until they could lay hold of it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p> - -<p>“We’re under the enemy’s flag here,” observed -Dick pointing to the cherry-and-black banner flying -from the mast.</p> - -<p>“We’ll fix that,” Roy answered. “Where’s the -flag?”</p> - -<p>Dick happened to be sitting on it and the cautious -way in which he disentangled it from his feet made -the others laugh. Chub fastened it to the bow and -received a salvo of applause from the occupants of -a near-by punt. The punt was only some ten feet -long, but it held eight Ferry Hill boys by actual -count. Mr. Buckman, one of the instructors, hailed -them from the bow of the judges’ boat, a few yards -distant, and warned them that they were on the -course, but they pretended not to hear him.</p> - -<p>“Just as though a couple of feet were going to -make any difference!” growled Chub, disgustedly. -“Buckman is stuck on himself to-day.”</p> - -<p>“A nice judge he will make,” laughed Dick under -his breath. “He will be so excited that he -won’t have the least idea which boat crosses the line -first!”</p> - -<p>“I wonder which will,” murmured Roy.</p> - -<p>“Ours will,” replied Chub, stoutly. “I’ll -bet you we’ve got ’em beaten already.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” Roy answered, “but—”</p> - -<p>“Whitcomb told me yesterday that he expected to -win,” said Dick, “and I guess he wouldn’t say that -unless he was pretty certain.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if we win the boat-race it’ll make a clean -sweep for the year,” said Roy: “foot-ball, hockey,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -track, base-ball, and rowing. We’ve never done that -before, and I’m afraid it’s too much to hope for. -You can bet that Hammond will do all she knows -how to win one event out of the five.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but we’ve got the crew,” Chub replied, -untroubled. “Hammond will have to take it out in -trying. You’ll see. They ought to be here pretty -quick. Can you see anything, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“N-no; at least, I don’t think so. Yes, I can, -though. There they are, but the sun’s so strong—”</p> - -<p>“Hammond’s in the lead!” cried a voice from -the sail-boat, where, clustered at the bow, a group -of Hammond supporters were looking intently up -the river. The one who had spoken, a youth in -white flannels who held a pair of field-glasses to his -eyes, was visibly excited.</p> - -<p>“Pshaw!” muttered Dick, disgustedly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe it,” said Chub. “He can’t -tell at this distance.”</p> - -<p>“He’s got glasses,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“I don’t care if he’s got a twelve-inch telescope! -He doesn’t know which side Hammond has got, -and it isn’t likely he can tell red oars from brown -at this distance. You wait until they get under the -cliff up there, out of the sunlight, and then you can -see for yourself.”</p> - -<p>By this time the excitement was beginning to tell -on the spectators along the shore and at the finish. -Cheers for Ferry Hill and for Hammond floated -across the water, and flags began to wave. Then, a -mile up the stream, the two four-oared crews suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -shot their slender craft into the shadowed -water and so became plainly visible to hundreds of -anxious eyes. The boat having the inner course was -leading by fully a length, it seemed, but whether -that fortunate boat was Hammond’s or Ferry Hill’s -it was still impossible to tell since the courses had -been drawn just before the start and the result was -not known down here at the finish. Behind the two -crews came the referee’s launch, a white speck on -the water.</p> - -<p>Now it was possible to see the rise and fall of the -oars, and—a groan of disappointment arose from the -Ferry Hill supporters. The leading boat was Hammond’s; -the tips of the oars showed brilliantly red -as they were lifted dripping from the water. Cheers -for Hammond broke forth anew, and the cherry-and-black -flags waved bravely in the hot sunlight.</p> - -<p>“Pshaw!” muttered Dick again. But Chub was -still undismayed.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” he cried, excitedly. “You -wait until they reach the three quarters and then -see what will happen. Ed’s letting them wear -themselves out. He will catch them before the finish, -all right.”</p> - -<p>But the three quarters flag was swept astern and -still the Hammond crew held the lead; and, moreover, -it was plain to all that Ferry Hill’s four was -rowing raggedly: Warren at three was splashing -badly, and there was a perceptible let-up to the boat -between strokes. Even Chub looked worried.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with Billy Warren?” he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -muttered. “Must think he’s a blooming geyser! -Oh, thunder, Hammond’s just walking away from -us! Doesn’t Ed see it? Why doesn’t he hit it -up?”</p> - -<p>“Because he can’t,” answered Roy quietly. -“Our fellows are rowed out; that’s what’s the -matter.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” said Dick, sorrowfully; “we’re -beaten good and hard. Well—”</p> - -<p>Such of the launches as had whistles began to make -themselves heard, and the cheering, triumphant on -one side and defiant on the other, was continuous. -The rival crews were scarce a quarter of a mile distant -now, coming straight down the middle of the -narrow course, with Hammond leading by a full two -lengths. In the sterns the coxswains bobbed back -and forth as the eight oars dipped into the water -and came out dripping yards astern, seemed to hang -motionless for an instant, and then dropped again -under the sunflecked surface. Suddenly there was a -low cry from Roy.</p> - -<p>“They’ve hit it up!” shouted Chub. “They’re -gaining! Come on, Ferry Hill! You can do it! -Row, you beggars, row!”</p> - -<p>The rear shell was cutting down the stretch of -clear water that had separated the two boats, her -four oarsmen working despairingly as the finish line -drew nearer and nearer. In and out went the long -oars, back and forward bent the white-shirted bodies, -and the narrow craft responded. In the stern -little Perry, the tiller lines clutched desperately in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -his hands, cried encouragement, entreaty, threats. -The bow of the Ferry Hill shell lapped the stern of -the Hammond boat by a scant foot. But the effort -was costing the crew dearly. Warren was swaying -limply above his oar as the battling craft swept -into the lane of boats, and in the bow Walker was -clipping each stroke woefully. For a moment the -two boats clung together, Hammond’s rudder hidden -by Ferry Hill’s bow. Then, while whistles -shrilled and hoarse voices shouted, a glimmer of -open water showed between shell and shell, just a -few scant inches, there was a puff of gray smoke -over the bow of the judges’ boat and a sharp report -and the race was over. For an instant more the -brown-tipped oars sank and rose in the wake of the -rival shell, and then—</p> - -<p>“Let her run!” piped Perry, weakly.</p> - -<p>And with the last stroke Warren toppled in his -seat.</p> - -<p>Chub gave vent to a deep sigh, a sigh that expressed -at once disappointment and relief.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad it’s over,” he said. “It was a -hard race to lose, though, fellows.” Roy nodded, -and Dick said:</p> - -<p>“I guess Hammond found it a hard race to win. -Look at them.”</p> - -<p>The Hammond shell was floating broadside to the -current a few rods down the stream, and in it only -the coxswain and Number Two were taking any interest -in affairs. The other occupants were frankly -fighting for breath and strength as they leaned forward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -over their oars. In the Ferry Hill boat Warren -and Whitcomb were the worse sufferers, although -Walker’s white, drawn face showed that he, -too, had felt the pace. He and Fernald were paddling -the shell toward the referee’s launch, which -was churning the water at a little distance. Perry -called out something to Mr. Cobb, a Ferry Hill instructor, -who was on the launch, and a slight commotion -ensued. Then the shell drew alongside, was -seized and held and Warren’s inert form was lifted -to the deck.</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” cried Roy. “Warren’s done up, fellows!”</p> - -<p>The engine-room bell tinkled, and the launch -moved cautiously toward the Ferry Hill landing, -drawing the shell with it. There was a weak cheer -for Ferry Hill from the Hammond crew, and the -four remaining occupants of the rival shell returned -the compliment. And then, with much good-natured -raillery, the flotilla broke up, the Hammond -boats sending back cheers as they made for the farther -shore. The crimson canoe shot across to the -landing and the three disembarked.</p> - -<p>“You fellows lift her out, will you?” asked Chub. -“I want to see how Warren is.”</p> - -<p>He pushed his way through the crowd about the -launch until he found himself looking into the white, -troubled face of the crew captain.</p> - -<p>“Ed, it was a good race,” he said cheerfully and -earnestly as he seized Whitcomb’s hand. “We’re -proud of you. Did anything go wrong?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Billy,” answered the other wearily. “He had a -touch of sun at the half mile and had to stop rowing. -We had three lengths on them before that.” Chub -whistled.</p> - -<p>“Say, that was tough luck!” he exclaimed. -“What did you do?”</p> - -<p>“Soaked Billy with water and pulled three oars -for about a quarter of a mile. Then he came around -and helped out some, but he wasn’t good for much, -poor duffer. He’s down and out now, and Cobb -says he’ll have to go to bed. They’ve sent for the -doctor.”</p> - -<p>“Is he dangerous?”</p> - -<p>“No, I guess not. Just a touch of sunstroke. It -was frightfully hot up there at the start, and Hammond -kept us waiting there in the broiling sun -about twenty minutes: something was wrong with -one of her slides. Well, I’m going up. I’m pretty -well played out. Coming?”</p> - -<p>“In a minute. I’ll see you in the dormitory. -I’m sorry, Ed.”</p> - -<p>Whitcomb nodded and joined the throng which -was filing up the path. Chub returned to Roy and -Dick with his news. When the canoe was on its -rack in the boat-house, the three followed the others -up the winding path under the close-hanging -branches of the beeches and oaks, through the gate -in the hedge which marked the school’s inner -bounds and around the corner of Burgess Hall.</p> - -<p>“What time is it?” asked Chub as they paused -with one consent on the dormitory steps.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Eighteen minutes of twelve,” answered Dick, -glancing at a very handsome gold watch. “Gee, but -I’m warm! And hungry!”</p> - -<p>“Echo,” said Chub, fanning his flushed face with -his cap. “Let’s sit down here and cool off. What -shall we do this afternoon?”</p> - -<p>“I was thinking of taking my books somewhere -where it’s cool and doing a line or two of study,” -answered Roy. “Better come along, Chub.”</p> - -<p>“What, study on a day like this? In all this -heat? And have a sunstroke like Billy Warren? -Roy, I’m surprised at you, I really am!”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right; but just remember that we’ve -got exams in physics and chemistry on Monday. -What do you know about that?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know nothing about nothing,” answered -Chub, cheerfully; “and I’m proud of it. But I tell -you what we’ll do, fellows: we’ll go fishing.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, fishing!” scoffed Roy. “The last time we -went, we didn’t get a thing but a ducking.”</p> - -<p>“Then let’s go ducking, and maybe we’ll get a -fish,” laughed Chub. “Come along, Dick?” Dick -shook his head soberly.</p> - -<p>“I’d better not,” he said. “I’m no star like -you chaps, and I can’t learn a thing in five minutes. -I’ve got a terror of an exam coming; English, you -know. It’ll take me from now until Monday morning -to get ready for it, and even then I bet I’ll -flunk.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you care?” laughed Chub. -“You’re not graduating.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Thank goodness!” said Dick, so devoutly, that -the others went into peals of laughter.</p> - -<p>“What you want to do,” said Dick, when they -had sobered down, “is to get those letters written -to your dads so they’ll go to the Cove in time for -to-night’s mail. If you don’t they won’t get off -until Monday.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” Chub agreed. “But, say, fellows, -there isn’t any use in my asking; the folks -won’t let me stay up here. Dad will tell me I’m -crazy.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you care,” answered Roy. “The truth -won’t hurt you.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no harm in asking,” urged Dick.</p> - -<p>“All right, I’ll do it now. Come on in and help -me.”</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute,” said Roy. “Isn’t that Harry -coming around the gym?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Dick. “And she missed the -race. Let’s walk over and meet her.”</p> - -<p>They ran down the steps and followed the curving -graveled path which led toward the gymnasium. -Approaching them was a girl of fifteen years, a -rather slender young lady with a face which, in -spite of its irregular features, was undeniably attractive. -The tilt of the short nose lent an air of -saucy good-humor, the bright blue eyes were frank -and pleasing, and the very red hair suggested a -temper. And she had a temper, too, did Miss Harriet -Emery, a temper which, to quote Roy, was as -sharp as her eyes and as short as her nose. That -same nose wasn’t by any means free from freckles, -wherein it resembled the rest of the face; but already -the sun had found its way under the brim of -the plain sailor hat, and a healthy coat of tan was -hiding the freckles.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 418px;"> -<a id="image03"> - <img src="images/image03.jpg" width="418" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_28">“‘Did we win the race?’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26-<br />27]</a></span></p> - -<p>Harry—for she hated to be called Harriet—was -the daughter of the principal, Doctor Emery. As -she was an only child she had been perhaps a little -bit spoiled; or, at least, that is what her Aunt Harriet -Beverly often intimated; and as she had been -born and brought up in a boys’ school she was not -unnaturally somewhat of a tomboy, to the extent of -being fonder of boys’ games than girls’, and of -being no mean hand with oar or paddle, bat or -racket. But still she was very much of a girl at -heart, was Harry, although she wouldn’t have -thanked you for saying so.</p> - -<p>At the present moment, in spite of the cool white -waist and skirt which she wore, she looked far from -comfortable. Her low tan shoes were covered with -the dust—for Silver Cove was a full mile distant, -and there had been no rain for over a fortnight—her -face was very red and her hair, usually decently -well-behaved, had lost most of its waviness, and was -straggling around her flushed face and around her -neck in straight, damp strands. She had been hurrying -as she had crossed the athletic field, and had -turned the corner of the gymnasium, but at sight of -the three boys coming to meet her her pace slackened -and an expression of disappointment came into her -face.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m too late!” she cried. <a href="#image03">“Did we win the -race?”</a></p> - -<p>“No,” answered Roy. “Billy Warren had a sunstroke -after he’d rowed half a mile, and Hammond -won by just a length.”</p> - -<p>Harry sank on to a seat under a tree, her face -eloquent of sorrow, while the three boys told her -the particulars. Finally her face cleared.</p> - -<p>“I ran almost half the way,” she said, “and I -was never so hot in my life. But,” she added, -philosophically, “I’m glad now I was too late. I’m -glad I didn’t see Hammond win!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<small>GRADUATION AND GOOD NEWS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">By Monday afternoon Dick’s fears regarding the -result of the English examination proved -groundless, perhaps because he had heroically resisted -Chub’s invitation to go fishing Saturday afternoon -and had spent most of that period with his -head close above his books and his lips moving continuously. -There was only one more day of work, -and Dick was heartily glad of it. He didn’t like -studying, and frankly said so. His mother had -died when he was fourteen, and his schooling, decidedly -intermittent at best, ceased abruptly while he -and his father dwelt in hotels at home and abroad -as the latter’s business demanded. Dick’s recent -years had been spent in the West, and when, in January -last, his father had suggested another trip -abroad, Dick had rebelled, professing a preference -for school. That he now owed allegiance to Ferry -Hill rather than to Hammond was due to a chance -meeting on the ice with Harry, who had so cleverly -proclaimed the merits of Ferry Hill that Dick, already -domiciled at the rival academy awaiting the -beginning of the new term, had coolly repacked his -trunk and transferred it and himself across the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -river. For awhile the others had called him “the -Brand from the Burning,” but the name was much -too long for everyday use, and now he was just Dick—save -when Chub or Roy elaborated and called him -Dickums—one of the most popular fellows at Ferry -Hill School, and the most promising candidate in -sight for the school leadership in the autumn.</p> - -<p>At three o’clock on Tuesday the last examination -was over, and at a few minutes past that hour Dick, -Roy, Chub, and Harry, the three former in a blissful -state of relief, feeling as boys do feel when the -last book has been flung aside for the summer, sat -in the shade of the Cottage porch.</p> - -<p>“If Cobb gives me a C in German,” said Chub -hopefully, “I’m all right.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess I got through,” said Dick proudly, -“but it was hard work.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks!” scoffed Chub. “Just you wait until -next year!”</p> - -<p>“Now don’t scare him to death,” Roy protested. -“If you don’t look out he won’t show up in the -fall at all. How are you getting on, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Me? Oh, I’m all right, I guess. My last -exam’s to-morrow; botany. Now you needn’t -laugh,” she added indignantly. “Botany’s awfully -hard.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the sense of it?” asked Chub. “What -good is it going to do you to know whether a leaf’s -lanceolate or—or composite?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t display your ignorance, Chub,” laughed -Roy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What good are lots of things they teach us?” -Harry demanded. “Like—like music and drawing?”</p> - -<p>“Come now, Harry, music’s all right,” Roy protested. -“As for drawing—”</p> - -<p>“It’s perfect nonsense! Why, I couldn’t draw -one of those wooden cubes and make it look square -if I was to try a whole year!”</p> - -<p>“But you ought to like music, Harry,” said -Chub. “You know you have a charming voice, a -natural—er—contralto, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>Harry made a face at him.</p> - -<p>“I can sing just as well as you can, Smarty, anyhow!”</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” said Dick. “Chub sings like a -coyote in distress!”</p> - -<p>“There speaks envy,” murmured Chub sadly. “I -have a very melodious voice, and the beauty of it is -that I can sing bass or tenor or—what’s the other -thing I sing, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“Discord,” answered his chum unkindly.</p> - -<p>“That is not so,” responded Chub indignantly. -“To show you what a fine voice I have I will now -sing for you that charming little ditty entitled—”</p> - -<p>“Not much you won’t!” declared Dick threateningly. -“If you try to sing we’ll thrash you. Look -here, how about that letter? Have you heard from -your folks yet?”</p> - -<p>“No, do you think I correspond by wireless?” -answered Chub. “I can’t possibly hear before -Thursday morning. It doesn’t matter, anyhow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -I keep telling you. Dad won’t hear of such a -thing.”</p> - -<p>“How would it do if we all wrote to him?” asked -Dick, anxiously. Chub smiled grimly.</p> - -<p>“You’d better not if you don’t want to get a -scorcher of a letter in reply. My dad’s a good sort, -all right, but he doesn’t let any one else run his -business for him. I have inherited that quality of—er—firmness.” -Roy and Dick howled impolitely.</p> - -<p>“What are you all talking about?” asked Harry -anxiously. “You’ve gone and got a secret, and I -don’t think it’s very nice of you!”</p> - -<p>“Why, it isn’t really a secret,” answered Roy, -hurriedly. “If there hadn’t been so much going -on we’d have told you about it. We three are trying -to get our folks to let us camp out for a month -or so on Fox Island after school closes; that is, if -your father will let us, and I guess he will.”</p> - -<p>“Then you won’t go home yet?” cried Harry, -delightedly.</p> - -<p>“Not if we get permission. It all depends on -Chub—”</p> - -<p>“On Chub’s father you mean,” growled that -youth.</p> - -<p>“Because I’m pretty sure of my folks,” continued -Roy; “and Dick says his father won’t mind if -he stays a month longer.”</p> - -<p>“That will be fine,” said Harry; but a moment -later her face fell prodigiously. “Only it won’t -do me any good,” she added, sorrowfully, “because -I’ll be visiting Aunt Harriet most of the time.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s too bad,” said Roy. “Can’t you fix it -to go later?”</p> - -<p>Harry shook her head. “No, she goes to the seashore -in August, you see. I think it’s just too -mean for anything; and I know you will just have -lovely times. I—I hope papa won’t let you do it!”</p> - -<p>“Well!” ejaculated Chub. “Of all dogs in the -manger that I ever met, Harry, you take the prize!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I just do,” muttered Harry, rebelliously; -“and I’m going to tell him not to!”</p> - -<p>Chub and Dick viewed her anxiously, but Roy -only smiled.</p> - -<p>“We’re not afraid of that, Harry,” he said.</p> - -<p>She looked at him a moment frowningly, then -sighed and smiled as she said plaintively:</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t care, Roy Porter, I think it’s awfully -mean! Maybe I won’t ever see you and Chub -again, and just when I might be with you I have to -go away. And I don’t have any fun at Aunt Harriet’s, -anyway; it’s too stupid for anything!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I wouldn’t worry yet,” said Roy, “because, -maybe it will all fall through. You heard -what Chub said about getting permission, and, of -course, if he can’t stay we won’t; it wouldn’t be -any fun for just two fellows.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you could find some one else,” said -Chub.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’re not going to try,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” Roy agreed. “If you can’t -make it we’ll call it off; but we will hope for the -best, eh?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It won’t do you any good,” muttered Chub. -“It’s me for that old Water Gap place.”</p> - -<p>“And me for Aunt Harriet Beverly’s,” sighed -Harry. And then, struck by a radiant idea, she -added breathlessly: “Maybe I could run away and -come back here and live with you on the island!”</p> - -<p>The boys laughed.</p> - -<p>“When do you have to go to Aunty’s?” asked -Chub.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know exactly,” Harry replied. “She -hasn’t said anything about it yet, but usually I go -the first of July and stay two or three weeks; once -I had to stay a month—papa and mama went to the -mountains.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we couldn’t go into camp until about the -first,” said Chub; “and then, if you only stayed -two weeks with Aunty, you could be here a whole -fortnight before we left.”</p> - -<p>Harry brightened perceptibly. “That’s so,” -she cried. “I’ll ask mama if I’ll have to stay -more than two weeks. Wouldn’t that be lovely? -We could have the dandiest times, couldn’t -we?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe your mother would let you stay -on the island at night, though,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Well, but I could go over real early in the morning -and have breakfast with you, and stay all day. -I could do the cooking for you! I can cook real -well. I can make doughnuts and vanilla cookies and -cheese-straws and—”</p> - -<p>“Can you fry eggs?” asked Chub anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Of course, stupid! Any one can do that!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right, Harry, consider yourself engaged. -There’s nothing like a few eggs to begin a hard -day’s work on.”</p> - -<p>“I want mine scrambled,” said Dick. “Can you -do that, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; you just put some milk with the eggs and -stir them all up nice and messy with a silver knife,” -replied Harry.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to bring your own knife,” laughed -Roy. “We’ll use tin ones, I guess. As for me, -though, I have to have my eggs in an omelet, Harry. -How are you at omelets?”</p> - -<p>Harry looked troubled, failing to see the smile -which quivered around the corners of Roy’s mouth.</p> - -<p>“I—I’m afraid I can’t make an omelet, Roy,” -she said dejectedly. “You see, they always get -burned on the bottom; and then I never can flop -them over. You know they have to be flopped -over?” Roy nodded sympathetically.</p> - -<p>“I always flop them before I cook them,” said -Chub sententiously.</p> - -<p>“How can you?” asked Harry, indignantly. “I -never heard of anything so—so—”</p> - -<p>“Why, you—er—you seize the egg between the -thumb and first finger,” answered Chub, frowning -intensely as though striving to recollect the process. -“Then you slowly exert sufficient pressure to choke -it to death. When nicely choked—”</p> - -<p>Just here Dick pushed him off the steps.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he the silliest thing?” asked Harry. And -then, returning to the subject of omelets: “But I -could get mama to show me how, Roy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What I want to know is,” said Chub as he -crawled back up the steps, “is where all the eggs -are coming from. I can eat three myself when I’m -in camp, and you know what an appetite Dickums -has!”</p> - -<p>“We’ll hire a hen,” suggested Roy.</p> - -<p>“We have lots of eggs,” said Harry. “I’ll -bring some over every morning.”</p> - -<p>“And a few doughnuts,” begged Chub. “That’s -the ideal breakfast: three or four fried eggs, and -half a dozen doughnuts, and a cup of coffee. Um-m! -Gee, fellows, I wish my dad would say yes!”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he will. Let’s throw our thought on -him,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“You’d better not let him catch you at it,” said -Chub with a grin. “Say, there goes Billy Warren. -Let’s call him over and get him to show us his -sunstroke.”</p> - -<p>“Thomas Eaton, you’re too foolish for anything, -to-day!” declared Harry, severely. “And it’s -mean of you to make fun of Billy. He feels terribly -bad about losing the race.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not making fun of him,” denied Chub, indignantly. -“The idea! Only if I had a sunstroke -I’d be proud to show it around! I’d be pleased -purple if fellows would ask me—”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet a dollar that’s what’s the matter with -you,” laughed Dick. “It’s affected your brain.”</p> - -<p>“Pretty smart sun if it found Chub’s brain,” -added Roy.</p> - -<p>“Enjoy yourselves,” said Chub, cheerfully. “Get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -into the game, Harry; find your little hammer! -Here, there’s a monotony about this conversation -that wearies me. I’m going out in the canoe. Anybody -want to come along?”</p> - -<p>“Me!” cried Harry, jumping up.</p> - -<p>“You’d better not,” counseled Roy. “He will -make you do all the work, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“Pay no attention to him,” said Chub to Harry, -confidentially. “I hate to say it about a friend, -Harry, but he’s never been the same since he made -that two-bagger the other day. It’s affected his -brain. Let us leave them to their own foolish devices.”</p> - -<p>He and Harry went off together along the path -toward the Grove, and Roy and Dick watched them -in smiling silence until they had disappeared -through the hedge gate. Then,</p> - -<p>“I wonder if his father will turn him down,” said -Dick.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid so,” answered Roy as he arose, “but -we will know all about it by Thursday. There’s -time for a couple of sets of tennis before supper. -Want to play? I’ll give you fifteen.”</p> - -<p>Dick agreed, and they walked over to the dormitory -to get their rackets.</p> - -<p>Wednesday and Thursday were given over to the -ceremonies of graduation. Wednesday was Class-Day, -and Thursday Graduate’s Day. The school -had taken on festal attire. John the gardener and -general factotum had been busy for a week past raking -the walks, clipping the hedges and trimming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -the borders until when the first influx of guests began -on Wednesday morning the grounds were looking -their best. The gymnasium was draped inside -with flags and bunting and decorated outside with -Japanese lanterns. School Hall became suddenly a -bower of palms and other things in pots or tubs -which looked like palms but were really something -quite different with far more unpronounceable -names. On Wednesday morning there was the Tennis -Tournament, won by Chase of the Second Middle -Class. In the afternoon the corner-stone of the -new dormitory was laid with appropriate ceremonies, -and there was a spread under the trees. In the -evening the Silver Cove Band, much augmented for -the occasion, gave a concert in front of the gymnasium.</p> - -<p>The graduation exercises took place the next -morning in School Hall before a flatteringly attentive -and applausive audience. There was an oration -by Augustus Prince Pryor on “Opportunity and -the Man”; there was an essay by Edgar Whitcomb -entitled “The Exploration of the Northwest”; -there was a declamation by William Truscott Warren -called “Napoleon the Man”; there was a thesis -by Howard C. Glidden on “Science and Progress”; -there was a narration by Thomas H. Eaton entitled -“The Pilgrims,” and an oration on “Destiny” by -Roy Porter. Then came the awarding of diplomas -to the graduates, in number a round dozen, and the -audience dispersed in search of dinner. Both Roy -and Chub had graduated with honors, and if, on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -that one day, they held their heads a little bit higher -than usual and looked a little bit more dignified, -why, surely, they may be excused. Dick pretended -to be much impressed, and always saluted whenever -he met them. This went on until just before supper, -when Chub’s patience became exhausted and he -forgot his dignity and chased Dick twice around -School Hall, finally capturing his quarry in a corner -and administering punishment. <a href="#image04">In the evening -there was a grand ball</a> in the gymnasium to which -came many Silver Cove folks and at which Harry, -in a pink muslin party dress, danced to her heart’s -content. And the next day came the exodus.</p> - -<p>But Thursday morning’s mail had brought Chub -his letter and the tenor of it had pleased him even -more than it had surprised him; and that is saying -much; for Mr. Eaton had written that the plan suggested -met with his unqualified approval, and intimated -broadly that it must have originated with -some one other than Chub because of its reasonableness.</p> - -<p>“Sounds like a knock,” said Roy as he read the -letter.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he always has his hammer handy,” laughed -Chub. “But I don’t care; he’s given permission, -and that’s what I wanted. Say, won’t it be great? -Let’s find Dick and tell him.”</p> - -<p>So they did, and Dick was overjoyed. Roy had already -heard from home, and his mother had agreed, -although less enthusiastically than Chub’s father, -to his remaining at Ferry Hill for the month of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -camp life. As for Dick, well, Dick merely took permission -for granted, for it would be all of two -weeks before a reply could reach him from London. -When the letter finally did come it was all that he -had wished. In substance it told him to please himself, -adding that it was quite within the possibilities -that the writer would return home for a short visit -about the middle of the summer, in which case it -wouldn’t really be worth Dick’s while to cross to -England now.</p> - -<p>So when, Friday morning, bright and early, Chub -and Roy piled into the carriage with their suit cases, -Dick said good-by and watched them disappear in -the direction of Silver Cove and the railroad station -with perfect equanimity; for four or five days at the -most would see them both back again. Naturally -enough, though, Dick found existence strangely -quiet at first. By Friday evening the last boy had -departed homeward, and an uncanny stillness held -the campus.</p> - -<p>At Mrs. Emery’s invitation Dick moved his belongings -over to the guest-room at the Cottage, for -the dormitories were to be given over on the morrow -to the regular summer cleaning, and then subsequently -closed until fall. Harry, too, was somewhat -depressed, and she and Dick made the most of each -other’s society. There were walks and little trips -on the river and a good deal of tennis, a game which -Dick was rapidly learning. Harry was an excellent -player, and by the time Roy and Chub returned -Dick, under her tuition, had vastly improved his -game.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 433px;"> -<a id="image04"> - <img src="images/image04.jpg" width="433" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_39">“In the evening there was a grand ball”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42-<br />43]</a></span></p> - -<p>Living at the Cottage was very pleasant. Now -that school was over with Doctor Emery doffed his -immaculate black clothes and appeared in faded -negligée shirts and patched knickerbockers. At the -table he was quite often the more flippant and irresponsible -of the four, and Mrs. Emery frequently -remonstrated laughingly, telling him that Dick -would report his actions, and that when autumn -came he would find his authority departed. Whereupon -the Doctor swore Dick to secrecy, and Harry -naïvely remarked that she never could see why -any one was afraid of her father, anyhow. One day -there was a notable event on the tennis-court when -Harry played against her father and Dick, and won -two sets out of three. When nothing better offered -Dick and Harry got into a boat or a canoe and went -over to Fox Island and picked out the site for the -camp. By the time that Roy and Chub got back -they had speculatively pitched that camp on almost -every foot of the island.</p> - -<p>But the most exciting event that occurred was the -receipt of an apologetic letter from Harry’s Aunt -Harriet Beverly. It seemed that Aunt Harriet had -decided almost at a moment’s notice to go abroad -with a party of friends, and they were to sail on the -tenth of July. Under the circumstances, she explained, -it would be necessary for Harry to postpone -her visit until late in the summer. She hoped -that the dear child would not be very greatly disappointed. -The dear child waved the letter over her -head and howled with glee.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it beautiful?” she cried. “Isn’t it perfectly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -dandy? Now I can go to camp with you. -It’s just like things that happen in books. Mama, I -may, mayn’t I?”</p> - -<p>“Goodness, child!” exclaimed her mother. “You -may what? What’s all this noise about?”</p> - -<p>“Camp out with Roy and Chub and Dick on the -island! I may, mayn’t I? You know you said—”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m surely not going to let you sleep on -the island, my dear, if that’s what you mean. -You’d catch your death of cold.”</p> - -<p>“Not to speak of the likelihood of being devoured -alive by bears,” added the Doctor as he joined them -on the porch.</p> - -<p>“Bears!” scoffed Harry. “I don’t suppose -there’s even a rabbit on the island! And, mama -dear, folks never catch cold in camps.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I think it will do, Harry, if you go over -and visit the boys in the daytime. Besides, maybe -they had rather be alone, my dear.”</p> - -<p>“But they wouldn’t! Would you, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Dick promptly. “We’d like -Harry to join us if you will let her, Mrs. Emery.”</p> - -<p>“And I’m going to cook for them—sometimes!” -exclaimed Harry, eagerly, “and you’re going to -teach me how to make an omelet, mama, because -Roy has to have omelet for his breakfast. And I’m -going to mend their clothing for them, too. I—I -don’t believe they could do without me.” And -Harry gazed anxiously from Dick to her mother. -Dick asserted stoutly that it would be simply impossible -and Mrs. Emery consented to Harry’s joining<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -the campers by day. After that it was all -arranged very quickly by Harry. One of the boys -was to row over every morning to the landing, very, -very early, and get her, since she was not allowed -to go in a boat by herself, and she was to take over -doughnuts and cookies, and—and a great many -things!</p> - -<p>The Doctor had readily consented to the use of -one of the school tents and such things as they -needed, so when, late one afternoon, Roy and -Chub arrived triumphant from the ordeal of preliminary -examinations at college, everything was in -readiness for the occupation of the island.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<small>CAMP TOROHADIK</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Fox Island lies on the Ferry Hill side of the -river some two hundred yards from shore and -about a quarter of a mile above the school landing. -It is fairly high, contains very nearly two acres, and -is beautifully wooded. It is about one third as wide -as it is long, and the shores, the inner shore especially, -are full of tiny coves and promontories. -There are two excellent beaches of white sand and -nice round pebbles. Inner Beach, because of its more -gradual slope, being the favorite bathing place. At -the up-stream end of the beach a great granite boulder, -worn round and smooth by water and weather, -juts into the river, and forms an excellent place on -which to lie in the sun and dry off without the aid of -towels.</p> - -<p>Back of the Inner Beach the trees and underbrush -begin, climbing the side of Mount Emery, the tiniest -heap of rocks and earth ever dignified with the -name of mountain, and hurrying down the other -side to riot across the island to where Outer Beach -stretches from The Grapes to School Point. At the -lower end of the island the underbrush has been -cleared away and a grove of birches and maples<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -makes a capital camp site. It was here that the boys -decided to pitch their tent. They embarked bright -and early the morning after the return of Roy and -Chub, the tent and accompanying paraphernalia -stowed away in a rowboat which was trailed behind -Chub’s crimson canoe. Harry was not with them. -Fired with enthusiasm, she was up at the Cottage -making a batch of doughnuts. Harry and the -doughnuts and a cold luncheon were to be brought -over to the camp later on.</p> - -<p>It was a bright morning with a crisp, cool breeze -out of the northeast. The sun was still low over the -hill behind them as they paddled slowly up the -stream toward the island. The trees along the shore -threw green shadows far out on to the bosom of the -sparkling river. It was rather hard paddling with -that clumsy rowboat tagging along astern, and presently -Roy turned to Dick, who, as usual, was enacting -the rôle of freight in the middle of the craft.</p> - -<p>“Thought you were going to have a gasolene -launch,” he said, jeeringly.</p> - -<p>“I am. It would be just the thing this morning, -wouldn’t it? We could have put all this truck right -into it and been at the island in a minute.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” puffed Chub, skeptically.</p> - -<p>“I’ve written to a fellow who makes them,” -Dick continued, “and he’s got just the thing we -want all ready to put the engine in.”</p> - -<p>“Get him to leave the engine out,” suggested -Chub, “then we won’t have so much trouble with -the thing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="map"> - <img src="images/map.jpg" width="600" height="406" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_83">MAP OF FOX ISLAND</a><br /> -DRAWN BY ROY PORTER<br /> -CARTOGRAPHER-IN-EXTRAORDINARY<br /> -JULY, 1906</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s a sixteen-footer,” continued Dick unheeding, -“and has a two-horse-power motor, and only -costs a hundred and sixty dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Phew!” breathed Roy. “That’s a whole lot, -isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Not for a launch like that,” protested Dick.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Chub, judicially, “not for a launch. -It would be a good deal for a piece of pie or a hard-boiled -egg, but—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you shut up,” interrupted Dick good-naturedly.</p> - -<p>“No sooner said than stung,” murmured Chub, -flicking a shower of water with his paddle on to -Dick’s back and bringing a howl from that youth.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to get it?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“He did get it,” Chub laughed.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I think so. I thought I’d wait and talk -it over with you fellows. Maybe we ought to have -a larger boat; sixteen feet isn’t very long—”</p> - -<p>“It’ll be all we want to row,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“We won’t have to row it,” answered Dick -warmly. “It’s a Saxon launch, and they’re as -good as any made.”</p> - -<p>“How fast will it go?” Chub inquired, interestedly. -“I mean when it does go?”</p> - -<p>“It’s capable of eight miles an hour.”</p> - -<p>“Humph! I’m capable of lots of things I don’t -do.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and you try to do lots of things you -aren’t capable of,” responded Dick, “and judging -motor-boats is one of them.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Whereupon,” murmured Chub, “our hero bent -manfully at his oar.”</p> - -<p>“How long will it take to get it?” pursued Roy.</p> - -<p>“About six days the man said,” answered Dick. -“If you fellows think it’s all right I’ll send for it -to-day.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why it shouldn’t be all right. Do -you, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s nice to be able to go fast, you know, -and I suppose that a boat with eighteen feet can go -faster than one with only sixteen. If you could -afford it, Dick, it would be nice to get a centipede -boat that could do about a mile a minute.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut it out,” laughed Roy, “and head her -in toward the point, Chub. Funny how much easier -she paddles now.”</p> - -<p>“We’re out of the current, probably,” answered -Chub. “Shall we paddle around the point to the -cove or—”</p> - -<p>But at that instant Roy set up a howl of laughter, -pointing speechlessly down the stream. Dick and -Chub turned. Four or five hundred yards away, -drifting gaily away from them, was the rowboat containing -the tent. Chub looked hurriedly behind him.</p> - -<p>“The rope slipped,” he muttered.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you tie it?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“No, I sat on it. Turn her back, Roy; we’ll have -to get the old thing.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a nice one,” laughed Roy. “Why -didn’t you hold the rope in your teeth?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’d have to keep his mouth shut,” Dick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -scoffed, “and you know plaguey well he couldn’t -do that.”</p> - -<p>“Say, suppose you take a paddle and do some of -the work,” suggested Chub, fretfully. “I’d like to -know what we’re hauling you around for, anyway, -you—you lump of dead weight! Let’s throw him -overboard and lighten the ship, Roy.”</p> - -<p>“Save your breath for paddling,” Dick advised -cheerfully. “It’s a quarter of a mile to the boat -and a quarter mile back. Don’t worry about -me; I’m very comfortable,” and Dick proceeded to -find an easier position, rocking the canoe perilously -in the process.</p> - -<p>“Sit still, you idiot,” said Chub, “or I’ll duck -you again. Do you want to have us in the water?”</p> - -<p>“Now, if I had my motor-boat—” Dick commenced.</p> - -<p>“Oh, blow you and your old motor-boat,” spluttered -Chub. “You’ve got to learn to paddle, that’s -what you’ve got to do!”</p> - -<p>The runaway boat was soon captured, but it was -some time before they had reached the island again, -and during the return trip both Chub and Roy saved -their breath for their work. They were both pretty -well tuckered by the time they had regained the end -of Inner Beach. Just when the canoe was floating -into shallow water, Dick, who for several minutes -past had been smiling inscrutably at Roy’s -back, observed casually:</p> - -<p>“Of course what we ought to have done—but it’s -too late now.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What are you mumbling about?” asked Chub -crossly.</p> - -<p>“Nothing; that is, I was going to say that if you -had put me in the rowboat I could have taken the -oars and it wouldn’t have been so hard on you fellows.”</p> - -<p>Chub paused with paddle suspended and viewed -Dick disgustedly. Then,</p> - -<p>“Well, why didn’t you think of it before, you -lazy loafer?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I did think of it,” answered Dick calmly, -hunching his shoulders in expectation of a shower of -water, “but as I am only a passenger I didn’t think -I had any right to make suggestions.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” muttered Chub. But before he could -bring his paddle into play Dick had thrown himself -out of the canoe into a foot of water and was plunging -up the beach out of danger.</p> - -<p>“Got your feet good and wet,” taunted Chub.</p> - -<p>“I like them that way,” laughed Dick from a safe -distance. “If I had that motor-boat I could have -saved you fellows—”</p> - -<p>“If you mention that fool motor-boat again to-day,” -cried Chub wildly, “I’ll—I’ll—”</p> - -<p>But the threat was never finished, for a canoe with -its bow grounded on the beach and its stern afloat is -something you can’t take liberties with. Chub, balancing -himself in the stern, forgot this fact for a -moment, and when he remembered it he was sitting -in the water and Roy and Dick were howling -gleefully. Strange to say, this misadventure restored<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -Chub’s good-nature, and, after sitting for a -minute up to his waist in the water and laughing at -his predicament, he jumped up dripping, and hauled -the canoe up the beach. They unloaded the rowboat, -depositing tent and poles and supplies on the sand, -and then considered the matter of a site for the -camp.</p> - -<p>They had landed on Inner Beach where School -Point curves toward the middle of the river. Above -the beach there was a fringe of scrub-pines and a -few low bushes, but beyond these all underbrush -had been cleared away so that there was a full -quarter of an acre of grass-carpeted ground interspersed -with well-grown maples and birches. There -were plenty of signs of former occupancy; here and -there benches had been built between a couple of -neighborly trees; some wooden pegs driven into the -trunk above one of these benches showed where during -the spring camping the towels had been hung. -Paths crossed and recrossed the clearing, many of -them converging at the beach.</p> - -<p>“’Most any place here is all right,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“When we look for a camp site out our way,” observed -Dick, “we think first about water.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess we won’t suffer for that with the -river so near,” said Chub dryly.</p> - -<p>“I’d forgotten the river!” murmured Dick, looking -foolish.</p> - -<p>In the end they decided on a spot some ten yards -back from the beach at Victory Cove. This, being -well out on the point, Roy argued, would be cool<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -and at the same time accessible from both sides. The -sun would reach the tent for awhile in the afternoon, -but not when it was hot enough to matter. -The trees were well thinned out on both sides so that -they had a clear view of the river to right and left. -It was a good deal like camping out in one’s own -back yard, said Roy, for there, just across the inner -channel, was the float and the boat-house, and, further -up on the hill, the familiar forms of the school -buildings. Over their heads the branches of the trees -almost met, and, as Chub pointed out, in case of -a heavy rainstorm they would have a second roof -above them. There were a few pines scattered -near by toward the rising ground inland, and their -resinous fragrance mingled with the aroma of -damp earth and dewy foliage.</p> - -<p>They brought the tent and poles up and, under -the direction of Dick, who was quite in his element -now, soon had them erected. Dick showed them how -to drive the pegs in a line with the guy-ropes instead -of at an angle, so that the straining of the tent -in a wind would not loosen them. The tent was not -a new one, as several patches proved, but it was -made of good heavy duck and was quite tight. It -was a wall tent, twelve by eight feet in size, and -there was a shelter curtain which could be raised -over the doorway. Chub called it the porch roof. -Then they had brought a third piece of canvas -which could be stretched over the little sheet-iron -stove on rainy days. Dick, who had volunteered to -do the cooking, selected a site for the “kitchen,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -and, while the others went off for pine branches for -the beds, he set up the stove. After the boughs were -placed in the tent and the blankets spread over -them they scooped out a trench around the outside -of the tent to drain off the water in case of a heavy -rain. Then the boys separated in search of firewood, -Roy looking for dead branches in the “forest” -and Chub and Dick going to the upper end of the -island. Chub took the canoe and Dick the rowboat, -and by the time they had met, after having -paddled along opposite shores, each had accumulated -a respectable quantity of driftwood. Much of it was -too wet to burn, and so when they got back to camp -they spread it out in the sun. Roy had meanwhile -made several trips into the woods and a good-sized -heap of dry branches lay beside the stove.</p> - -<p>“Now what?” asked Dick, surveying the scene -with satisfaction and wiping the perspiration from -his face. Chub looked speculatively at the flagpole -which stands at the end of School Point.</p> - -<p>“We ought to have a flag,” he said. “Why didn’t -we bring along the school flag?”</p> - -<p>“Because this isn’t the school camp,” answered -Roy. “It’s a private affair. We must have a flag -of our own.”</p> - -<p>“With the name of the camp on it,” said Dick. -“By the way, <a href="#image05">what is the name of the camp?</a>”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve been thinking of that,” answered -Chub, gravely, seating himself on a root which had -apparently shaped itself for the purpose, “and I’ve -got it all settled. It’s a nice camp, and it ought to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -have a nice name, a name that stands for—er—respectability -and renown. So I suggest that we call -it Camp Thomas H. Eaton.”</p> - -<p>“What I’ve always admired in you,” said Dick, -sarcastically, “is your modesty, Chub.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is one of my many excellent qualities,” -Chub replied sweetly.</p> - -<p>“Who’s got a piece of paper?” Roy demanded. -No one had, so he pulled a strip of bark from a -birch-tree. “I’ve got an idea,” he said. “You -fellows wait a minute.” He seated himself cross-legged -and began to write on the bark, scowling intently. -Chub viewed him apprehensively.</p> - -<p>“Do you think it’s over-study?” he asked Dick -in a hoarse whisper, “or merely the sun?”</p> - -<p>“Crazed by the heat,” responded Dick, sadly.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it a sad case?” continued Chub. “Such a -promising youth as he was! He was always promising—and -never doing it. And so young, too!”</p> - -<p>“Say, dry up a minute, you fellows,” Roy -begged.</p> - -<p>“He may get over it, though,” observed Dick, -thoughtfully. But Chub shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid not,” he said. “Just look at his -eyes; see that baleful glare, Dick? That’s what tells -the story, the baleful glare; when you develop the -baleful glare you are quite incurable. And see his -lips work. He’s muttering to himself. That’s -a frightfully bad sign, Dick. Pretty soon he will -gibber, and when—”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 385px;"> -<a id="image05"> - <img src="images/image05.jpg" width="385" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_55">“‘What is the name of the camp?’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58-<br />59]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Dry up, Chub,” commanded Roy. “Now listen. -Let’s get a name the way the soap and biscuit -people do.”</p> - -<p>“A romantic idea,” murmured Chub, politely.</p> - -<p>“I mean by using the initials or first two letters.”</p> - -<p>“What first two letters?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“Of our names, of course. You can’t make anything -out of the initials, because they’re all consonants, -but—”</p> - -<p>“We could make believe it was a Russian name,” -said Chub helpfully.</p> - -<p>“By using the first two letters,” continued Roy, -“you get Torodi. How’s that?”</p> - -<p>“It’s even worse than we feared!” said Chub to -Dick sotto voce.</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut it out,” exclaimed Roy, testily. “Talk -sense.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it sounds rather—er—interesting, don’t -you think, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s great,” Dick answered. “What’s it -mean?”</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t mean anything, you silly chump!” -Roy answered warmly. “It’s just a name; T-o, for -Tom; r-o, for Roy; d-i, for Dick.”</p> - -<p>“Sort of a shorthand effect,” said Chub, thoughtfully. -“But why not put it the other way, and call -it Rotodi? I think Rotodi is much more musical to -the ear.”</p> - -<p>“Lend me your pencil,” said Dick. “I’ve got a -better one.”</p> - -<p>“Let him have it, Roy,” Chub said. “In the end -you’ll all come back to my suggestion; you can’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -beat Camp Thomas H. Eaton if you spoil all the -bark on the tree. Hand him a new piece of bark -Roy; humor him; let him have his way.”</p> - -<p>“Say, can’t you stop talking for a minute?” demanded -Dick.</p> - -<p>Chub grinned and accepted the suggestion. In a -minute Dick said triumphantly:</p> - -<p>“I’ve got it! Camp Sopœa!”</p> - -<p>“So—what?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“How do you get that?” inquired Roy.</p> - -<p>“First two letters of our last names,” answered -Dick, proudly.</p> - -<p>“Sounds like Camp Sapolio,” Chub objected, -“and if you’re going in for that sort of thing I -think Camp Pearline would be much prettier.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, you try it, then,” said Dick, tossing -the pencil to Chub.</p> - -<p>“I knew you’d have to come to me in the end,” -said Chub. “Now let me see.”</p> - -<p>“No funny business,” warned Roy. Chub shook -his head. At that moment the silence, which had -been disturbed only by the puffing of a distant -steamer, was suddenly rudely shattered by a discordant -sound that was like something between the -finished efforts of a fish peddler and the wail of a -bereaved cow.</p> - -<p>“Tell Dick to stop snoring,” said Chub without -looking up from his task.</p> - -<p>“What the dickens is that?” marvelled Roy, as -the sound again reached them, apparently from -some distance down the river.</p> - -<p>“Blamed if I know!” said Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s a cow,” said Chub. “She’s in great -pain.”</p> - -<p>“A cow!” jeered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Certainly. Cows eat too much nice green grass -at this time of year and have the tummy ache. I -know. We used to own one.”</p> - -<p>“What, a tummy ache?” asked Roy. But Chub -was busy again and made no answer. Presently he -looked up with a smile of satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“I’ve beat you at your own game, Roy,” he said. -“The name is Camp Torohadik, with the accent, -you will kindly observe, on the penultimate syllable.”</p> - -<p>“How do you spell it?” questioned Roy suspiciously. -And, when Chub had responded, “Where -do you get your ‘h,a’?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I will explain. I put myself first—”</p> - -<p>“That’s your modesty,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Because I was here first. Then Roy came next -and then that sneering youth over there. That made -‘Torodi,’ which is just what Roy had. But by adding -another letter of Dick’s name, out of compliment, -and because of the fact that the camp was his -idea, I get ‘Torodik,’ which is a better sounding -word than ‘Torodi.’ But still, it is not yet perfect. -At this point genius gets in its work. I introduce -the letters h,a, and the thing is complete.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but where do you get your old ‘h,a’?” demanded -Roy.</p> - -<p>“From the first name of the fourth member of the -party,” replied Chub triumphantly.</p> - -<p>“The fourth member?” puzzled Roy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Harry, of course,” said Dick. “And what does -it make, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Torohadik, an Indian word meaning ‘four -friends,’” responded the inventor affably.</p> - -<p>“That’s not so bad,” laughed Roy. “It really -does sound like an Indian word, doesn’t it, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. It’s all right. Camp Torohadik it is. -We’ll get Harry to make us a flag out of a piece of -white cloth, and we’ll paint the name on it. Only I -don’t know how—”</p> - -<p>“There’s Chub’s cow again,” interrupted Roy -as the wail once more broke the silence. “I wish -you’d give her some Jamaica ginger or something, -Chub.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to see what that is,” said Dick, -scrambling to his feet. “Sounds like a horn to me.”</p> - -<p>“Horn!” cried Chub. “That’s just what it is, -I’ll bet. It’s Harry at the landing. She said -she’d blow a tin horn when she was ready to—”</p> - -<p>“Yes, there she is,” said Dick, “on the landing, -with a basket. I’d forgotten all about the horn -part of it. I’ll go over for her in the rowboat. -You fellows are more tired than I am.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Chub agreed with a laugh, “but the -current’s pretty strong coming back, and you’ll -have to <em>row hard, Dick</em>!”</p> - -<p>Dick groaned as he made toward the beach, leaving -Roy to administer well-deserved punishment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<small>A BATCH OF DOUGHNUTS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">“Of course this isn’t real camping,” said Dick -as he munched his fifth sandwich.</p> - -<p>“It’s a mighty good lunch, though,” answered -Chub. “And I can’t wait to get to those crullers—I -mean doughnuts. What’s the difference, anyway, -Roy?”</p> - -<p>“A cruller is a doughnut with the hole left out.”</p> - -<p>“Get out! What we call crullers are built just -like these, with a hole in the middle.”</p> - -<p>“Some folks call them fried-cakes,” offered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Well, it doesn’t matter what they’re called,” -said Chub, cheerfully; “they look fine and Harry -has made lots of them. And, say, fellows, look at -the sugar on them! Let’s hurry and reach the -dessert.”</p> - -<p>Dick had brought Harry and her lunch basket -across to the island and now they were seated on -the grass in front of the tent with the contents of -the basket spread before them. There were two -kinds of sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, bananas and -doughnuts. There was also clear, cold water from -the river served from a tin coffee-pot for want of -anything more suitable and drunk from tin cups.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -Strange to say, the enthusiasm over the doughnuts -brought no response from Harry. In fact, as the -meal progressed and the time for the dessert drew -near, she exhibited well-defined symptoms of uneasiness, -and when, finally, Chub, unable to hold off any -longer, seized the first doughnut and bit into it, she -forgot the sandwich she was struggling with and -watched him anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Um-m!” said Chub rapturously. Then he repeated -the remark, but with a note of doubt. Then -he shot a puzzled look at Harry, who dropped her -eyes quickly and devoured her sandwich so hurriedly -that she choked and had to be slapped on the -back by Dick. During this diversion Chub glanced -frowningly at the doughnut in his hand, dropped it -surreptitiously into his pocket and took a banana. -When Harry looked again the doughnut had disappeared -and her face expressed relief. Then Dick -reached for one.</p> - -<p>“How are Harry’s doughnuts, Chub?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Great!” said Chub with extraordinary, even -suspicious, enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“Well, they certainly look fine,” replied Dick, -setting his teeth into one.</p> - -<p>“They surely do,” agreed Roy, following his example. -“Aren’t you going to have one, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Please,” said Harry, her hand stretched toward -the plate and her gaze on Dick.</p> - -<p>Dick was munching his first mouthful somewhat -gingerly and viewing the doughnut with surprise. -There was a moment of silence. Then,</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I say, Harry,” blurted Dick, “what the dickens -did you put into these things?”</p> - -<p>“Why?” she faltered.</p> - -<p>“Don’t they taste sort of funny?” he asked. -“How’s yours, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“All right,” replied Roy, eating doggedly, his -eyes fixed on space as though he were trying to concentrate -all efforts on the task. Dick laid his doughnut -aside and picked up another.</p> - -<p>“Maybe that one isn’t a fair sample,” he said -hopefully. “I thought it tasted of—of—I don’t -know just what.”</p> - -<p>But he appeared to derive small pleasure from -his second one and with a sigh of disappointment -he laid it down on his knee with a fine simulation -of carelessness and took a banana. Then:</p> - -<p>“Hello,” he said, “aren’t you eating any doughnuts, -Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Me? Oh, yes, I had one,” answered Chub. -“Fine, aren’t they?”</p> - -<p>“Great,” answered Dick warmly.</p> - -<p>“Toss me a banana, will you, Dick?” This from -Roy, who, having caused the last of his doughnut -to disappear, was still swallowing convulsively. “I -ate so many sandwiches,” he added, in an apologetic -tone, “that I can’t do justice to the doughnuts. -Doughnuts are awfully filling things, aren’t -they?”</p> - -<p>“They certainly are,” agreed Dick and Chub together.</p> - -<p>“These will be fine for supper,” continued Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Roy, but with less enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“Or breakfast,” suggested Chub. “I’m awfully -fond of doughnuts for breakfast. With lots of coffee,” -he added as an afterthought.</p> - -<p>Harry, who had listened to the remarks with a -puckered brow and downcast eyes, struggling heroically -with her own doughnut meanwhile, suddenly -dropped her face into her hands and there was an -audible sob.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” cried Chub. “What’s the matter, -Harry?”</p> - -<p>There was no reply save more sobs. The three -boys gazed from Harry’s heaving shoulders and -bent head to each other’s faces and then back again -in dismay.</p> - -<p>“It’s the doughnuts,” whispered Dick in a flash -of comprehension. Then in loud, cheerful tones, -“Have another doughnut, Roy?” he asked. “I’m -going to.”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” said Roy. “Have one, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“You bet! I just didn’t want to eat them all -now for fear there wouldn’t be any left for breakfast; -but I dare say there’ll be enough. Good, -aren’t they?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t think I ever tasted better,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Swell!” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“They’re not! They’re perfectly horrid!” -Harry’s tearful eyes were gazing at them tragically. -“It—it’s the almond!”</p> - -<p>“The—the what?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“The almond flav-flavoring,” faltered Harry. “I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -thought it would be nice to put some flavoring in—and -I got too—too much, and they’re nasty!”</p> - -<p>“Nothing of the sort!” cried Chub, deftly tossing -a half-devoured doughnut over his head and reaching -for another. “They’re not bad at all, are they, -fellows?”</p> - -<p>“I should say not!” exclaimed Dick. “I guess -it was the flavoring I tasted that time. You see, I -didn’t know they were flavored, Harry. If I’d -known it, I’d have—er—understood.”</p> - -<p>“I put in too much,” sniffed Harry, dabbing her -eyes with a diminutive handkerchief. “I didn’t -know how much to use and so I put in four tablespoonfuls. -They’re just as bitter and horrid as -they can be!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, don’t you care, Harry,” Roy comforted. -“You’ll know better next time.”</p> - -<p>“There isn’t going to be any—next time,” answered -Harry, dolefully. “I’m never going to -make any more.”</p> - -<p>But this elicited such a torrent of protestation, -and it sounded so genuine, that Harry was comforted, -and in the end relented.</p> - -<p>“Maybe they’d be better just plain,” she said, -“without any flavoring at all.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we could try them that way next time,” -said Chub, “and see. I suppose the trouble with -almond is that it’s pretty strong. Now, vanilla or—or -wintergreen—”</p> - -<p>This produced a howl of derisive laughter in -which even Harry joined. Chub pretended that his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -feelings were wounded and in another minute or -two the doughnut incident was quite forgotten and -Harry was eating a banana very cheerfully. The -only untoward incident to threaten the serenity occurred -when Chub absent-mindedly whisked his -handkerchief from his pocket and at the same time -whisked forth a half-eaten doughnut which flew -across into Harry’s lap. For a moment her gloom -returned, and Dick and Roy silently threatened -Chub with dire punishment; but Chub saved the -situation in a measure by rare presence of mind.</p> - -<p>“Here,” he said calmly, “that’s mine.” And -when it was returned to him he ate it unflinchingly, -nay, even with every mark of enjoyment, allowing -carelessly that possibly there was a little too much -flavor to it but that he thought one could get very -fond of almond after a time. But to go a little -ahead of our story, when supper was eaten the -doughnuts, through some oversight, were not placed -on the menu, and every one tactfully forebore to remark -upon the omission.</p> - -<p>They had made out a list of groceries and supplies -the evening before which Mrs. Emery was to hand -to the groceryman from Silver Cove when he came -for her order in the morning. And so in the middle -of the afternoon they went over in the rowboat to -get the things.</p> - -<p>They made Dick row both ways because, as Chub -put it, “he had imposed upon his superiors in the -morning.” Dick made a great fuss about the labor -but in reality enjoyed rowing hugely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p> - -<p>They found their supplies awaiting them at the -Cottage—two big baskets of them. They had managed -to get quite a little excitement the evening before -out of ordering. They had all made suggestions, -Dick’s imagination refusing to go farther -than bacon, potatoes, and coffee; Roy holding forth -for what might be called staples, fresh meat, flour, -sugar, salt, pepper, and lard, and Chub’s fancy -roaming blissfully amid such delicacies as guava -jelly, fancy biscuits, and pickles. As for Harry, -her suggestions, like Chub’s, ran to “trimmings,” -such as nuts and raisins, chocolate, patent preparations -which by the addition of boiling water magically -turned into highly-colored puddings, and dried -fruit. (Dried fruit, she explained, was awfully nice -when you were hungry between meals.) But Mrs. -Emery’s counsel usually prevailed, and so when it -was finished the list didn’t contain many unnecessary -articles. They stopped at the Cottage long -enough for Dick to write his letter to the boat-builder -ordering the launch. As he signed his name -to the check which was to accompany it he grinned.</p> - -<p>“Can’t go to London now, anyway,” he said; -“haven’t enough money left.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it doesn’t cost much by steerage,” observed -Chub.</p> - -<p>Then they carried the baskets down to the boat -and across to the island. Here Harry took command -and directed the arrangement of the supplies -in the packing-case in the tent. Butter and lard, -they decided, would not keep hard there, so Chub<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -built what he called a “larder” on the edge of the -water. He dug away the sand until he had a small -hole. At the bottom of this he placed a flat stone. -Then he built up around with pieces of box cover -driven into the sand. The butter firkin and lard -tin were placed on the bottom and the water, passing -in between the pieces of wood, came half-way -up them, keeping them cold. A nice square piece -of wood, selected from the pile which was drying on -the beach, was placed over the top and a stone was -rested on it to keep it from blowing off. Chub was -very proud of his “larder” and straightway insisted -that each member of the party should stop his or -her labors and admire it. Each member good-naturedly -did so.</p> - -<p>By this time the sun was getting down and Dick -started a fire in the stove and prepared to cook -the evening meal. As it did not grow dark until -quite late Harry had received permission to remain -on the island for supper. Roy and Chub piled wood -together for the camp-fire, and Harry, having -stowed away the last of the groceries to her liking, -furnished Dick with some slight assistance and much -advice. He accepted both thankfully and paid no -heed to the latter; for Harry’s way of cooking was -not Dick’s. She was not too insistent with her advice; -possibly with the doughnut fiasco still in mind -she thought it behooved her to be humble. As a -camp cook, Dick proved himself an unqualified success -from the start. Even Harry acknowledged that -he was a wonder. He possessed the knack of doing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -several things at once and not losing his head, and -the easy, unflustered manner in which he boiled potatoes, -made tea, and fried steak at one and the same -moment was a source of wonderment to the others, -who, washed and ready for supper, sat around and -almost forgot their hunger in admiration.</p> - -<p>Now when you have been busy out of doors all -day long, steak sizzling in butter, potatoes steaming -through burst jackets, thick slices of snowy bread, -and tea glowing like amber when it is poured from -the pot in the late sunlight, are just about the finest -things ever fashioned. If the steak was a little bit -overdone no one realized it, and if condensed milk -wasn’t quite up to the fresh article it was too paltry -a fact to mention. From where they sat, within, -for Dick, easy reaching distance of the stove, they -looked out upon the placid water of the river, hued -like molten gold under the last rays of the setting -sun, across to the green-black shadows of the tree-lined -shore. High up above the slope of verdure a -window in School Hall caught the radiance and shot -it back, glowing ruddily. When for a moment, -which was not frequently, the conversation paused -there was only the leap of a small fish from -the stream, the twittering of a bird, the distant -screech of a locomotive, or the lazy creak of a boom -as some small boat crept by the island, to mar the -mellow stillness of the sunset hour.</p> - -<p>But you may be sure the fish and the bird, the -engine and the boat, had scant opportunity to make -themselves heard at Camp Torohadik, for every one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -was in the best of spirits and there was so much -to talk about that it required all of one’s politeness -to keep from interrupting. The school year just -closed was a never-failing subject, for there were -dozens of incidents to be recalled. And there were -plans to lay, marvelous plans for excursions and explorations. -After every one had eaten as much as -possible, and when there was no longer any excuse -for remaining about the “table,” they cleaned up, -washing the tin pans and plates in the water of the -cove where an accommodating stone jutted out -from the sand.</p> - -<p>The sunlight lingered and lingered on the tops of -the hills in the west and then the twilight filled the -valley with soft shadows and toned the bosom of the -river to shades of steely gray. And so it was almost -eight o’clock before there was any valid excuse for -lighting the camp-fire. A tiny breeze sprang up -out of the east and fanned the flames into leaping -forms of orange and ruby. Gradually the conversation -died away, and finally Harry yawned frankly -and sleepily. <a href="#image06">Chub and Roy paddled her across the -darkening water</a> to the landing, pausing now and -then and letting the canoe drift while they gazed -back at the point, where Dick’s shadow, monstrous -and grotesque, moved across the side of the tent as -he mended the fire. They went part way up the -path with Harry, bade her good night, and scampered -back to the landing and the canoe. As they -glided softly into the shadow of the island Dick’s -voice challenged them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image06"> - <img src="images/image06.jpg" width="600" height="401" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_72">“Chub and Roy paddled her across the darkening water”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74-<br />75]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Who goes there?”</p> - -<p>“Friends,” answered Chub.</p> - -<p>“Advance, friends, and give the countersign.”</p> - -<p>“What the dickens is the countersign?” whispered -Chub.</p> - -<p>“You may search me,” replied Roy with a yawn.</p> - -<p>“Torohadik,” ventured Chub.</p> - -<p>“Wrong,” answered Dick, sternly.</p> - -<p>“Liberty,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Freedom,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Wrong,” replied Dick.</p> - -<p>“Oh, go to thunder,” grumbled Chub, paddling -for the beach. “I don’t know what it is.”</p> - -<p>“Doughnuts!” laughed Dick, pulling the canoe -up. “Any one ought to know that.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it isn’t anything you could easily forget,” -answered Chub, ruefully. “Weren’t they -fierce?”</p> - -<p>“They certainly were,” answered Roy as he -jumped ashore. “And,” he added determinedly, -“that reminds me of a duty to humanity.” He disappeared -into the tent and when he emerged again -he bore something in one hand. An instant later -there was a series of light splashes. Chub took his -cap off.</p> - -<p>“<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Requiescat in pace</i>,” he murmured.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<small>EXPLORATION</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">“Get up, you lazy beggar!” cried Roy, snatching -off the gray woolen blanket and disclosing -Chub, in a pair of blue pajamas, sprawled, face -down, on his bed.</p> - -<p>“Eh?” muttered Chub sleepily.</p> - -<p>“Get up! Harry’s over on the landing blowing -that tin tooter of hers for all she’s worth. It’s -after seven o’clock. You’re a great camper, you -are!”</p> - -<p>Chub turned over dazedly on his elbow and -blinked at his chum. Then his eyes wandered to -the other two empty beds.</p> - -<p>“Where’s Dick?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Getting breakfast. He’s been up half an hour. -And we’ve been yelling at you at the top of our -lungs, and all we could get out of you was -‘Ye-e-s!’”</p> - -<p>“Get out,” answered Chub, indignantly, sitting -up on his lowly couch, “I haven’t opened my -mouth!”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t you? You had it open most of the -night, for one thing. To-night we’re going to -make you sleep outdoors, probably on the other end<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -of the island. Get some clothes on and we’ll go -over and fetch Harry.”</p> - -<p>Chub shook his head anxiously.</p> - -<p>“It occurs to me,” he said, “that that girl is going -to annoy me with her strenuousness. This is no -time to be making such noises as that. Think of the -poor little birdies trying to sleep in their downy -nests.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you get a move out of your downy nest,” -laughed Roy. “If you don’t I’ll call Dick and -we’ll pull you out.”</p> - -<p>“Think I’m afraid of you brutes?” asked Chub, -scathingly. “I’d have you understand, Mr. Porter, -that I am not to be coerced. I am a free-born -citizen of this glorious Republic, and as such I have -rights which cannot—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Dick!” shouted Roy. Chub gave a bound -off his bed and was standing in the middle of the -tent in a twinkling.</p> - -<p>“I dare you to pull me out!” he said with immense -dignity. Then, “How’s the water?” he -asked.</p> - -<p>“Cold,” replied Roy. “Besides, you haven’t -got time for a bath. If you want to bathe before -breakfast you must get up at a decent time. Get a -move on now.”</p> - -<p>Roy went out, leaving Chub indignantly searching -for a pair of stockings which he plainly remembered -having taken off last night but which at the -present moment were not to be seen.</p> - -<p>“Decent time!” he muttered. “What’s a vacation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -for if you can’t lie in bed when you’re sleepy? -I’ve a good mind to go back again.” He looked -speculatively at his disordered bed, and then -peeped through the tent door. What he saw decided -him.</p> - -<p>“Bacon and eggs,” he murmured appreciatively. -“Where are my trousers? A fellow doesn’t have -to have socks to eat breakfast in.” But the trousers -revealed the missing stockings, and as he proceeded -to dress leisurely he warbled loudly for the -benefit of the others:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The lark came up to meet the sun<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And carol forth its lay;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The farmer’s boy took down his gun<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And at him blazed away.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The busy bee arose at five<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And hummed the meadows o’er;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The farmer’s wife went to his hive<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And robbed him of his store.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The little ant rose early too,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">His labors to begin;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The greedy sparrow that way flew<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And took his antship in.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“O birds and bees and ants, be wise;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">In proverbs take no stock;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Like me, refuse from bed to rise<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Till half past eight o’clock.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>“If you’re not out here in two minutes,” called -Dick, “we’re going to duck you.”</p> - -<p>“Brutes!” answered Chub. “Who’s got my -necktie?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p> - -<p>The inquiry elicited no response and he was compelled -to solve the mystery unaided. The missing -article was finally discovered dangling from the -pocket of his shirt. The tent was filled with a subdued -yellow light, for the sun was shining brightly -from a clear, blue sky, and here and there a low-hanging -branch was silhouetted against the canvas. -Through the opening a cool, moist breeze blew in, -tempting the dawdler into the morning world. But -what tempted him still more was the fragrant odor -that came from Dick’s pan and the accompanying -eloquent sizzling sound. Chub was out before the -two minutes had expired. The bacon and eggs were -frying merrily, the coffee-pot was exhaling a fragrant -aroma through its spout, and life was wonderfully -well worth living. Chub balanced himself -precariously on the jutting stone and performed a -somewhat sketchy toilet. Then he and Roy tumbled -into the canoe and shot it out across the green-shadowed -water.</p> - -<p>Harry had given up her horn in disgust and was -sitting on the landing, a picture of patience. As -they drew near a fox terrier rustled out of the trees -and ran toward them wagging a wisp of a tail in -hilarious greeting.</p> - -<p>“I brought Snip along,” explained Harry. “He -loves to run around on the island, and I’m not -afraid of his getting lost because, of course, he can’t -get off. Methuselah wanted to come too, but I -didn’t see how I could bring him.”</p> - -<p>“It’s just as well,” said Roy. “He might get -seasick crossing over.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Do you think parrots can get seasick?” asked -Harry curiously as she took her place in the canoe.</p> - -<p>“Well, we wouldn’t want to risk it,” answered -Roy evasively. “Isn’t it a swell morning?”</p> - -<p>“Beautiful. I’ve been up nearly two hours. I -hope you’ve got something nice for breakfast.”</p> - -<p>“You bet we have,” said Chub. “Bacon and -eggs, all sputtering together in a pan like a happy -family. Gee, I’m hungry enough to eat this paddle. -Talk about being up a long time, Harry! Why, -I’ve been up ever since—”</p> - -<p>“Ten minutes ago,” finished Roy. “Snip, if -you lean any farther out you’ll find a watery -grave.”</p> - -<p>“Snip can swim beautifully,” said Harry indignantly. -“Can’t you, darling?” Darling intimated -by a quick dab of his tongue at her chin that swimming -was one of the easiest things he did.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” said Chub. “Snip swims like Sid -Welch; makes an awful lot of fuss but doesn’t get -anywhere. Why, when Sid gets into the water -there’s foam for a mile up and down the river; -looks like a regular flotilla of excursion steamers -had been along. As for Sid, he grunts and thrashes -his arms and legs around and stays just where he -started.”</p> - -<p>“I think Snip swims very well for a small dog,” -said Harry with hauteur.</p> - -<p>“Talking about swimming,” observed Roy, -“who’s going in this forenoon? Did you bring -your bathing-suit, Harry?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I guess I’ll wait until to-morrow,” answered -Harry. “Then I can get into my bathing-suit at the -house and put on a mackintosh and you can row me -over.”</p> - -<p>“For that matter,” said Roy, “we might just as -well go in from the float. The swimming’s just as -good there as it is on the island.” But Harry -raised instant protest.</p> - -<p>“No, you mustn’t,” she declared. “That -wouldn’t be fair. You must make believe that the -island is away off from everywhere and that it -takes days and days to get to the camp.”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” laughed Roy. “Let me see, to-day’s -Friday; we ought to get breakfast about Sunday, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“Dick will have it all eaten by then,” said Chub -sadly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ve already been two days on the trip,” -answered Harry merrily. “We’ll be there in a few -minutes now.”</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” Chub shouted. “Land ho!”</p> - -<p>“Where away?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Two points off the bow paddle,” answered Chub. -“And, say, I can smell that bacon!”</p> - -<p>A moment later they were aground on Inner -Beach and Roy helped Harry out on to the sand. -At the stove Dick was busily transferring slices of -crisp bacon and golden-brown eggs on to the tin -plates.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, Harry,” he shouted. “You’re -just in time. Have a fried egg?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No,” answered Chub, “she isn’t hungry. She -says I can have hers.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you fibber!” cried Harry. “I didn’t say -anything of the kind, Dick! I’m so hungry—”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” Dick replied. “No one ever -believes Chub. Here you are, now; get busy. Pass -your cups if you want coffee. Say, Roy, get the -sugar, will you? I forgot it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t we have the best things to eat!” -sighed Harry presently.</p> - -<p>“We sure do,” answered Roy. “Is there another -egg there, Dickums?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, there’s two each. Pass your plate.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want a second one,” Harry announced, -“so some one can have it.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” said Roy. “Much obliged, Harry.” -Chub, who had opened his mouth, shut it again -and looked disgustedly at Roy. He was silent a -moment, while the others watched him amusedly, -then:</p> - -<p>“I know a good English conundrum about a lobster,” -he announced gravely.</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Dick. “Out with it; get it off -your mind.”</p> - -<p>“Why is Roy like a lobster?”</p> - -<p>“Why <em>is</em> he a lobster, you mean, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“No, that’s beyond explaining. I mean why is -he like a lobster?”</p> - -<p>“Is there any known answer?” scoffed Roy, “or -is it like most of your conundrums?”</p> - -<p>“There’s a very excellent answer,” replied Chub<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -with dignity, as he stole Dick’s slice of bread undetected. -“The answer is: because he is selfish.”</p> - -<p>“Selfish? I don’t see—” began Dick.</p> - -<p>“Oh, shell-fish!” cried Harry. “Don’t you see? -Selfish—shell-fish. That’s it, isn’t it, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s it; good, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“About the poorest I ever heard,” said Roy. -“Shell-fish!”</p> - -<p>“It’s an English conundrum,” answered Chub, -calmly.</p> - -<p>“It sounds like one,” Dick agreed.</p> - -<p>“Yes, if you drop the h it’s all right!”</p> - -<p>“O-oh!” cried the others in chorus. Chub bowed -modestly.</p> - -<p>“I’d like another egg, please,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Well, you don’t deserve it,” said Roy. “But -I’ll give you Harry’s.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll compromise on half.”</p> - -<p>“Here, I’ll cook another,” said Dick, but Chub -and Roy decided that half an egg would be all they -could eat with comfort.</p> - -<p>After breakfast it was decided that they were to -walk around the island, or, in the words of Harry, -explore their domain.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what we ought to do,” said Roy. “We -ought to make a <a href="#map">map</a> of it, showing all the bays and -peninsulas and—and—”</p> - -<p>“Rivers,” suggested Chub. “Who’s going to -do it?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” Roy answered. “Where can I get a -piece of paper?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There’s a tablet in my suit case that I brought -along to write letters on,” said Dick. “Will that -do?”</p> - -<p>“Have to,” Roy replied. “Can I find it?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. Pull things out until you reach it. It’s -there somewhere. Where’s Snip got to, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s around somewhere,” Chub answered. -“I heard him barking like anything awhile ago. -Probably he’s caught a bear.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, a Teddy bear,” said Dick. “Here, Snip! -Here, Snip!”</p> - -<p>“I hope it’s a white one,” laughed Harry; -“I like them better than the brown ones, don’t -you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, the cinnamon gets up my nose,” Chub assured -them. “Here he comes, with his tongue hanging -out so far that he’s stepping on it! What did -you find, Snipper-Snapper?”</p> - -<p>“That’s not his name, Chub Eaton,” Harry remonstrated. -“His name’s Darlingest Snip.”</p> - -<p>“Well, come on, Darlingest Snip,” said Chub as -Roy joined them; “but you must behave yourself -and not kill any more bears. If you do you’ll be -arrested for violation of the game laws of Fox Island.”</p> - -<p>They set off along Inner Beach, pausing every -minute or so while Roy made marks on the tablet.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” he explained, apologetically, “this -will be only a rough map, you know.” Chub sniffed -but forebore to make any comment.</p> - -<p>At Round Head, the big rock at the farther end<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -of the beach, they sat down in the sunlight for -awhile and allowed Roy to puzzle over his map. -Then they followed the little well-worn path which -skirts the shore under the trees past Turtle Cove, -Turtle Point, and Round Harbor. This brought -them to the upper end of the island where it terminates -in a rocky point that breasts the water like -the prow of a battle-ship. Roy originated the simile, -and Chub remarked that it wasn’t the bow of a -ship but the stern, and that the two little islets lying -beyond were the battle-ship’s tenders in tow.</p> - -<p>“We’re getting quite—quite poetical,” said -Dick. “What’s the name of this point, Roy?”</p> - -<p>Roy shook his head and looked questioningly at -Chub.</p> - -<p>“Don’t believe it has any name,” said the latter. -“We’ve always called it just ‘the other end,’ or -something like that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, let’s name it!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Point Torohadik,” Roy suggested.</p> - -<p>“Point Harriet,” Chub corrected. Harry clapped -her hands.</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t we call it that?” she asked eagerly.</p> - -<p>“That’s its name henceforth,” replied Chub -solemnly. “And we ought really to change the -names of those islands there to Snip and Methuselah!”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” laughed Roy. -“They’ve been called Treasure Island and Far Island -for years.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you, though,” cried Chub. “The Grapes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -haven’t been named. There are eight of them. -We’ll name those!”</p> - -<p>They hurried past the point to where a cluster of -tiny islets, the largest scarcely bigger than a barn -door, lay just off the shore. A few of them held -turf and bushes, but most were just barren lumps -of rock and sand.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Chub, “the largest we will name -Snip Island, the next largest Methuselah, the -next Spot, the next—”</p> - -<p>“Lady Gray!” prompted Harry.</p> - -<p>“Lady Gray. Then comes—are there any more -cats or kittens, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“There’s Joe,” said Harry, somewhat reproachfully.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, of course. Well, that’s Joe Island over -there, the three-cornered one. Now what?”</p> - -<p>“Well, there are the black rabbits,” Harry suggested.</p> - -<p>“Just the thing!” said Roy. “There are three -of them and there are just three islands left. I -name thee—”</p> - -<p>“Say, who’s officiating at this christening, anyhow?” -asked Chub. “You run away and play, -Mr. Porter. Now, the next island to Joe is Pete, the -next Repeat, and the last one Threepete.”</p> - -<p>“Referred to in the geographies as the Rabbit -Group,” added Dick. “And now, if the ceremony -is completed, we will move on to the next exhibit.”</p> - -<p>They ran up the little slope of Hood’s Hill,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -where the three boys had awaited the boat-race, and -then, like a celebrated army, ran down again. That -brought them to Outer Beach, and <a href="#image07">they followed the -edge of the water</a> to Gull Point and from there on -to Lookout, a small promontory dividing Outer -Beach proper from the smaller crescent of sand -known as Victory Cove. Then they were home -again.</p> - -<p>“Let’s see your old map,” said Chub, and when -it was exhibited he laughed uproariously.</p> - -<p>“Call that a map!” he shouted. “Why, say, -Roy, that’s the diagram of a nightmare! Come and -look, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“You wait until I fix it up,” answered Roy, unruffled, -thrusting it in his pocket to Dick’s disappointment. -“It’s got to be drawn over again with -ink.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” scoffed Chub. “The ink will turn pale -when it sees that!”</p> - -<p>They threw themselves down on the ground in -the shade of the whispering birches, and Snip, who -had wandered afield some moments before, came -trotting into sight, his tongue hanging out, and subsided, -very warm and happy, at Harry’s feet.</p> - -<p>“He’s been at it again,” said Chub regretfully.</p> - -<p>“At what?” Harry demanded.</p> - -<p>“Killing bears. We won’t have any left on the -island if you don’t stop him, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“You’re very silly,” said Harry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, very well,” was the response. “I’m not -going to stay here and be insulted. Me for the water.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -With a glance of contempt our hero turned -upon his heel and strode haughtily away.</p> - -<p>Chub tried turning on his heel, but as there was a -root in the way he made rather a failure of it. But -he had better success with the rest of the performance, -for the look of haughtiness which he assumed -sent the others into howls of laughter. Dick and -Roy followed him into the tent and Harry and Snip -wandered away along Inner Beach in search of blueberries. -Presently there was a chorus of yells that -sent the hair along the middle of Snip’s back pointing -upward like the quills of the fretful porcupine -and the three boys came tearing along the beach in -their bathing-suits. As they came abreast of Harry -and Snip Chub shouted:</p> - -<p>“Last one in is a fool!”</p> - -<p>There was a mighty thrashing of the water as the -trio floundered through the first few yards and then -three splashes almost simultaneous followed. In a -moment they were all up, laughing and gasping, -and calling to Harry to settle the question of who -the fool was.</p> - -<p>“Why,” said Harry, “you all went in at the same -time, so you’re all three fools!”</p> - -<p>“No sooner said than stung,” cried Chub. -“Harry, if you’ll come nearer I’ll tell you a -secret.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and throw water on me,” answered Harry -shrewdly. “No thanks; I’m very comfortable -where I am.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 441px;"> -<a id="image07"> - <img src="images/image07.jpg" width="441" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_87">“They followed the edge of the water”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90-<br />91]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I hate a suspicious person,” Chub grumbled. -“That’s what I like about Dick. He’s never suspicious.” -Whereupon Chub dived quickly and -grabbed the unsuspicious one by the ankle and for a -minute the water boiled as the two struggled together. -At length Chub broke away and fled to the -beach, and presently they were all out of the water -and sunning themselves on the sloping surface -of Round Head. Harry and Snip joined them, Snip -hitting upon the enjoyable pastime of licking the -boys’ faces as soon as they lay down and closed their -eyes against the sunlight. This innocent diversion -proved to be Snip’s undoing, for while he was operating -on Dick, that youth, unable to stand the tickling -sensation any longer, arose suddenly and toppled -the luckless Snip over the edge of the rock into -the water.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he will drown!” wailed Harry.</p> - -<p>But Snip came up coughing and choking and -struck out bravely for the beach, and his anxious -mistress reached him just in time to get well spattered -as he emerged from the water and shook himself.</p> - -<p>“I thought you said he could swim beautifully,” -said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well, didn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but you were scared he’d drown. If you -knew he could swim—”</p> - -<p>“Of course I knew he could swim, but—but supposing -a shark got him!” And she was quite incredulous -when they assured her that there were no -sharks that far up the Hudson. “You don’t know<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -anything about it,” she said. “A shark could swim -up here if he wanted to.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, the only shark Snip need be afraid of -is a dog-shark,” said Chub. “And they keep those -muzzled.”</p> - -<p>Presently, inaction beginning to pall on them, -they started diving from the rock, Dick, who knew -little about diving, cheerfully striving to duplicate -every stunt shown by Roy and Chub and coming -many a cropper in consequence. Then they -had a foot-race up the beach which Chub won -handily, and a broad-jumping contest which went -to Roy.</p> - -<p>“What time do we have dinner?” asked Chub, as -he climbed back to the rock, panting.</p> - -<p>“Any time; whenever we’re ready for it,” answered -Roy.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m ready right now,” Chub assured -him. “What time is it, do you suppose?”</p> - -<p>“About a quarter of twelve,” replied Dick after -a scrutiny of the sun and the shadows. “Let’s -mosey back and get dressed. There are potatoes to -get ready.”</p> - -<p>“O-o-oh!” howled Chub.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Harry anxiously.</p> - -<p>“I hurt my wrist when I was jumping,” answered -Chub.</p> - -<p>“Badly? Did you sprain it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t think it’s actually sprained,” -answered Chub cautiously, “but it’s too badly hurt -to allow me to hold a potato-knife.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Harry indignantly, as the others -laughed. “I thought you meant it.”</p> - -<p>“For that,” said Roy, “we’ll make him peel -them all, eh, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Every last one,” replied Dick sternly. There -was no answer from Chub for a moment. Then he -observed casually, apparently addressing his remarks -to Snip:</p> - -<p>“I was reading somewhere the other day that the -most healthful way in which to eat potatoes was -with the bark on.”</p> - -<p>“Bark!” ridiculed Harry.</p> - -<p>“We had them that way last night,” said Dick. -“To-day they’re to be peeled; and you’re going to -peel them. So come along.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder,” muttered Chub as he arose and followed -the others along the beach, “why it is I always -have to do most of the work. I suppose I’m -too good-natured and obliging. Woe is me!”</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later he was sitting cross-legged on -the rock in the cove with a pan of potatoes beside -him, peeling and whistling contentedly.</p> - -<p>“How many have you got?” asked Dick, coming -down for the butter.</p> - -<p>“Plenty,” answered Chub cheerfully. “Let’s -see, there’s one for you and one for Harry and a -little one for Roy and a tiny one for Snip and four -for me.”</p> - -<p>“Two or three more will be enough,” said Dick. -“But, for goodness sake, Chub, which are the potatoes -and which are the peelings?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You run away,” answered Chub aggrievedly. -“Those peelings are mere wafers. I’m celebrated -for peeling potatoes.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” Dick grunted as he turned away.</p> - -<p>“Humph yourself!” answered Chub, throwing a -peeling at him. “Chub,” he continued, talking to -himself, “this is a very ungrateful world. But you -must make the best of it. Do your duty, Chub, and -all will be well. Whereupon our hero, brushing -aside the unmanly tears, applied himself with renewed -vigor to his degrading task.” And Chub, -working the potato-knife slowly, took up his whistling -again.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<small>“W. N.” PAYS A VISIT</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">“I’m not grumbling,” denied Chub. “I’m only—only -stating my position.”</p> - -<p>They had been on Fox Island just one week; had -bathed, canoed up and down the river, explored the -country on each side of them to some extent, had -eaten three generous meals every day, and had slept -nine hours every night; and now Chub had given -the first expression of dissatisfaction. They had -finished dinner and were still sitting about the -scanty remains of the feast. Harry was not present, -to-day being one of the two days in the week -when piano practice kept her an unwilling prisoner -at the Cottage. Yesterday it had rained from morning -until night, keeping them close to camp, and to-day, -although the rain had ceased after breakfast, -the clouds hung low, and there was an uncomfortable -rawness in the east wind. The square of -canvas over the stove flapped dismally, and the -camp fire smoldered smokily, as though it were depressed -by the cheerlessness of the leaden sky and -the gray river.</p> - -<p>“What do you expect in camp?” asked Roy, almost -irritably, tilting back on the soap-box which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -had served him for a dining chair. “A parade in -the morning, circus in the afternoon, and theater in -the evening?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he’d rather have a garden-party this -afternoon and a concert to-night,” suggested Dick, -sarcastically.</p> - -<p>“Now, look here,” answered Chub, warmly, -“you fellows needn’t jump on me. I only said that -life was growing dull, and it is, and you know it is—only -you’re afraid to say so.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s jumping on you?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“You, you old lobster; and Roy, too. I’m bored -to death, if you want to know; and I don’t care -who hears it. I say let’s <em>do</em> something. We’ve -stuck around the camp here for two days and -played cards till I can’t tell a king from a four-spot. -I want excitement!” And in proof of the -assertion Chub rolled over backward off his box -and flourished his legs in air. The others laughed -and good nature returned to Camp Torohadik.</p> - -<p>“Well, what is there to do?” asked Dick. “You -suggest something and we’ll do it. If the launch -was only here—”</p> - -<p>“You and your launch!” jeered Chub. “It was -going to be here in six days, and it’s eight now. I -don’t believe you bought it.”</p> - -<p>“It may be at the Cove now,” answered Dick. -“Suppose we go down and see?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, there’s no fun paddling around in this -sort of weather,” said Roy. “We’ll go up to the -Cottage and telephone. Then if it is there we can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -go down in the canoe and get it and we won’t have -to paddle home.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t we?” asked Chub, ironically. “How do -you propose to get the launch up here?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll get you to push it,” answered Dick. -“Well, let’s go over and telephone, then. That’ll -take Chub’s mind from his troubles.”</p> - -<p>“And, say,” added Chub, “while we’re there, -let’s have a couple of sets of tennis. Harry and I -will play you two.”</p> - -<p>“Harry won’t be through practising until three -or half past,” answered Roy. “Besides, it doesn’t -seem quite fair, somehow, to play tennis when -you’re camping out.”</p> - -<p>“Fair be blowed!” said Chub. “If it will keep -me from growing dippy, it’s all right, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>They agreed that it was, and after the dinner -things were cleared up they tumbled into the canoe -and paddled over to the landing. As they neared -the Cottage the dismal strains of the piano, suffering -an agony of scales and five-finger exercises, -reached them.</p> - -<p>“Poor Harry!” sighed Roy. “She’s worse off -than we are.”</p> - -<p>They stole up to the window and rapped on the -pane, and when Harry looked startledly up she was -confronted with a row of three grinning faces -whose owners applauded silently with their hands.</p> - -<p>She flew across to the window and threw it open.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” she demanded eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Nothing. We came up to telephone to the Cove<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -to see if the launch has come. How much longer -have you to torture that piano?”</p> - -<p>“About—” Harry looked doubtfully at the little -gilt clock on the mantel—“about half an hour—or -twenty minutes.”</p> - -<p>“Make it fifteen,” said Chub, “and come on out -and play tennis. Dick and Roy against you and -me. A cinch!”</p> - -<p>“I can’t,” faltered Harry. “I have to practice -two hours, you know. Mama’s away. If she were -here I might skimp a little, but I don’t like to cheat -when she’s gone.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a noble sentiment,” said Dick. “Go -ahead and do your worst, Harry; we’ll wait for -you.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll get our rackets and go over to the -court,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to put the net up,” said Harry. -“But don’t you go and begin to play till I come. -Promise!”</p> - -<p>“We promise!” answered the three in unison. -Then they went around to the door, and as Harry -closed the window, laughing, she heard them stampeding -into the hall.</p> - -<p>The launch had not arrived, the freight agent at -the steamboat wharf informed them. There followed -a council and Dick returned to the telephone -and sent a message to be forwarded by wire to the -boat-builder.</p> - -<p>“When he gets that I bet he’ll sit up and take -notice,” growled Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He will be scared to death,” agreed Chub. “I -didn’t know you could be so stern and masterful, -Dickums. It becomes you, though, ’deed it does, -Dickums!”</p> - -<p>Half an hour later they were all four engaged in -mighty combat on the tennis-court. Chub forgot -his boredom and, with Harry at his side, played -splendid tennis. But the first set went to the opponents, -none the less, six games to four. They -changed courts and the contest was renewed. This -time Chub performed so well that the first two -games went to them before the others had found -themselves. Then, at two games to one, Harry, encouraged -by their success, won on her serve, and -they had a lead of three; and, although Dick and -Roy fought doggedly and brought the score up to -3—5, Chub and Harry went out brilliantly on the -next game. At that moment, as though in applause, -the sun burst through the bank of clouds in the -west and lighted the damp world with a soft, golden -glow.</p> - -<p>“Come on, Harry!” cried Chub. “That set -made even the sun sit up! Let’s take the next one -now.”</p> - -<p>But Roy was on his mettle and made his service -tell every time, which is equivalent to saying that -he had things his own way. But it was no walkover -at that, and when the quartet threw themselves -down on the bench under the apple-tree the score -was 6—4.</p> - -<p>“If you’d serve like a gentleman,” grumbled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -Chub, good-naturedly, “we might have a show. -But I’d like to know how any fellow can be expected -to take those fool twisters of yours that -never leave the ground after they ’light!”</p> - -<p>“When Roy came here two years ago,” said -Harry reminiscently, “he couldn’t play hardly at -all. Could you, Roy? Why, I used to beat him all -the time!”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” answered Roy. “Harry taught me -the game.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t teach you that serve,” said Harry. -“I wish I could do it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve tried to show you,” Roy laughed.</p> - -<p>“Wish I could play as well as Harry,” remarked -Dick disconsolately.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you can, Dick, and you know it!” cried -Harry.</p> - -<p>“Indeed I can’t!”</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s only one way to settle it,” said -Chub. “You two get up and have it out.”</p> - -<p>“Are you too tired?” asked Dick. Harry assured -him that she wasn’t a bit tired, and they -took their places. Roy and Chub made a very appreciative -“gallery,” applauding everything, even -mis-strokes. In the end Dick proved his assertion -by getting himself beaten seven games to five, and -the four, stopping at the Cottage for Harry to get -her coat, raced down to the landing and paddled -across to camp in the highest of spirits. The camp-fire -had gone out in their absence, but Dick soon -had it going again. And then the stove was lighted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -and he set about getting supper, Harry, as usual, -volunteering to assist and becoming wildly enthusiastic -over the frying of the potatoes, so enthusiastic -that she allowed them to burn under her nose. -It mustn’t be imagined from this, however, that -her culinary efforts always ended in disaster, for -there had been several batches of doughnuts—unflavored—which -had turned out excellently, and -even now the party was finishing a recent baking of -vanilla cookies. Doughnuts and cookies, however, -were prepared at the Cottage; when it came to -camp cookery Harry wasn’t an unqualified success; -perhaps there was too much to distract her attention.</p> - -<p>Chub declared that he preferred his potatoes -well browned and the others said that it didn’t matter -a bit. Harry, who had been suddenly plunged -into deepest woe by the calamity, recovered her -spirits sufficiently to suggest tentatively that perhaps -it was better to have them too well done than -not done enough. Dick and Roy were about to -agree heartily to this sentiment when a shout from -<a href="#image01">Chub who had been sent to the “larder”</a> for the -butter <a href="#image01">interrupted them</a>.</p> - -<p>“Somebody’s swiped almost half the butter,” he -called, “and left a piece of poetry.”</p> - -<p>“Swiped the butter!” exclaimed Dick.</p> - -<p>“Left a piece of poultry!” cried Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Chub as he came up, a plate of -butter in one hand and a very dirty slip of paper -in the other, “helped himself to about half a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -pound of it, and left this in the tub.” And he fluttered -the paper.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” asked Harry, as they crowded -around him.</p> - -<p>“Poetry, verse,” answered Chub, “and the craziest -stuff you ever read.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I thought you said poultry,” said Roy. -“What does it say?”</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Thanks for your hospitality<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Which I accept, as you can see.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">When I possess what you have not<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Pray help yourself to what I’ve got.<br /></span> -<div class="right">“W. N.”</div> -</div></div> - -<p>“Well, what do you think of that?” gasped Roy -when Chub had finished reading. “Of all the -cheeky beggars!”</p> - -<p>“Let’s see it,” said Dick. He took the paper and -looked it over carefully. It appeared to be the half -of a page from a pocket note-book. It was traversed -by pale blue lines and the lower corners were curled -as though from much handling. The writing was -small and the letters well formed.</p> - -<p>“Do you reckon it’s a joke?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Who could have done it?” inquired Roy. “We -don’t know any one around here, now that school -is closed.”</p> - -<p>“Wait a bit,” exclaimed Dick. “Here’s something -on the other side; it’s been rubbed out, but I -can see the words ‘set’ and ‘Billings,’ and there -are some figures, I think.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>“‘Seth Billings,’” pondered Roy. “It isn’t -‘Seth Billings,’ is it?”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t think so; I can’t see any h. Here, -you see what you can make of it.”</p> - -<p>Roy took the paper and scrutinized it closely, but -was unable to decipher any more than Dick.</p> - -<p>“Well, ‘Seth Billings’ wants to keep away from -this camp in future,” said Chub, “or he will get his -head punched.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think his name can be Seth Billings,” -said Harry, “because he signed that verse ‘N. W.’”</p> - -<p>“‘W. N.,’” Chub corrected. “Not that it matters, -though. He was probably going by in a boat -and saw the camp and just naturally snooped -around and helped himself to—say, do you suppose -he’s taken anything else?”</p> - -<p>There was a concerted movement toward the tent -and a rapid inventory of their property. Nothing -was missing, however; or so, at least, it seemed until -Dick raised the cover of the tin bread-box. Then:</p> - -<p>“Bread, too,” he said dryly; “and here’s another -sonnet in the bottom of the box. Listen to -this:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“What’s the good o’ butter<br /></span> -<span class="i3">When it can’t be spread?<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Hence I am your debtor<br /></span> -<span class="i3">For half a loaf of bread.<br /></span> -<div class="right">“W. N.”</div> -</div></div> - -<p>Chub burst into a laugh and the others joined -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He’s a joker, he is!” he gasped. “As far as -I’m concerned he’s welcome. But I wouldn’t -want him to visit us every day; we’d be bankrupt -in a week!”</p> - -<p>“But who is he?” puzzled Roy. “Any one know -a ‘W. N.’?”</p> - -<p>They all thought hard but without solving the -riddle.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s probably a tramp or—or something -like that,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Tramps don’t usually pay for what they take -with verses,” Chub objected; “and his rhymes -aren’t bad, you know, all except ‘butter,’ and -‘debtor’; that’s poetic license with a vengeance.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll call him the Licensed Poet,” said -Dick, “and have our supper. We ought to be thankful -that he didn’t take more than he did. There -were two whole loaves of bread there besides the -half loaf; it was decent of him to take the half.”</p> - -<p>“For that matter,” observed Roy, “it was decent -of him, I suppose, not to swipe the tent and the -cook stove. After this we won’t dare to leave the -camp alone.”</p> - -<p>“Supper! Supper!” cried Chub. “We can talk -about it just as well while we’re eating. Come on, -Harry; take the head of the table, please.”</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not going to sit at the head,” Harry -declared. “There’s a horrid old root there. I’m -going to sit here, right by the preserve.”</p> - -<p>Of course there was just one all-absorbing topic -of conversation, and that was “W. N.,” “Seth Billings,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -or “The Licensed Poet,” as he was variously -called. Harry advanced a theory to account for the -difference between the initials signed to the verses -and the name on the reverse of the paper which -found instant favor. The theory was that there had -been two visitors, that “W. N.” had written the -verses, and that “Seth Billings” had supplied the -leaf out of his note-book. That explanation was -very plausible, and, while it didn’t begin to explain -all they wanted to know, it brought a measure of -relief.</p> - -<p>As the twilight fell Harry became fidgety and -evinced a disposition to start abruptly at slight -noises and to glance continually over her shoulder -toward the edge of the woods, and long before her -accustomed hour for leaving she decided that she -would return to the Cottage, pleading that the tennis -had made her very tired and sleepy. Chub -grinned skeptically but said nothing, and he and -Roy took Harry home, accompanying her all the -way up the hill and only turning back when the -lights of the Cottage were in sight across the -campus.</p> - -<p>“Shall we fasten the tent-flap?” asked Roy when -they had undressed under the swinging lantern and -were ready to dispense with its feeble radiance.</p> - -<p>“What’s the use?” yawned Chub. “If Seth Billings -wants to steal us I guess he will do it anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to see what he’d write after he’d -stolen you and had a good look at you,” said Roy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -as he blew out the lantern. For once Chub made no -retort, for he was already fast asleep.</p> - -<p>They awoke the next morning to find the sky swept -clear of clouds and the sunlight burnishing the -green leaves. There was a dip in the blue waters of -the cove and a race back to the tent where three tingling -bodies were rubbed dry and invested with -clothing. Then Dick, who could dress or undress -while Roy or Chub were getting ready to do it, -went whistling out to start the fire. In a moment -the whistling ceased abruptly and there was silence. -Then the tent flap was pushed back and Dick appeared -in the opening holding forth a square of -birch bark on which lay four good-sized fish.</p> - -<p>“Pickerel!” exclaimed Roy. “Where’d you get -them?”</p> - -<p>“Found them on top of the stove.”</p> - -<p>“Seth Billings, I’ll bet!” cried Chub. “Was -there any poetry?”</p> - -<p>“Not a line,” answered Dick. “If Seth left them, -we’re very much obliged to him, but I’d just like -to catch a glimpse of him; he’s too plaguey mysterious -for comfort.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you!” said Roy. “He’s camping out here -on the island! What’ll you bet he isn’t?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet he is!” answered Chub. “Let’s go -and look for him!”</p> - -<p>“All right. But it was careless of him not to -write a poem this time,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Are you sure there wasn’t one?” Chub asked. -“Did you look around? It might have blown off.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, I looked. What I like best about these fish -is that they’re already cleaned. All I’ve got to do -is to slide them into the frying-pan.”</p> - -<p>Roy and Chub followed him out and watched -while the pickerel were transferred from the birch -bark to the pan. Dick tossed the bark aside and -Chub rescued it out of curiosity.</p> - -<p>“It made a pretty good platter,” he said. Then, -“Here it is!” he cried delightedly.</p> - -<p>“What?” asked the others in a breath.</p> - -<p>“The verse! He wrote it on the other side of the -bark! Listen!</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Fish, so the scientists agree,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">As food for brain do serve.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">So help yourself, but as for me,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">I take them for my nerve!<br /></span> -<div class="right">“W. N.”</div> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -<small>A GUEST AT CAMP</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">“For his nerve!” gasped Dick.</p> - -<p>Then they all howled with laughter until Dick -leaped to the stove to rescue the coffee which was -bubbling out of the spout.</p> - -<p>“Think of his needing anything for his nerve!” -said Chub. “Isn’t he the dizzy joker? I guess -he’s squared himself now for the butter and the -bread, eh?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose so,” answered Roy, “but he had no -business stealing our things.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, he’s paid us back.”</p> - -<p>“Just the same he had no right to—”</p> - -<p>But just at that moment there came an imperative -tooting from the Ferry Hill landing, and Roy -and Chub shoved the canoe into the water and paddled -over for Harry and Snip. Harry was wildly -excited as soon as she had learned of “W. N.’s” latest -vagary, and insisted that they should at once set -out on a hunt for him. The boys, however, were -unanimously in favor of eating breakfast first, and -Harry was forced to submit to the delay. The fish -were delicious; even Snip agreed to that; and before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -the repast was ended the four were feeling very -kindly toward the Licensed Poet.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what we’ll do,” said Chub. “We’ll -get Snip to trail Seth Billings to his lair.”</p> - -<p>“How?” demanded Harry.</p> - -<p>“Let him smell the piece of birch bark,” answered -Chub promptly. “Here, Snip! Come, -smell! Good dog! Find him, sir, find him!”</p> - -<p>Snip sniffed at the bark in a really interested -manner, and Chub was quite encouraged until Roy -remarked that what Snip smelled was the fish. -Snip next evinced a strong inclination to chew up -the bark, and, foiled in this, he wagged his tail cordially, -just to prove that there was no ill-feeling, -and sat down. Chub shook his head.</p> - -<p>“He doesn’t understand,” he said. “He will -never make a man-hunter.”</p> - -<p>As though pained at this observation, Snip got -up and ambled down to the river for a drink, and -Chub turned to the others triumphantly.</p> - -<p>“There!” he cried. “How’s that for intelligence? -He smelled the fish and went right down to -the river where they came from! Talk about your -bloodhounds!”</p> - -<p>“Come on,” laughed Dick. “We’ll be our own -bloodhounds.”</p> - -<p>“What are we going to say to him if we find -him?” asked Roy as they set off, Snip far in the -lead, along Inner Beach.</p> - -<p>“Thank him for the fish,” suggested Chub.</p> - -<p>“Tell him to keep out of our camp,” said Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t think I’d say it just that way,” remonstrated -Harry cautiously. “You see, Dick, he’s a -poet, and poets are very easily offended; they’re so—so -sensitive, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Seems to me you know a lot about them!” said -Roy.</p> - -<p>“I’ve read,” answered Harry oracularly.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll bet you anything this poet isn’t very sensitive,” -scoffed Chub. “Any fellow who will swipe -your butter can’t be suffering much that way!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe we ought to accuse him of -swiping anything, either,” said Harry. “Swiping -is a very—very ordinary word, Chub.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” exclaimed Chub. “You must want us -to thank him for stealing our grub and invite him to -dinner!”</p> - -<p>“I think it would be very nice to invite him to -dinner. I’ve never met a real poet.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if we do,” said Dick grimly, “I’m for -hiding the solid silver.”</p> - -<p>They reached Point Harriet without finding trace -of the quarry, although whenever Snip barked in -the woods Chub insisted that the poet was treed. -They turned homeward and passed the Grapes and -Hood’s Hill. Then, as they scrambled down to -Outer Beach, Roy gave a shout. <a href="#image08">At their feet lay -the still smoldering remains of a small fire.</a> The -sand between the fire and the edge of the water was -trampled, and marks showed where a boat of some -sort had been pulled partly out of the water. But -there was no one in sight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image08"> - <img src="images/image08.jpg" width="600" height="385" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_110">“At their feet lay the still smoldering remains of a small fire”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112-<br />113]</a></span></p> - -<p>“He’s gone,” said Harry disappointedly.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Dick. “He spent the night -here, I guess, although there isn’t any sign of a -tent or anything. Perhaps he slept in his boat.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Roy, “we won’t have to hide the -grub when we leave camp. That’s one comfort.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he will come back.” Harry spoke at -once questioningly and hopefully.</p> - -<p>“Guess not,” answered Dick. “I suppose he has -gone on down the river.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he didn’t like our butter,” suggested -Chub. “I’ve thought sometimes myself that it -wasn’t all it should be. He can’t have been gone -very long, though, fellows; look at the fire.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Roy, “he’s gone, and that’s enough -for us.”</p> - -<p>They went on finally along the beach and so back -to camp. They had planned a trip to the hills after -huckleberries. Harry knew a place where there -were just millions of them, she declared; and so as -soon as camp was cleaned up they set out for the -west shore at a point a mile or so above Coleville, -armed with an empty lard-pail, two tin cans which -had once held preserved peaches, and a pint measure. -It was a long walk, made more so by the fact -that Harry had forgotten just how to reach the -spot, and it was well on toward eleven before they -began picking. But Harry’s startling tales of the -fruitfulness of the locality proved in no wise exaggerated.</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” exclaimed Chub, as he pushed back<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -his cap and wiped the perspiration from his forehead, -“there’s just slathers of ’em!”</p> - -<p>And there was. By one o’clock their pails were -filled to overflowing and Dick’s cap had been called -into service. So they started homeward, very -warm and hungry. Only one incident marred the -return. Dick in a moment of forgetfulness, finding -the sun uncomfortably warm on his head, thoughtlessly -attempted to put his cap on, and half a pint -of berries was lost. They still had fully five quarts, -however, and, as Chub pointed out, philosophically, -there was no use in crying over spilled berries. They -reached the island again at a little after two and -found a note pinned to the front of the tent.</p> - -<p>“Very sorry,” it read, “to be out when you -called. Come again. W. N.”</p> - -<p>“He’s back!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Wonder why he didn’t write it in poetry,” said -Chub.</p> - -<p>“Wonder what he swiped,” growled Roy.</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” exclaimed Dick. “That’s so. I -guess we’d better look around.”</p> - -<p>“I think it’s horrid of you to be so suspicious,” -said Harry. “I just know he didn’t take a thing!”</p> - -<p>And as far as they could find out Harry was -right.</p> - -<p>“As soon as we’ve had dinner,” said Dick, -“we’ll go around there and see him. How would it -do to take some berries along? We’ve got heaps -more than we need.”</p> - -<p>“Bully!” said Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And let’s ask him to supper,” added Harry. -The boys laughed.</p> - -<p>“Harry’s fallen in love with the Licensed Poet!” -cried Chub.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t!” denied Harry warmly. “But I do -think it would be nice to ask him to supper.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he didn’t bring his dress-clothes,” said -Roy.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’d better have a look at him first,” -said Dick. “Then if we want to ask him we can. -Only there isn’t very much in the pantry just now; -I guess bacon or ham and some fried potatoes will -be about all we can set before his poetship.”</p> - -<p>“There’s plenty of preserve and jelly,” said -Harry, hopefully; “and there’s huckleberries, too, -and fancy crackers. I do wish I’d made some -doughnuts to-day.”</p> - -<p>Dick had been very busy meanwhile, and already -a slice of steak was sizzling on the dry skillet. A -quarter of an hour later they were very eagerly assuaging -their hunger: three famished boys, one -famished girl, and a famished dog.</p> - -<p>It took some time to get enough to eat to-day, and -so it was well into the middle of the afternoon before -the procession set out for the farther end of -Outer Beach, bearing a quart of huckleberries as -an offering to the Licensed Poet. But once more -they were doomed to disappointment, for the poet -was again away from home. A new fire had been -built since the morning and some egg-shells at the -edge of the bushes showed that the poet had not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -wanted for food. I think Harry resented the sight -of those egg-shells as being unromantic and opposed -to her notion of poets, who, according to her reading, -always starved in garrets. Roy pretended to be -relieved at finding “W. N.” away, but in reality he -was quite as curious as any one, and just as anxious -to see the mysterious person.</p> - -<p>“We can’t invite him to supper,” said Harry -sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>“Let’s leave him a note and put it on the berries,” -said Chub.</p> - -<p>After some discussion this plan was agreed to. -Dick supplied a scrap of paper from the back of an -envelop and Chub had a pencil at the end of his -watch chain.</p> - -<p>“I suppose this ought to be in rhyme,” said -Chub, “but it’s beyond me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, never mind that,” said Roy. “We can’t all -be poets.”</p> - -<p>“Well, how will this do? ‘The pleasure of W. N.’s -company is cordially requested at Camp Torohadik -this evening at six thirty for supper. R.S.V.P.’ Is -that all right?”</p> - -<p>“Dandy!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Fine,” said Dick and Roy in unison. “Only,” -added Roy, “I’d leave off the ‘R.S.V.P.’ part of it. -We don’t want him coming around this afternoon -while we’re away.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” laughed Chub, cancelling the letters, -“the tent’s only pegged down.”</p> - -<p>“If he’d wanted to steal anything he could have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -done it when he left that note,” said Harry indignantly.</p> - -<p>“Please be careful how you speak of Harry’s -poet,” begged Dick, “or we won’t get any more -doughnuts and cookies.”</p> - -<p>They placed the can of berries with the note on -top of it beside the smoldering ashes and, calling -Snip, who was trying very hard to eat an egg-shell, -they returned to camp. Later Roy and Chub went -canoeing down the river while Dick and Harry and -Snip rowed over to the landing in the skiff and -went up to the Cottage to see if there was any news -of the launch. They found word from the freight -agent that the boat had arrived and was awaiting -the consignee at the wharf at Silver Cove. It was -too late to go after it to-day, so, after Harry had -begged for and received half a loaf of cake from her -mother, they returned to the landing and set forth -in search of Chub and Roy to tell them the news. -The canoe was finally descried half a mile above Fox -Island and Dick rowed toward it. That its occupants -had not been entirely upon pleasure bent -was evident from the pile of wood which lay in the -middle of the craft. Firewood was getting low at -Camp Torohadik and the cargo would be welcome. -When within hailing distance Dick shouted his -news:</p> - -<p>“Fellows, the launch is here!”</p> - -<p>Chub looked around him and searched the horizon.</p> - -<p>“Where?” he shouted back.</p> - -<p>“Down at the Cove,” answered Dick. “We’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -go down the first thing in the morning and bring it -up. What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” answered Roy. “I suppose it’s too late -to go this evening?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess so. Besides, we’ve got company -coming to supper, you know, and I’ll have to get -busy pretty soon. Mrs. Emery gave us a whole half -a cake.”</p> - -<p>“That’s rank partiality,” grumbled Chub as the -two boats drew together. “Here we’ve been camping -out for over a week and not a bit of cake have I -seen. And now, just because the Licensed Poet is -going to take supper with us, Harry brings a whole -half loaf! Gee! Wish I was a poet!”</p> - -<p>“You always have cake when there’s company,” -answered Harry.</p> - -<p>“Wish I was company, then,” said Chub. “I tell -you what, fellows; I’ll go off and camp by myself -at the other end of the island and then you can invite -me to take dinner and supper with you and -feed me cake. Chocolate cake, for choice,” he added -reflectively.</p> - -<p>The two boats drifted down to the island and -presently were side by side on Inner Beach. In the -intervals of assisting Dick with the task of preparing -the evening meal, the others played quoits with -horse-shoes which had been left from spring camping. -At six Harry stopped playing and seated herself -with dignity on a log near the tent, smoothing -her skirt and retying her hair-ribbons. Chub wondered -whether they ought to dress for their guest.</p> - -<p>“About all I could do,” he reflected, “would be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -to change my necktie and put on another shirt. But -as the shirt would be just like this one, he wouldn’t -know that I’d changed. In fact, as he has never -seen me at all, he wouldn’t know whether this one -was the one I’d been wearing right along or one that -I’d put on in his honor; and so if I changed this one -for another one he wouldn’t know which one—”</p> - -<p>“That’ll do for you,” interrupted Roy. “Seeing -that you’ve got only two shirts on the island -you do an awful lot of talking about them. I’m -not going to change anything. If Seth Billings -doesn’t like what I wear he can get off our island.”</p> - -<p>Harry’s gaze wandered frequently toward the -path from Outer Beach as half past six drew near; -and so did that of the boys; but the half hour came -and passed and no guest arrived.</p> - -<p>“He’s awfully fashionable,” grumbled Chub.</p> - -<p>“Maybe he didn’t come back,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he didn’t find the note,” Dick suggested. -“Perhaps one of those bears which Chub’s -always talking about ate the huckleberries and the -note too.”</p> - -<p>“Most likely he’s dropped his collar stud under -the bureau and can’t find it,” said Chub. “I vote -we sit down and eat.”</p> - -<p>But Harry begged for another ten minutes and -the boys agreed to wait. But at last they were -forced to begin the meal without the guest of honor. -It was plain that Harry was greatly disappointed, -but I can’t truthfully say that the absence of the Licensed -Poet interfered with the appetites of any of -the others. And a very nice supper it was, too, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -Dick had gone to extra pains, while Harry had ransacked -the packing-case cupboard and had set out -everything which she thought might tempt the palate -of a starving poet.</p> - -<p>They had been eating several minutes when Snip, -who since the return to camp had been appearing -and disappearing as he pleased, treeing mythical -bears and barking himself hoarse over the scent of a -squirrel, trotted out of the woods with his tongue -hanging and crawled into Harry’s lap.</p> - -<p>“You must wait awhile, Snip,” said Harry, “for -your supper. I guess you’re a pretty hungry little -dog, aren’t you?”</p> - -<p>“I should think he would be,” said Chub, “the -way he’s been—say, what’s that on his neck?”</p> - -<p>It proved to be a piece of twisted paper tied about -the middle and attached to Snip’s collar.</p> - -<p>“Hold him still,” said Chub, “and I’ll get it -off.”</p> - -<p>The others had gathered around and, in spite of -Snip’s struggles—he laboring under the delusion -that Chub wanted to play with him—the paper was -untied and unfolded amid the breathless interest of -the group.</p> - -<p>“It’s ‘W. N.’ again!” cried Chub. “Poetry, -too! Listen, fellows!</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“A man with his clothes on the line<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With friends is unable to dine;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">So he shivers and frets<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And sends his regrets<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By messenger No. K 9.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But—but how did he manage to get hold of -Snip?” marveled Dick. They all talked at once for -a minute and great excitement reigned at Camp Torohadik. -Finally Harry’s voice triumphed above -the babel.</p> - -<p>“I think it’s perfectly wonderful!” she exclaimed. -“Snip will never go near strangers. It -just shows that he must be a beautiful character!”</p> - -<p>“Who?” asked Dick. “The dog?”</p> - -<p>“No, the poet,” replied Harry, earnestly. -“Couldn’t we lend him some clothes, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if we knew his size. But we don’t. He -may be as big as all outdoors or as small as Chub.”</p> - -<p>“We might offer to do it, anyway,” said Chub, -ignoring the insult. “I’ve got a shirt he can take, -and a sweater—”</p> - -<p>“And he can have my duck trousers,” said Dick. -“We might take them over to him and tell him -we’d be glad to have him come, no matter if he -wasn’t dressed quite conventionally.”</p> - -<p>“Who’ll go?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Tie the things on to Snip and let him take -them,” Roy said.</p> - -<p>“I don’t mind going,” Dick volunteered. “Get -your shirt and sweater, Chub, and I’ll find those -trousers. I dare say he has shoes and stockings. -It’s a jolly good lark, anyhow, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“It’s downright exciting,” answered Chub. -“I’m all of a tremble. Want me to go along?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, Chub,” said Harry, earnestly. “You -mustn’t! It might embarrass him if so many went.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -Let Dick go alone. Tell him we don’t mind what he -wears, Dick; that we will feel—feel much honored—and -pleased—”</p> - -<p>“Tell him we’ll send the carriage for him in a -quarter of an hour,” interrupted Roy unkindly. -“You’d better take Snip along to show you the -way.”</p> - -<p>Perhaps Snip understood what Roy said. At all -events, he jumped up at once and bounded over to -where Dick was bundling the garments under his -arm, wagging his tail and barking hysterically.</p> - -<p>“Snip, too, has fallen victim to the charms of the -Unknown One,” said Chub. “Tell Seth that I’ve -got a necktie he can have if he’s fussy, and that if -he wants me to, I’ll go over and tie it for him.”</p> - -<p>“All right; but you’d better put the supper back -on the stove so it won’t be all cold if he does come. -I’ll be right back and let you know.” Dick, with -Snip running excitedly ahead, moved toward the -path leading to Lookout and Outer Beach.</p> - -<p>“Be sure and tell him, Dick, that we don’t mind -what he wears,” called Harry. “Tell him we’re -none of us dressed up, and that—”</p> - -<p>“Dear young lady, say no more!”</p> - -<p>Harry gave a little shriek, the boys turned -quickly around and Snip barked valiantly. Behind -them, standing in the mellow glow of the setting -sun, bowing with one hand on his heart, stood as -strange a looking figure as had ever met their sight.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -<small>THE LICENSED POET</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The group about the camp stared in open-mouthed -amazement, while Snip barked hysterically -and the stranger having completed his bow, returned -their regard with merry, twinkling eyes.</p> - -<p>He was rather small in stature and slight of build, -with a round, much freckled face, an extremely -stubbed nose, a wide mouth, a pair of intensely blue -eyes and, crowning all, a thin crop of the most violently -red hair that you can conceive of, red hair of -that peculiar shade which usually wins for the possessor -the nickname of “Carrots.” In age he appeared -to be somewhere—almost anywhere, in fact—between -thirty and thirty-five years.</p> - -<p>But it was neither face nor figure which excited the -wonder and amusement of the campers, but the attire. -To begin at the ground and work upward, there -was, first of all, a pair of low tan shoes; then came a -pair of black stockings; then, strange to relate, a -pair of voluminous white trousers which hung about -the wearer like the folds of a deflated balloon and -reached down one leg almost to the ankle and on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -the other scarcely below the knee. They were decorated -in the queerest way, too! For on one leg was -a disk of red, while on the other was a black star. -Above the trousers was what seemed to be a brief -space of red flannel, and surmounting this was a -light blue Zouave jacket, much faded and stained, -trimmed with a deal of tarnished silver braid and -many silver buttons. Above this was a high collar -and a black dress-tie, and as a finishing touch to the -incongruous apparel he held in his hand a high silk -hat upon which the level rays of the sun scintillated -dazzlingly. Roy was the first one to find his -voice.</p> - -<p>“H-how do you do?” he stammered. But Dick’s -amazement got the better of his manners, and—</p> - -<p>“Who the dickens are you?” he blurted.</p> - -<p>The stranger’s broad, smiling mouth drew itself -into lines of decorum and, with the silk hat held at -his breast, he advanced toward them with measured -and dignified tread. At three yards’ distance he -stopped, drew himself up with his right knee bent -until only the toe touched the ground, thrust his -left hand into a pocket of his huge trousers and -pulled them out for almost a yard on that side, -stretched the silk hat straight before him, crown -down, at arm’s length, threw back his head, and—</p> - -<p>“Lady and gentlemen!” he announced grandiloquently. -“<a href="#image09">I have the honor to introduce to your -attention the world-famed Signor Billinuni</a>, late of -the Royal Hippodrome, Vienna!”</p> - -<p>Harry gasped, Snip redoubled his barking and -the others stared in amazed and admiring awe. -There was a moment of silence, save for the frantic -voice of the indomitable Snip. Then—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 391px;"> -<a id="image09"> - <img src="images/image09.jpg" width="391" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_124">“‘I have the honor to introduce to your attention the -world-famed Signor Billinuni’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126-<br />127]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s Seth Billings!” cried Chub.</p> - -<p>“It’s ‘W. N.’!” murmured Roy.</p> - -<p>“It’s the Poet!” exclaimed Harry.</p> - -<p>“More familiarly known,” laughed the man, -abandoning his pose and extravagant manner, “as -Billy Noon, at your service.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” cried Harry, scrambling somewhat confusedly -to her feet. “You—you’ve come to supper, -haven’t you? Won’t you—won’t you be seated?”</p> - -<p>“After you, my dear young lady,” answered Mr. -Noon gallantly.</p> - -<p>“We thought you weren’t coming,” said Chub. -“We were just sending Dick over on a relief expedition -with some clothes. What happened? Did -you get wet?”</p> - -<p>The guest had laid aside his tall silk hat and -seated himself on the ground at Harry’s side. At -Chub’s question his smiling face instantly took on -an expression of thoughtful gravity.</p> - -<p>“Have you ever,” he asked Chub, “been immersed -in the Hudson River with your clothes on?”</p> - -<p>Chub assured him that he never had, feeling -rather apologetic about it. Mr. Noon sighed.</p> - -<p>“Then you don’t know what it is to be thoroughly -wet. I was so wet that after I had removed my apparel -I was obliged to go in bathing to get dry.”</p> - -<p>Harry gasped and looked puzzledly at Mr. Noon’s -sober countenance until Chub and Dick and Roy -burst out laughing. Then Mr. Noon laughed also, -and Snip, who had been nosing nearer and nearer,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -took courage to sniff at the newcomer, and, recognizing -an acquaintance, to strive frantically to lick -his face.</p> - -<p>“Hello, ‘K 9,’” said the guest of honor, patting -Snip, “did you deliver that note I gave you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he did,” answered Harry. “And we were -so surprised, because Snip doesn’t like strangers -usually.”</p> - -<p>“I never have any trouble making friends with -dogs,” said Mr. Noon. “And that’s a lucky thing -for me, because in my present pursuit I meet all -kinds of dogs, and if I didn’t get on with them -pretty well I wouldn’t do much business.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, are you a dog doc—I mean a veterinary surgeon?” -asked Harry interestedly. But the other -shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I have been a good many things,” he said, “but -I haven’t tried that yet. It’s a good idea, though,” -he added thoughtfully, “a very good idea. I’ll keep -it in mind.”</p> - -<p>Dick, assisted by Roy, had been transferring the -delayed supper back on to the “table,” and now all -was in readiness for a new start. Mr. Noon sniffed -the aroma of ham and potatoes and tea with frank -appreciation. Then he sighed comfortably.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad I decided to waive the conventions -and accept your kind invitation,” he remarked -as he accepted his helping. “You see, as soon as I -sent that note I regretted it. I said to myself: -‘Billy, you’ve made a mistake. You’ve missed a -good meal because of over-sensitiveness. These<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -kind friends don’t care what sort of clothes you -wear. Forget your pride.’ So I overhauled my -wardrobe and found—these.” He looked down at the -blue jacket and the flowing white pantaloons and -sighed. “They are all I have left to remind me of -my former glory. Faded but dear to my heart,” he -murmured sadly.</p> - -<p>Harry looked very sympathetic.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s a mighty nobby coat,” said Chub -cheerfully, between mouthfuls. “Were you in the -army?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Noon shook his head and chuckled.</p> - -<p>“No,” he answered. “These garments were worn -by me when I traveled with Northcott’s Great United -Shows. I was Signor Billinuni, the celebrated European -Clown. That explains the pantaloons. The -coat I wore in the parades. I played the trombone in -the band.” He sighed again. “Those were indeed -glorious days!”</p> - -<p>“A circus clown!” cried Chub. “Say, that’s -bully. I’ve always wanted to meet a real clown!” -And the others murmured assent; all save Harry, -whose face fell.</p> - -<p>“I thought you were a poet,” she faltered.</p> - -<p>Mr. Noon turned to her and smiled apologetically.</p> - -<p>“I have been a great many things,” he said, “but -I can’t truthfully claim the poet’s mantle. I own to -a certain ability in the felicitous rhyming of words, -but nothing more, nothing more.” He waved his -fork on which a slice of fried potato was impaled and -smiled modestly about the circle.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But I think your verses are perfectly lovely!” -cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“You are too kind,” he murmured with a bow. -“Which reminds me that I owe an apology, never -rightly expressed, for the liberty I took with your -commissariat.” They all looked rather blank; all -except Dick. “I had arrived on this island but an -hour before and the problem of supper was occupying -a great deal of thought. To be frank, I had in -my pantry a little coffee, a fried egg left over from -dinner and—and a can of mushrooms, I may better -say <em>the</em> can of mushrooms.”</p> - -<p>“Mushrooms!” repeated Roy curiously.</p> - -<p>“Yes. You see, I happen to be inordinately fond -of mushrooms. In an extravagant moment I purchased -a can of them; they cost me sixty cents. Naturally, -they can only be opened on some occasion of -special importance, an occasion which has not yet -transpired. So, to all practical purposes, the can of -mushrooms was non-existent. Well, considering the -problem confronting me, I took a walk about my -new domain and stumbled on your camp. It was -empty. ‘Providence,’ thought I, ‘has befriended me. -I will investigate.’ I assure you, young gentlemen—and -young lady—that I took no liberties beyond what -you know of. Said I, ‘I will take of their plenty, -paying as I can, now in a verse and later, maybe, in -something more practical.’ So I took half a loaf of -bread and perhaps half a pound of butter, the whole -valued at about eighteen cents, let us say. In return -I left two verses worth, at market rates, about two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -dollars. My conscience was at rest and my stomach -at peace.”</p> - -<p>“Why,” exclaimed Harry, “then we owe you a -dollar and seventy-two cents!”</p> - -<p>“Eighty-two,” corrected Roy. But the Licensed -Poet raised his left hand, which at that moment happened -not to be busy, in a gesture of disavowal.</p> - -<p>“The market price, dear young lady,” he said, “is -not my price. My price for the verses was about -eighteen cents.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” murmured Harry, a little mystified.</p> - -<p>“Thanks for the fish,” said Dick. “They were -fine.”</p> - -<p>“You are very welcome. I was so fortunate as to -catch eight that morning.”</p> - -<p>“Here on the island?” asked Chub interestedly.</p> - -<p>“No, some distance up the river, near where a -small stream enters.”</p> - -<p>“I know the place,” said Chub eagerly. “We -must try it some time, fellows.”</p> - -<p>“Then you have a boat,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered the Poet. “The <i>Minerva</i>. She -is neither large nor beautiful, but she does very -well. I bought her for four dollars and a half, -throwing in a set of dentist’s instruments. The instruments -originally cost nearly twenty dollars, but -they were no longer in their first bloom.”</p> - -<p>“Are you a dentist, too?” asked Harry, shrinking -a little away from him.</p> - -<p>“I was a dentist for a brief space,” was the reply. -“But I never had any heart for the profession. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -am by nature, though I say it myself, very gentle. -If I had my way there’d be no pain in the world. -Naturally, extracting teeth was not an agreeable -task; I believe that in most cases I suffered more -agony than the patient. Would it be a breach -of manners to ask for another small piece of the -ham?”</p> - -<p>“No, indeed,” declared Dick, replenishing the -guest’s plate. Although he had been talking almost -constantly since sitting down, the Poet had managed -to do full justice to the viands. Harry was at first -pained to observe that his table manners did not -match his speech; he relied rather too much on his -knife, for one thing, while there was also a marked -tendency to fill the mouth somewhat too full and to -talk while it was in that condition. But presently -Harry recollected that the poets of whom she had -read had all been notably eccentric and, in some -cases, even more disregardful of the social niceties -than Mr. Noon.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to be here long?” asked Roy when -the visitor’s wants had been attended to.</p> - -<p>“I hardly know,” was the reply. “It is a convenient -spot and very attractive and peaceful. I -love peace and Nature. I have led rather a busy -life heretofore, and now to sleep under the trees -when I want to, to lie on my back in the sunlight, to -watch the water ripple past the boat—these are delights -for which my soul has long yearned.”</p> - -<p>Harry breathed a sigh of ecstasy and forgot then -and there that the Poet had ever been a dentist.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Then you’re just camping out?” asked Dick -curiously.</p> - -<p>Mr. Noon waved a slice of bread airily and smiled -gently across the twilight water.</p> - -<p>“I am combining business with pleasure, sir. -After the day’s work is over I am the owner of the -yacht <i>Minerva</i>, taking a pleasure cruise down the -Hudson River. During the day I am an agent for -the enlightenment of mankind and more especially -for Billings’ ‘Wonders of the Deep.’”</p> - -<p>“You’re a book agent!” exclaimed Dick.</p> - -<p>Mr. Noon bowed.</p> - -<p>“Right the first time! Although I prefer the word -canvasser. I am selling sets of Billings’ great work, -I may say his masterpiece—”</p> - -<p>“Seth Billings!” cried Chub.</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, I believe his given name is -Horace,” replied Mr. Noon. Whereupon they explained -about the words found on the back of the -slip of paper and their interpretation of them. Mr. -Noon found this interesting and amusing, but not -enough so to divert his attention from the supper. -Harry pressed preserves and cake on him and he -politely helped himself generously.</p> - -<p>“It must be hard work,” said Roy. “Selling -books, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“All work is hard if you make it so,” was the reply. -“In the same way the hardest work may be -easy if you enjoy it. I enjoy selling books. To be a -successful book agent one must be a general. Every -engagement requires special study. The prospective<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -customer is the enemy to be surrounded and captured. -Your ammunition is address, tact, patience, -the ability to read character and the power of presenting -your wares attractively.” Mr. Noon took a -third helping of preserve and cake and warmed to -his subject. “To sell a set of books to some one who -wants them is nothing; it brings no warmth to the -heart. To sell a set of books to some one who needs -them but doesn’t want to buy them is worth while -but still lacks the highest artistic touch. But to sell -those books to a person who doesn’t need them, -doesn’t want them and will never use them—that is -an accomplishment!”</p> - -<p>“I should think so!” muttered Roy admiringly.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” resumed Mr. Noon, smiling reminiscently, -“yes. One of the most artistic sales I ever made -was of a set of Brainard’s ‘Animal Kingdom’; six -volumes, half morocco, profusely illustrated by the -world’s foremost artists. I sold that set to a gentleman -who had been blind for twenty years.”</p> - -<p>Harry gave a gasp.</p> - -<p>“Why, what did he want with them?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“He wanted to possess them,” was the reply. “I -pictured those books to him so graphically, so attractively, -that he found he couldn’t be happy without -them.”</p> - -<p>“But he couldn’t read them, nor see the pictures,” -objected Dick.</p> - -<p>“And that,” replied Mr. Noon gravely, “was an -advantage, for the ‘Animal Kingdom’ is a miserable -set of books; I handled it less than three months.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -If he had read them he’d have been disappointed. -As it was he imagined what he liked.”</p> - -<p>“But that doesn’t seem to me to be quite—quite -fair,” said Roy. “It was a good deal like—like -cheating.”</p> - -<p>“Roy!” murmured Harry distressedly. But Mr. -Noon only smiled gently as he gazed over the empty -plates.</p> - -<p>“I may have been guilty,” he replied, “of slight -exaggeration, but the gentleman was quite able to -afford the books and the possession of them made him -happier than he had been before. We should always -keep in mind the Final Good.”</p> - -<p>Roy looked perplexed but not convinced.</p> - -<p>“Only this afternoon,” continued Mr. Noon, leaning -comfortably back on one elbow, “I made a creditable -sale and at the same time met a most agreeable -gentleman. This afternoon was one of the bright -spots in the life of a canvasser. I waited on a -Doctor Emery who keeps the school over there, -and—”</p> - -<p>“Why, that’s my father!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Yes, so I learned,” replied Mr. Noon easily. “In -fact, I introduced you, my dear young lady, as an -entering wedge, so to speak. I mentioned that we -were, in a manner, spending our vacations at the -same resort—”</p> - -<p>“But you’d never seen me!”</p> - -<p>“Pardon me, but I had seen you several times. -One morning I passed you on the river in my boat. -Once or twice I have seen you here at this camp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -when I have been out looking for wood or communing -with Nature.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Harry. “And did you sell papa a -set of—of—”</p> - -<p>“Billings, yes. He preferred the buckram binding. -We had a very pleasant chat, besides. A most -interesting gentleman, I found him.”</p> - -<p>The Licensed Poet arose. It was almost dark.</p> - -<p>“And now,” he said, “having spent a busy day -after an early arising I find that mind and body -yearn for repose. You will pardon me if I take my -departure early? I have enjoyed your hospitality -greatly, appreciating both the kindness which -prompted its offer and the excellent repast provided. -I only regret that I am unable to return it. Some -day I shall hope to do so, but at present I am so -situated that—”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” interrupted Chub. “We -were mighty glad to have you, and we’ve enjoyed -meeting you. If you’re round here for awhile I -hope you’ll come again.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” responded the Poet earnestly. -“And perhaps, although I cannot entertain you at -my board, you will call some time and view my humble -abode.”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” said Dick. “We’ll come around some -time, maybe to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you will. Good night, and again thanks. -Good night, my dear young lady.” The Licensed -Poet bowed low to Harry, his ridiculous white pantaloons -looming large in the half darkness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Good night,” said Harry.</p> - -<p>“Good night,” echoed the others. The Licensed -Poet turned toward the woods, exposing as he did -so the startling design of a donkey’s head on the -back of his trousers. He waved his hat, set it -jauntily over one ear and moved away, becoming -instantly lost in the gloom of the trees.</p> - -<p>“Please!” cried Harry. “Mr. Noon!”</p> - -<p>“At your service, my dear young lady,” came the -reply from the darkness.</p> - -<p>“Won’t you—would you mind—couldn’t you -compose a—a verse before you go?” she asked -breathlessly. There was a moment’s silence. Then -the Poet’s voice came back to them from a little -distance:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Thanks, all, for this pleasant occasion,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And pardon my leaving so soon.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That you’ll spend a delightful vacation<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Is the wish of your friend, Billy Noon.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /> -<small>ADVENTURES WITH A LAUNCH</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The next morning they went down to Silver -Cove in the canoe to bring back the launch. -Harry didn’t accompany them, much as she wished -to do so, because the canoe held only three safely -and they didn’t want to take the rowboat. They -promised to stop at the landing on the way back and -pick her up.</p> - -<p>The launch was awaiting them in the freight-shed -and they spent a busy half hour getting it out of -its crate and into the water. For the latter task -they enlisted the services of two employees of the -wharf. When she was finally afloat she proved to -be a very pretty little boat. She was sixteen feet -long and four feet five inches broad, open the entire -length save for a little triangle of deck at the bow -and a corresponding space at the stern. She was -painted green below and black above the water-line, -and buff inside. The engine, of two horse-power, was -placed well toward the stern, and in front of it was -a cross seat with cushions covered with something -that wasn’t leather but that looked rather like it if -you didn’t get too near. Other seats ran forward -on each side to the bow and were similarly attired.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -There was a neat brass steering-wheel, brass flag-sockets, -brass cleats and a round disk of brass let -into the forward deck which puzzled them all until -investigation proved it to be the inlet to the gasolene -tank.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” muttered Dick, “we’ve got to have -gasolene, haven’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Chub answered, “you might get along -with tomato catsup or witch hazel, but gasolene -launches seem to take to gasolene better than to anything -else.”</p> - -<p>“You run away,” said Dick. “Only thing is, I -don’t know how much the stuff costs or where you -buy it. I’ve only got about three dollars with me.”</p> - -<p>But inquiry solved the matter for them. Gasolene -could be bought at the next wharf above and the -cost of it was only about twenty cents a gallon. Roy -stuck his head through the little door under the -forward decking and reported that the tank, according -to his belief, would hold only some ten gallons. -Dick sighed with relief. One of the freight-handlers -took a great interest in them and their boat and -proved invaluable, producing a rope with which to -tie the boat up to the wharf, giving them the address -of a man who could make flags and poles to occupy -the fascinating sockets and lending practical assistance -when, presently, they started to get the engine -to running.</p> - -<p>I desire to say right now that some one ought to -apologize for the behavior of Thomas H. Eaton during -that trying period, and as Thomas H. Eaton has<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> -failed to apologize himself I’ll do it for him. Chub -sat well out of the way on the “near-leather” cushion -in the bow and just simply bubbled over with advice -and observations. The engine consisted of a mysterious -vermilion-enameled cylinder about fourteen -inches high flanked on one side by a strange contrivance -of brass called, according to the card of -directions which hung from it, a carbureter and -which looked like a small soup-bowl adorned with -valves and springs. In front of the cylinder was -a heavy iron wheel which appeared to operate a -piston and a shaft. From the back of the engine -a brass rod slanted away until it disappeared under -the flooring. On top of the cylinder there was a -contrivance of steel and porcelain which screwed -into a hole, and from this an insulated wire ran to -a set of dry-cells tucked under one of the seats.</p> - -<p>Well, it was all very confusing and mystifying, -and unfortunately their friend the freight-handler -knew nothing about gas-engines. The card of instructions -contained a great deal of printed matter -and several diagrams, but after Dick and Roy had -read it carefully over the only things they were certain -about were that it was necessary to fill the tank -with gasolene, lubricate all bearings with cylinder-oil -or grease and turn the fly-wheel to the right. So -Dick went off in search of gasolene and presently returned -struggling with a five-gallon can of it. This -they poured into the tank. There was a small can -of cylinder-oil and one of graphite in the tool -drawer, and, while Roy read the directions, Dick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -poured oil or smeared grease. When that operation -was completed Dick looked as though he had been an -engineer all his life. Roy said he ought to have -some cotton waste to wipe his hands on and the -freight-handler again proved a friend in need, producing -a bunch of the desired article as if by magic.</p> - -<p>Then Roy read the directions for starting the -engine again, while Dick turned valves and fussed -with things generally and Chub approved or disapproved -as he thought proper.</p> - -<p>“‘Close switch,’” read Roy. “Have you done -that?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, long ago. What next?”</p> - -<p>“‘Open relief cock, j.’”</p> - -<p>“Yes, open the relief cock, jay,” echoed Chub.</p> - -<p>“All right. Now what?”</p> - -<p>“‘Flood carbureter by depressing m.’”</p> - -<p>“What’s ‘m’?” growled Dick. Roy consulted the -diagram.</p> - -<p>“Hanged if I know,” he muttered finally. “There -doesn’t seem to be any ‘m’ here.”</p> - -<p>“Go on to the next letter,” suggested Chub.</p> - -<p>“Oh, here it is. It’s that little thing on top of it -there. No, the little jigger; that’s it.”</p> - -<p>“The stuff’s coming out on top,” said Dick doubtfully.</p> - -<p>“Better stop then; I suppose it’s flooded. Now -let’s see. ‘Flood’—you’ve done that. ‘Turn -wheel over to right until engine starts. Then close -relief cock, open oil-cup and regulate carbureter -as directed.’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, let’s try it,” said Dick. “Where’s that -handle thing?”</p> - -<p>“Behind you on the floor.”</p> - -<p>“If you start without unhitching,” said Chub, -“you’ll tow the wharf off; yank it right out by the -roots and tow it away; and maybe we’ll all be arrested -for stealing a wharf.”</p> - -<p>“You dry up, will you? Maybe, though, we’d -better do that, Roy.”</p> - -<p>But the freight-handler returned at that moment -and solved that difficulty by untying the rope and -holding it. Then Dick inserted the handle in the -rim of the wheel and turned it over. There was a -mild click and a little puff from the relief cock, but -the launch didn’t dart off toward the dim distance.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” said Dick. “What’s the matter with it?”</p> - -<p>“Try it again,” said Roy. Dick tried it again. -Then he tried it several times. Then he said “Huh!” -once more, got a new hold and turned until he had a -crick between his shoulders and was as red in the face -as a lobster. Roy studied the directions.</p> - -<p>“That’s funny,” he murmured.</p> - -<p>“What I like about these motor launches,” observed -Chub to the world at large, “is the ease of -manipulation. You pour a little gasolene into a tank, -open a cock, turn a handle and—zip, you’re off! -Simple! There’s nothing simpler!”</p> - -<p>“Say, if you don’t shut up,” said Dick, turning a -red, scowling countenance upon him, “we’ll put -you out of here. And that goes!”</p> - -<p>Chub subsided for a moment, smiling cheerfully.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -Dick bent over the wheel again. After another full -minute of labor, he stopped, wiped the perspiration -from his forehead and sat down on the seat.</p> - -<p>“Let me try,” said Roy. He took his turn. Over -went the wheel with a click, there was a soft sigh -through the relief cock and nothing more exciting -transpired. Now and then they studied the directions -anew and examined everything all over again. -Once in awhile the carbureter came in for another -flooding. After Roy the freight-handler had his go -at the wheel. He turned and turned, proving superior -to exhaustion, and would doubtless be turning -yet if Dick hadn’t forced him away from the wheel.</p> - -<p>“Must be something wrong,” said Dick wrathfully. -Roy silently agreed. Chub looked wise.</p> - -<p>“Have you drowned the carbureter lately?” he -asked. No one paid any attention to him.</p> - -<p>“It must be the battery,” said Dick helplessly. -“Maybe we’re not getting any spark. The directions -said there should be a spark. Now let’s see.” -He studied the situation in silence for a moment. -Then, “I know,” he said. “I’ll bet something’s -wrong with the wiring. What time is it?”</p> - -<p>“Quarter to eleven, nearly,” Roy answered.</p> - -<p>“Then supposing I go up to the village and find -some one who understands electricity.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Roy doubtfully. “But suppose the -trouble isn’t with the battery or the wires? -Wouldn’t it be better to find some one who knows -about gasolene engines?”</p> - -<p>Dick agreed that it would and they consulted the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -freight-handler. He thought a long while and finally -said that there was a man named Hodgson who had -“one of them boats.” But it also transpired that -Mr. Hodgson was extremely uncertain as to his habits -and the freight-handler couldn’t suggest a place -where they would be likely to find him.</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s no use looking all over the town -for him,” said Dick disgustedly. “I’ll try her once -more. Flood that thing, will you?”</p> - -<p>“One good turn deserves another,” murmured -Chub. Roy flooded the carbureter for the twentieth -time, remarking pessimistically that pretty soon -they’d have to buy more gasolene, and Roy “turned -her over” again. This time there was a real business-like -sound from somewhere inside the engine and a -puff of vapor came through the relief cock.</p> - -<p>“Did you hear that?” cried Dick.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Roy hopefully. “It sounded -almost as though it was going to start. Try it -again.”</p> - -<p><a href="#image10">“When is a fly-wheel not a fly-wheel?”</a> asked -Chub. “Answer: when it doesn’t fly around. -Good.”</p> - -<p>Dick bent over the wheel again and turned, but -the engine, as though quite satisfied with its brief -sign of life, refused to evince any further interest in -proceedings. Dick turned again and again, getting -redder and redder, hotter and hotter, madder and -madder.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 470px;"> -<a id="image10"> - <img src="images/image10.jpg" width="470" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_144">“‘When is a fly-wheel not a fly-wheel?’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146-<br />147]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, hang the fool thing!” he exclaimed disgustedly, -standing erect to ease his aching back. -“I’m going to ship it back and get my money.” He -looked wrathfully at Roy, who maintained a noncommittal -silence. Then he stared aggressively at -Chub. But Chub was gazing off down the river and -humming “My Father’s the Engineer.” Then he -challenged the freight-handler. But that obliging -man kept a discreet silence, looking the while properly -sympathetic, even shaking his head once. Dick -grunted and turned his regard to the stubborn engine. -But he got no satisfaction there. So, giving -it a contemptuous kick and chipping off half an inch -of beautiful bright red enamel, he subsided on the -seat and studied the blisters on his hands.</p> - -<p>“I’ll try it again,” suggested Roy not over -eagerly.</p> - -<p>“What’s the use?” growled Dick. “You’ll only -break your back.”</p> - -<p>“Let me have a whack at it,” said Chub cheerfully, -getting up. “I have an irresistible way with -engines, Dick.”</p> - -<p>“You!” snorted Dick. “All you can do is to lie -around and make a fool of yourself. You’re about -as much help as a—a—”</p> - -<p>“Book of directions,” said Chub cheerfully. -“Where’s the handle? Thank you.” Inserting the -handle in the rim of the wheel, our hero, with a -superhuman effort, spun—</p> - -<p><em>Puff! Puff! Puff!</em></p> - -<p>“It’s going!” yelled Roy.</p> - -<p>“What’ll I do with the rope?” shouted the man -on the wharf, holding on to it for dear life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p> - -<p>“<em>Let go!</em>” cried Dick, jumping for the wheel. He -reached it just in time to turn the bow away from a -spile, and with a grazing bump the launch swung -into the stream, pulling the canoe after it.</p> - -<p>“Good-by!” called the freight-handler. They -waved to him as the boat’s bow turned up-stream.</p> - -<p>“<em>Puff, puff, puff!</em>” went the engine.</p> - -<p>“<em>Chug, chug, chug!</em>” went the exhaust at the side.</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t she go great?” cried Dick turning to the -others.</p> - -<p>“Fine,” answered Roy with proper enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“When you understand her,” remarked Chub -haughtily.</p> - -<p>“Get out,” said Roy. “No wonder she started -after the way we’d worked with her!”</p> - -<p>Chub looked grieved.</p> - -<p>“Of all the unappreciative guys I ever knew,” he -said sadly, “you’re the worst! Dick doesn’t talk -that way. Dick realizes that if it hadn’t been for -me you’d be at the wharf yet. Dick is decently -grateful and—”</p> - -<p>“What the dickens did you do any more than we -did?” demanded Dick. “You turned the wheel and -she just happened to start.”</p> - -<p>“Happened!” murmured Chub, smiling pityingly. -“Very well, think that way if you want to. It -doesn’t hurt me. Ingratitude only shows—”</p> - -<p>“Look out!” yelled Roy. Dick worked quickly -and narrowly avoided running down a rowboat containing -two men. As they went by they were forced -to listen to a number of uncomplimentary remarks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -But Dick didn’t mind. The launch was running, -and that’s all he cared about. To be sure, she -wasn’t making very great speed, but Dick explained -that by assuring Roy and Chub that she hadn’t got -warmed up yet.</p> - -<p>“Well, you can’t say that of me,” answered Roy -with a laugh. “I’m warm enough, all right.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet I could paddle faster than this,” said -Chub.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet you couldn’t,” answered Dick indignantly. -“She’s going a good six miles an hour.”</p> - -<p>“If you don’t mind what you say,” supplemented -Chub with an exasperating grin.</p> - -<p>“It is too! I’ll bet you anything you like!”</p> - -<p>“Six miles an hour?”</p> - -<p>“Six miles, an hour!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, say, Dick, be good! Don’t talk so fancy! -You know well enough that if an able-bodied mud-scow -came along it would make this boat look as if -it were standing still.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t dare to bet on it, though,” taunted -Dick.</p> - -<p>“But there’s no way to prove it,” said Chub, -“unless we use Roy for a log and tow him astern.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll prove it all right,” Dick persisted. “We’ll -start at the big bridge and go up the river to Slicer’s -Landing; that’s six miles and a quarter, and if we -don’t do it in an hour I’ll—I’ll lose my bet.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s all right,” answered Chub affably, -“but what I’m saying is that she isn’t making any -six miles an hour now. I don’t know what she might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -do to-morrow. Why, you might grease her hull, or -get Roy to swim under water and tow her. Besides, I -wouldn’t bet with a Westerner, anyway; he’s too -tricky.”</p> - -<p>“You always try to turn everything into a joke,” -Dick growled. “When you say we’re not making six -miles you don’t know what you’re talking about. -Does he, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t ask me,” said Roy. “I don’t know anything -about it. I would like to suggest, however, that -you turn the boat a bit so as to avoid running into -that point. Thank you, Dickums; I feel more comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a mighty poor launch that won’t make six -miles,” muttered Dick as he swung the boat’s head -farther toward the middle of the river.</p> - -<p>“Dick, you’re stubborn to-day,” sighed Chub. “I -refuse to argue with you any longer. I will only remark -in closing that this here boat is not making -any six miles per.”</p> - -<p>“And I say she is,” answered Dick warmly. “If -she isn’t I’ll—”</p> - -<p>The chugging of the engine stopped, there was an -expiring wheeze from somewhere and the launch -rocked silently and lazily on the water.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /> -<small>THE LAUNCH IS CHRISTENED</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Dick turned to Roy in dismay. Chub, stifling a -chuckle, looked over toward the nearest shore.</p> - -<p>“If she was going six miles,” he said, “things on -shore would move by a heap faster. I don’t believe -she’s doing better than four.”</p> - -<p>“She’s stopped, you blamed lunatic!” cried Dick -wildly. Chub stared in surprise.</p> - -<p>“Stopped, has she? Why, I hadn’t noticed it! -How can you tell?”</p> - -<p>“Cut it out, Chub,” said Roy. Dick glared at him -a moment and then turned with dark and somber -looks toward the engine.</p> - -<p>“Where’s the handle?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“You put it in the drawer,” answered Roy.</p> - -<p>Their troubles began again. Dick turned and Roy -turned and Chub turned, and all the time the -launch, having gradually swung her nose down-stream -was floating gently back toward Silver Cove. -They had accomplished fully three fourths of the -distance between the Cove and Fox Island when the -engine stopped, but it seemed now that they would -soon have the trip to make over again. It was very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -hot with scarcely any breeze rippling the water, and -it was well on toward dinner-time. Chub yielded -the wheel to Dick and sat down to get his breath and -wipe the perspiration from his face.</p> - -<p>“Where’s the directions?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>Search failed to reveal them.</p> - -<p>“It’s just as well,” grunted Dick. “They don’t -tell you anything anyhow. Turn the rudder, Roy, -and keep her off that sand-bank.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what we can do,” said Chub as Dick -stopped to rest. “Roy and I can get in the canoe -and tow her and you can stay in here and steer.”</p> - -<p>“It’ll be an all day’s job,” said Roy dispiritedly. -“Why not tow her to that landing over there and -leave her until we can get some one to fix her up -right?”</p> - -<p>“You fellows get in the canoe and go on to the -island,” said Dick. “I’m going to stay here and -make her go. She went once and she can do it again; -and she’s got to,” he added doggedly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t give up the ship,” cried Chub cheerfully. -“We’ll stand by you, Captain. Let me have another -go at her.” He seized the handle and was slipping -it into the wheel when there was a hail from near by -and they looked across the water to where a small -cat-boat was bobbing slowly toward them. The -boat contained a man in the stern, but who he was -they couldn’t make out because of the noonday glare -on the surface of the water.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” called Dick.</p> - -<p>“Anything wrong?” was the query.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Engine’s gone back on us,” answered Dick. At -that moment the sail swung over and threw the occupant -of the cat-boat into shadow.</p> - -<p>“It’s the Licensed Poet,” marveled Roy.</p> - -<p>“Billy Noon, as big as life,” added Chub.</p> - -<p>“I’ll see what I can do for you if you want me -to,” said the skipper of the sailing craft. “I’ll be -there pretty soon. It’s slow going in this breeze.”</p> - -<p>The boys sat down, nothing loth, and waited for -the launch and sail-boat to draw together.</p> - -<p><a href="#image11">“What did he tell us he gave for that boat?”</a> asked -Roy.</p> - -<p>“Four dollars, I think, and a set of dentist’s -tools,” Dick replied.</p> - -<p>“Well, he got stuck! Look at it!”</p> - -<p>At some time, probably a good many years before, -the <i>Minerva</i> had been new and trim. To-day she was -a veritable apology for a boat. Some twenty feet -long, she was blunt of nose, wide of beam, almost -guiltless of paint. The cockpit was only large -enough to hold one man and allow the tiller to swing, -the rest of the deck space being occupied by a cabin. -One port had been closed with a piece of tin through -which a length of stove-pipe and an elbow projected. -The mast had apparently not been scraped for years -and the single sail was gray with age and patched -from boom to gaff. Once the hull had been white -and the cabin green, but time and the weather had -subdued all to a neutral hue that matched the old -sail and the weather-stained mast. Closer acquaintance -revealed the fact that most of her seams had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -opened and that she was about as near falling apart -as anything could be that still held together.</p> - -<p>The <i>Minerva</i> dipped slowly and clumsily along, -pushing the sparkling wavelets away from her blunt -nose, and presently Billy Noon swung her head into -the wind and brought her alongside the launch. He -looked quite different to-day. He wore a suit of gray -clothes which, if a little shabby, were very neat and -clean, a figured shirt, turn-down collar and blue tie -and a straw hat which had apparently seen more -than one summer and undergone more than one -cleansing at home.</p> - -<p>Also he had dropped his extravagant manner and -phraseology. This morning he was just a freckled-faced, -red-haired, good-natured chap with an alert -manner and a pair of blue eyes that twinkled cleverly -and that seemed to take in the situation at one -glance. Lowering his sail and making fast the -painter of the cat-boat, Billy climbed aboard the -launch and threw off his coat. Then he rolled up his -shirt-sleeves, revealing a pair of very muscular brown -arms.</p> - -<p>“Had her going, did you?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Dick, “she ran all the way from -Silver Cove and went finely; made six miles an hour -easily.” He threw a defiant glance at Chub.</p> - -<p>“To be exact,” amended that youth solemnly, “six -miles and one eighth by the patent log.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let’s see,” said Billy Noon. “I guess there’s -nothing very wrong.” He picked up the handle, -fitted it to the fly-wheel and turned her over several -times without results. Then he tested the battery, an -operation which the boys watched with interest, and -got a good spark.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 424px;"> -<a id="image11"> - <img src="images/image11.jpg" width="424" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_153">“‘What did he tell us he gave for that boat?’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156-<br />157]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Nothing wrong there,” he mused.</p> - -<p>“Have you ever run a launch?” asked Roy curiously.</p> - -<p>“No, but I operated a gas-engine once for about six -months and got pretty well acquainted,” answered -Billy. “That was in a pottery.” He looked over -the engine for a moment in silence, his sharp eyes -twinkling from one part to another. “Let’s see how -the gasolene is coming. Maybe—hello!”</p> - -<p>“What?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“Why, your cock under the carbureter has -worked open and all your gasolene is running into -the well. No wonder! Got a monkey-wrench?”</p> - -<p>“No, we haven’t,” answered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Well, the handle will do. All it needs is just a -tap to tighten it. There! Didn’t you try to flood -your carbureter?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Dick a trifle sheepishly. “We -forgot it the last time.”</p> - -<p>“If you had you’d have seen where the trouble was, -because she wouldn’t have flooded. Now let’s see.”</p> - -<p>One turn and the engine started. Billy retarded -the spark until he saw that the <i>Minerva</i> was following -all right, and then pushed the lever in. The -launch gathered speed and in a moment was cutting -through the water in a way that brought an -admiring ejaculation from even Chub. But Billy -wasn’t satisfied.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That carbureter isn’t regulated very well,” he -said. So he went at that, Dick watching, and screwed -and screwed until he had it to suit him. “That’s -better,” he said. He wiped his hands on the piece of -waste and looked over the boat. “A nice little -launch,” he said. “And a good engine. You’re -getting fully two and a half horse-power out of it, I -guess.”</p> - -<p>“How fast do you think she is going?” asked Dick -eagerly.</p> - -<p>Billy studied a moment. Then:</p> - -<p>“About seven miles,” he answered. “You ought -to make nine with the current and no tow.”</p> - -<p>Dick looked triumphantly at Chub. For once -Chub had nothing to say. Presently Dick observed:</p> - -<p>“What I don’t understand is why she wouldn’t -start at the wharf. We flooded the carbureter -dozens of times then.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe that was the trouble,” was the reply. -“Your engine was stiff and cold and you got too -much gasolene into it. That’s just as bad as getting -none at all. You’ve got to have the proper mixture -of air and gasolene, you know. After you’d turned -her over awhile you worked the gasolene out and she -started. It’s a good plan to have a small oil-can -with some gasolene in it. Then if she doesn’t start -with three or four turns you can open your relief-cock -and squirt a few drops into the cylinder. -That’ll start her all right.”</p> - -<p>For the next few minutes Dick took a short course -in gas-engine operating and by the time he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -asked all the questions he wanted to they were approaching -the Ferry Hill landing and a disconsolate -figure in the shade of the boat-house.</p> - -<p>“There’s Harry,” said Chub. “I’ll bet she’s -mad!”</p> - -<p>But she wasn’t; only grieved and reproachful -until they told their troubles to her, and after that -vastly interested and sympathetic. Harry, having -just become a passenger, was by no means ready to -end the cruise, demanding that the launch should go -up the river for a way. The boys, however, being -for the moment firm believers in punctuality as regarded -meals, compromised on a voyage around the -island. So they went up along the inner channel, -swung around Far Island, which, as every experienced -mariner knows, lies nor’-nor’-west of Point -Harriet, and, navigating skilfully past the dangerous -shoals which lie around The Grapes, stopped off -Hood’s Hill while Billy Noon returned to the -<i>Minerva</i> and, with the aid of a broken oar, reached -the beach. The boys were properly grateful for his -help, Dick thanking him profusely.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Billy, as he pulled the -nose of the <i>Minerva</i> onto the beach and carried the -painter up to the nearest tree. “Glad I happened -along. Any time you want any help you yell for me.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” answered Dick. “And—and come and -see us.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, you must be neighborly,” added Harry. -Billy nodded and waved his hand, and Dick, with a -bit of a swagger, took up the handle and turned the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -wheel. The engine answered at once and the launch -chugged off toward the lower end of the island.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he splendid?” asked Harry admiringly.</p> - -<p>“Who do you mean?” asked Chub. “Dick?”</p> - -<p>“No, Mr. Noon, of course.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he was certainly Johnny-on-the-Spot to-day,” -Chub replied. “He ought to be called the -Licensed Engineer instead of the Licensed Poet. -Say, Roy, do you believe all the yarns he tells?”</p> - -<p>“About what?” asked Roy, drowning Harry’s -indignant ejaculation.</p> - -<p>“Why, about being a circus clown and playing -in the band and being a dentist and running an engine -in a pottery and—and all that. What do they -want with an engine in a pottery, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I was never in a pottery, but I don’t see -why they wouldn’t need an engine. As for the other -things, why, you saw those pants of his; and if any -one but a clown would wear them I miss my guess, -Chub!”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, but he can’t be more than thirty or -so.”</p> - -<p>“Bet you he’s nearer thirty-five,” said Dick from -the wheel.</p> - -<p>“Anyhow, he must have spent a pretty busy life -if he’s been all the things he says he has!”</p> - -<p>“Papa says he’s the—the—I think he said the -‘smoothest’—book agent he ever met,” said Harry -eagerly. “I told him about his being a clown and a -poet, and I recited the verses he made up, and papa -said they were very good verses for a clown.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s all right,” said Chub. “I haven’t -anything against him, only I do think he’s had -a rather eventful life, so to speak. He seems a pretty -decent chap, though.”</p> - -<p>By this time the launch had passed Lookout, having -practically completed the circuit of the island, -and Dick turned off the switch and stopped the engine. -The launch floated softly into the smooth -water of Victory Cove and Dick turned its nose to -the beach. Then, with a little grating sound the -bow slid up on the sand and Roy, painter in hand, -jumped ashore.</p> - -<p>“That rope belongs to the fellow at the wharf, by -the way,” said Dick. “I must take it back to him. -I’ll have to get some rope of my own. And I need -some tools, and an oil-can, and an anchor and lots -of things!”</p> - -<p>“How about an engineer?” asked Chub slyly. -Dick looked hurt and made no reply, and when they -were out on the beach Chub threw an arm over his -shoulder and playfully squeezed his neck.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a chump, Dickums,” he said. “I was -only fooling. You got the hang of it finely.”</p> - -<p>Dick looked mollified.</p> - -<p>“It takes a while to learn,” he said, “but I bet -I’ll be able to run that boat to the Queen’s taste in -a week.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you will,” answered Chub heartily. -Then they set about getting dinner. Chub declared -that he could taste gasolene in everything, but Dick -was able to prove that he had washed his hands well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -before beginning the cooking and so Chub’s assertion -was received with contempt. From where they -sat they could see the launch. Dick had shoved her -off after making the painter fast to a tree and now -she was floating motionless on the mirror-like surface -of the cove. Dick’s glances sought her frequently -during dinner, and presently he said:</p> - -<p>“I wish they had painted her white instead of -black.”</p> - -<p>“It would have been much prettier,” agreed -Harry.</p> - -<p>“We could paint her ourselves,” said Chub. “It -wouldn’t be much of a job.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. I’ll get some paint the next time we -go to the Cove and we’ll do it. We’d have to haul -her out, though, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“No, we wouldn’t,” answered Roy. “I’ve seen -them paint boats in the water. You get a weight, -like a big rock or something, and put it on one side -of the boat and that raises the other side out of the -water. You only have to paint to the water-line, -you know. Then when you’ve done one side you -change the weight over and do the other side. It’s -easy.”</p> - -<p>“All but getting the weight out there,” said -Chub.</p> - -<p>“We can find a big stone and put it in the rowboat -and take it out to the launch,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Yes, we could do that all right,” agreed Chub. -“By the way, Dickums, what are you going to call -her? I’ve thought of a dandy name!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I dare say,” answered Roy sarcastically. “The -‘Thomas Eaton,’ I’ll bet.”</p> - -<p>“You wrong me,” said Chub. “Besides, I -wouldn’t allow my name to be associated with such -a badly-behaved boat as that.”</p> - -<p>“I think she behaves beautifully!” exclaimed -Harry.</p> - -<p>“You saw her at her best,” said Chub. “She -acted all right after the Engineer-Poet got at her.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the name, Chub?” Dick asked.</p> - -<p>“‘The Old Harry,’” answered Chub. “That’s -the way she behaved.”</p> - -<p>“That’s not so bad,” laughed Roy. Harry looked -doubtful.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I’d like that,” she said finally. -“People might think it was named after me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Dick, apparently pleased to find an -objection to the name. “Besides, I had about decided -on a name myself.”</p> - -<p>“What is it?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well—have you noticed the sound she makes -when she’s going?”</p> - -<p>“No,” replied Chub, “she was going such a short -time that I didn’t have a chance.”</p> - -<p>“She says ‘<em>puff, puff, puff!</em>’ like that,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“No, she doesn’t,” answered Dick. “I thought -that was it at first, but what she really says is ‘<em>pup, -pup, pup, pup, pup, pup!</em>’ So I’m going to call her -the ‘Pup.’”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Chub admiringly. And -Roy agreed. But Harry objected.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think it’s a perfectly horrid name,” she declared. -“You’re just fooling, aren’t you, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it,” answered Dick stoutly. “I -think it’s a fine name.” And in the end, despite -Harry’s negative vote, the name was formally -adopted.</p> - -<p>“We’ll have a christening,” suggested Roy. -“And Harry can be sponsor—if that’s what you call -it—and break a bottle of—of something over her -bow.”</p> - -<p>“It’ll have to be tomato catsup, I guess,” laughed -Dick. “That’s about all we’ve got.”</p> - -<p>“I refuse to have the catsup wasted,” said Chub. -“Besides, it would be terribly messy. We’ll find an -empty bottle and fill it with water. They christen -lots of boats with water nowadays.”</p> - -<p>So after dinner the ceremony took place. They -rowed out to the launch in the skiff, Harry tightly -clasping a bottle of river water. They had found -the bottle on the beach. The lettering on one side -proclaimed the fact that it had at one time been -filled with “Brainard’s Lucky Discovery for Coughs -and Colds.” When they had all climbed aboard the -launch Chub had an idea.</p> - -<p>“Look here,” he exclaimed, “we’re not doing -this right. She ought to be christened with gasolene!”</p> - -<p>“Of course!” cried the others in chorus. So the -water was poured out and the bottle was held under -the carbureter and filled with gasolene. Then Roy -and Dick and Chub grouped themselves as imposingly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -as possible on the small space of deck at the -bow, maintaining their precarious positions by holding -onto each other, and Harry re-embarked in the -rowboat, working it around to the bow of the launch.</p> - -<p>“The band will now play,” said Chub. “<em>Tum</em>, -tumty, tum; <em>Tum</em>, tumty, tum; <em>Tum</em>—”</p> - -<p>“That’s the wedding march, you idiot,” laughed -Roy. So Chub struck up “Hail, Columbia” instead.</p> - -<p>“Now,” he said, “we will listen to an address by -the Honorable Roy Porter. Hear! Hear!” And he -clapped his hands so strenuously that he very nearly -precipitated the entire company into the water. The -Honorable Roy Porter not being inclined to fulfil -his portion of the program, Commodore Dickums -Somes was called upon.</p> - -<p>“Ladies and gentlemen,” began Dick. “We are -met here on a memorable occasion, one which—which -will long live in the—in the—”</p> - -<p>“Memories of those present,” prompted Chub.</p> - -<p>“We are about to christen the pride of these -waters, a boat which will in future—in future—”</p> - -<p>“Hear! Hear!” shouted Chub appreciatively.</p> - -<p>“In future make for itself,” continued Dick, encouraged -by the applause, “a name which will become -famous from—from Poughkeepsie to Albany,—aye, -from Long Island Sound to Lake George! We -are about to place another star in the galaxy which—which -has for generations upheld the supremacy -of the American nation at home and abroad, by land -and by sea, in peace and in war!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> - -<p>The applause was almost deafening, largely due to -the fact that Roy had one arm around Dick’s shoulders -and was clapping his hands within three inches -of his nose. On the other side Chub shouted -“Bravo!” into his ear, while at his feet, so to speak, -Harry had let go of the launch that she might have -both hands to applaud with and was now squirming -undignifiedly across the gunwale trying to reach it -again. Dick warmed to his work. He threw back -his head with a noble gesture and tried to thrust his -right hand into the bosom of his negligée shirt. -[Chub called them “neglected” shirts.] But as this -would have seriously upset his audience he was -forcibly restrained.</p> - -<p>“Upon these beautiful, tranquil waters, upon the -bosom of this historic river this graceful boat will -add the—the finishing touch to Nature’s work. -Breasting the curling waves, tossed by the singing -winds—”</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” yelled Chub. “Hip, hip, hooray!”</p> - -<p>“Singing winds—”</p> - -<p>“Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!” Roy vociferated.</p> - -<p>“Winds, this lovely creation of the hands of—”</p> - -<p>“Somes! Somes! Somes! Speech! Speech!” -cried Chub, and Harry, having rescued herself, -joined the hilarity. Dick gave it up and with a low -bow to the mythical multitude which lined the shore -of Victory Cove, he joined Roy in the singing of -“The Star Spangled Banner.” Of course Chub and -Harry lent what assistance they could, and for several -minutes discord reigned supreme. Then, having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -gained the attention of the audience, Chub announced:</p> - -<p>“Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to present -to you the Honorable Thomas H. Eaton, Secretary -of the Navy. Hooray! Eaton! Eaton!” -Chub bowed. “Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of -Camp Torohadik: It gives me great pleasure to be -with you to-day. I have traveled a long distance -and feel that I am amply repaid. I thank you for -your invitation, for the honor you have done me and -for the evidences of your good-will. This is indeed a -suspicious—I should say auspicious occasion. Never -before, possibly, since the founding of our glorious -Republic has so much intelligence, so much worth, -so much beauty been met together as I see before me. -Ladies and gentlemen, we are wonderfully privileged. -Generations hence posterity will look back -with reverential awe upon this—this grand occasion!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s beautiful, Chub!” cried Harry. -Chub faltered.</p> - -<p>“Er—er—and so I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, -from the bottom of my heart for the honor -which you have seen fit to confer upon me. I thank -you, I thank you.” Chub bowed to three points of -the compass and the launch rocked uncomfortably. -“And now, ladies and gentlemen, according to time-honored -precedent, a bottle of—er—of gasolene will -be broken over the bow and the boat will be named. -I take pleasure in introducing to you Miss Harriet -Emery.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span></p> - -<p>Harry climbed unsteadily to her feet in the rowboat -and bowed to the applause. Then she raised -the bottle of gasolene and brought it down smartly -against the bow of the boat.</p> - -<p>“I name you <i>Pup</i>,” she cried.</p> - -<p>There was a tinkling of glass, a series of shrill -barks from Chub and the ceremony was at an end.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /> -<small>CHUB SCENTS A MYSTERY</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">After the dinner things had been cleared up -there was naturally but one thing to do, and -that was to go out in the <i>Pup</i>. So they did it. The -engine showed some unwillingness to start, but relented -presently and they were off. They had no -boats in tow this time and were, besides, going with -the current, and the way the <i>Pup</i> slid along brought -joy to Dick’s heart.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t she a great little <i>Pup</i>?” he asked, beamingly. -And they all agreed that she was, even Chub.</p> - -<p>“The <i>Pup</i>,” observed the latter impressively, “is -a fine bark.”</p> - -<p>They had an exciting time in the village while Dick -made his purchases and ordered his flags. Chub was -full of suggestions and wanted Dick to buy all sorts -of things, from a pocket compass to a pair of davits -by which to sling the canoe on to the launch and use -it for a tender. Dick got a gallon of white paint, -warranted to dry hard in twelve hours, and four -brushes, Harry having expressed a determination to -aid in the work of turning the black <i>Pup</i> into a white -one. When they were ready to leave the wharf Dick -produced his small oil-can filled with gasolene and -set it beside him while he prepared to turn the fly-wheel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -over. Whether it was the sight of that can I -can’t say, but it’s a fact that the engine started at -the first turn. They ran up the river in the late afternoon -sunlight, a little wind which had risen since -noon kicking the water into tiny white-caps which -caught the rays and turned to gold and copper. The -breeze rumpled their hair and tingled their cheeks, -and to what Chub called “the merry barking of the -<i>Pup</i>” they sailed home past the shadowed shore and -dropped anchor (it was a folding one and weighed -seven pounds) in Victory Cove.</p> - -<p>“That was a dandy sail!” exclaimed Harry, her -cheeks ruddy under their tan. And they all agreed -with her and vied with each other in saying nice -things about the <i>Pup</i>. And Dick beamed and -beamed, and everything was lovely. They had purchased -provisions in the village, and supper -that evening was in the nature of a banquet, -there being a large steak, Saratoga chips, big -rolls, still warm from the baker’s oven, cucumbers -(there wasn’t any vinegar, but no one -seemed to care), and a blueberry pie. And -there were present appetites to do justice to the -banquet.</p> - -<p>Afterward, just as Roy had lighted the camp-fire, -which, to tell the truth was necessary to distract the -attention of the mosquitos, there was a hail and -Billy Noon appeared. He joined the group and listened -interestedly to Dick’s account of the afternoon’s -experience with the launch.</p> - -<p>“You won’t have much trouble with her now, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -guess,” he said. “Gas-engines are kind of queer -things, but there’s generally a reason for it when -they don’t act right. The only trouble is in discovering -the reason. There’s a reason for everything if -you can only find it.”</p> - -<p>“Have you composed any poetry lately?” asked -Harry when the conversation had wandered away -from launches and gas-engines. Billy shook his head.</p> - -<p>“No, my dear young lady,” he answered.</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“There’s been no time for building rhyme,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">For I’ve been very busy.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">My daily work I must not shirk<br /></span> -<span class="i3">For—for—”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>“For if you do, you’ll get dizzy,” suggested Chub.</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” laughed Billy. “‘Busy’ ’s a bad -word to rhyme to. I ought to have known better -than to use it.”</p> - -<p>“Did—<a href="#image12">did it just come natural for you to make -poetry?</a>” asked Harry. “Or did you have to learn?”</p> - -<p>“I guess it came natural,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“I wish I could do it,” Harry said wistfully. -“But I can’t. I’ve tried and tried. I never can -think of any rhymes. Do you think I could learn, -Mr. Noon?”</p> - -<p>“I dare say you could,” answered Billy. “I never -did much of it until I joined the Great Indian Chief -Medicine Company. Then I sort of worked it up.”</p> - -<p>“Did you write advertisements?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“No. You see, we traveled around from one place -to another in a couple of big wagons selling this medicine.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -It was fine medicine, too, if you believed the -wrappers and the boss. It cured anything, from -warts to laziness, and cost a dollar a bottle, or six bottles -for five dollars with your horoscope thrown in. -There were five of us with the outfit, and we dressed -like Indians and talked five languages, including -North of Ireland. I was Wallapoola, the great Choctaw -Poet, and my part was to stand under the gasolene -torch at the end of the wagon and make rhymes -on the names of the folks in the audience. That -pleased them, generally, and they’d plank down their -dollar and go away happy with a bottle of Great Indian. -Some of the rhymes were pretty bad, especially -at first, and now and then I’d just simply -get floored like I was awhile ago. It was easy -enough as long as they gave us names like Smith and -Jones and White and Brown, but one night a big, -lanky farmer pushed his way to the front and told -Doc—Doc was the boss, you know—that he’d buy -six bottles if I’d make a rhyme for his name. I -scented trouble right away and tried to tip Doc the -wink, but he wasn’t worried a bit. He just laughed -and said there wasn’t a word in the English language -I couldn’t find a rhyme for. And then he -asked the farmer what his name was.</p> - -<p>“‘Humphrey,’ says the farmer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 476px;"> -<a id="image12"> - <img src="images/image12.jpg" width="476" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_171">“‘Did it just come natural for you to make poetry?’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174-<br />175]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Doc laughed scornfully. ‘I thought it was something -difficult,’ he says. ‘But that’s an easy one -for the Choctaw Poet, that is. Why, gentlemen, I -assure you—’ But I was humping up and down on -my toes the way I did when courting the Muse and -saying ‘Ugh! Ugh!’ which was all the Indian I knew -for ‘Nothing doing!’ And the Doc got on to the fact -that I wasn’t over pleased with the job. So says he, -‘While the Poet is polishing up his pome we’ll have -some music from the orchestra.’ Well, the orchestra, -which was a banjo, guitar, and accordion, gave them -some rag-time and I kept on dancing around on my -toes and doing a lot of hard thinking. I wanted to -throw up my job pretty bad right then, I tell you. -But Doc was scowling hard at me and the big, lanky -farmer was grinning up like a catfish. The orchestra -got through and I was trying to make Doc see -that I wanted more time for contemplation when the -rhyme came to me. It wasn’t much of a one, but it -had to do. So I stopped dancing and looked scornful -at the farmer. And says I:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“‘At a dollar a bottle it’s cheap, you know,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">But you are in luck, Mr. Humphrey;<br /></span> -<span class="i2">It’s six for five to you, and so<br /></span> -<span class="i4">You see you are getting some free.’”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>“That was fine!” cried Chub above the laughter. -“Did he buy the medicine?”</p> - -<p>“He had to,” answered Billy. “He claimed that -the rhyme ought to have been one word, but Doc -quoted authorities to him so fast he couldn’t answer. -You couldn’t very often feaze the Doc. Besides, -we had the crowd with us. So Mr. Humphrey -gave up his five dollars and went off growling with -six bottles of Great Indian. I don’t know how much -good it did him; anyhow, it couldn’t do him any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -harm, I guess, for it was mostly licorice and water. -We had a big sale that evening.”</p> - -<p>“Was that before you joined the circus?” asked -Chub with elaborate carelessness, nudging Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, several years,” answered Billy. “I wasn’t -with the Great Indian Medicine Company more’n -six weeks.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you leave?” asked Roy. “Did you run -out of rhymes?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Billy reminiscently, “but I got -my man and—I mean I found another job that I -liked better. After that,” he continued hurriedly, -“I found a chap out in Big Bow, Iowa, that was going -out of the dentist business and I bought him out, -stock, good-will, and all. The stock was a set of tools, -a broken-down wagon, and a flea-bitten gray horse -about sixteen years old. I traveled around for -awhile, but the fellow only gave me three lessons and -so I wasn’t up to much except pulling. Filling was -beyond me. Folks weren’t particular out there in -the country towns, though, and as it was cheaper to -have a tooth out at twenty-five cents than to have it -filled at five dollars—you see, I had to make the price -steep so’s they wouldn’t want it done—they generally -had it out. But there wasn’t much money in -dentistry, and I sold the horse and wagon in Keokuk -and came East.”</p> - -<p>“Then what did you do?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I tried my hand at several things after that. -Nothing particular, though.”</p> - -<p>Billy didn’t seem to want to continue the subject<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -and so Chub, with a wink at Roy, desisted. Dick -asked Billy how he was getting on with his canvassing.</p> - -<p>“Pretty well,” was the answer. “I had a long -tramp this afternoon for nothing, though. I went -about three miles up the river to a place called -Hutchins and then walked about eight miles. Ever -been over in that part of the world?”</p> - -<p>The boys said that they hadn’t.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s a forsaken country; I only found -about six houses all the way, and didn’t sell a thing. -Do you get around much on shore?”</p> - -<p>Roy explained that they had prospected the country -around Ferry Hill pretty well for several miles -in each direction, and Billy asked a good many questions -about it; whether it was thickly settled, whether -the folks were well-off or poor, whether they had ever -come across any camps or huts. They answered his -questions as best they could, wondering somewhat at -the character of them, and finally their guest bade -them good night and took his departure. There was -silence for a minute or two around the camp-fire -after he had gone. Then Chub spoke.</p> - -<p>“Say, what do you think of him?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Blessed if I know,” answered Roy. “According -to his story he has been a little of everything at some -time or other. And what do you suppose he wanted -to know so much about the country around here for?”</p> - -<p>“Probably wanted to find out whether it was -worth while going there to sell Billings’ ‘Wonders -of the Deep,’” answered Dick.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t believe he’s a book agent at all!” exclaimed -Roy.</p> - -<p>“What? Then what is he?” asked Dick. But Roy -only shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. But I don’t believe he’s what he -says he is.”</p> - -<p>“Why, he sold some books to papa!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Have you seen them?” Chub asked.</p> - -<p>“No, they haven’t come yet. He doesn’t carry -them with him. He just takes orders, you know, and -the publishers send the books to you by express.”</p> - -<p>“How much do you have to pay down?” asked -Roy eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Not a cent,” answered Harry. “So, Mister -Smarty!”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” muttered Chub. “That just shows how -foxy he is.”</p> - -<p>“I think you’re perfectly horrid, Chub Eaton,” -said Harry. “Mr. Noon is just as nice as he can be, -and very—very gentlemanly!”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” allowed Chub. “He seems a mighty -decent sort, but—but just the same I don’t believe -he’s a book agent. There’s a mystery about -him.”</p> - -<p>Harry’s eyes brightened.</p> - -<p>“Oh, do you think so?” she asked eagerly. “Perhaps -he’s a lord or something traveling in—in—”</p> - -<p>“Incognito,” aided Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” cried Harry. “Haven’t you noticed that -he talks sort of—sort of foreign sometimes?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t say I have,” Roy laughed. “Although<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -now and then there’s just a suggestion of brogue -about his talk.”</p> - -<p>“The idea!” Harry said indignantly. “He’s not -Irish a bit! I think he’s either English or—or -Scotch.”</p> - -<p>“Probably Lord Kilmarnock looking for a wealthy -bride,” said Chub. “I’ll ask him to-morrow if he -has his kilts with him.”</p> - -<p>“And his bagpipe,” Dick added.</p> - -<p>“Come now, it’s a shame to spoil Harry’s romance,” -Roy remonstrated. “We’ll call him His -Lordship until we learn what he really is.”</p> - -<p>“He’s already been the ‘Licensed Poet,’ ‘W. N.,’ -‘Seth Billings,’ and ‘Mr. William Noon,’” said -Chub. “So I guess another name or two won’t matter. -There’s just one thing I wouldn’t think of -calling him, though.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Book agent,” Chub answered dryly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /> -<small>BILLY ENTERTAINS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The next morning they started the work of transforming -the <i>Pup</i> from a black-and-tan—I am -using Chub’s expression—to a fox-terrier. They -loaded a good-sized rock into the rowboat and from -there lifted it over the side of the launch and placed -it on the starboard seat. But as it didn’t raise the -other side of the <i>Pup</i> high enough out of the water -Harry was delegated to join the rock. With Harry -perched on the coaming all was ready for the painters. -So Dick, Roy, and Chub began work. Chub sat -in the canoe and Dick and Roy in the rowboat. At -first it was lots of fun, but presently their wrists began -to ache, while, to add discouragement, they discovered -that it would be necessary to put on at least -two coats to hide the black paint beneath. Chub began -to show signs of mutiny about eleven o’clock and -was joined by Harry. Chub declared that his wrist -was paralyzed and Harry said she was getting a -headache and a backache, and that if they thought -it was fun sitting there on that edge they might come -and try it themselves. Both mutineers were, however, -prevailed on to continue in service a few minutes -longer, and at half-past eleven the <i>Pup</i> was painted -with one coat of white from bow to stem on the port<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -side. Then all hands were quite ready to quit work, -Roy declaring that for his part he wished they -hadn’t begun.</p> - -<p>“There’s three days’ more work on her,” he grumbled, -“for she’ll have to have two coats all over -her.”</p> - -<p>“Tell you what we might do, though,” said Chub. -“We might put another coat on this side and let her -go. I think it would be kind of original and sporty -to have one side black and the other side white.”</p> - -<p>Dick said he was an idiot, and Roy indorsed the -sentiment heartily, and good nature was not restored -until they had donned their bathing-suits and were -splashing around in the water off Inner Beach.</p> - -<p>After dinner Dick armed himself with pot and -brush and went back to work, and after looking on -for awhile Roy and Chub were forced to join him.</p> - -<p>“You fellows needn’t help,” Dick assured them. -But the assurance was only half-hearted and Chub -grunted irritably.</p> - -<p>“Huh,” he said, “you know blamed well we can’t -sit there in the shade and see you working out here -all alone. If I get sunstruck, like Billy Warren in -the boat-race, you’ll be sorry, I guess.”</p> - -<p>Dick had discovered that the first coat of white had -dried sufficiently to allow of a second and so before -supper-time they had finished the port side of the -hull. And very nice it looked, too; until you got a -glimpse of the other side!</p> - -<p>“It’s like having two boats,” said Chub cheerfully, -wiping the paint from his hands to his trousers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -“If it was mine I’d put one name on one side -and another name on the other. For instance, Dick, -you could call the white boat <i>Pup</i> and the black boat -<i>Kit</i>.”</p> - -<p>“They might fight,” said Harry, who had spent -the afternoon comfortably on shore. “Just supposing -the <i>Pup</i> began chasing the <i>Kit</i>, Dick!”</p> - -<p>“It would be a stern chase,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>The next day was Flag Day at Camp Torohadik. -In the morning they sailed down to Silver Cove in -the <i>Pup</i>, the paint having fulfilled the promise of its -maker and dried overnight, and got their flags. -There was a nice red-white-and-blue yachting ensign -for the stern and an owner’s flag for the bow. The -latter consisted of a white ground with a blue Mercury’s -foot on it, a design suggested by Roy in allusion -to Dick’s prowess on the cinder-path. The -poles were each finished off with a brass ball, and -when poles and flags were set the <i>Pup</i> looked very -gay and jaunty.</p> - -<p>Harry, who had been at work spasmodically on the -camp banner, produced the completed article that -morning, and after their return to the island Roy got -busy with a small can of black paint and lettered the -long strip of white cotton cloth which Harry had -brought with the inscription: CAMP TOROHADIK. -Then it was bent to the halyards and with Chub, at -popular request, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” -it was hoisted into place and for the rest of -their stay flew proudly by day above the camp. -(The truth is that it also flew occasionally by night;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -but it wasn’t supposed to, of course, and any fellow -is likely to forget things now and then, and so we -won’t mention it save parenthetically.)</p> - -<p>Taken all in all, that was a busy and eventful day -on Fox Island. For late in the afternoon, shortly -after they had returned from a six-mile trip up the -river in the <i>Pup</i> (it having been unanimously decided -to postpone painting operations until next -day) and just as Dick was kindling his fire, there was -a hail from the water and they ran to the point to -discover Doctor Emery paddling toward them in a -canoe. Harry at once decided that she was wanted -at home and was busily lamenting her fate when the -Doctor announced cheerfully that he had come to -visit the camp and take supper. Mrs. Emery, he explained -as the boys drew his canoe up on the beach, -had gone to the Cove to spend the afternoon and -evening, and he had decided to beg hospitality of the -campers. The campers declared with enthusiasm -that they were awfully glad to see him, and that supper -would be ready in about half an hour, and that -they were going to have fricasseed beef, and that -fricasseed beef was the best thing their chef did, and—oh, -lots more besides, every one talking at once! -The Doctor could have had no doubt of his welcome. -Presently it developed that he was lamentably ignorant -of his island, and so he was personally conducted -around by Harry and Chub.</p> - -<p>“If I owned an island,” said Harry, “I guess I’d -know every inch of it! I’d just love to have an island -all my own, too! Wouldn’t you, Chub?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You bet I would! One away off from everywhere, -you know. I’d live on it, and I wouldn’t let -any one on it that I didn’t like.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t that be lovely!” cried Harry. “Still, -you wouldn’t want it so far off that you couldn’t -get to the land sometimes, would you? Supposing -you needed things to eat?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’d keep plenty on hand,” answered Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well, I think an island like this is pretty nice,” -said Harry. “I guess I’d like sometimes to go home -at night.” And she stole her hand into her father’s.</p> - -<p>“Then you think this one would suit, do you?” -asked the Doctor smilingly, and Harry nodded ready -assent. When they reached the farther end of the -domain Harry pointed out Point Harriet very -proudly and the Doctor was properly impressed. -Then they kept on past The Grapes, ascended Hood’s -Hill, ran down the other side and—came plump upon -Billy Noon in the act of jabbing a knife-blade into -the lid of a can. His fire was already lighted and a -few cooking utensils were scattered around him.</p> - -<p>“It’s the Licensed Poet!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>Billy turned suddenly at sound of the voice, -dropped can and knife, and whipped his right hand -quickly behind him. Then he recognized his visitors -and laughed apologetically.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t hear you coming,” he explained. He -greeted Harry with a gallant bow, expressed his -pleasure at meeting the Doctor again, and nodded to -Chub. “You find me immersed in household duties,” -he went on lightly. “I was just about to prepare<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -my frugal repast.” As there was nothing edible -in sight save bread, butter, and the contents of -the tin can, the others thought the adjective well -chosen.</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t let us disturb you,” said the Doctor. -He glanced about the beach and the underbrush. -“But you surely don’t sleep here without any -cover?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No, I sleep aboard the boat,” answered Billy, -nodding to the <i>Minerva</i>, which rocked gently in the -current with her nose imbedded in the sand. “She’s -not very large, but I manage to keep pretty comfortable -in her. I cook on board, too, sometimes, but -when it’s possible I like to build my fire outdoors. -Perhaps you’d like to see my private yacht?” he -added smilingly. The Doctor hesitated, but Harry -was already scrambling over the bow, and so the -others followed. There wasn’t much to see; just the -tiny cockpit and, beyond, a rather dim cabin lighted -by the sun which streamed through a few round -ports. There was a bunk on one side, made ready for -the night, a small stove at the apex of the space and, -on the other side, a bench. There was a small clock -above the stove, a few hooks which held clothing, a -wash-basin and bucket of water, a few books on a -small shelf, a pair of shoes and a valise under the -bunk, and some cooking things in a tiny cupboard -above the bench.</p> - -<p>The middle of the cabin was taken up by the center-board -and the Poet pointed out a shelf which was -made to fit over the center-board box and serve as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -table. But there was one other thing which aroused -Chub’s curiosity. On the bench just where the light -from the hatchway fell upon it, was a pocket map -spread out. Thinking that it was a sailing chart, -Chub leaned over to examine it. It proved, however, -to be a map of the country thereabouts, and the -words Silver Cove stared him in the face. The map -had been ruled with pencil into squares about half an -inch each way and many of these squares had been -filled in with pencil strokes until the map around the -words Silver Cove was checkered with dark spaces. -Chub had time to see no more, for Billy Noon reached -past him and, taking the map, deftly folded it and -tossed it carelessly on top of the few books, inviting -them to be seated. But they had seen all there was to -be seen and so they filed out on to deck again, Harry -declaring ecstatically that it must be beautiful to live -in a boat, and asking Billy how he managed to sail it -when he was asleep. She and Chub found themselves -back on the sand before the others and she seized -the opportunity to whisper hurriedly in Chub’s ear.</p> - -<p>“Let’s ask him to supper,” she said. “Shall we?” -And seeing his hesitation, she added: “Why, he -hasn’t a thing to eat! Just look, Chub!” And -Chub looked and relented.</p> - -<p>And so the Licensed Poet was invited and he accepted -instantly. They waited while he gathered his -few things together and returned them to the <i>Minerva</i>, -closing and locking the hatch after him. Then -he drew on his coat and the four went on. Presently -Chub found himself walking beside Billy, Harry and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -her father having lost ground because it was necessary -that the former should see the view from Gull -Point.</p> - -<p>“Say,” asked Chub suddenly, “what were you -reaching for when we came up?”</p> - -<p>Billy darted a swift glance at him. Then he answered:</p> - -<p>“My handkerchief. I’d been making the fire and -my hands weren’t very clean, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Do you carry your handkerchief in your hip -pocket?” asked Chub skeptically.</p> - -<p>“When I haven’t my coat on,” replied the other. -“I guess it’s there yet; I don’t think I’ve taken it -out. Yes, here it is.” And he reached back to his -hip pocket and drew it forth.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Chub, looking a little foolish. “I -thought—” He hesitated.</p> - -<p>“You thought,” said Billy, his blue eyes sparkling -with good-natured raillery, “that I was going to -‘pull a gun’ and blow holes in you. Wasn’t that -it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it looked as though you were reaching for a -revolver.”</p> - -<p>“Did it? You’re too suspicious,” laughed the -other. “I’ll confess you startled me, but I’m a -more peaceable chap than you give me credit for being.” -There was a moment’s silence. Then Billy -laughed softly. “Say,” he asked, “do you know -what I was doing when you folks came along?”</p> - -<p>Chub shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I was just going to open that can of mushrooms,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -answered Billy. “I’d had a pretty successful -day and thought that now was my chance to celebrate.”</p> - -<p>“Did you sell some books?” Chub asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, something of that sort. I found a customer, -in fact, two or three of them. But I guess those -mushrooms bear a charmed life. Just as I’m going -to stick my knife through the lid you come along -and ask me to supper, and back go the mushrooms to -the store-room. It’s funny, isn’t it? That’s the -second time I’ve almost had them opened.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe the third time will be successful,” -laughed Chub.</p> - -<p>Supper was late that evening, for Dick had two -extra persons to provide for, and it was incumbent, -besides, to set a rather more elaborate repast than -usual. But when it was ready it proved to be well -worth waiting for, and the fricassee of beef was delicious. -Dick had learned the trick from a ranch -cook out West. The ranch cook used to call it “frigasy -de boof,” but he made it much better than he -pronounced it. After supper Billy Noon and the -Doctor got into a spirited discussion on the subject -of Early Elizabethan Drama, a subject which didn’t -greatly interest the others after the first ten minutes. -But taken in connection with one thing and another, -including the marked map seen in the cabin, Billy -Noon’s knowledge of the subject in discussion set the -boys wondering harder than ever that night after the -guests had taken their departures.</p> - -<p>“Of course he isn’t a book agent,” snorted Chub<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -contemptuously. “And what’s more, he isn’t staying -around here for any good. I’ll just bet he was -going to pull out a revolver this afternoon, even if he -did have a handkerchief there!”</p> - -<p>But Roy and Dick weren’t willing to go so far as -to suspect the Licensed Poet of wrong intentions.</p> - -<p>“Maybe he isn’t a book agent,” allowed Dick, -“but that doesn’t mean that he’s a—a pirate or a -‘bad man.’”</p> - -<p>“Pirate!” answered Chub. “Who said anything -about pirates? He might be looking around the -country to see what was worth swiping, mightn’t -he?”</p> - -<p>“A burglar? Pshaw,” said Roy, “you’re daffy! -Why, any one could see he’s too much of a gentleman -for that. Besides, you crazy chump, burglars -don’t take all that trouble. They just go and find out -where there’s stuff worth stealing and steal it. Why, -he’d starve to death before he got anything!”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, what—” began Chub stubbornly.</p> - -<p>“Bless you, <em>I</em> don’t know,” yawned Roy. “But -he’s no burglar; I’ll bet anything on that.”</p> - -<p>“He swiped our butter and our bread,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Shucks! That was just a sort of joke. Look at -the way he talked back at the Doctor about those old -play-writers! Think burglars know about—what -was it, Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Early Elizabethan Dramas,” answered Dick -glibly.</p> - -<p>“Some might,” answered Chub, warming to the -argument. “Look at that fellow in the book.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Raffles? Pshaw, that was just fiction; I’m talking -about real burglars.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s mighty funny,” grunted Chub. “And -I think we ought to ask him point-blank what he’s -up to.”</p> - -<p>“That would be polite!” scoffed Dick. “Why, -we wouldn’t do that to a Greaser out West. You -haven’t any sense of hospitality; and you’re too suspicious, -besides.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what he said,” murmured Chub.</p> - -<p>“And he was right. The idea of accusing him of -going to shoot you!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t! I just meant that he was feeling for a -revolver, like he was scared. I didn’t think he -meant to shoot us.”</p> - -<p>“Same thing,” said Roy. “Men don’t carry revolvers -in their pockets if they’re all right.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I’m saying,” answered Chub triumphantly.</p> - -<p>“But you don’t know he had a revolver there,” -said Roy. “He said it was a handkerchief he was -after, and he showed it to you.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but he might have had a revolver there too, -mightn’t he? Besides, I don’t know that he didn’t -put the handkerchief there after he got into his coat. -I wasn’t watching him.”</p> - -<p>“You ought to have been,” said Roy severely. -Chub grunted. Then he returned to the argument.</p> - -<p>“What’s that map for, then?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>“Maybe he’s employed by the Government to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -make—observations,” suggested Dick vaguely. -“They do that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, tommyrot!” said Chub. “You fellows make -me tired. I’m going to bed.”</p> - -<p>“Guess we’d all better go,” said Dick, yawning. -“If we’re going to finish painting that boat to-morrow -we want to get to work before the sun’s very -hot.”</p> - -<p>Chub and Roy groaned in unison.</p> - -<p>But they didn’t paint the boat the next day, as it -happened; nor for many days afterward. For when -they awoke in the morning it was raining hard and -by the time breakfast was over with it had settled -down into a regular torrent. Going for Harry was -quite out of the question. They passed the morning -as best they could, remaining, for the most part, in -the tent. They were glad enough for the ditch which -surrounded them, for if it hadn’t been there they’d -have had to sit in water. Even as it was little rivulets -crept over the banks of the ditch and meandered -across the floor. Roy was the only one of the three -who wasn’t thoroughly bored by the middle of the -afternoon. He was at work on his map of the island, -becoming so absorbed in the task of tracing his lines -on the big sheet of paper he had purchased for the -purpose that he forgot all about the weather. Once it -became necessary to verify a portion of his map, and -he donned his thickest sweater and went around to -Turtle Point, unheeding the ridicule of the others. By -supper-time he had finished it, and although there -were many criticisms offered he was very proud of it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span></p> - -<p>After supper Billy Noon came over to visit them, -and they were heartily glad to see him. There was -no camp-fire that night, for they had thoughtlessly -left their store of wood exposed and there wasn’t -enough dry fuel, beside what was needed for the -stove, to make any kind of a blaze. Billy was in the -best of spirits and this affected the spirits of the -others favorably. He shed a yellow oilskin coat and -hung it from a tent-pole under the single flickering -lantern.</p> - -<p>“Well, how goes it to-night, boys?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ve been bored to death all day,” answered -Dick. “I never saw such weather!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know,” said Billy. “I like a day like -this once in awhile. I like to get out and feel the -rain. Where’s Miss Emery to-night?”</p> - -<p>They explained that the weather had been too bad -for her to come.</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Billy. “Well, what have you been -doing to pass the time?”</p> - -<p>“Reading,” sighed Dick, “and playing two-handed -euchre. Roy has been making a silly old map -all day and wouldn’t say a word. Show him your -map, Roy.”</p> - -<p>Roy did so and Billy praised it highly.</p> - -<p>“You’re a genuine chartographer, aren’t you?” -he said.</p> - -<p>“Gee, Chub,” laughed Dick. “We called him -everything else, but we never thought of that, did -we?”</p> - -<p>But Chub only grunted. Ever since Billy’s entrance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -he had been sitting silent, watching the visitor -as a cat watches a mouse. Roy kicked his shins once -when Billy wasn’t looking and begged him not to be -a silly fool, but Chub only looked wise and frowned. -Soon Billy was telling stories, some warranted strictly -true and some frankly impossible, but all interesting. -The boys forgot their low spirits and laughed and -applauded and begged for more. All save Chub. -Chub sat and watched, soberly, like an avenging -Fate. From tales Billy passed to ventriloquism and -held an animated conversation with a man named -Bill Jones who was presumably sitting astride the -ridge-pole and doubtless getting very wet.</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Dick admiringly. “I wish I could do -that! Couldn’t you teach me?”</p> - -<p>“If there was time enough,” answered Billy. -“But I’m going on in a week or so, and as it took me -two months to learn what I know about it I guess it -wouldn’t be worth while starting to teach you. It’s -just a trick of the voice, but it takes a lot of practice. -Now I’ll hold a key in my teeth. Professionals pretend -that that’s a difficult stunt, but as a matter of -fact it isn’t anything at all, because you keep your -mouth still anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Were you ever on the stage?” asked Roy eagerly.</p> - -<p>Billy shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Not regularly,” he answered. “I did ventriloquism -and sleight-of-hand tricks once for three -nights.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, can you do tricks, too?” cried Dick.</p> - -<p>“A few,” replied Billy modestly. “I’m rather<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -out of practice, I’m afraid. You’ve got to work -every day to keep your muscles limber or you’re -not much good. I’ll try a few card tricks, if you -like.”</p> - -<p>So the cards were produced, and for the next quarter -of an hour Billy Noon had Dick’s eyes popping -out of his head. Chub still glowered, but it was noticeable -that he leaned forward now and then and -seemed pretty well interested in the Licensed Poet’s -dexterous fingers. Then Billy did some palming -tricks with, first, a coin and, afterward, a tennis-ball -which Roy happened to have.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Billy, “to conclude the entertainment, -ladies and gentlemen, I will ask one of you to -kindly step upon the platform and lend me a moment’s -assistance.” Billy arose and looked over the -tent as he drew back his coat sleeves. “Thank you, -sir,” he said, smiling professionally at Roy, “you -will do nicely. I can see that it will be very hard to -deceive you, sir. You will observe, ladies and gentlemen, -that I have nothing up my sleeves, nothing -in my hands.” He turned his palms out and back -quickly. “Now I should like to borrow a silk hat -from some member of the audience.” Dick and Roy -were chuckling merrily. “Or failing that—let me -see, ah, that cap on the bunk will do nicely. Thank -you, sir.” And Billy bowed impressively as Dick -handed him his cap. “And now may I have a handkerchief, -if you please?”</p> - -<p>That proved a rather embarrassing request, and in -the end Roy had to go to his suit-case and dig out a -clean one from the bottom of the confusion therein. -Billy took it with a flourish.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 507px;"> -<a id="image13"> - <img src="images/image13.jpg" width="507" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption">Mr. Noon entertains the three boys</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196-<br />197]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now, sir, if you will kindly stand here.” -He placed Roy beside him, facing the “audience.” -Roy grinned steadily and watched Billy as though -he feared the latter was going to make him disappear.</p> - -<p>“In doing these tricks,” said Billy, rolling the -handkerchief between his palms, “it is necessary to -demand of the audience the very closest attention. -So I will ask you to keep your eyes on me very carefully, -ve-e-ery carefully, because I might do something -that you didn’t see, and I wouldn’t want to -do that, believe me. I always take my audiences into -my confidence, and if anything transpires here this -evening which you do not fully understand—”</p> - -<p>Dick and Chub were gazing fascinatedly at the -handkerchief which had been rolled into a smaller -and yet smaller ball and which was now entirely out -of sight between Billy’s palms.</p> - -<p>“I want you to tell me so that I can explain,” continued -Billy. Then he brushed the palms of his -hands lightly together. The handkerchief had utterly -disappeared!</p> - -<p>“Gosh!” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“Blamed if I understand that,” muttered Chub. -Billy laughed.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s very simple,” he replied with a laugh. -“Merely transference. Now, if the person in the audience -is quite through with the handkerchief I’ll -ask him to return it by one of the ushers.” Billy’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -eyes ranged questioningly from Dick to Chub and -back again, while he smiled politely and expectantly. -Then, “I say if you are quite through with the handkerchief,” -he announced in a louder voice, “you will -be kind enough to return it.” Chub and Dick -grinned. Roy stood on his other foot for a change -and grinned too. Billy pretended to be cross. -“Really, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “I assure -you that I can’t go on with the performance until -the handkerchief is returned. I know where it is and -if the gentleman who has it doesn’t return it at once -I shall be obliged to call on one of the ushers for assistance.” -The audience made no reply. “You, -there,” cried Billy, pointing suddenly at Chub. -“There’s no use in acting this way. The handkerchief -is in your right-hand coat pocket. Kindly return -it, sir!”</p> - -<p>Chub nearly jumped off his soap-box. Then he -stared dazedly at Billy for a moment, finally dropping -one hand into the pocket specified, a look of incredulity -on his face. But he found it, or at least he -found something, for,</p> - -<p>“<em>Thunder!</em>” he yelled, jerked his hand out again -and jumped to his feet as something fell to the -ground with a soft <em>thud</em>. The something went hopping -away toward the tent door amidst howls of -laughter from Roy and Dick. It was a large fat -toad. Chub stared at it until it had hopped from -sight. Then he stared at Billy. Finally he stared at -Roy and Dick, and those youths went into spasms of -even more riotous laughter. “Gee!” said Chub finally,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -and sat down again after looking at the soap-box -carefully to see that there were no more toads -about.</p> - -<p>“You’d better look in your pocket again, Chub!” -cried Dick. “There may be another!”</p> - -<p>Chub obeyed the suggestion very gingerly and -heaved a sigh of relief when he found the pocket -empty.</p> - -<p>“My mistake,” said Billy easily, when the laughter -had subsided. “I beg your pardon, sir. Had I -known that you were in the habit of carrying pets -around with you I should have been more careful, -sir. I’m very sorry, really. You’ll pardon me, I -trust?” Chub grinned sheepishly and Billy was -silent a moment, frowning intently at the lantern. -Then, “Ah!” he exclaimed. “How stupid of me! -Really, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know when -I’ve made such a foolish mistake before! I am really -chagrined, I assure you!” He turned to Roy beside -him. “You, sir, are at liberty to return to your seat. -I thank you very much.” Roy smiled, hesitated, and -moved toward his bed upon which he had been seated -when summoned to assist “the Professor.” But he -wasn’t destined to get off so easily, for:</p> - -<p>“Oh, but one moment, sir, if you please,” said -Billy. “You had better leave the handkerchief here, -hadn’t you?”</p> - -<p>Roy stopped and smiled helplessly.</p> - -<p>“I suppose so,” he said, “if I’ve got it.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to deny that you have it?” exclaimed -Billy in apparent astonishment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You bet I don’t,” answered Roy forcibly, to the -amusement of the others.</p> - -<p>“Ah,” said Billy, “then I’ll trouble you for it.” -And he held out his hand.</p> - -<p>“I—I guess you’ll have to take it,” answered Roy -uneasily.</p> - -<p>“You compel me to use force,” said Billy. “I’m -sorry, but—” He seized Roy quickly, plunged a hand -into the inside pocket of his jacket and drew forth -the handkerchief neatly folded!</p> - -<p>Roy stared at the handkerchief and at Billy. Then -he shook his head and made for his seat.</p> - -<p>“Gee,” he said laughingly, “I wasn’t sure it -wasn’t in my mouth!”</p> - -<p>“Tell us how you did it!” demanded Dick. But -Billy, pulling his sleeves down, shook his head smilingly.</p> - -<p>“Professional secrets,” he said. “And now I must -be off to bed. I’ve kept you fellows up pretty late, -I’m afraid.” They assured him that they liked it -and that he should stay longer. But he got into his -oilskin coat and took his departure through the rain.</p> - -<p>“Say, he’s all right, isn’t he?” asked Dick -awedly. They all agreed that he was. But a moment -later Chub said suddenly:</p> - -<p>“I guess a fellow who can do things like that -wouldn’t have much trouble getting a handkerchief -into his hip pocket!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /> -<small>VOICES IN THE NIGHT</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The next morning when they awoke they found -that it was still raining, although not so heavily. -At half-past ten Roy and Chub went over to the Cottage -and found Harry and brought her back with -them. It very nearly ceased raining after dinner and -they all went around to Billy Noon’s camp to pay -him a visit. But both he and the <i>Minerva</i> were absent. -After supper, however, he showed up and -there was another evening of stories and tricks, -Harry demanding them since she had not been in the -audience the evening before. Even Chub took part -in the general hilarity to-night. He still had his suspicions -of Billy Noon, but it was very hard to remember -them when that gentleman was so frank and -friendly and entertaining. To the amusement of the -others, Chub kept his hands in the pockets of his -jacket all the time Billy was doing his sleight-of-hand -tricks; no more toads for him, he asserted. So the -toad this evening was a pine-cone, and Harry found -it in the pocket of her rain-coat and was terribly -disturbed until she discovered that it wasn’t nearly -as dangerous as it felt.</p> - -<p>The party broke up early, however, in spite of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -jolly time they were having, for Harry was nervous -about going home because of an attempted burglary -the night before at Farmer Mercer’s house about -a half mile away. So at half-past eight Roy and -Chub paddled her across to the landing and only left -her when the gate in the hedge was reached.</p> - -<p>“There,” said Chub, “burglars can’t steal you -now, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Harry, “good night!” And she -dashed across the campus. Roy and Chub stumbled -back down the path. It was very dark there in the -grove, for there was neither moonlight nor starlight, -and so it wasn’t altogether awkwardness that sent -Chub sprawling over a root.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” cried Roy. “Are you hurt?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Chub answered, picking himself up from -the ground. “At least, not much. I’ve gone and -wrenched that old tendon again, the one I hurt last -year. Gee! Give me an arm down to the landing, -Roy.”</p> - -<p>“That’s too bad,” said Roy as they went on, Chub -supporting himself on the other’s shoulder. “It’s -the tendon at the back of the ankle, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but it will be all right to-morrow if I don’t -use it. My, isn’t it dark! and warm, too! -Where’s the canoe? All right, I can get in.”</p> - -<p>Back in camp Roy turned himself into a doctor -and treated Chub’s bruised ankle with cold water. -Then he gave it a good rubbing and finally did it up -in wet bandages. It had swollen up considerably and -hurt half-way up the back of Chub’s leg. But it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -nothing serious, and he knew it, and so composed -himself to sleep when Dick blew out the light. But -slumber didn’t come easily to him. His foot and leg -pained him considerably, and, besides, it was a warm, -muggy night with almost no air stirring and the interior -of the tent was stifling. So Chub lay awake, -staring into the darkness, listening enviously to the -measured breathing of Dick and Roy, and all the -time trying to discover a comfortable position for the -injured foot. The night was very still save for the -soft lapping of the water and the incessant voices of -the insects. To make matters worse the mosquitos -were having a gala night of it; the weather was just -the sort they liked best. Usually Chub wouldn’t -have stayed awake for all the mosquitos in the -world, but to-night their buzzing got on his nerves -badly. He stuck it out for nearly two hours. Then -he sat up in bed irritably, muttered uncomplimentary -remarks in the direction of Roy, who was snoring -softly, and suddenly felt as wide awake as he had -ever felt in his life!</p> - -<p>It was absurd to stay here in bed and suffer from -the heat when it was, of course, much cooler outside. -So he swung his injured foot carefully to the floor, -arose and hobbled out of the tent. It wasn’t very -cool out there, but the air was fresher and the odor -of the damp woods and pine trees was soothing. So -he hopped across to the nearest bench and made himself -comfortable with his feet off the ground and his -back against the trunk of a tree. It was a relief to -get out of that hot, stuffy tent, he told himself. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -wasn’t long before the mosquitos found him, but he -didn’t mind them greatly; some people experience -very little distress from mosquito bites and Chub -was one of them. Presently, too, the rough bark of -the tree began to make itself felt through his pajamas, -while his aching leg protested against the -cramped position it held. But in spite of all this -Chub was actually nodding, nearly asleep, when -voices, seemingly almost beside him, drove all -thought of slumber from his mind. Startled, he -raised his head and peered about into the darkness. -He couldn’t see a yard away from him, but the -voices—and now he realized that, although distinct, -they came from some little distance—reached him -again.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like the idea of waiting,” said one -speaker. “They may move the stuff.”</p> - -<p>“Not if they don’t suspect,” said a second voice. -“And it’s better to get them all while we’re at it. -Once let them know we’re after them and they’ll -scatter, destroy the stuff, and hide the plates!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the first voice, “I guess that’s so. -He’s due back on Thursday, Whipple says. Then -Thursday night—?”</p> - -<p>“Thursday night, unless something happens meanwhile. -Only thing I’m afraid of is that the local police -will blunder on to a clue and spoil the whole -job.”</p> - -<p>“Not them! I know ’em all and—”</p> - -<p>The voices suddenly died away to a faint murmur, -and while Chub was trying to explain this the creak<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -of boom came to him. That was it! The two men -had been in a sail-boat on their way either up or down -the river in the main channel and very near the island. -There was almost no wind where Chub was, -but there was probably enough on the water to keep -a boat moving. But the odd part of it all was the -fact that Chub was almost certain that he had heard -both voices before, although, try as he might, he -couldn’t place them. If the voices were familiar it -disposed of the theory that the men were merely -traveling the river. Perhaps they were going to land -on the island! Perhaps—! Chub started, forgot his -injured ankle and sank back on the bench with a -groan. Supposing one of the men was—he uttered -a sudden exclamation.</p> - -<p>“Billy Noon!” he whispered. He knew the voice -of the second speaker now; there was no doubt about -it. And yet Billy had left them at half-past eight in -the direction of his boat, declaring that he was going -to turn in. Still, that didn’t signify anything. The -voice was Billy Noon’s voice without a doubt, and -very probably the boat was his as well. At that moment, -from below the island, came again the creak of -a boom. Then they were bound down-stream, -thought Chub. In that case—but it was all an unfathomable -mystery, and although Chub sat there -for the better part of the next hour and tried to explain -it he was at last forced to give it up. By this -time he was very sleepy, and so, hobbling back to the -tent, he threw himself down on his bed and dropped -off to slumber on the instant.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span></p> - -<p>When he awoke Roy and Dick had finished breakfast -and it was nearly nine o’clock! Roy explained -that they thought maybe he hadn’t slept very well, -and so they didn’t awaken him. The ankle was almost -well, and after giving it another sousing with -cold water Chub ate the breakfast which they had -left on the stove for him with hearty relish. Dick -was out in the launch bailing the water out with a -saucepan. The sun was shining brightly and almost -every cloud had been swept aside by the westerly -breeze that rumpled the surface of the river.</p> - -<p>“Say, this is Sunday, isn’t it?” Chub asked. And -Roy replied that it was. Chub groaned.</p> - -<p>“That means letters to write,” he sighed.</p> - -<p>“How did you sleep?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Pretty well,” answered Chub thoughtfully. “I -was awake until long after midnight, though.” He -was trying to decide whether to mention the men in -the sail-boat. Viewed by the sane light of morning -the incident seemed to mean very little. And while -he was still hesitating there came the sound of a -merry whistle and Billy Noon appeared around the -point. Chub looked at him attentively. He didn’t -look at all like a person who had been up half the -night. Perhaps, after all, Chub thought, he had been -mistaken in the voice; lots of voices sounded alike, especially -in the dark. So he kept his own counsel for -the present.</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the program for to-day?” asked -Billy merrily.</p> - -<p>“Write letters,” said Chub dismally.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Go to church,” said Roy. “We didn’t go last -Sunday and so Dick and I are going to-day. You -coming, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“With this ankle?” asked Chub in surprise.</p> - -<p>“You said it was about well,” Roy answered. -Chub sighed.</p> - -<p>“I know,” he said, “but I wouldn’t want to have -a relapse.”</p> - -<p>Billy asked about the injury and by the time Chub -had finished telling him Dick came back with the -saucepan.</p> - -<p>“She’s all ready,” he announced, greeting Billy. -“We’re going to sail down to the Cove and go to -church,” he explained. “Want to come along?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know but I might,” was the reply after a -moment’s thought. “I’ll have to spruce up a little -first, though. Can you wait a few minutes?”</p> - -<p>“Easy! We don’t need to start for an hour yet, I -guess. You going along, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” replied Chub cheerfully. “Church for -mine!”</p> - -<p>“Thought you said your foot was too bad,” observed -Roy suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“Well, you didn’t tell me you were going in the -launch, did you? Sea-trips are beneficial to invalids.”</p> - -<p>Billy was back shortly and a little before ten they -started off. The <i>Pup</i> ran splendidly and they -reached the cove long before church-time. As they -passed up the street they encountered the freight-handler -who had helped them get the launch into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -water. They didn’t recognize him until he spoke to -them, for he had his Sunday clothes on and was quite -a respectable looking citizen. As he passed Chub -turned to have a further view of him. The freight-handler -had also turned his head and as their glances -met, the latter nodded and:</p> - -<p>“A fine morning after the rain,” he called cheerily.</p> - -<p>But Chub made no answer. He went on silently -for the next block, stumbling over two curbstones -and thinking busily. Even if he had made a mistake -in thinking that he had heard Billy Noon’s voice last -night, he was positive that he was making no mistake -now. One of the men in the boat was the freight-handler! -Chub was stumbling over his third curb -when Billy, who was walking beside him, put out a -hand quickly and steadied him.</p> - -<p>“Here,” he said, “that isn’t good for your ankle. -Maybe we’re walking too fast for you?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it,” murmured Chub.</p> - -<p>I’m afraid he didn’t hear very much of the sermon, -for his thoughts were busy with the problem of -the man in the boat. He wished that he had looked -at Billy as they had passed the freight-handler and -seen whether the two had recognized each other. He -might ask Billy, but there was no reason to suppose -that the latter would confess to an acquaintance with -the freight-handler unless he chose to. No, he would -just keep things to himself and watch. Whatever -was to happen would not occur until Thursday, and -that was four days distant. Perhaps before that he -could find a solution of the mystery.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span></p> - -<p>Letter-writing and reading consumed most of the -afternoon. At about four Billy passed down the -river in his boat, hailing them as he sped briskly -along. Chub watched him as long as he was in sight -and then returned with a sigh to his letter. Later -they went into the woods in search of fuel and at six -sat down to supper. Harry was spending the day -with a girl friend at the Cove and so there were only -three at table this evening.</p> - -<p>But Harry was on hand bright and early next -morning with Snip and a basket of fresh, still warm -doughnuts.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been up ever since a quarter of six,” she -explained proudly, “and I had these all made by -half-past seven.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet they’re good, too,” said Chub as he stole -one and put his teeth into it. “Yum, yum! No almond -flavoring this time, fellows!”</p> - -<p>After breakfast they went fishing about two miles -up the river and had fairly good luck. Chub had -wanted to go in the launch, but Dick had declared -that he wasn’t going to have the <i>Pup</i> all messed up -with bait and fish-scales. So they took the canoe and -the rowboat, and by the time they were back in camp -and the fish were sizzling in the pan they were -four of the hungriest persons extant. The boys -did full justice to the doughnuts and praised -Harry’s cooking ability until she blushed with -pleasure.</p> - -<p>“Oh, these are dead easy to make,” she said. “I -only wish I could make cake, though.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I’ll show you any time you like,” said Chub -kindly. “I’ve taken prizes for my cake.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you mean for eating it,” laughed -Harry. “Oh, but just you all wait! On my birthday -I’m going to have the biggest cake you ever -saw! It’s going to be fourteen inches across on top -and it’s going to have pink and white icing all over -it and sixteen candles!”</p> - -<p>“By jove!” cried Roy. “I’d forgotten about -your birthday. Is it this week, Harry?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Thursday, and I shall be—”</p> - -<p>“<em>Thursday!</em>” exclaimed Chub sharply. The -others stared at him in surprise.</p> - -<p>“Why, yes,” said Harry.</p> - -<p>“Do you object to Thursday?” asked Roy sarcastically. -“Because if you do Harry can change it.”</p> - -<p>“No,” muttered Chub, “but I didn’t know it was -so soon.”</p> - -<p>“He’s worried because he’s forgotten to buy you -that diamond necklace,” explained Dick. “How old -will you be, Harry? Not sixteen?”</p> - -<p>“Sixteen!” declared Harry proudly. “Isn’t that -lovely? And I’m going to have a birthday party at -the Cottage. And you are all invited.”</p> - -<p>“Hum,” said Roy suspiciously, “who else is coming?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, just some of the girls I know,” answered -Harry carelessly. But she looked at the boys anxiously. -Roy shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I guess that lets us out, Harry,” he said. “I -wouldn’t dare take Chub into society. He’d probably<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -eat the candles off the cake or drink out of his -finger-bowl.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I think that’s mean!” Harry cried disappointedly. -“I wanted you to come!”</p> - -<p>“Too many girls,” grunted Dick. “Can’t stand -them in bunches like that. I get nervous for fear -I’ll tread on one of ’em.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what we will do, though,” said Roy. -“We’ll give you another birthday party here in -camp in the evening, and it’ll be a dandy, too! -What do you say to that?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that would be nice!” said Harry rapturously. -Then her face fell again. “But I did so want -you to come to the Cottage, Roy!”</p> - -<p>“Much obliged,” murmured Dick.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I meant all of you,” declared Harry, “and -you know very well I did.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not afraid of a few girls,” said Chub. “I’ll -go, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll stay right here,” answered Roy. “I’d -just like to see you at a girl’s party!”</p> - -<p>“I’ve been to lots of them,” said Chub loftily. -“I’m a great success at functions of that sort. At -home they can’t do without me.”</p> - -<p>“Well, they can do without you here, all right,” -responded Roy cruelly. “And they’re going to. -Harry’s going to have her girls’ party in the afternoon -and then she’s coming over here and we’re going -to give her another. We will employ that celebrated -caterer, Mr. Richard Somes, to prepare the -repast.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And we’ll invite the Poet!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” said Dick. “We’ll have him write -an ‘Ode to Harriet on her Sixteenth Birthday.’”</p> - -<p>It was settled so, and Harry regained her good -spirits and fed doughnuts to Snip until the boys -made her desist, not, as Chub explained, because they -had any fears for the dog’s health, but for the reason -that it was a shame to waste good doughnuts on an -unappreciative nature. Harry declared that Snip -had a very appreciative nature, but was at a loss -when Chub demanded proof. Snip, finding the harvest -at an end, jogged off to investigate things in the -woods, and while the dinner things were being -cleared up he made day hideous with his incessant -barking. Finally Chub went off to investigate.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet he’s treed another bear,” he said. “You -dig your revolver out of your bag, Dick, and stand -ready to come when I yell.”</p> - -<p>But Chub didn’t yell. Instead he was back in a -minute with news written all over his face.</p> - -<p>“What do you think?” he cried.</p> - -<p>“A racoon!” guessed Roy.</p> - -<p>“A skunk!” cried Dick.</p> - -<p>“No, a house-boat,” answered Chub with a grin.</p> - -<p>“A what? A house-boat?” exclaimed Roy. -“What are you talking about? Snip caught a house-boat! -Say, you’re too funny for anything, Chub, -you are, I don’t think!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t say he’d caught it,” answered Chub, -“but he discovered it. It’s lying against the shore -near Round Head. Come and see for yourselves!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /> -<small>THE FLOATING ARTIST</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">Sure enough, there it was; although from where -they were it was hard to get a good look at it. -So they hurried along the beach until they came up -to it. It was lying close against Round Head, its -deck almost on a level with the top of the big rock, -two ropes—Chub called them “hawsers” and no one -dared dispute with him—holding the boat at bow -and stern.</p> - -<p>The first thing they noticed when they arrived -abreast of the boat was a big, handsome red setter -watching them intently from his place on the deck. -His head lay between his paws and he never moved -at their approach, but his brown eyes watched them -suspiciously every moment. It was doubtless the -presence of the setter which had so excited Snip. -Snip was still excited, and said so plainly and at the -top of his lungs, but the red setter paid absolutely no -attention to him. There was no one in sight on the -boat. The four stopped at the edge of the wood and -examined the odd craft to their hearts’ content.</p> - -<p>For it was odd; there was no doubt about that. In -the first place, it was painted in such a funny way.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -The lower part of the hull was green—a real pea-green -like the boat that the Owl and the Pussy-Cat -went to sea in—and above that was a foot-wide streak -of reddish-pink, and above that again the hull was -finished off in white. She looked very much like a -scow with a little cottage on board. There was a -suggestion of a bow, however, and a rudder-post -arose a few inches above the level of the deck at the -stern. In length she was about thirty feet and in -breadth about ten. There was a few feet of deck space -at the bow and a few more at the stern, just enough -to accommodate a small dinghy and leave room -to pass, and it seemed just possible to walk along the -side of the boat without falling off. But the rest of -the deck was monopolized by a cabin, or, more properly, -house, some eight feet high. This was painted -a dazzling white, while the two doors and the six -one-sash windows which faced them were trimmed -with green. The top of the house seemed to be something -between a promenade deck and a roof-garden. -There was a railing about it and it was covered with -a faded red-and-white canvas awning. Here and -there about the edge were red flower-boxes filled with -crimson geraniums which were masses of bloom, German -ivy which was already creeping up and along -the iron railing and the white-and-green-leaved vinca -whose drooping sprays made a swaying festoon along -the top of the house. There were several green willow -chairs on the roof-deck, a small table holding -magazines and books and some bright-hued rugs beneath. -At the stern a flight of steps gave access from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -the deck below, while at the bow the house was -crowned with a small pilot-house.</p> - -<p>The windows were curtained with white dimity -and through one of the doors, which stood partly -open, they saw an engine. (“Gasolene,” murmured -Dick knowingly.) On the hull at the bow was -painted the name in bold black letters: <i>Jolly Roger</i>; -and above, from a pole at the forward end of the -roof-deck was a white flag which, when the little -breeze spread its folds, displayed the gruesome skull-and-cross-bones -in black!</p> - -<p>“Must be a pirate ship,” said Roy, and Harry -looked somewhat uneasy until she saw that the others -took it as a joke.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t she a wonder, though!” exclaimed Chub, -half in admiration and half in derision.</p> - -<p>“I think she’s perfectly lovely!” cried Harry. -“Wouldn’t it be the biggest fun to live in a boat like -that and travel all around the world?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Roy laughed, “I don’t believe I’d want -to go across the ocean in her! Still you could have -lots of fun.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you buy her?” asked Chub. “She’s -for sale, you see.”</p> - -<p>Which was true, since on the forward end of the -house was a board bearing the inscription in startlingly -large letters:</p> - -<p class="noi author">FOR SALE!<br /> -INQUIRE WITHIN<br /> -OR WITHOUT</p> - -<p>“What’s it mean by ‘without’?” asked Harry.</p> - -<p>“Without any money,” Chub suggested.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” said Dick, “it means that if the -owner isn’t inside he’s up there on top.”</p> - -<p>“He should have said ‘Inquire above or below,’ -then,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Let’s change it for him,” Chub proposed genially. -But Roy glanced at the dog and shook his head.</p> - -<p>“There’s no sense in carrying philanthropy too -far,” he answered. “We’ll let him make his own -changes.”</p> - -<p>“I wish we could see inside of it,” said Dick. “Do -you suppose he’s in there? We might say we -wanted to purchase and would like to look it over -first.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Chub. “We could tell him we -were particular about the drains. I wonder how -much land goes with it?”</p> - -<p>“Just what’s in the flower-boxes, I suppose,” answered -Roy.</p> - -<p>“Let’s call out and see if he’s at home,” whispered -Harry.</p> - -<p>“All right; you shout,” Roy said. But Harry -told him it wasn’t a lady’s place to shout.</p> - -<p>“I guess if he was at home,” remarked Dick, -“he’d been out here five minutes ago to see what the -trouble was; Snip’s been making enough racket to -wake the dead.”</p> - -<p>“Who do you suppose he is?” wondered Harry. -“And how long do you suppose he’s going to stay -here?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think,” said Chub, “that he’s a traveling -salesman for a paint factory, and this is his color -card. I think I’ll go in and order a gallon of that -old-shrimp pink.”</p> - -<p>“I think it’s painted very prettily,” murmured -Harry.</p> - -<p>“Ought to have a touch of blue, though,” said -Dick.</p> - -<p>“And orange,” Chub added. “There ought to be -more variety; it’s too—too somber as it is.” The -others laughed; all save Harry. She had advanced -across the rock until she had only to take a step to -reach the deck of the house-boat. The setter didn’t -move an inch, but he kept his eyes on her very intently.</p> - -<p>“How do you do, Mr. Red Setter?” inquired -Harry affably. The red setter flapped his tail once -or twice, feebly but good-naturedly. “Will you -kindly tell us where your master is?” For reply the -dog arose, stretched himself luxuriously, and walked -dignifiedly to the edge of the deck. Harry had no -fear of any dog that ever was born, and so she -reached forward and patted the setter’s head. He -responded by wagging his tail in a leisurely and -friendly manner and looking up into her face with a -pair of very intelligent brown eyes.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he a dear?” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“He’s a rascal, that’s what he is,” laughed Chub. -“Here he had us all scared stiff and he’s just an -amiable old Towser, after all!” And Chub started -across the rock to join Harry. But he thought better<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -of it, for the setter turned his head toward him and -growled warningly, the hair along his back standing -on end.</p> - -<p>“Well, of all the rank partiality!” cried Chub, -rejoining Dick and Roy, who were laughing at his -discomfiture.</p> - -<p>“He knows I love dogs, don’t you, you old dear?” -murmured Harry.</p> - -<p>“I love dogs myself, don’t I?” asked Chub offendedly. -“Why doesn’t he know that?”</p> - -<p>“It’s your face, Chub,” said Roy. “He has only -to look at that to see that you’re a suspicious character. -He’s a very intelligent animal, isn’t he, -Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know; ’most anybody could size Chub -up after a glance at him. Well, if we can’t see any -more, suppose we go on about our business and come -back later on when the chap’s at home? I’d sure -like to get a look inside, fellows.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, so would I!” cried Harry. “Do you suppose -that he’d invite us in if he was here?”</p> - -<p>“No,” replied Chub, somewhat disgustedly, eying -the setter in disfavor. “I’ll bet he’s a regular old -bear! A man that’ll have a dog with as suspicious -a disposition as that one isn’t going to invite us in -to see his old boat.”</p> - -<p><a href="#image14">“A Daniel come to judgment!”</a> exclaimed a deep -voice behind them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image14"> - <img src="images/image14.jpg" width="600" height="380" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_218">“‘A Daniel come to judgment!’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220-<br />221]</a></span></p> - -<p>Snip, who had ceased barking for very weariness, -broke out again frantically as the boys turned -startledly about. At the edge of the wood, a few -yards away, stood a big, brown-bearded man viewing -them solemnly with his legs apart and his hands -thrust into the pockets of a pair of yellow corduroy -trousers. I say yellow because they were possibly a -little more yellow than they were anything else, but -there were many other colors to be found on those -trousers; spots of red and blue and green, splashes of -brown and white and black, and smears of all the -variants possible. Even in his surprise and embarrassment -Chub remembered his guess that the owner -of the <i>Jolly Roger</i> was a paint salesman, and silently -congratulated himself on his acumen.</p> - -<p>I have said that the man was big, but that doesn’t -begin to convey an idea of the impression received -by Roy and Dick, Chub and Harry, as they turned -and found him there. At first glance he seemed to -them the biggest man outside of a museum. He was -tall, well above six feet, and more than correspondingly -broad, with huge muscles that indicated great -strength. He was wonderfully good looking, with -a long, straight nose, wide, brown eyes, a heavy head -of wavy brown hair and a thick brown beard trimmed -to a point. He suggested strength, health, sanity, -and kindness. And after the first instant even his -intense solemnity of countenance didn’t deceive the -campers. For there was a half-hidden twinkle in -the brown eyes. The red setter began to bark joyfully -and so for a moment the dogs had everything -their own way. Then:</p> - -<p>“Be quiet, Jack,” commanded the man, and the -setter dropped obediently to the deck and restricted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -his manifestations of delight to a frantic wagging of -his tail. Snip was not so easily controlled, but Dick -grabbed him up and muzzled him with his hand.</p> - -<p>“Well, here’s the bear,” said the man, still regarding -them solemnly. “A big brown bear ready -to eat you up. Aren’t you frightened?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Harry, “not a bit! That was just -some of Chub’s nonsense. He didn’t mean anything.”</p> - -<p>“You’re sure?” asked the man anxiously. He -had a splendid deep voice that made one almost love -him at once.</p> - -<p>“Yes, quite sure,” laughed Harry.</p> - -<p>“I am relieved,” said the man soberly. He took -his hands from his pockets and came toward them -with long, easy steps which showed that, in spite of -his size, he was far more graceful than many a -smaller man. “So you’d like to see inside the bear’s -den, would you?” he asked. “Well, come along -then, ladies and gentlemen; this way to the grand -salon.”</p> - -<p>They followed him on to the boat, Harry, Dick, -Roy, and Chub, Chub still looking a trifle abashed -and keeping to the rear. Their guide led them along -the side of the house to the space at the rear, threw -open a door and bowed them in. They found themselves -in a little room about ten feet square. The -sunlight streamed through the two windows on the -island side and cast a golden glow over the apartment. -It was furnished with a table, which still held -the remains of a meal, two chairs, a large easel holding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -a clean canvas, a high stand bearing a huge paint-box, -brushes, knives, and tubes, and a green bench. -There was a cupboard built against the wall in one -corner, a pile of canvases under the table and a few -pictures between the windows.</p> - -<p>“This is the workroom,” explained the host. “Not -lavishly furnished, you see.”</p> - -<p>No one answered. What they were all wondering -was, how on earth the man managed to move around -in that tiny room without upsetting the easel or the -table! Perhaps he surmised their thoughts, for:</p> - -<p>“Rather a small den for a big bear, isn’t it?” he -laughed, showing a set of big white teeth through his -beard.</p> - -<p>“It’s very nice,” murmured Harry. “Do you -make pictures?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’m a painter,” he answered, as he opened -another door.</p> - -<p>“Told you he was!” whispered Chub to Roy, and -received a scathing glance in reply.</p> - -<p>Out of the living-room was a tiny kitchen with an -oil-stove, cupboards for dishes and food, a sink, and, -in short, all the requirements for housekeeping. -Harry went into raptures over the place, and the -boys agreed that it was “just about all right.” On -the other side of the kitchen, or the “galley,” as -their host termed it, was a small engine-room with a -twenty horse-power gasolene engine. That interested -Dick, and he had to know all about it before he -would consent to go on. The man explained smilingly, -obligingly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It’s a fairish engine, I guess,” he said, “but -I’m free to confess that I don’t understand it and -never shall. Engines and machinery are beyond me. -I start it going and if it wants to it keeps on. If it -doesn’t want to it stops. And I stay there until it -gets ready to go again. It’s stopped now, as it happens. -That’s why I’m here.”</p> - -<p>From the engine-room he conducted them on deck -and then through a door near the bow. Here was a -narrow entry crossing the boat, opening on one side -into a bedroom and on the other into a sitting-room. -The bedroom was simply and comfortably furnished -and had a real brass bedstead in it. The sitting-room -was very cozy and inviting, and was the largest -room of all. There were two windows on each side -and one looking over the bow. A queer circular iron -stairway popped straight upward to the pilot-house -above. There was a window-seat along the front containing -some comfortable leather cushions—the sort a -fellow isn’t afraid of soiling—a table in the center, -three comfortable chairs, a bookcase half full of volumes -and holding a bowl of geraniums, a talking-machine -which pointed its horn threateningly toward -the front window as though ready to be fired at any -moment, and, to Harry’s delighted approval, a big, -gray Angora cat asleep on the window-seat.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he a perfect beauty,” cried Harry, falling -on her knees beside him. “Oh, I never felt such -long, silky hair! Dick, maybe you’d better put -Snip outside. You know he sometimes chases cats -that he isn’t acquainted with.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dick, who still held the excited Snip in his arms, -turned toward the door but his host stopped him.</p> - -<p>“Put him down, put him down,” he said. “Let -him get acquainted with my family. The cat won’t -hurt him, and if he wants to tackle the cat—well, I -believe in letting folks fight their own battles. It’s -good for them. Beastie, observe the fox-terrier. Behave -yourself, now. You, too, Jack.”</p> - -<p>Snip was set at liberty. Approaching Beastie cautiously -he gave one experimental bark. Beastie only -blinked at him. Whereupon Snip paid no more attention -to the cat, but proceeded to make friends with -the red setter.</p> - -<p>“I don’t use this room much,” said their host as -they sat down at his invitation, “so I fancy it -doesn’t look very well. I’m a poor housekeeper. -Well, boys, what do you think of the bear’s den?”</p> - -<p>“It’s just swell!” answered Chub earnestly. “I -shouldn’t think you’d want to sell it, sir.”</p> - -<p>“No,” murmured Roy and Dick.</p> - -<p>“Had it four years,” said the painter, “and been -all around in it. Besides, it’s too big for comfort. -Two rooms are all I need. So I’ll sell when I get a -chance. But I’ve been trying to get rid of the thing -for over a year and haven’t done it yet.”</p> - -<p>“Wish I could buy it,” said Dick seriously. “I -suppose, though, it would be worth a lot of money, -sir?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it, my boy! You can have it to-morrow -for a thousand dollars. It cost me just -short of three, engine and all. But I’ll sell it cheap.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -It’s in the best of condition, too; nothing run down—except -the engine.” He chuckled. “Or I’ll take -the engine out and you can have the boat for fifteen -hundred! Want to buy?”</p> - -<p>Dick shook his head ruefully. “I’d like to,” he -said, “but I guess I couldn’t find that much money -right now.”</p> - -<p>“Well, when you do you let me know and maybe -the boat will still be waiting for you. Cole’s my -name, Forbes Cole, and ‘New York City’ will reach -me any time. You see, I began to lose interest in -this boat when I’d worked out the last combination -in color on her. How do you like the way she’s -painted now?”</p> - -<p>“Very nice,” answered Dick, after an appreciable -pause.</p> - -<p>Mr. Cole burst into a bellow of deep laughter.</p> - -<p>“Don’t care for it, eh? Well, you should have -seen her two years ago; she was worth while then. I -had her in Roman stripes. Beginning at the water -line, she was blue, white, orange, cerise, purple, and -pale green; stripes about six inches broad. Well, she -attracted a lot of attention that summer. Folks -thought I was crazy.” And he chuckled enjoyably, -his brown eyes twinkling. “Then, the year before, -I had the hull all bright green and the house burnt-orange. -But I didn’t care much for that myself; it -was a bit too plain.”</p> - -<p>The boys laughed.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to stay here long?” asked Roy -politely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ask the engine,” replied the artist, “ask the engine. -I give her a few turns every morning. If she -starts, why, I go on; if she doesn’t I stay. It’s -simple enough. Saves me the bother of deciding, too. -But I’ve never stopped just here before, and it looks -as though I might find some paintable bits around. -Where am I, by the way? Is this a private island -I’m hitched to? Any law against trespassing?”</p> - -<p>“It’s Fox Island,” answered Roy, “and it belongs -to Doctor Emery, Miss Harriet Emery’s father.” -He nodded toward Harry. “He is principal of -Ferry Hill School which is just across there on the -hill. I don’t believe he would mind your staying -here as long as you—as long as your engine likes.”</p> - -<p>“Do you boys go to school there?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that is, Chub and I have just graduated and -Dick has another year of it. We three are camping -out here, and Harry comes over every day. It’s -pretty good fun.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but it would be more fun in a boat like -this,” said Dick. “I’m going to have one some day, -you bet!”</p> - -<p>“So’m I,” said Harry, lifting her face from -where it had been buried in Beastie’s silken coat. -“And I’m going to travel all around in it, Japan, -Greece, Africa, Venice, Holland—everywhere!”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cole laughed again until Chub wondered why -the windows didn’t fall out.</p> - -<p>“Bless me,” said the artist, “you’re adventurous -for a young lady, Miss—er—Emery! I’ll have to -sell the <i>Roger</i> to you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Roy says,” remarked Chub, “that you ought to -have your sign read: ‘Inquire above or below.’ We -wanted to change it for you,” he added audaciously, -“only we didn’t like the look of the dog.”</p> - -<p>“‘Above or below,’ eh? Ho, that’s not bad, boys, -that’s not bad! I’ll do it, I’ll change it myself. -‘Above or below,’ eh? Yes, yes, that’s a splendid -idea. Folks will think I’m dead, maybe.”</p> - -<p>“Roy meant,” began Harry anxiously, “that—”</p> - -<p>“Don’t tell me,” interrupted Mr. Cole. “It might -spoil it. Now, where’s this camp of yours, boys?”</p> - -<p>Roy explained and told him that they would like -very much to have him come and see them.</p> - -<p>“Of course I’ll come,” answered the artist heartily. -“And you come and see me, any time. If I’m -at work, why, here’s some books and there’s the -ready-made music.” He pointed to the talking-machine. -“You can’t disturb me, so come around whenever -you like while I’m here. And we’ll have a -dinner-party some time, maybe, when I get some provisions -in.”</p> - -<p>They made their adieus, their host accompanying -them to land and shaking them each by the hand -with a pressure that made them gasp. Jack, too, followed, -wagging his tail in friendly farewell, and -Beastie stood at the doorway and blinked benevolently.</p> - -<p>“You needn’t be afraid of Jack the next time,” -said Mr. Cole. “He knows you now. Good-by, -good-by. Come again. The bear’s den is always -open, and if I’m not here make yourselves at home.” -He waved one big brown hand in farewell as they -passed around the point.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 458px;"> -<a id="image15"> - <img src="images/image15.jpg" width="458" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption">Harry</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230-<br />231]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Isn’t he jolly?” exclaimed Dick when they were -out of his hearing.</p> - -<p>“Bully,” said Dick.</p> - -<p>“He’s all right,” added Chub. “Nothing stuck-up -about him. I knew an artist chap at home once and -he was a chump. Always talking about when he -studied in Rome. I asked him once if he meant -Rome, Georgia, and he got all het up about it.”</p> - -<p>They went back to camp by way of Point Harriet -and Billy Noon’s camping place, but, as usual, Billy -wasn’t at home.</p> - -<p>“If people keep on coming here,” said Roy, “we’ll -have a regular village pretty soon. Already the -population has increased fifty per cent. That’s -pretty near the record, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“We ought to establish a form of government,” -said Chub. “I’ll be mayor.”</p> - -<p>“You’re too modest,” replied Roy. “You ought -to try and fight against it, Chub.”</p> - -<p>“It’s no use,” Chub sighed. “I was born that -way. Lots of folks have spoken about it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t care who’s mayor,” said Dick, “if -I can be chief of police.”</p> - -<p>When they got back to camp Dick remarked casually: -“This would be a dandy afternoon to do a little -painting, wouldn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and it would be a dandy afternoon to do no -painting at all,” answered Chub. “Let’s go out in -the launch and bum around up and down the river.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -Let’s go over to Coleville and make faces at Hammond. -By the way, I wonder if Mr. Cole comes -from Coleville.”</p> - -<p>Dick finally allowed himself to be persuaded that -it would do them more good to take a sail than to -paint, and so they all four piled into the <i>Pup</i> and, as -Chub put it, went barking around for an hour or -more, Harry serenely happy at being allowed to take -the wheel and steer, Snip fast asleep in her lap. -Harry reverted to the subject of the birthday party -that they were to give her and begged them not to -forget to invite the Licensed Poet.</p> - -<p>“We won’t,” said Chub. “And, say, why not ask -the Floating Artist, too?”</p> - -<p>“That’ll be lovely!” cried Harry, laughingly. -“A Licensed Poet and a Floating Artist for supper!”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” answered Dick, “but I’d -rather have a Broiled Beefsteak.”</p> - -<p>“I have an idea,” remarked Chub, “that the Licensed -Poet won’t be able to accept.”</p> - -<p>“Why?” demanded Harry anxiously.</p> - -<p>“I think he’s going to be busy Thursday night.”</p> - -<p>“Doing what?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know just what,” answered Chub -mysteriously, “but something.”</p> - -<p>And although they tried their best to make him -explain he only shook his head and frowned darkly -at the passing shore.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /> -<small>A MEETING OF FRIENDS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">It turned off quite cool that evening toward sunset, -a stiff breeze blowing up the river, snapping -the flag at the top of the pole and sending the smoke -from the stove swirling away in sudden gusts. They -lighted the camp-fire early and, although the “dining-room” -was sometimes invaded by choking gray -fumes that made them cough and set their eyes to -smarting, the warmth was grateful. Scarcely had -the things been cleared up when there came a mighty -hail from Inner Beach:</p> - -<p>“Hello, the camp!”</p> - -<p>They answered, and the big form of the Floating -Artist, as Chub insisted on calling him, arose into -sight over the bank, looking bigger than ever against -the golden haze of sunset. Jack was with him, trotting -demurely at his heels. Of course Snip was -thrown into a fit of terrible excitement and had to -dance around and bark wildly for the ensuing minute. -But at last order was restored in camp, Snip -silenced, Mr. Cole installed on an empty box that -creaked loudly whenever he moved, and Jack was -lying at Harry’s side with his head in her lap.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, you’re pretty comfortably settled here,” -said Mr. Cole. “And I suppose you’re having a -grand time.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” answered Roy, “we’ve had a good -deal of fun so far.”</p> - -<p>“Got a launch, too, I see; and a rowboat and a -canoe. Quite a navy at your command.”</p> - -<p>“The launch belongs to Dick,” said Chub. “The -canoe is mine and the skiff belongs to the school. -The launch is named the <i>Pup</i>.”</p> - -<p>“The <i>Pup</i>?” laughed their guest. “How’d you -happen to think of that?” Dick explained and the -artist was vastly amused.</p> - -<p>“Well,” he said, “if I followed your method my -boat would be called the <i>Great Silence</i>, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t the engine go yet?” asked Dick solicitously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I haven’t tried it since morning. I don’t -like to hurry it. I think, though, that I’ll stay here -a day or so. I’ve found some nice bits that I’d like -to try my hand at.”</p> - -<p>“Do you paint landscapes?” asked Harry.</p> - -<p>“Mostly, yes; figures now and then. Landscape is -my line, but I’d rather do figures; I guess it’s -human nature to always want to do something you -can’t. And that reminds me,” he turned to Harry, -“you look like an amiable young lady. Suppose, -now, you should sit for me a little while to-morrow. -What do you say? It won’t be difficult, you know. -Just sit kind of still for—hem—an hour. I’d be -awfully much obliged, really.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Sit for you?” stammered Harry. “Do you mean -that you want to <em>paint</em> me!”</p> - -<p>“Exactly. Sounds a bit alarming, does it?”</p> - -<p>“N-no,” answered Harry, “only—”</p> - -<p>“I know,” laughed the artist. “You haven’t anything -to wear. Isn’t that it?” Harry’s silence gave -assent.</p> - -<p>“Well, now, I’d like you to wear just what you’ve -got on.” He paused and eyed her critically. “Never -mind a hat. I want that glorious hair of yours, Miss -Emery. And—let me see—if you have a bit of blue -ribbon at home you might just tie it around your -waist. What do you say, now? Yes, I hope.”</p> - -<p>Harry was much too delighted to speak, but the -others mistook the emotion.</p> - -<p>“Oh, go ahead, Harry,” said Roy. “I’d like to -see a picture of you.”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” chimed in Chub. “And maybe if it’s -awfully good we’ll buy it for the camp.”</p> - -<p>“There’ll be refreshments in case you get hungry,” -said the artist smilingly. “Let me see, what -do young ladies like? Candy, of course, and—hum—pickled -limes and gingerbread.”</p> - -<p>Harry giggled nervously.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like pickled limes,” she said.</p> - -<p>“All the better, for I haven’t any. How about -gingerbread?”</p> - -<p>Harry shook her head.</p> - -<p>“No? Then it will have to be candy. I can manage -that, I guess. It’s all settled, then, is it?”</p> - -<p>“If you want me,” answered Harry shyly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Of course I do! And what time, now? Morning? -Afternoon? Morning would be better for me; -the light’s clearer. What do you say to ten to-morrow -forenoon, Miss Emery?”</p> - -<p>Harry nodded.</p> - -<p>“Very well, and thank you. I’ll expect you then -at ten o’clock. If you like you may bring one of -these young gentlemen with you, but we don’t want -a crowd, do we?”</p> - -<p>“I guess I’d rather not have any one, if it doesn’t -matter,” answered Harry.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t she tight?” cried Chub. “She’s afraid -we’ll get some of the candy! If she backs down, -Mr. Cole, I’ll sit for you any time.”</p> - -<p>“Ho, ho!” laughed the artist. “You like candy, -too, do you? Well, there’ll be enough for all. The -rest of you can happen around when the sitting’s -over.”</p> - -<p>There was a noise in the woods and Billy Noon -appeared and joined the circle around the fire. As -he came into the light the artist exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“Well, well! Where’d you come from, Noon?”</p> - -<p><a href="#image16">Chub turned in time to see Billy press a finger -swiftly against his lips.</a></p> - -<p>“Eh?” said Mr. Cole. “Oh, yes—er—well, I -didn’t expect to come across you up here on this -desert island.” The two shook hands, as Billy replied:</p> - -<p>“Guess I didn’t expect to see you, sir. In your -boat, are you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, in the old <i>Jolly Roger</i>.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 496px;"> -<a id="image16"> - <img src="images/image16.jpg" width="496" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_236">“Chub turned in time to see Billy press a finger -swiftly against his lips”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238-<br />239]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I see,” said Billy as he found a seat. “You’ve -changed her name and her paint, haven’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, plenty of times since you saw her last,” was -the reply. “Let’s see, she was the <i>Ark</i>, then, wasn’t -she?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, the <i>Greased Lightning</i>.”</p> - -<p>“To be sure, so she was. That was when she was -ultramarine and sulphur yellow: Well, she’s had -many names since then, and many colors. You ought -to have seen her when she was <i>Joseph’s Coat</i>; she -was striped then with six colors and very effective. -At one place I stopped they wanted to arrest me for -disturbing the peace.” And the artist laid back his -head and laughed uproariously in his deep voice.</p> - -<p>“I saw her lying at the island this morning,” said -Billy, “and I thought that she looked something like -your boat, but the difference in the name and the -painting misled me.”</p> - -<p>“Naturally, although you ought to be able to penetrate -a disguise, Noon. I mean that you ought to -have remembered her graceful lines. I was telling -these chaps this afternoon that I wanted to get rid of -her now, for I’ve tried about every combination of -colors I can think of, and I’m running out of names -as well.”</p> - -<p>“How would the <i>Keep Mum</i> do for a name?” -asked Billy carelessly.</p> - -<p>“Eh? Oh, well, it might,” answered the artist -thoughtfully, eying Billy across the firelight. “By -the way, what are you doing now?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a bit of a boat with a sail in it, and I’m<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -going down the river in the interests of Billings’s -‘Wonders of the Deep,’” answered Billy. The artist -chuckled.</p> - -<p>“Let’s see,” he said, “the last time I saw you -you were buying old furniture, weren’t you? Ever -do any of that sort of thing now?”</p> - -<p>“I’m doing a little on the side,” was the reply. -“Had a pleasant summer, Mr. Cole?”</p> - -<p>“So far, yes, although I’ve been pretty lazy. -But then, I generally am lazy. Miss Emery here has -just consented to pose for me to-morrow. I’ve got -a little sketch in mind that ought to turn out well.” -He half closed his eyes, cocked his head on one side -and studied Harry for a moment, a proceeding which -brought the color into her cheeks and caused Chub -to grin maliciously. Billy asked the boys what they -had been doing to-day and they gave him a history -of events. Harry reminded Roy in a whisper that -they were to invite the Poet and the Artist to supper -Thursday, and Roy promptly issued the invitations. -To Chub’s surprise Billy accepted at once, as did the -artist.</p> - -<p>“It’s some time, though,” the latter added, “since -I’ve attended a birthday celebration, and I don’t -know whether I’ll behave myself.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll risk that,” laughed Dick. “It won’t be -very much of an affair, sir; just some supper here in -camp, you know. Harry’s going to hold her real -celebration at home in the afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“I see. Well, now, look here, boys! I don’t want -to upset any plans, but the fact is that I was thinking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -about having you all on board the <i>Roger</i> some -evening while I’m here. And as I don’t suppose -I’ll remain here more than two or three days, why -can’t we lump the thing and hold the celebration on -the boat? You bring your things and I’ll supply -the rest, and we can do the cooking in my galley. -Now, what do you say?”</p> - -<p>The boys hesitated, but Harry clapped her hands -in delighted approval.</p> - -<p>“That would be dandy!” she cried. “Let’s do -that, Dick! Do you mind?”</p> - -<p>“No, I think it would be very nice,” answered -Dick. And so it was arranged that on Thursday -afternoon Dick was to bring their share of the feast -to the <i>Jolly Roger</i>, and as chef, was to take charge of -the preparation of the feast. Presently Mr. Cole -rose to leave.</p> - -<p>“By the way, Noon,” he said, “you’re a sort of -Jack-of-all-trades. Know anything about gasolene -engines?”</p> - -<p>“He knows all about them, sir,” answered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Does, eh? Well, then supposing you walk back -to the boat with me and look over mine, Noon? It -hasn’t been acting quite fair lately. I don’t mind its -stopping now and then for a day or so, but it’s been -overdoing it recently; it’s been imposing on me.”</p> - -<p>So the Floating Artist and the Licensed Poet took -their departure, followed by Jack. When they were -gone Harry turned to the boys.</p> - -<p>“Why do you suppose he wants to paint me?” -she cried breathlessly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well,” answered Roy judicially, “you know -you’re not half bad looking, Harry.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw!” exclaimed Chub. “It’s a case of love -at first sight. He just wants an excuse to see her. -Oh, look at Harry’s blushes, fellows!”</p> - -<p>“I’m not blushing!” cried Harry, with a stamp -of her foot.</p> - -<p>“Oh, of course not,” answered Chub, “it’s just -the light from the fire!”</p> - -<p>“You’re terribly fickle, though,” teased Dick. -“A few days ago it was the Licensed Poet, and -now—”</p> - -<p>“Harry’s a patron of the arts,” laughed Roy. -“She won’t look at us pretty soon.”</p> - -<p>“I,” declared Chub, “shall learn to sculp.”</p> - -<p>“Learn what?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Learn to sculp; to be a sculptor, you ninny. -That’s an art, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Not the way you’d do it,” answered Roy unkindly. -“It would be a crime. Say, I thought you -said Billy wouldn’t accept for Thursday.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t say he wouldn’t accept,” Chub replied. -“I said I didn’t think he’d be able to.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the difference?” asked Dick jeeringly.</p> - -<p>“If you don’t know I shan’t tell you,” answered -Chub with intense dignity. “Come on and get the -canoe, Roy. This young artist’s model must go home -and get her beauty-sleep.”</p> - -<p>Harry, who for several minutes had been sitting -chin in hand staring into the fire, roused herself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think,” she remarked dreamily, half to herself, -“that I’ll wear the gold brooch Aunt Harriet -gave me for Christmas.”</p> - -<p>When they were getting ready for bed Dick said -suddenly:</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know who the dickens this Billy Noon -is! Where do you suppose the painter chap got to -know him?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s easy,” yawned Chub. “It was when -Billy was with the circus. Mr. Cole was the elephant.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /> -<small>HARRY SITS FOR HER PICTURE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">When Harry reached the <i>Jolly Roger</i> the next -forenoon Jack arose from his place on the -sunny deck and walked forward to meet her, wagging -his tail in cordial welcome. As she spoke to him -Mr. Cole heard her voice and put his head out of one -of the studio windows.</p> - -<p>“Good morning,” he said. “Come aboard. I’m -just getting my things ready.”</p> - -<p>From the stern of the boat she saw that -the little cedar tender was floating in the water at -the end of its painter and that the oars which lay -across the seats were still wet. Evidently the artist -had been out rowing.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to ask you to sit up top,” said Mr. -Cole, emerging from the studio with an easel tucked -under one arm and a paint-box in his hand. “It’ll -be cooler there, I guess, and the light’s better than -down here.” He led the way up the steps and Harry -followed. “Now just make yourself comfortable for -a moment, please. You’ll find that big rocker fairly -easy, and there are some magazines on the table. -I’ll be back in a minute.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p> - -<p>He swung himself down the steps in two strides, -and Harry heard him singing to himself in his mellow -bass as he moved about underneath. Obediently -she picked up a magazine from the willow table and -perched herself in the big green rocker, but it was -far more interesting to look around her than to study -the pages of the magazine. It was so pretty up here. -The bright rugs underfoot echoed the colors of the -blossoms in the boxes around the edge. The faded -awning overhead filtered the ardent sunlight to a -soft, mellow glow. Framed by the flowers and the -fluttering scallops of the canopy was a picture of -blue water aglint in the sunlight, a purple-shadowed -shore and a green hill arising to the fleece-flecked -sky. It promised to be a very warm day, but as yet -the morning breeze still stole up the river. The door -of the little pilot-house was open and Harry could -see the steering-wheel with its brass hub and rim, a -little shelf of folded charts and several gleaming -brass switches and pulls which she supposed connected -with the engine-room. At that moment -the artist climbed the stairs again, a clean creamy-white -canvas and a bunch of brushes in one hand -and a white box in the other. He handed the box to -Harry.</p> - -<p>“I pay in advance, you see,” he said smilingly.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Harry in concern, as she opened the -box and glanced at the name on the lid, “you had to -go ’way down to the Cove for this! You oughtn’t -to have done that, Mr. Cole!”</p> - -<p>“What? Why, it’s no more than a mile, I’m<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -sure; just a nice after-breakfast row. I enjoyed it, -really. But I’m afraid the candy isn’t very good. -However, you probably know what to expect; you -doubtless know all about Silver Cove confectionery.”</p> - -<p>As he talked he set up his easel at one side of the -deck, got out his palette and began to squeeze wonderful -blots of color on to it.</p> - -<p>“It’s very nice candy,” answered Harry earnestly. -“Won’t—won’t you have some?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cole glanced at his hands, the fingers of which -were already stained with paint, and hesitated. -Then:</p> - -<p>“Suppose you feed me a piece,” he said. He came -over to her and leaned down with his mouth open.</p> - -<p>“What do you like,” laughed Harry.</p> - -<p>“Oh, something with nuts in it, I guess,” he replied.</p> - -<p>“Well, I think there’s a nut in this, but I’m not -sure.” She popped a chocolate into the open mouth -and watched anxiously while he bit into it. After a -moment of suspense he nodded his head vigorously.</p> - -<p>“Right,” he said, returning to his palette. “That -was a good guess. Do you know, I think they ought -to mark the pieces that have nuts in them so we could -tell, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>Harry said she thought that was a very good plan, -the while she cuddled the big four-pound box to her -and munched happily at a nougat. It was very interesting -to see the paint come squirming out of the -tubes. Each succeeding tube was a new surprise. -She wondered why he needed so many, many colors<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -to paint her since she was all in white save for the -tan shoes and stockings and the dainty blue ribbon -at her waist. Then, as a flash of orange vermilion -joined the other mounds of color, she wondered in -consternation whether that was for her hair! Presently -the palette was set, the canvas on the easel and -all in readiness. Then the artist stood up and looked -at his model. Harry began to feel nervous. Maybe -she wasn’t as pret—well, as nice looking this morning! -Maybe he was disappointed in her! Oh, he -was, for he was frowning!</p> - -<p>“My dear child,” he said, “what have you done to -your hair?”</p> - -<p>“N-nothing,” faltered Harry. “At least, I just -put it up in a different way. Mama thought it would -look nicer. She says I always have my hair so untidy. -So I—I made it neat. Don’t you like it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed,” he answered heartily, “it looks -very nice that way, but for my purpose the other way -was the better. You know, artists are strange persons -with unaccountable tastes. I don’t suppose you -could rearrange it, could you, as you wore it yesterday?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I can; that is, I could if I had another -ribbon. I guess you wouldn’t have one, would -you?”</p> - -<p>“What kind of a ribbon?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, just any old ribbon would do; just to tie -around the end, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Well, now you run down and skirmish around. -Maybe you’ll find something. How would a ribbon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -off one of the curtains in the sitting-room do? -They’re white, but that wouldn’t matter to me.”</p> - -<p>So Harry disappeared for a few minutes, and when -she returned her beautiful coronet was gone and her -hair was once more down her back in two shimmering -red-gold braids.</p> - -<p>“That’s more like it,” said Mr. Cole. “Now, if -you’ll just sit here in this chair. That’s it. Could -you turn your head a little more toward the side? -Just make believe that you are very much interested -in something that’s going on across the river. -That’s it! Fine! Just hold it that way for a few -minutes; not too stiff, or you’ll tire the muscles. -Now the hands—there, just folded loosely in the lap. -That’s stunning! Hm!” He backed away toward -his easel, observing her through half-closed eyes. -“Now you must forgive me if I’m not very entertaining, -for I’m liable to forget my duties as host -when I get at work. But you might talk to me, if -you like, and tell me about yourself. I suppose you -have a pretty good time living at a big boys’ school -as you do?”</p> - -<p>His voice trailed off into a murmur and Harry -could hear the soft sound of the charcoal on the canvas, -although, as her head was turned away, she -could not see the rapid, deft strokes of his hand. It -wasn’t hard for Harry to talk, and here was a fine -opportunity. So she made the most of it for some -little time, the artist throwing in an occasional word -or question which, if not always especially apropos, -encouraged the sitter to continue. But finally Harry -noticed that the replies had ceased and so she allowed -the one-sided conversation to lapse. She was getting -rather tired of looking at the shore, across the dazzling -river, and her neck was beginning to feel stiff; -also her hands simply wouldn’t keep still in her lap. -Unconsciously she emitted a deep sigh and the man -at the easel heard it, looked up quickly, smiled, and:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 530px;"> -<a id="image17"> - <img src="images/image17.jpg" width="530" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption">Harry sitting for her portrait</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250-<br />251]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Rest, please,” he said. “Walk around a minute -and have some more candy.”</p> - -<p>“Could I see it?” asked Harry as she obeyed. But -the artist shook his head.</p> - -<p>“There’s nothing to see yet,” he replied. “You’d -be disappointed and perhaps throw up your job or -demand higher wages. Wait until the sitting’s -over.”</p> - -<p>As he talked and as Harry strolled around the -deck, not forgetting to return at frequent intervals -to the box on the table, he worked on at the canvas, -shooting little glances at her and painting rapidly.</p> - -<p>“I’m rested now,” said Harry presently. “Shall -I sit down again?”</p> - -<p>“Please, and take the same position. That’s it, -only please lean the body a little further back. Thank -you. Just a little while longer now.”</p> - -<p>Then silence fell over the <i>Jolly Roger</i> again, -broken by the movements of the painter or the lazy -stirring of Jack on the deck below. The sun crept -upward and the heat grew. After all, reflected -Harry, it wasn’t such good fun, this sitting for your -picture! She knew she would have a headache pretty -soon if he didn’t let her go. She wished Roy and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -Dick and Chub would come, as they had promised, -and set her free. She closed her tired eyes against -the blur of the sunlit water, but:</p> - -<p>“The eyes, please, Miss Emery,” said the artist. -“Thank you.”</p> - -<p>Another period of silence, and then:</p> - -<p>“There!” said Mr. Cole. “That’ll do for this -time. Would you like to see it now?”</p> - -<p>Harry stared at the canvas in bewilderment. The -picture wasn’t at all as she had expected to find it. -There she sat in a green willow chair, to be sure, and -there was the river beyond and the shore beyond -that, but the green chair had turned very dark, the -river was a radiant, magical blue and the woods on -the shore were just a lot of broad blue-green brush-strokes. -As for herself—well, it wasn’t finished yet, -as the painter reminded her, but if she looked anything -like the girl on the canvas she would be happy -for ever and ever! And if her hair was anywhere -near as beautiful as that golden-red mass she would -never be dissatisfied with it again as long as she -lived! Mr. Cole watched her amusedly as she stood -in rapt contemplation of the picture with the color -heightening in her soft cheeks. Perhaps he guessed -her thoughts, for:</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid I haven’t done full justice to my -subject,” he said, “but the next sitting will remedy -that somewhat. The detail comes later, you know. -You’re not disappointed, I trust?”</p> - -<p>“Disappointed!” breathed Harry. “I think it’s -beautiful! Only—only—” she paused, “I suppose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -artists are like photographers, aren’t they? I mean -that they sort of change things to suit themselves?”</p> - -<p>“Change things? Oh, yes, sometimes; that is, we -idealize things. What are you thinking of, the -water?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and—”</p> - -<p>“I deepened it a few shades. It throws out the -figure, you see. Observe how the white gown stands -out against it.”</p> - -<p>“Ye-es,” said Harry, “and I daresay you have to -flatter folks too, don’t you? Idealize them, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“Sometimes, but not on this occasion,” replied the -artist smilingly. Harry gave a gasp.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean,” she cried, turning to him with -wide eyes, “that I really look like that?”</p> - -<p>“Well, as near as I could do it, young lady, I put -you into that picture just as you are. I hope I -haven’t made you vain?”</p> - -<p>But Harry was looking raptly at the picture again. -Presently:</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess it’s me,” she sighed, coming out of -her trance, “for there’s my horrid little snub nose!”</p> - -<p>“A very interesting nose,” replied the artist. -“Not classic, perhaps, but human. And put there, -I fancy, for a good purpose.”</p> - -<p>“What?” asked Harry.</p> - -<p>“To keep you from getting over-vain,” was the -response. “Ah, here come your squires.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Pup</i> came chugging alongside and Dick gave -a hail. Harry and Mr. Cole went to the railing.</p> - -<p>“Come aboard,” cried the artist. “Hitch your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> -steed and come up, and let’s have your judgment on -the picture.”</p> - -<p>A moment later they were all clustered about the -canvas, emitting various exclamations of admiration. -It was Chub who finally summed up the sentiments -of the three in one terse sentence.</p> - -<p>“It’s a James Dandy!” he said emphatically.</p> - -<p>“Do you think—it looks much like me?” asked -Harry with elaborate carelessness. Chub grinned at -her.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s got your nose,” he answered.</p> - -<p>Harry’s mouth drooped until Roy cut in with an -indignant: “Don’t you mind him, Harry. It’s a -bully likeness. I’d know it anywhere!”</p> - -<p>“So would I,” said Dick. “Chub’s just teasing.” -And Chub owned up that he was.</p> - -<p>“Say, don’t you love the colors, though?” asked -Roy eagerly. “Why, that blue looks good enough -to eat!” He turned toward the artist with a new -respect. “I guess you’re a cracker-jack, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’re all too flattering,” laughed Mr. Cole. -“You’ll never make art critics of yourselves unless -you restrain your enthusiasm. I will acknowledge, -though, that I’ve been rather successful with this; -it’s one of the best figure studies I’ve ever done; -and much of my success has been due to my subject -who proved quite a model model, if I may use such -an expression.”</p> - -<p>Harry smiled shyly and recollecting the candy, -passed it around.</p> - -<p>“Me, I don’t care for any,” said Chub as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -scooped up a handful. Then they sat down and had -a nice cozy talk up there on the roof-deck, and ate -candy to their hearts’—or rather their stomachs’—content. -Presently Chub asked:</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t it funny, Mr. Cole, that you should meet -Billy Noon here?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, it was,” was the answer. “Still, -Noon’s the sort of a chap that you’re likely to come -across in strange places and when you least expect -to.”</p> - -<p>“Have you known him long?” asked Chub in politely -conversational tones. The artist suppressed a -smile.</p> - -<p>“For several years,” he replied.</p> - -<p>“He seems to have tried all sorts of trades,” continued -Chub, nothing daunted. “He says he’s been -a dentist, a clown in a circus, a sleight-of-hand performer, -a ventriloquist, a—a—”</p> - -<p>“Book agent,” prompted Dick.</p> - -<p>“Engineer,” supplied Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Chub went on, “and a poet.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed,” laughed the artist, “I’d never heard -of that. How did you find that out?”</p> - -<p>So Chub told him about the missing bread and -butter and the verses substituted, about the fish and -the poem written on birch bark, and so worked -around to Billy’s experience with the Great Indian -Chief Medicine Company.</p> - -<p>“Well, he’s tried his hand at lots of things,” said -Mr. Cole, “and strangely enough he does everything -well. I haven’t any doubt but that if I could persuade<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -Noon to take the <i>Roger</i> to sell for me he’d find -a buyer inside of a week.”</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t you?” asked Dick. The artist shook -his head.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid not,” he answered. “He’s a pretty -busy person.”</p> - -<p>“But I should think it would pay him better than -selling books,” Chub insisted. Mr. Cole smiled mysteriously.</p> - -<p>“Noon’s book-selling is a bigger thing than you -think,” he replied.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /> -<small>THE STORM</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">“Chub!</p> - -<p>“<em>Chub!!</em></p> - -<p>“CHU-U-UB!!!”</p> - -<p>“Eh?” asked Chub drowsily.</p> - -<p>“Get up; it’s after eight o’clock,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“Pull the bedclothes off of him,” counseled a -voice outside the tent which Chub, just dropping -back to slumber, recognized as belonging to Dick.</p> - -<p>“Can’t,” Roy answered. “He’s kicked them on -to the floor. Chub, you lazy duffer, get up! Do you -hear? We’re eating breakfast.”</p> - -<p>“Then it’s too late,” murmured Chub serenely. -“Call me before lunch.”</p> - -<p>“He won’t get up, Dick,” announced Roy. -“You’d better come.”</p> - -<p>“No!” yelled the tardy one, jumping as though a -yellow-jacket had wandered into bed with him. “I’m -up, Dick, honest! Ain’t I, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“You’re half up,” was the answer. “I want to -see you all up before I leave.”</p> - -<p>“All right.” Chub stretched his arms above his -head, yawned and stumbled to his feet. “What time -did you say it was?”</p> - -<p>“About ten minutes after eight.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Phew! Don’t it get late early? I did sleep, -didn’t I? Go ahead and eat, Roy, I’ll be out in two -shakes of a lamb’s tail. My, but I’m sleepy! Say, -what time was it when we got to bed last night, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“A little after eleven.”</p> - -<p>“Is that all? I thought it must have been about -one. These parties are very unsettling affairs. Say, -but wasn’t Billy funny with his imitations?”</p> - -<p>“He surely was,” answered Roy, smiling reminiscently. -“We had a lot of fun, didn’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Well, rather! And can’t that Floating Artist -sing, what? Say, if I had a voice like that I’d never -do a lick of work!”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t noticed that you are killing yourself -with labor,” answered Roy as he moved toward the -door of the tent. Chub reached for a shoe, but Roy -was gone before he got his hand on it. So he sat -down again on the side of his bunk and thought of -some of the funny things that Billy Noon had said -last evening and grinned and chuckled all to himself -until a little breeze came frolicking in through the -door bringing a fragrant aroma of coffee. Then Chub -came back to earth and tumbled feverishly into his -clothes.</p> - -<p>Harry was to sit again for the Floating Artist at -ten o’clock and so was not coming over to the camp -for breakfast. Besides, as to-morrow was Thursday, -Harry had much to do in regard to her birthday -party at the Cottage, and Fox Island was not likely -to see much of her before Thursday evening at seven,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -at which hour the celebration on board the <i>Jolly -Roger</i> was to commence. After breakfast Dick made -a bee-line for his paint-pots and brushes, and it took -all Chub’s and Roy’s diplomacy to restrain him from -going to work again on the <i>Pup</i>.</p> - -<p>“Honest, Dick,” said Chub, “there’s too much to -do to-day and to-morrow for us to start messing with -paint. Wait until after Harry’s birthday, like a -good chap.”</p> - -<p>“What is there to do to-day?” demanded Dick.</p> - -<p>“Why,” answered Chub, “we—er—why, we’ve -got to go to the Cove to buy provisions for one thing, -and—”</p> - -<p>“We can get those to-morrow just as well.”</p> - -<p>“But think of the time it will take to finish that -painting,” begged Roy. “We’ve got to find another -rock and lug it out there first.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and there’ll be only you and Roy to do the -painting,” said Chub, “because I’ll have to sit on -the gunwale to heel her over so as you can reach the -bottom; and that means an all-day job.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, if you fellows don’t want to help,” said -Dick with dignity, “I guess I can get it done somehow.”</p> - -<p>“But we do want to help,” answered Chub -eagerly. “That’s just it, don’t you see? That’s -why we want you to wait until we can all take a hand -at it. When Harry’s here, you see, I can paint too, -because she will do the heavyweight act for us.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, thunder!” muttered Dick, half laughing, -half scowling, “you fellows are a pair of squealers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -that’s what you are! Hang it, I’ll never get the -launch finished!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you will,” said Chub soothingly. “Besides, -what if you don’t? I should think you’d be -proud to have the only half-and-half boat on the -Hudson River!”</p> - -<p>They went in bathing instead, managing to kill the -better part of two hours in that occupation. They -didn’t go far up Inner Beach for fear of disturbing -Mr. Cole, who, with Harry, was plainly to be seen on -the roof-deck of the house-boat. But about noon, -having dressed themselves, they walked up there. -The sitting was over and the picture practically finished, -although the artist explained that there was a -little more to be done to it.</p> - -<p>“But he doesn’t want me to sit any more,” said -Harry, almost regretfully.</p> - -<p>“No, that isn’t necessary,” replied Mr. Cole. -“The rest can be done any time.”</p> - -<p>“If I had money enough I’d buy that picture,” -declared Chub. “I think it’s dandy. I suppose you -get a good deal for one like that?”</p> - -<p>“Well, that won’t be sold, I guess. If it should, -though, I’d want about three hundred for it.”</p> - -<p>Chub’s eyes hung out of his head.</p> - -<p>“Three hundred!” he gasped. Then, fearing that -the artist would think him discourteous, he added: -“I—I guess that’s pretty reasonable.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cole laughed. “Well, I don’t think it exorbitant,” -he said. “I’ve seen a much smaller canvas -than that sell for four thousand.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Guess I’ll be an artist,” said Chub with a helpless -shake of his head. “Want to give me lessons, -sir?”</p> - -<p>“Hardly,” was the reply. “I don’t think you -would ever make a Sargent or a Chase; do you?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” answered Chub with assurance. “If I -learned how I could make them.”</p> - -<p>When the rest had stopped laughing Roy said:</p> - -<p>“We’re going to Silver Cove after dinner, Mr. -Cole, and we thought maybe you’d like to come -along and have a sail in the <i>Pup</i>.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to first rate,” said the artist, “but I’m -going to be busy this afternoon. I’m sorry. Perhaps -you’ll let me come some other time, boys.” -They assured him that they would be glad to have -him whenever it suited him to go, and then they took -their departure, Harry accompanying them after a -final look at the picture.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Dick as they walked back to camp -along the beach, “I suppose you’re feeling pretty -stuck-up, Harry, since you’ve had your picture -painted by a real artist.”</p> - -<p>“And a Floating Artist at that,” added Chub. -But Harry shook her head soberly.</p> - -<p>“It must be beautiful,” she said softly and wistfully, -“to be able to paint pictures like that!”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” agreed Chub vigorously. “I used -to think that an artist chap must be a sort of a sissy; -I knew one once: I told you about him, remember? -I never thought that sitting down and painting pictures -of things on pieces of canvas was a decent job<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -for a full-grown man. But I do now, by jove! A -chap must have a whole lot of—of <em>goodness</em>, don’t -you think, fellows, to do a thing like that picture of -Harry?”</p> - -<p>“I should think so,” answered Roy. “Painting a -thing like that seems to me like composing a wonderful -poem or writing a fine piece of music, eh?”</p> - -<p>“You bet!” said Chub. “But I’d rather be a -painter than a poet any old day.”</p> - -<p>“You’re like Harry,” laughed Dick. “She prefers -painters to poets, too, nowadays.”</p> - -<p>“Harry’s fickle,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>But Harry seemed to be in a strangely chastened -mood and paid no heed to their insinuations. After -dinner they took her across to the Ferry Hill landing -in the canoe. A pile of big purple clouds had formed -in the west above the distant hills and already the -thunder was muttering along the horizon and flashes -of lightning were appearing behind the ragged edges -of the clouds.</p> - -<p>“We’re going to get that sure,” said Dick, who -was the weather-wise member of the party. “You’d -better hurry back, you fellows.”</p> - -<p>They did, sending the canoe up-stream with long -racing strokes of the paddles. But already the big -drops were popping down upon the leaves and a little -wind was moaning through the woods as they -landed.</p> - -<p>“No launch sail this afternoon,” said Dick aggrievedly.</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Roy. “It’s the tent for us, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -guess. Wish there was something to do besides play -cards and read.”</p> - -<p>“We can write letters,” suggested Chub virtuously, -and the others laughed consumedly.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what, fellows,” said Dick a moment -later, while they were tightening the guy-ropes -around the tent. “Mr. Cole told us to come over -there whenever we wanted to. Let’s go now. Shall -we?”</p> - -<p>“He said he was going to be busy, didn’t he?” -asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but he said before that we wouldn’t bother -him. Let’s go!” And Chub tossed his cap into the -tent, ready for a dash along the beach.</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Roy. “We can keep quiet and -read. I saw some dandy books there the other day.”</p> - -<p>“Last man there’s a chump!” bawled Chub as, -having already taken a good lead, he darted off -toward the beach. The others followed and the three -raced along in the rain, which was now coming down -in torrents, and reached the <i>Jolly Roger</i> side by side. -A door was thrown open and the smiling face of the -artist greeted them.</p> - -<p>“In with you!” he cried to an accompaniment of -delighted barks from Jack, and they found themselves -in the studio, panting and laughing and dripping. -“Just in time,” said their host as he put his -weight against the door and swung it shut. As if in -explanation, a sudden gust of wind burst against the -boat, making the windows rattle in their frames and -the timbers creak. With the wind came a blinding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> -wall of rain that darkened the little room as though -sudden twilight had fallen. The great drops ran -down the panes in tiny rivulets and on the island -side it was impossible to see a thing. The sound of -wind and rain was for a moment deafening. Then -the wind died down for a moment and a mighty -crash of thunder sent Jack cowering to his master.</p> - -<p>“Glad I’m on the leeward side of this island of -yours,” said the artist. “It must be pretty rough on -the other side.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” exclaimed Chub. “The tent, fellows!”</p> - -<p>They looked at each other in consternation. Then -Dick whistled, Roy smiled, and Chub burst into a -peal of laughter.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet a hat it’s gone home,” he said. “The -wind would just about carry it toward the boat-house.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, maybe it hasn’t any more than blown -down,” said Dick. “We made those ropes good and -tight. I’ll bet our things will be good and soppy, -though.”</p> - -<p>“And I left my bag open!” mourned Chub.</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s no use in worrying,” said Mr. Cole -cheerfully. “Get your wet coats off, boys. You don’t -want to catch cold!”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid we’re disturbing you,” said Roy -glancing at a canvas on the easel.</p> - -<p>“Not you, the storm,” was the answer. “I can’t -work in this light. Suppose we go forward to the -sitting-room and make ourselves comfortable?”</p> - -<p>He led the way through the engine-room, remarking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> -as they passed the engine: “Noon fixed her up -for me the other day and I guess she’s all ready to -move on when I am.” In the sitting-room Chub went -to a window on the river side.</p> - -<p>“Gee,” he exclaimed, “I never saw the Inner -Channel cutting up like this! Come, look, Roy.”</p> - -<p>It certainly did look tempestuous. The shore was -almost hidden in the smother of rain. The river -which an hour before had been like a mill-pond, was -a gray-green waste of tumbling waves.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t care to go out there in the canoe -now,” said Roy.</p> - -<p>“We might have some music,” observed Mr. Cole, -“but I don’t believe we could much more than hear -it.” As though to prove the truth of his assertion -there came a dazzling flash of lightning and a burst -of thunder that shook the boat until the china danced -on the kitchen shelves.</p> - -<p>“<em>Thunder!</em>” exclaimed Chub involuntarily.</p> - -<p>“And lightning,” added Dick.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Mr. Cole, “find seats, boys, and be -as comfortable as you can. This can’t last very long; -it’s too severe. As long as the cables hold us to the -shore we’re all right.”</p> - -<p>Roy and Dick settled themselves on the window-seat, -but for Chub the seething expanse of troubled -water held a fascination and he remained at the window -watching. Jack had crawled between his master’s -knees and placed his head in his lap, trembling -and glancing about affrightedly.</p> - -<p>“Poor old boy,” said the artist, patting the dog’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -head, “thunder just about scares him to death, -doesn’t it, Jack?”</p> - -<p>At that instant there was a sharp cry from Chub, -and as the others sprang to their feet he turned a -pale, excited face toward them.</p> - -<p>“Look!” he cried. “There! <a href="#image18">It’s a boat bottom-up -with a man clinging to it!</a> Can you see?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” they answered, and for a moment they -were silent while the wind and rain roared outside and -the capsized boat tossed heavily between the waves.</p> - -<p>“The wind will drive him on shore if he can hold -on,” said Roy. But there was little conviction in his -tones.</p> - -<p>“Not with that current,” answered Chub hoarsely. -“He’s going down-stream fast. When I first saw -him he was fifty yards further up.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t you a boat?” demanded Dick eagerly -of Mr. Cole.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied that gentleman calmly and -thoughtfully, “but it’s just a cockle-shell and hard -to row. There’s no use in thinking of that.”</p> - -<p>“But we can’t let him drown!” cried Chub.</p> - -<p>“No,” answered the artist. “We can’t do that. -One of you look in the locker in the engine-room and -bring me the coil of rope you’ll find there.”</p> - -<p>Roy darted away in obedience.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p>“Swim out to him,” was the reply. Mr. Cole was -already shedding his outer clothes. “Do you know -who he is?”</p> - -<p>They shook their heads.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image18"> - <img src="images/image18.jpg" width="600" height="357" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_266">“‘It’s a boat bottom-up with a man clinging to it!’”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268-<br />269]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I can’t see,” said Chub. “But he’s having a -hard time staying there, I can tell that. The waves -are going over him every minute. Do you think you -can get to him, sir? Wouldn’t you like me to go -along? I’m a pretty fairish swimmer, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Let me go!” cried Roy, hurrying back with the -big coil of half-inch rope. But Mr. Cole shook his -head as he took the rope and tied it under his armpits.</p> - -<p>“One’s enough,” he answered. “You keep this -end of the rope and when you think best—haul in -hard.” He took a final look out of the window at the -tossing boat and went to the door and flung it open. -The wind and rain burst in upon them, making them -gasp. Mr. Cole turned to Dick.</p> - -<p>“Hold the dog,” he shouted. “He may try to follow. -Pay out the rope as long as you can, boys. If -it won’t reach, let go of it and I’ll try to make the -end of the island. All right.”</p> - -<p>He raised his arms and plunged far out into the -tossing water.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a><br /> -<small>THE RESCUE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">There was a moment of suspense for those on -the deck of the house-boat. Then a brown head -arose from the water fully twenty feet away, and a -powerful arm followed it, and with long, swift -strokes the artist headed toward the overturned boat -on his mission of rescue. His task was not a difficult -one for a good swimmer, as he at once proved himself, -as long as he was going with the wind behind -him and the current partly in his favor. The water -was terribly rough, but as he swam low anyhow, with -his face under the surface more than half the time, -that didn’t matter very much. The difficult work -would begin when, with the rescued man in tow, he -faced wind and current to regain the island.</p> - -<p>The boys watched eagerly and silently. Dick had -shut Jack inside the cabin and his dismal howls arose -above the roar of the wind. Roy, with the coil of -rope in his hand, fought his way to the bow, for the -capsized boat had already drifted past them and it -was a question whether the rope would prove long -enough. The rain had almost ceased, but the wind -still blew violently, although here, in the lee of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -island, it was less intense than it was out in the -channel.</p> - -<p>“Wonder how long the rope is,” said Chub anxiously -as he looked at the lessening coil on the deck. -Roy shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Too short, I’m afraid,” he answered. “Can you -see him now?” Chub answered no, but Dick pointed -him out, a darker speck on the dark, tossing water, -almost up to the boat. Boat and swimmer, borne by -the current, which was always strong in the narrow -inner channel, had passed the center of the island -and in another moment or two would be abreast of -the camp.</p> - -<p>“Let’s get off of here,” cried Dick, “and go on -down the beach. That rope will never reach from -here.”</p> - -<p>It was true, for already the last coil passed into -Roy’s hands.</p> - -<p>“Is he there yet?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No, twenty feet this side, I’d say,” shouted Dick, -who had climbed part way up the steps to the roof-deck. -“If we go down the beach, though, the rope -will be plenty long enough.”</p> - -<p>But there remained but a scant five feet of rope -and to reach the shore without letting go of it would -necessitate hauling it in.</p> - -<p>“We ought to have done it before,” muttered -Chub. But Dick was equal to the emergency.</p> - -<p>“Here,” he cried, “let me have it.”</p> - -<p>He took a turn with it about his waist and, just as -he was, minus only his coat, he jumped off the stern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> -of the boat, swam two or three strokes and then, finding -his feet, stumbled up the beach where Roy and -Chub had hurried around to reach him.</p> - -<p>“Don’t feel much wetter than I did before,” he -said as they hurried along in the teeth of the wind, -pulling in the slack of the rope. In another moment -Roy gave a cry and began to pull hard.</p> - -<p>“He’s got him,” he said. “Lend a hand and pull -like anything!”</p> - -<p>They did, but presently the rope grew taut and -came very unwillingly. With two men at the other -end and wind and tide both striving to defeat them -it was a veritable tug-of-war. But foot by foot the -line came in, wet and dripping, as the three boys dug -their heels into the yielding sand and put weight and -muscle into the task.</p> - -<p>“There they are,” muttered Dick in a moment. -“I can see them. They’re almost into the calm -water.”</p> - -<p>And then the rope came easier, and presently, with -Chub and Roy still pulling, Dick sprang out, floundered -to his armpits, and relieved the artist of his -limp burden. In another moment the rescued man -lay on the sand above the water and the artist was -throwing off the rope with hurrying fingers. His -face was white and his breath came in gasps. But -the boys were staring in amazement at the upturned -face on the beach.</p> - -<p>“Billy Noon!” cried Chub.</p> - -<p>“Is he drowned?” asked Roy in a trembling voice.</p> - -<p>“No, he’s alive,” answered the artist, “but we’ve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -got to get him to the boat. Who’ll give me a hand -with him?”</p> - -<p>“Here,” said Dick, “you let us take him, Mr. -Cole. You’ve done enough. He isn’t heavy.”</p> - -<p>But he was, for his clothes were sodden with water; -and the wind buffeted them at every step. Mr. Cole -bore his share of the burden and in a few moments -they laid him on the floor of the studio. Pillows from -the bedroom were hurriedly brought and the limp -body was turned over on them, face downward, while -coat and shirt were torn away and the artist’s strong -hands manipulated the body. There proved to be -but little water in the lungs and so they turned Billy -over on his back and placed one of the pillows under -his head. Then Roy pumped the arms up and down -as he had learned to do in the foot-ball field while the -artist massaged the upper part of the body until the -flesh began to glow. The ashen hue of the lips disappeared -and a faint spot of color came into each -cheek. The breathing, which had been faint and -labored, became strong and regular. Mr. Cole -brought a flask and pressed a few spoonfuls of spirits -between the lips. Then they finished undressing him -and all took a hand at bringing warmth back to the -chilled body. In another moment the eyelids flickered -and opened. Billy looked weakly at Mr. Cole -and closed his eyes again.</p> - -<p>“He’s all right,” said the artist heartily.</p> - -<p>And Billy proved it by saying something, the sense -of which no one gathered, and trying to sit up.</p> - -<p>“Here, you stay where you are for a minute,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -commanded the artist. He brought a big dressing-gown -and they rolled Billy up in it. Then they carried -him into the bedroom and laid him on the bed, -covering him with blankets until Chub feared that -they’d go to the other extreme and smother him to -death.</p> - -<p>“Now you go to sleep,” said Mr. Cole, and Billy -obeyed like a sleepy child. The others returned to -the sitting-room where Jack went into spasms of delight -over the return of his master.</p> - -<p>“That’ll do, old fellow,” said the artist, sinking -into a chair. “Now you boys had better get dry. I -don’t want you to catch cold. You,” he added to -Dick, “look as though you’d been in the water yourself.”</p> - -<p>They explained the reason and he insisted that Dick -should take off his wet garments and dry himself.</p> - -<p>“I will if you will,” answered Dick.</p> - -<p>“Eh? Well, that’s so,” laughed the artist. “I’m -not very dry myself, am I? But I’m warm enough, -goodness knows. However, it’s a bargain. We’ll -get some blankets and towels and go to the studio. -I guess the storm’s about over, from the looks.”</p> - -<p>And, sure enough, the clouds were breaking and -there was even a suggestion of watery sunshine on -the opposite hills. The wind had lessened and was -now blowing steadily, like a well-behaved westerly -gale. Mr. Cole and Dick disappeared and the others -found their coats and put them on.</p> - -<p>“What do you suppose happened to Billy Noon?” -asked Chub.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think he was capsized,” answered Roy.</p> - -<p>“Smart, aren’t you? I mean, how do you suppose -it happened?”</p> - -<p>“Search me,” Roy replied. “I thought Billy was -a good sailor. I guess we’ll know about after he gets -awake. Say, Mr. Cole’s about all right, isn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“You bet!” said Chub heartily. “And he’s a -dandy swimmer.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go and look at the camp,” Roy suggested -presently. “We might as well know the worst.”</p> - -<p>So they went, and half way up the beach the sun -came forth with a sudden dazzling burst of splendor, -lighting the tossing waves and glinting the windows -of the school buildings across on the slope of the hill. -Evidences of the storm were plentiful. Broken -branches strewed the edge of the wood and the -beach grass was flattened down. When they left the -beach and came in sight of the camp they gave a -shout of surprise and delight. The tent was just as -they had left it. Inside, however, things were pretty -wet.</p> - -<p>“Don’t see how we can sleep here to-night,” said -Roy, feeling the bedding. But Chub was gazing ruefully -at his bag which had been left open. He took -it outside and spread the contents in the sunlight, -such of them as would not blow away. The contents -of the larder were in pretty good shape, since ’most -everything was kept in tin boxes or pails. Suddenly -Chub uttered an exclamation and ran to the beach. -Then he gave a sigh of relief. For once the canoe -had been left in the cove instead of on Inner Beach,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -and the worst that the storm had been able to do was -to hurl it up against the bank, where, save for a few -deep scratches, Chub found it undamaged. The <i>Pup</i> -was pretty filled with water and had dragged her -anchor until she had buried her nose in the sand. -The rowboat, which had been left on Inner Beach, -had utterly disappeared.</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s joined Billy’s cat-boat,” said Chub. -“Maybe we’ll find it, though.”</p> - -<p>They spread the bedding and such of their clothing -as had got wet out of doors, and trudged back to the -<i>Jolly Roger</i>, Roy remarking on the way that there -wouldn’t be much difficulty now in finding firewood. -It was after five o’clock by this time. They -found Billy, wrapped in a blanket, sitting in a chair -in the sitting-room. He had just started his account -of the afternoon’s adventures as they came in.</p> - -<p>“I had been up the river a couple of miles on business,” -Billy was saying. “When I got back to my -boat I noticed some clouds over in the west but didn’t -think much about them. I’d gone about half a mile -or so, with almost no wind, when I saw that I was in -for a squall. I turned and headed for the shore, but -the squall struck before I was half way there and so -suddenly that I had only started to drop the sail. -The <i>Minerva</i> went over like a ninepin. I thought -she’d float on her side; thought the sail would keep -her up; but the canvas must have dropped as she -went over, for she just stuck her mast straight down, -and the best thing I could find to lay hold of was the -center-board. It wasn’t so bad for a while, and I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -thought we’d be driven ashore about a mile up here. -But the current got us then and the waves began -breaking right over me. I was just about half -drowned in five minutes. I remember seeing the end -of the island come abreast of me, and after that I -guess I didn’t know anything. Of course, I’m -eternally grateful to you, Mr. Cole; I can’t begin to -thank you enough. I guess I’d have let go in another -minute or so; and I never cared much for -drowning. Besides, there’s a rather important matter -to be settled up before I leave.”</p> - -<p>“Well, all’s well that ends well,” said the artist -heartily. “Now I’ll go and see what there is in the -kitchen for five hungry men.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’re not going to stay to supper,” Dick -protested.</p> - -<p>But Mr. Cole contradicted him flatly.</p> - -<p>“There’s no use trying to get anything at your -camp,” he said. “Why, you haven’t any dry wood, -for one thing. You stay right where you are. There -may not be much of a variety to be had, but I guess -there’ll be enough.”</p> - -<p>And there was, and they had a very merry meal, -although Billy was rather more quiet than usual. -After supper Mr. Cole asked how the boys had found -their camp, and it ended with their camping out on -the <i>Jolly Roger</i> for the night, Billy sharing Mr. -Cole’s bed and the three boys occupying the window-seat -and a bunk on the floor in the sitting-room.</p> - -<p>They awoke late, to find the sun pouring in at the -windows and Nature looking as pleasant and tranquil<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -as though yesterday’s storm had never been. -The first thing after breakfast was to search for the -lost boats, and at half-past nine the three boys and -Billy set out in the <i>Pup</i>. The rowboat was soon located -a few hundred yards below the Ferry Hill -landing and taken in tow. But the <i>Minerva</i> failed -to reveal herself for some time.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” said Billy, “she may have sunk, although -I don’t quite see how she could.”</p> - -<p>“I hope not,” said Roy. “Did you have much in -her?” Billy shook his head.</p> - -<p>“No, not much. Just a few clothes and a few -books and the can of mushrooms. I guess I’ll never -eat those mushrooms,” he added sadly. Fate proved -kind, after all, for they came on the runaway boat -about a mile below Silver Cove, stranded in a little -natural harbor. They returned to the Cove and Billy -went off to find some one to rescue his craft while the -others started on a shopping tour. They had lots of -things to buy for Harry’s birthday supper, for besides -their own list Mr. Cole had asked them to bring -back supplies for the <i>Jolly Roger</i>. It was over an -hour before the last purchase had been made. And -then, when everything had been stowed aboard the -<i>Pup</i>, Chub announced the fact that they had neglected -to stop at the post-office for their mail. So, -while they waited for Billy Noon, he went back uptown. -When he returned he wore a long face.</p> - -<p>“Bad news?” asked Roy anxiously. Chub nodded.</p> - -<p>“I got a letter from dad,” he answered. “He says -I must come home.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p> - -<p>“How soon?” asked Dick after a moment of sorrowful -silence.</p> - -<p>“This week, he says, and here it is Thursday already. -The letter was written Monday.”</p> - -<p>“By Jove, that’s too bad,” said Roy. “I wonder -what made him change his mind.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know what it means,” said Chub disgustedly. -“It means that he can’t find any one to play -golf with him, and so he sends for me. He doesn’t -mind breaking up <em>my</em> fun.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess that settles camp,” said Roy. -“Were there any other letters, Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I beg your pardon, Dick. There’s one -for you, from your father.” He took it out of his -pocket and handed it across. Dick opened it and ran -his eyes quickly down the single sheet of paper.</p> - -<p>“Me too!” he cried. “Dad says he’s coming -across and I’m to meet him in New York. He sailed -three days after he wrote, and he wrote on Saturday -week. He’s on his way now, then, and ought to be -here next Tuesday.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess we’ll shut up camp,” laughed Roy.</p> - -<p>“It’s mighty mean, though,” said Chub. “Why, -we haven’t been here a month yet!”</p> - -<p>“Look here, though,” Roy said. “There’s no use -in spoiling Harry’s fun to-day. So we won’t say -anything about it until to-morrow, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Right you are,” Chub replied. “It’s her birthday -and she ought to be allowed to enjoy it. I suppose -I’ll have to leave Saturday morning. How -about you, Dickums?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I might as well go then, too.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll all go down Saturday morning on the -eleven o’clock,” said Roy. “That’ll give us to-morrow -to pack up and get ready. Well, we’ve had a -bully good time, haven’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” answered Chub and Dick in unison.</p> - -<p>“But I wish there was going to be more of it; -that’s all,” added Dick.</p> - -<p>“Why not?” asked Roy. “There’s next summer, -you know.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so! Will you come up? Will you, -Chub?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Roy, and Chub echoed him. Dick -looked more cheerful. “That’s the ticket!” he said -joyfully. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you fellows -again until I got to—to college.”</p> - -<p>“<em>What?</em>” cried the others. Dick nodded sheepishly.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been thinking about it,” he answered. “I -guess I’ll try, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“Bully for you!” Chub cried, clapping him on the -back. “We’ll make a man of you yet, Dickums!”</p> - -<p>At that moment Billy Noon returned, reporting -success, and jumped aboard to be taken back to the -island. Mr. Cole had offered him hospitality until -his cat-boat was restored to him and had placed the -tender at his services. Dick started the engine and -the <i>Pup</i> barked her way back to the island. The boys -were rather thoughtful, although the prospect of -meeting again the next summer had taken away the -sting of present parting. Billy, too, was unusually<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> -silent, and the trip was a quiet one indeed for the -<i>Pup</i>. The artist appeared on the after deck of the -<i>Jolly Roger</i> as they approached and waved a handful -of brushes at them.</p> - -<p>“What luck?” he roared.</p> - -<p>“Found them both,” answered Dick. The <i>Pup</i> -sidled up to the house-boat and they put off Billy and -the groceries.</p> - -<p>“Everything’s there,” said Dick. “And I’ll -come around about four o’clock and get to work.”</p> - -<p>As they rounded School Point on their way to the -anchorage they sighed regretfully as the camp came -into view. The white tent in the green clearing had -never looked so homelike and so attractive as then.</p> - -<p>At four Dick, dressed in his best camp attire, went -over to the <i>Jolly Roger</i> to enter upon his duties as -chef and caterer. Chub and Roy got into the crimson -canoe and went for a paddle, realizing that it might -be the last one they would take together in those -waters.</p> - -<p>“I won’t have much time to crate this canoe to-morrow,” -said Chub.</p> - -<p>“I’d forgotten about that,” Roy replied. “It -seems funny to think that we’re pulling out of here -for keeps, doesn’t it? And Dick will have to get the -<i>Pup</i> stored somewhere, I guess, until he comes back -in the fall.”</p> - -<p>“Johnson, the fellow who has his ice-boat, will look -after it for him, I guess. He will have to take her -down to-morrow. Hello, there goes Billy.”</p> - -<p>A half mile above them the artist’s little cedar<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span> -tender was bobbing its way across the inner channel, -Billy Noon alone in it.</p> - -<p>“He’s a mystery, that fellow,” observed Roy -thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but I’ll bet we’ll know more about him by -to-morrow,” said Chub.</p> - -<p>“Why to-morrow?”</p> - -<p>“Because to-day’s Thursday.”</p> - -<p>“Say, you know something, I’ll bet. Out with it, -Chub.”</p> - -<p>“No.” Chub shook his head. “No, I don’t know -anything—for sure; I just suspect.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you suspect?”</p> - -<p>Chub thought a moment. Then, “I don’t know,” -he answered with a grin.</p> - -<p>“You’re an idiot,” said Roy good-naturedly. -“Come on, let’s go back to the landing and get -Harry. It must be nearly time.”</p> - -<p>Harry, however, was late, and it was well past six -before she came scampering down the path. She had -on a brand new dimity dress—white, it was, sprinkled -with little yellow rosebuds—and her cheeks were -very pink.</p> - -<p>“Merry Christmas!” called Chub.</p> - -<p>“Happy New Year!” added Roy as she stepped -into the canoe.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ve had the loveliest things!” said Harry, -fighting for breath. “Mama gave me this; see?” -She held forth the little gold necklace which encircled -her throat. “And papa—he gave me something -perfectly beautiful! I’ll tell you about it later.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -And Aunt Harriet—” her face fell a little—“sent -me a dandy work-box made of ivory and all—all—oh, -deary, I’ve forgotten it!”</p> - -<p>“Forgotten what?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“The word. It’s something about Arabs.”</p> - -<p>“What word is it?”</p> - -<p>“Why, what papa said. He said the box was ara—ara—”</p> - -<p>“Arabesqued?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s it! All arabesqued with silver. It’s -splendid!”</p> - -<p>“What else did you get?” Chub inquired.</p> - -<p>“Oh, lots of little things from the girls; two handkerchiefs, -a book, a sachet bag and something else; I -don’t know what it’s for yet; I’ll have to ask, I -guess.”</p> - -<p>Roy and Chub laughed.</p> - -<p>“And what’s that you’re holding on to so -tightly?” asked Chub. Harry glanced at the folded -paper in her hand and smiled happily.</p> - -<p>“That’s what papa gave me,” she replied. “It’s -very important.”</p> - -<p>“It looks it,” Chub agreed. “It looks like a will. -Maybe it’s the long-lost will, Roy, leaving us the old -farm and the family plate.”</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t,” laughed Harry. “But—but you’re -warm.”</p> - -<p>“That’s no joke,” answered Chub as he wiped -the perspiration from his brow. “But what is it, -Harry?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not going to tell you until supper.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, very well.”</p> - -<p>Roy gave a shout and Dick and the artist appeared -on the deck of the <i>Jolly Roger</i>.</p> - -<p>“Many happy returns, Miss Emery!” called the -latter as the boys lifted their paddles and let the -canoe glide up alongside the stern.</p> - -<p>“Me, too!” called Dick.</p> - -<p>“Is supper ready?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“It will be in five minutes,” Dick answered. -“Come on and help lay the table, Chub.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a><br /> -<small>ABOARD THE <i>JOLLY ROGER</i></small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">The artist held out his hand gallantly and Harry -stepped on to the <i>Jolly Roger</i> with all the impressiveness -of a queen disembarking from a royal -barge.</p> - -<p>“This way, if you please,” said Mr. Cole, holding -open the studio door. They all trooped in and Harry -gave a little cry of surprise and delight. On the -easel, with a broad shaft of sunlight across it, stood -a small canvas. The others echoed Harry’s exclamation. -For there were two Harrys present, one gazing -with shining eyes at the canvas, and one gazing smilingly -back at her. Mr. Cole had copied the head and -shoulders from the sketch for which Harry had -posed, and in the lower right-hand corner were -painted the words “To Harriet Emery with the artist’s -homage.” Then followed the date and the signature: -“F. Cole,” and for once Harry didn’t mind -being called Harriet.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s—it’s lovely!” she sighed. “Do you—do -you really mean that it’s for me?”</p> - -<p>“I really do,” answered Mr. Cole. “But there’s -a string to it.”</p> - -<p>“Wh-what?” faltered Harry anxiously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You’ll have to leave it with me until to-morrow -at least, for I only finished it an hour ago and the -paint is still wet.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s nothing,” she answered vastly relieved. -“And—and I can’t tell you how much I -thank you.” Then, in spite of the fact that she had -been sixteen for several hours, which, as every one -knows, is quite grown up, she impulsively threw her -arms about the artist and hugged him. And Mr. -Cole stood it beautifully!</p> - -<p>“And now,” cried Harry, blushing a little, “I’ve -got something to show you all. Look! You take it, -Roy.”</p> - -<p>She held out the folded paper which she had kept -tightly clutched in her hand and Roy took it. He -looked it over.</p> - -<p>“Shall I read it?” he asked.</p> - -<p>Harry nodded vehemently. Roy unfolded it and -began to read.</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s a deed!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“Yes!”</p> - -<p>“And—and—why, say, Harry, that’s great!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come,” said Chub impatiently. “Let us into -it!”</p> - -<p>“Papa has given me the island!” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“The isl—you mean <em>this</em> island, Fox Island?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he’s given it to me—forever—and my ‘heirs -and signs—’”</p> - -<p>“<em>As</em>signs,” corrected Roy.</p> - -<p>“And—and it’s all my owntiest own!” ended -Harry happily.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, that <em>is</em> great!” cried Chub.</p> - -<p>“And some day I’m going to live on it,” declared -Harry. “And I’ll invite you all to come and visit -me.”</p> - -<p>“And we all hereby accept,” laughed Mr. Cole. -“Well, I suppose I shall have to begin and pay you -wharfage after to-day.”</p> - -<p>“And I guess we’ll have to pay you rent,” -laughed Dick.</p> - -<p>“No, you won’t,” answered Harry. “But isn’t it -fine to have an island all of your own? Oh, I’ve -always wanted to own an island.”</p> - -<p>“So have I,” answered the artist, “but no one has -ever insisted on giving me one, and I’ve never been -able to make up my mind which particular island I -wanted to buy. Well, and now how about supper, -Mr. Dick?”</p> - -<p>“Ready as soon as we finish setting the table.”</p> - -<p>“Let me do it!” Harry begged.</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” answered Dick. “You’re to stay out -until it’s all ready.”</p> - -<p>“Where are we going to eat?” asked Chub, looking -anxiously about for the table which had disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Forward, in the sitting-room,” answered Mr. -Cole. “There’s more room there, and it’s pleasanter. -You and I, Miss Emery, will take a stroll on -deck until they’re ready for us.”</p> - -<p>And so Harry and her host went up to the roof-deck -and watched the sun setting behind the western -hills, and Harry told about her birthday luncheon at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span> -the Cottage, and the big cake with its sixteen pink -candles, and—</p> - -<p>“Oh!” she cried, halting in the midst of her narrative, -“I ought to have brought some of the cake for -you!”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s just as well,” said Mr. Cole, “because—er—well, -you see, there’s another cake! I believe -it was to be a surprise, but I didn’t want you to feel -bad about not bringing any of the other, you see. -Perhaps you won’t mind just <em>seeming</em> a little surprised -when you go in?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no” laughed Harry, “not a bit. That’ll be -fun, won’t it? They won’t know that I knew anything -about it!”</p> - -<p>And they never did, for when, presently, they were -summoned to supper, and Harry entered the sitting-room -on Mr. Cole’s arm, she simulated astonishment -so perfectly that the boys howled with glee.</p> - -<p>“Why,” exclaimed Harry, “I was never so surprised—!”</p> - -<p>The cake—it wasn’t a very big one, nor, as events -proved, a very excellent one—sat in the center of the -round table, the sixteen flames from the sixteen -little pink candles making sixteen little points of -rosy flame in the glow of the late sunlight. There -were five places set and one of them, to which Harry -was ceremoniously conducted, was piled with packages.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Harry. <a href="#image19">And this time she was genuinely -surprised</a>, and her eyes grew large as she looked -from the packages to the merry watching faces. Then -the candle flames grew suddenly blurred for her and -a tear stole down one side of her nose.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a id="image19"> - <img src="images/image19.jpg" width="600" height="422" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_288">“And this time she was genuinely surprised”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290-<br />291]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Chub in distress.</p> - -<p>“Every one’s much too nice to me,” sniffed -Harry, searching for her handkerchief. (Of -course she didn’t have one and so had to borrow -Roy’s.)</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” said Roy cheerfully. “Don’t cry, -Harry.”</p> - -<p>“I’m n-not cr-crying,” answered Harry from behind -the folds of the handkerchief. “I’m ju-just -blowing my n-nose!”</p> - -<p>Every one laughed then and sat down with much -scraping of chairs, and Harry, smiling apologetically, -opened her packages. There was a pair of silver links -for the cuffs of her shirt-waist from Roy, a little gold -bar pin from Dick, a Ferry Hill pin from Chub -(Harry had lost hers a month before), and a volume -of Whittier’s poems from Billy Noon.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Harry distressfully, when she reached -the last present, “I’d forgotten him! Isn’t he -coming?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered the artist. “He begged me to -make his excuses and tell you that he was very sorry -he couldn’t be present. He has a rather important -piece of business on hand for this evening, I believe.”</p> - -<p>Chub looked triumphantly at Roy and Dick with -an “I-told-you-so” expression. But it was quite lost, -for they were watching Harry’s face as she read the -lines which the Licensed Poet had written on the fly-leaf -of the book.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Aren’t they beautiful?” she sighed finally, looking -about the table.</p> - -<p>“We don’t know,” laughed Roy. “Suppose you -read them to us?”</p> - -<p>But Harry shyly pushed the book to Mr. Cole.</p> - -<p>“You do it, please,” she said.</p> - -<p>“Very well,” answered the artist. “Here they are”:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="noic">TO MISS EMERY</p> - -<p class="noi works">ON HER SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY</p> -</div> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Accept, I pray, this little book,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">For in it, if you will but look,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">You’ll find lines sweet enough, ’tis true,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To have been written just for you.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Were I a poet I would write<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Words fair enough to meet your sight;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But as it is, ’twill have to suit<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To make this book my substitute<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">In hope that, as you read, it may<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Arrange its lines in magic way<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Until you find before your sight<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The Birthday Poem I’d fain write!<br /></span> -<div class="padr2">Sincerely yours,<br /></div> -<div class="right smcap">William Noon.<br /></div> -</div></div> - -<p>“Oh, but I think that’s just too sweet for anything,” -cried Harry. “It’s—it’s perfectly dandy! -And I think it’s too bad he can’t be here.” The -others echoed both sentiments. Then Harry deposited -her presents in a place of safety and the feast -began, much to Chub’s satisfaction, for that youth -declared that he was rapidly starving to death. I’m<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span> -not going to even attempt to do justice to that banquet, -but you may rest assured that the five persons -around the table did. The sun sank lower and lower, -and the golden glow faded from the quiet surface of -the river. Lamps were lighted and the shades pulled -across the little windows. The cake was cut, Harry -declaring that never had she dreamed of having two -birthday cakes in one day, and Chub convulsed the -table by surreptitiously concealing a pink candle in -Roy’s slice and causing his chum to leave the room -precipitately.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t mad, are you?” asked Chub when Roy -returned.</p> - -<p>“Not if I get another piece of cake without any -filling,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“I was afraid you’d wax wroth,” said Chub. For -that he was captured by Roy and Dick and made to -apologize to the assemblage, Mr. Cole encouraging -them to administer any punishment they saw fit. The -dessert finished—there was ice-cream in two flavors, -cake, fruit, and candy—the table was hurriedly -cleared and moved back to the studio and Mr. Cole -started the talking-machine. The first selection was, -as Mr. Cole announced, Handel’s “Sweet Bird,” -sung by Madame Melba. The audience listened very -closely and politely, the artist watching them with -twinkling eyes. When it was finished he asked them -how they liked it. Harry was quite enthusiastic, -Roy said it was splendid, Dick said it was very -pretty, and Chub merely strove to look appreciative -and didn’t succeed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well,” said Mr. Cole, “since you like classic -music we’ll have some more. I was afraid you -wouldn’t care for it.”</p> - -<p>Chub winked soberly at Roy, their host having -turned his back to select a new record, and Dick -fidgeted in his chair.</p> - -<p>“I think you’ll like this one immensely,” said Mr. -Cole, clasping his hands on his breast and looking -dreamily at the ceiling. The machine began to play -and suddenly some one with an inimitable negro pronunciation -launched forth into “Bill Simmons.” -The surprise depicted on the faces of his audience -was too much for Mr. Cole’s gravity and he laid his -head back and for a moment drowned the music with -his mellow laughter. There was no more classic music -that evening; in fact, the cabinet seemed to be devoted -principally to the other sort; for almost an -hour the machine poured forth songs and instrumental -selections that wrought the audience to the -wildest enthusiasm. When they knew a song they -joined in and helped the talking-machine, Mr. Cole -almost raising the roof when he let himself out. Then -Chub had a brilliant idea, the rug was taken up, the -furniture moved out and they had a dance. Of -course Harry was in great demand and she went -from Roy to Chub and from Chub to Dick and from -Dick to Mr. Cole with scarcely a pause. But even -without Harry for a partner it was still possible to -dance and the evolutions of Mr. Cole and Chub, -clasped in each other’s arms was well worth a long -journey to witness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span></p> - -<p>Perhaps that is what Billy Noon thought when at -about half-past nine he peeked through one of the -windows after having made fast his boat, for he -smiled broadly as he looked. Then he went to the -door and knocked. Dick, who was nearest, threw it -open and Billy walked in.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Noon!” cried Mr. Cole, pausing in the -dance. “Is that you? What luck?”</p> - -<p>“Good,” answered Billy smilingly as he laid down -his hat and seated himself beside it on the window-seat.</p> - -<p>“Then you got them?”</p> - -<p>“All three.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you!” said the artist heartily. “Where -are they?”</p> - -<p>“Silver Cove. Brady has them. We’re going -down on the midnight. I brought your boat back -and thought I’d stop a minute and say good-by.”</p> - -<p>“Are you going away?” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I must go now,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“I’m so sorry,” said Harry. “And I want to -thank you a thousand times for your present and the -poem you wrote for me. I think it’s perfectly beautiful, -Mr. Noon.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you liked it,” answered Billy, looking -pleased.</p> - -<p>“Are you going away to-night?” asked Chub.</p> - -<p>“Yes, we’re taking the midnight train for New -York.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, there’s some one with you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Billy, with a slight smile, “I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span> -have four others with me now.” Chub frowned, -while Dick and Roy and Harry looked perplexed. -The atmosphere of mystery grew heavier every moment.</p> - -<p>“Are they all—book agents?” faltered Harry. -Mr. Cole broke into a laugh.</p> - -<p>“You’d better let me show you up in your true -colors, Noon,” he said. Billy smiled.</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess there’s no harm in it now,” he -answered.</p> - -<p>Mr. Cole struck an attitude.</p> - -<p>“Miss Emery and gentlemen,” he said, “allow me -the honor of introducing to you Mr. William Noon -of the United States Secret Service!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a><br /> -<small>“UNTIL TO-MORROW”</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="cap">There was a moment of silent amazement. It -was broken by Chub.</p> - -<p>“Huh,” he grunted. “I knew you weren’t any -book agent!”</p> - -<p>“And I knew you knew it,” laughed Billy. “I’m -sorry I had to sail under false colors, but I had a difficult -job on hand and I was forced to take every precaution. -And when you say I was not a book agent -you aren’t altogether correct, for I really have been -a book agent for nearly two months this time, and -I’ve acted the same part before. As a matter of fact -I’ve taken orders for nineteen sets of Mr. Billings’ -‘Wonders of the Deep’ during my stay around -here.”</p> - -<p>“Were you trying to arrest some one?” asked -Dick eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Just that,” was the reply. “The Department -found nearly a year ago that some one was getting -out some very clever imitations of ten-dollar bank-notes -of the series of 1902. I was instructed to find -the counterfeiters and arrest them. With me was a -man named Brady. You’ve seen him.”</p> - -<p>“The man at the wharf!” cried Chub. “The fellow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span> -that helped us with the launch that day, Roy! -Remember? Isn’t that right, Mr. Noon?”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. He was watching the freight and -people that went out from Silver Cove because I discovered -finally that the counterfeit money was being -sent to New York from this point. I took up the vocation -of book agent since it provided me with an excuse -for visiting all the houses around here. About -the time you boys came to the island—I was camping -on the shore of the mainland then—we got word -from New York that a new batch of the bills had -made their appearance there. We knew that they -didn’t go by express, and satisfied ourselves that -they hadn’t gone by freight; so we concluded that -they had been taken by messenger, probably by one -of the gang itself. As it is easier to come and go unnoticed -by boat than by train we decided that the -messenger had traveled by river. For awhile I -thought that perhaps he had a small boat of some -sort and was making trips up and down in it, but -after watching closely for over two weeks I gave that -notion up. Brady found the messenger when he returned,—spotted -him the moment he put his foot off -the boat,—and followed him out of town only to -lose him finally about three miles north. Then I -took up the hunt again and finally located the outfit -in a small cabin up in the hills some four miles from -here. But we wanted to get all the evidence we -could, press, plates that the bills are printed from, -and some of the counterfeit money itself; and we -wanted to get the whole gang.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span></p> - -<p>“So we watched for awhile, Brady and I taking -turns, and found that there were only three of them. -One of them, the engraver, was an old hand and the -Department had been after him for years. He was -the one who took the money down to New York and -handed it over to a confederate there for circulation. -About two weeks ago he made another trip, and we -set men to watch him when he reached the city. He -was shadowed, his confederate marked down and we -learned that he was coming back to-day. He reached -here on the noon boat. At seven o’clock Brady and -I went up and rounded up the three of them.”</p> - -<p>“Was there fighting?” asked Chub eagerly.</p> - -<p>“No, we managed to surprise them. We got their -press, some plates, and a few counterfeit bills, -enough to convict them, I guess. We took them to the -jail at Silver Cove, and at midnight we’ll go on with -them to New York. Now you know all about it. -I’m sorry I’ve had to deceive you at times, but it’s -necessary in my business.”</p> - -<p>“Then you weren’t a clown at all?” asked Roy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I was—for awhile. And all the other -things I told you about,” answered Billy smilingly. -“In the service we have to play many parts. Well, -I must, be getting on. I was sorry I couldn’t come -to your party, Miss Emery. Perhaps, though, we -will meet again some day. I hope so. I’ve enjoyed -knowing you and these young gentlemen immensely. -It’s been real fun, and it isn’t often I manage to -combine fun with business. Good-by.”</p> - -<p>Harry shook hands with him sorrowfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I wish you weren’t going,” she said.</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” he answered. “So do I. I’ll miss -the fishing and the good times we’ve had around -your camp-fire.”</p> - -<p>“I hope we’ll meet you again,” said Chub. “It’s -been awfully jolly for us fellows, having you here.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” echoed Dick and Roy. “And I’m -very much obliged for the help you gave me with the -launch,” added the former. Billy smiled, hesitated, -and—</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a confession to make,” he answered. -“I don’t want you to think I wouldn’t have done -anything for you that I could have, but I was more -interested in that launch than you suspected. I -thought that perhaps some day I might want to use -it and use it in a hurry. And so I made up my mind -to find out just how she ran. As things turned out, -though, I had no use for her.”</p> - -<p>Dick laughed.</p> - -<p>“Well, I hadn’t suspected that,” he said, “but -you’d have been welcome to her if you’d wanted -her. And I’m just as much obliged to you.”</p> - -<p>Billy turned to Mr. Cole.</p> - -<p>“Good-by,” he said. “You and I’ll see each -other again.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we always have so far,” said the artist -heartily as he shook hands.</p> - -<p>“We’re bound to,” was the response. “I owe -you for something since yesterday, you know, and -I’ve got to pay that off. Until then, good-by.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 383px;"> -<a id="image20"> - <img src="images/image20.jpg" width="383" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_302">“Good-by”</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302-<br />303]</a></span></p> - -<p>They all followed Billy out to the deck and -watched while he jumped into the <i>Minerva</i>, which -lay with idly flapping sail beside the <i>Jolly Roger</i>.</p> - -<p>“What becomes of your boat?” asked Mr. Cole.</p> - -<p>“I sold her this morning to the chap who brought -her up for me. I’d have let her stay where she was -if it hadn’t been for the few things on board of her. -There was the can of mushrooms, you know. Brady -and I are going to have those for supper when I get -back!”</p> - -<p>He pushed off, the sail filled and the <i>Minerva</i> began -to drop down the river. Billy waved and called -a last good-by.</p> - -<p>“Good-by,” answered Mr. Cole. “And good luck.”</p> - -<p><a href="#image20">“Good-by,”</a> called Roy and Dick and Chub. -Only Harry was silent. But in a moment she was -running along the deck toward the stern.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Noon!” she cried. “Mr. Noon! You’ve -forgotten something!”</p> - -<p>There was an instant or two of silence and Harry -thought he hadn’t heard. But he had, for presently -his voice floated back to them across the water:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Good-by and good night!<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And I hope as we part<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That I float from your sight,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">But not from your heart!<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>“Bravo! Bravo!” cried the artist. And -“Good-by!” called the others. But there was no -answer from the darkness which had swallowed the -last wan gleam of the <i>Minerva’s</i> sail. They turned -back to the sitting-room.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I didn’t want him to go,” said Harry rebelliously.</p> - -<p>“I trust you’ll say the same when I’m gone,” -said Mr. Cole. “For I, too, must up sail and away -soon.”</p> - -<p>Chub glanced at Roy and the latter nodded.</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s good-by all around,” said Chub. -“Dick and I have got to go Saturday, and Roy -thinks he might as well go too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” cried Harry. “I’m so glad!”</p> - -<p>“What!” they cried in one voice.</p> - -<p>“Oh, not because you’re going, exactly,” she explained, -“but I’ve got to go too!”</p> - -<p>“You!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Aunt Harriet’s back and she wants me to -come to her the last of this week. Isn’t that horrid? -I didn’t tell you before because I thought -you’d be sorry.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the reason we didn’t tell,” laughed Roy. -“So we’re all in the same boat.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Mr. Cole, “and the boat’s name is -the <i>Jolly Roger</i>. Where do you boys go to?”</p> - -<p>“New York,” they answered.</p> - -<p>“And you?” he asked of Harry. And when she -had told him: “Well, that’s all right then. We sail -Saturday morning.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” cried Harry.</p> - -<p>“Why, that you must be my guests, Miss Emery, -the whole lot and parcel of you. I’ll get you to -New York Sunday morning, and that ought to be -soon enough for any one. You’ve never sailed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span> -under the skull and cross-bones before, I’ll wager, -and here’s your chance. So pack up your duds -to-morrow and come aboard bright and early -Saturday morning. And it’s, Hey for the pirate’s -life!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, wouldn’t that be glorious!” cried Harry. -“Do you suppose we could?”</p> - -<p>“Of course we can,” said Roy stoutly. “And -we’ll do it. And we’re awfully much obliged, Mr. -Cole. It’ll be fine!”</p> - -<p>“That’s settled then,” answered the artist. “To-morrow -we’ll get in our stores and prepare to slip -anchor.”</p> - -<p>“Bully!” cried Chub. “I’ve always wanted to -be a pirate.”</p> - -<p>“So have I,” declared Harry quite seriously. -“Oh, dear, what time is it, please, somebody?”</p> - -<p>It was after ten and Harry scurried around for -her things. Roy brought the canoe alongside and -Harry was helped into it, her precious deed and her -presents in her lap. Then Roy and Chub followed -and lifted their paddles.</p> - -<p>“Good night, Mr. Cole,” said Harry. “I’ve had -a perfectly splendid time. And I can’t tell you how -much I like my picture.”</p> - -<p>“Not nearly as much as I like the original,” answered -the artist gravely. The darkness hid Harry’s -blushes. Then:</p> - -<p>“Please be very careful of my island,” she called.</p> - -<p>“I will,” was the answer. “Until to-morrow!”</p> - -<p>“Until to-morrow!” they replied. And—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Until to-morrow!” echoed Dick as he stepped -ashore and headed toward the camp.</p> - -<p>Mr. Cole pulled his tender over the stern and then -paused at the studio door. From across the darkness -in one direction came the faint sound of voices and -the sibilant swish of the paddles. From down the -beach came the sound of a merry whistle. The artist -smiled.</p> - -<p>“‘Until to-morrow,’” he murmured. “It’s a -good world where we can say that!”</p> - -<p>He closed the door behind him, and, as he did so, -a great golden moon pushed its rim up over the edge -of the eastern hills and threw a mantle of radiant -light over Harry’s Island.</p> - - -<p class="p2 noic">THE END</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="tnote"> -<p class="noi tntitle">Transcriber’s Notes:</p> - -<p class="smfont">Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Harry's Island, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARRY'S ISLAND *** - -***** This file should be named 54909-h.htm or 54909-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/9/0/54909/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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