Part 11 (1/2)

”How did Harry Stanton die?” Tom asked.

The man, with a significant motion of his finger toward the lone figure of the girl, drew nearer and the boys gathered about him.

”The old gent didn' tell ye, hey?”

”Not a word.”

”Hmmm--well, Harry was summat older'n you boys, he was gettin' to be a reg'lar young man. Trouble with him was he didn' know what he wanted.

First off, he must have a horse, 'n' then he must have a boat, so th'

old man, he got him this boat. He's crusty, but he's all to the good, th' old man is.”

”You bet your life he is,” said Pee-wee.

”Well, Harry an' Benty Willis--you remember Benty, Bill--him an' Benty Willis was out in the _Nymph_--that's this here very boat. They had 'er anch.o.r.ed up a ways here, right off Cerry's Hill, an' they was out in the skiff floppin' 'round--some said fis.h.i.+n'.”

”They was bobbin' fer eels, that's wot they was doin',” said the other man.

”Well, wotever they was doin' it was night 'n' thar was a storm. An'

that's every bloomin' thing me or you or anybody else'll ever know about it. The next day Croby Risbeck up here was out fer his nets an' he come on the skiff swamped, over there off'n that point. An' near it was Benty Willis.”

”Drowned?” asked Roy.

”Drownded. He must o' tried to keep afloat by clingin' t' the skiff, but she was down to her gunnel an' wouldn' keep a cat afloat. He might o'

kep' his head out o' water a spell clingin' to it. All I know is he was drownded when he was found. Wotever become o' that skiff, Bill?”

”And what about Mr. Stanton's son?” Roy asked.

”Well, they got his hat an' his coat that he must a' thrown off an'

that's all. Th' old man 'ud never look at the launch again. He had her brought over'n' tied up right about here, an' there she stood till the floods carried her up over this here road and sot her down in the marsh.”

”Did the skiff belong with her?” Roy asked.

”Sure enough; always taggin' on behind.”

”How did they think it happened?” asked Tom.

”Wall, fer one thing, it was a rough night an' they may uv jest got swamped. But agin, it's a fact that Harry knew how to swim; he was a reg'lar water-rat. Now, what I think is this. Th' only thing 't 'd prevent that lad gettin' ash.o.r.e'd be his gettin' killed--not drowned, but _killed_.”

”You don't mean murdered?” Tom asked.

”Well, if they was swamped by the big night boat, an' he got mixed up with the paddle wheel, I don't know if ye'd call it murder, but it'd be killin', sure enough. Leastways, they never got him, an' it's my belief he was chopped up. Take a tip from me, you boys, an' look out fer the night boat, 'cause the night boat ain't a-goin' t' look out fer you.”

The girl, strolling back, put an end to their talk, but it was clear that she, too, must have been thinking of that fatal night, for her eyes were red and she seemed less vivacious.

”You must be careful,” said she, ”there are a good many accidents on the river. My father told me to tell you you'd better not do much traveling at night. I want to see you on board, and then I must go home,” she added.