Part 21 (1/2)
”I'm as sober as you are.”
Mrs. Wilford knew that it was useless to talk to a person in his condition, and she left him to sleep off the effect of his cups if he could, after the evil deed he had done. Full of sympathy for Lawry, under his great affliction, she left the house, and hastened down to the landing, to learn, if possible, the condition of the _Woodville_. Lawry and Ethan were in the wherry, returning to the sh.o.r.e, when she reached the landing.
”Hurrah! hurrah!” shouted both of the boys, in unison, as Mrs.
Wilford came in sight.
”What now?” asked the anxious mother.
”She's safe, mother! She has not sunk,” replied Lawry.
”Where is she? I don't see her anywhere,” added Mrs. Wilford, scanning the lake in every direction.
”Over on the other side,” replied Lawry.
”What's the reason she didn't sink?” continued his mother.
”The casks kept her up, of course. We want something for breakfast and for dinner, mother, for she is so far off we can't come home till we have pumped her out, and I won't leave her again till I am sure she's all right.”
”What shall I do about the ferry, mother?” asked Lawry. ”Will Ben run the boat to-day?”
”Don't trouble yourself about the ferry, Lawry. If Benjamin won't take care of it, I will.”
”I don't want you to do it, mother.”
”I think your brother will run the boat; at any rate, you needn't give it a thought.”
Mrs. Wilford was quite as happy as the boys to find that the steamer was not at the bottom of the lake again; and she returned to the cottage with a light heart, when she had seen the wherry leave the sh.o.r.e.
From the deepest depths of despondency, if not despair, the young engineers had been raised to the highest pinnacle of hope and joy when the _Woodville_ was discovered on the other side of the lake. She had drifted in behind a point of land, and could not be seen from the ferry. They had gone out to the place where she had been anch.o.r.ed, near the Goblins; and while they were gazing down into the deep water in search of her, Ethan happened to raise his eyes and saw her on the other side of the lake. What a thrill went through his heart as he recognized her! And what a thrill he communicated to Lawry when he pointed her out to him!
”Why, the casks are all gone!” exclaimed Ethan.
”All gone!” replied Lawry.
”She must be aground,” added Ethan; ”but she sets out of water a great deal farther than when we left her.”
”We shall soon find out what the matter is,” continued Lawry. ”She is safe, and on the top of the water; that's enough for me at the present time.”
”What does this mean?” he exclaimed.
”I don't know. The water couldn't have run out of her without some help,” replied Ethan.
”I don't understand it,” added Lawry. ”The casks are all gone, and the steamer has been pumped out. Somebody must have done this work.”
”That's true,” said Ethan. ”Somebody has certainly been here.”
”There's no doubt of that; but I can't see, for the life of me, what they wanted to set her adrift for.”
”Nor I; they were good friends to pump her out for us, whoever they were. In my opinion, Mr. Sherwood knows something about this job.”