Part 14 (1/2)
The first mate gave the orders, ”All hands on deck! 'Tand by to det s.h.i.+p under way!” There was no ”sogerin'” aboard the Hiram Junior--that was the dory's name--while the first officer had command.
Captain Hiram, always ready to talk of the wonderful baby, told the depot master of the youngster's latest achievement, which was to get the cover off the b.u.t.ter firkin in the pantry and cover himself with b.u.t.ter from head to heel.
”Ho, ho, ho!” he roared, delightedly, ”when Sophrony caught him at it, what do you s'pose he said? Said he was playin' he was a slice of bread and was spreadin' himself. Haw! haw!”
Captain Sol laughed in sympathy.
”But he didn't mean no harm by it,” explained the proud father. ”He's got the tenderest little heart in the world. When he found his ma felt bad he bust out cryin' and said he'd sc.r.a.pe it all off again and when it come prayer time he'd tell G.o.d who did it, so He'd know 'twa'n't mother that wasted the nice b.u.t.ter. What do you think of that?”
”No use talkin', Hiram,” said the depot master, ”that's the kind of boy to have.”
”You bet you! h.e.l.lo! here's the train. On time, for a wonder. See you later, Sol. You take my advice, get married and have a boy of your own.
Nothin' like one for solid comfort.”
The train was coming and they went out to meet it. The only pa.s.senger to alight was Mr. Barzilla Wingate, whose arrival had been foretold by Bailey St.i.tt the previous evening. Barzilla was part owner of a good-sized summer hotel at Wellmouth Neck. He and the depot master were old friends.
After the train had gone Wingate and Captain Sol entered the station together. The Captain had insisted that his friend come home with him to breakfast, instead of going to the hotel. After some persuasion Barzilla agreed. So they sat down to await Issy's arrival. The depot master could not leave the station until the ”a.s.sistant” arrived.
”Well, Barzilla,” asked Captain Sol, ”what's the newest craze over to the hotel?”
”The newest,” said Wingate, with a grin, ”is automobiles.”
”Automobiles? Why, I thought 'twas baseball.”
”Baseball was last summer. We had a champions.h.i.+p team then. Yes, sir, we won out, though for a spell it looked pretty dubious. But baseball's an old story. We've had football since, and now--”
”Wait a minute! Football? Why, now I do remember. You had a football team there and--and wa'n't there somethin' queer, some sort of a--a robbery, or stealin', or swindlin' connected with it? Seems's if I'd heard somethin' like that.”
Mr. Wingate looked his friend over, winked, and asked a question.
”Sol,” he said, ”you ain't forgot how to keep a secret?”
The depot master smiled. ”I guess not,” he said.
”Well, then, I'm goin' to trust you with one. I'm goin' to tell you the whole business about that robbin'. It's all mixed up with football and millionaires and things--and it's a dead secret, the truth of it. So when I tell you it mustn't go no further.
”You see,” he went on, ”it was late into August when Peter T. was took down with the inspiration. Not that there was anything 'specially new in his bein' took. He was subject to them seizures, Peter was, and every time they broke out in a fresh place. The Old Home House itself was one of his inspirations, so was the hirin' of college waiters, the openin'
of the two 'Annex' cottages, the South Sh.o.r.e Weather Bureau, and a whole lot more. Sometimes, as in the weather-bureau foolishness, the disease left him and t'other two patients--meanin' me and Cap'n Jonadab--pretty weak in the courage, and wasted in the pocketbook; but gen'rally they turned out good, and our systems and bank accounts was more healthy than normal. One of Peter T.'s inspirations was consider'ble like typhoid fever--if you did get over it, you felt better for havin' had it.
”This time the attack was in the shape of a 'supplementary season.'
'Twas Peter's idea that shuttin' up the Old Home the fust week in September was altogether too soon.
”'What's the use of quittin',' says he, 'while there's bait left and the fish are bitin'? Why not keep her goin' through September and October?
Two or three ads--MY ads--in the papers, hintin' that the ducks and wild geese are beginnin' to keep the boarders awake by roostin' in the back yard and hollerin' at night--two or three of them, and we'll have gunners here by the regiment. Other summer hotels do it, the Wapatomac House and the rest, so why not us? It hurts my conscience to see good money gettin' past the door 'count of the ”Not at Home” sign hung on the k.n.o.b. What d'you say, partners?' says he.
”Well, we had consider'ble to say, partic'lar Cap'n Jonadab. 'Twas too risky and too expensive. Gunnin' was all right except for one thing--that is, that there wa'n't none wuth mentionin'.
”'Ducks are scurser round here than Democrats in a Vermont town-meetin',' growled the Cap'n. 'And as for geese! How long has it been since you see a goose, Barzilla?'
”'Land knows!' says I. 'I can remember as fur back as the fust time Washy Sparrow left off workin', but I can't--'