Donald sailing the Sea Foam. Page 166.Donald sailing the Sea Foam.Page 166.
In the Skylark the commodore saw just where he had lost his advantage, and regretted too late that he had permitted the Sea Foam to get to windward of him; but he strained every nerve to recover his position. The wind continued to freshen, and probably both yachts would have done better with a single reef in the mainsail; but there was no time to reduce sail. As they passed Turtle Head and came out into the open bay, the white-capped waves broke over the bows,dashing the spray from stem to stern. Neither Donald nor Robert flinched a hair, or permitted a sheet to be started.
"You'll take the mast out of her, Don John," said Ned Patterdale, wiping the salt water from his face.
"If I do, I'll put in another," replied Donald. "But you can't snap that stick. The Skylark's mast will go by the board first, and then it will be time enough to look out for ours."
"You have beaten her, Don John," added Ned.
"Not yet. 'There's many a slip between the cup and the lip.'"
"But you are a quarter of a mile ahead of her, at least. It's blowing a gale, and we can't carry all this sail much longer."
"She can carry it as long as the Skylark. When she reefs, we will do the same. I want to show you what the Sea Foam's made of. She is as stiff as a line-of-battle ship."
"But look over to windward, Don John," exclaimed Ned, with evident alarm. "Isn't that a squall?"
"No; I think not. It's only a shower of rain," replied Donald. "There may be a puff of wind in it. If there is, I can touch her up."
"The Skylark has come up into the wind, and dropped her peak," added Norman, considerably excited.
But Donald kept on. In a moment more a heavy shower of rain deluged the deck of the Sea Foam. With it came a smart puff of wind, and the skipper "touched her up;" but it was over in a moment, and the yacht sped on her way towards the goal. Half an hour later she passed the Penobscot, and a gun from her saluted the victor in the exciting race. About four minutes later came the Skylark, which had lost half this time in the squall.
The heavy rain had driven nearly all the people on board of the Penobscot below, but the judges, clothed in rubber coats, kept the deck, in readiness to take the time of the rival yachts. After the squall, the weather was so thick that both of them were hidden from view. The craft not in the race had anchored near the Penobscot, and on board of all the yachts the interest in the result was most intense.
"I'm afraid it will be no race," said Sam Rodman, who was now the chairman of the judges.
"The commodore will put the Skylark through, whatever the weather," replied Frank Norwood.
"Don John will keep the Sea Foam flying as long as Bob runs the Skylark, you may depend."
"It was quite a little squall that swept across the bay just now," added Rodman. "I hope no accident has happened to them."
"I'll risk the accidents. I would give a dollar to know which one was ahead."
"Not much doubt on that point."
"I think there is. Don John generally knows what he is about. He don't very often say what he can do, but when he does, he means it."
"The commodore is too much for him."
"Perhaps he is, but I have hopes of the Sea Foam. Don John is building the Maud for me, and I have some interest in this race. I don't want a yacht that is to be beaten by everything in the fleet. If the Skylark is too much for the Sea Foam, the chance of the Maud won't be much better."
The judges discussed the merits of the two yachts for half an hour longer, and there was as much difference of opinion among them as among the rest of the spectators of the race.
"There's one of them!" shouted Frank Norwood, as the Sea Foam emerged from the cloud of mist which accompanied the rain.
"Which is it?" demanded Rodman.
"I can't make her out," replied Norwood, for the yacht was over a mile distant.
"But where is the other? One of them is getting badly beaten," added Rodman.
"That must be the Skylark we see."
"I don't believe it is. It is so thick we can't make her out, but her sails look very white. I think it is the Sea Foam."
"There's the other!" exclaimed Norwood, as the Skylark was dimly perceived in the distance.
"She is half a mile astern. It is a bad beat for one of them."
"That's so; and if it is the Sea Foam, I shall want to throw up the contract for the Maud," said Rodman.
"There is one thing about it; both of those craft are good sea boats, and if they can carry whole jib and mainsail in this blow, they are just the right kind of yachts for me. I like an able boat, even if she don't win any prizes. Give me a stiff boat before a fast one."
"I should like to have mine both stiff and fast."
"Look at the Christabel. She went round the course with a reef in the fore and main sails, and was beaten at that," added Norwood. "Here comes the head boat. It is the Skylark, as sure as you live."
"Not much, Frank. Do you see her figure-head? Is it a bird?" demanded Rodman, triumphantly.
"It isn't; that's a fact."
"That's the Sea Foam fast enough."
This was exciting news, and Sam Rodman walked rapidly to the companion-way of the Penobscot.
"Yachts in sight!" shouted he to the people below.
"Which is ahead?" asked Mr. Montague.
"The Sea Foam," replied Rodman.
"I'm so glad!" exclaimed Miss Nellie Patterdale.
Mr. Montague and Captain Patterdale only laughed, but they were sufficiently interested to go on deck in spite of the pouring rain, and they were followed by many others.
"Time!" shouted Sam Rodman, as the gun was fired.
"Four, thirty-two, ten," added Frank Norwood; and the figures were entered upon the schedule.
The Sea Foam passed the judges' yacht, came about, and went under her stern.
"The Sea Foam," shouted Donald.
Though the spectators were not all satisfied with the result, they gave three cheers to the victorious yacht, magnanimously led off by Mr. Montague himself.
"Time!" called Sam, as the Skylark came into the range of the chimney on shore.
"Four, thirty-six, twelve," said Norwood.
The Skylark came about, and passed under the stern of the Penobscot, reporting her name. The judges went below, and figured out the result, by which it appeared that the Sea Foam had beaten the Skylark, after the correction for the three inches' difference in length, by three minutes fifty-nine and four tenths seconds.
Donald was the first to come on board of the Penobscot, and was generously congratulated on his decisive victory, especially by Mr. Montague, the father of the commodore. Robert followed him soon after, and every one was curious to know what he would say and do.
"Don John, you have beaten me," exclaimed he, grasping the hand of Donald. "You have done it fairly and handsomely, and I am ready to give up the first prize to the Sea Foam."
The party in the cabin of the Penobscot heartily applauded the conduct of the commodore.
"You are very kind and generous, Bob," replied Donald, deeply moved by the magnanimity of the commodore.
"When I am whipped, I know it as well as the next man. The silver vase belongs to the Sea Foam."
"Not at all," protested Donald. "This last race was not for the vase, and you won the first one fairly."
"Of course the vase belongs to the commodore," added Rodman. "The judges have already awarded and presented the prizes."
This was the unanimous sentiment of all concerned, and Robert consented to retain the first prize.
"I say, Don John," continued the commodore, removing his wet coat and cap, "I want to have an understanding about the affair. While I own that the Skylark has been beaten, I am not so clear that the Sea Foam is the faster boat of the two."
"I think she is, commodore," laughed Donald; "though I believe I understand your position."
"We made an even thing of it till we came up with Turtle Head—didn't we?"
"Yes, that's so. If either gained anything for the moment, he lost it again," replied Donald.
"Then, if we made exactly the same time to Turtle Head, it seems to me the merits of the two boats are about the same."
"Not exactly, commodore. You forgot that the Skylark has to give time to the Sea Foam—one and three-tenths seconds per mile; or about eight seconds from here to the Head."
"That's next to nothing," laughed Robert. "But I was a length ahead of you."
"I let you gain that, so that I could go to windward of you."
"You made your first point by running nearer to the rocks than I like to go, by which you cut off a little of the distance; and inches counted in so close a race."
"That's part of the game in sailing a race."
"I know that, and it's all perfectly fair. I lost half my time when the squall came. I thought it was going to be heavier than it proved to be."
"I threw the Sea Foam up into the wind when it came," said Donald.
"But you didn't drop your peak, and I lost two minutes in doing it. Now, Don John, I can putmy finger on the four minutes by which you beat me; and I don't think there is any difference between the two yachts."
"You forget the allowance."
"That's nothing. In all future regattas the result will depend more upon the sailing than upon the boats."
"I think you are quite right, Bob; and the fellow who makes the most mistakes will lose the race. But when the Maud is done she is going to beat you right along, if she has anything like fair play," laughed Donald.
"She may if she can," replied Robert.
The reputation of Ramsay & Son, boat builders, was greatly increased by the result of the race. If Edward Patterdale was a little mortified to have it demonstrated that the Sea Foam had lost the first prize by his own want of skill and tact in sailing her, he was consoled by the fact that Commodore Montague, who had the credit of being the best skipper in Belfast, had been beaten by his yacht. When the shower was over the party went on shore, and Donald hastened to the shop to attend to business. He found that his men had done a good day's work in his absence,and he related to Kennedy all the particulars of the two races.
"It would have been a bad egg for you if you had not been present," said Kennedy, much interested in the story. "In these regattas the sailing of the yacht is half the battle, and these young fellows may ruin your reputation as a boat-builder, if you don't look out for them."
"When I heard Ned Patterdale say he was disappointed in the Sea Foam, I felt that our business was nearly ruined. I think I have done a good thing for our firm to-day."
"So you have, Donald; and when the Maud is finished, I hope you will sail her yourself in the first race she enters."
"I will, if Sam Rodman consents."
Donald paid off his men that night from the money received from Mr. Rodman. The next week he employed another hand, and worked diligently himself. Every day his mother came out to see how the work progressed, as she began to have some hope herself of the success of the firm of Ramsay & Son. Donald paid her all the fees he received for measuring yachts, and thus far this had been enough to support the family. She didnot inquire very closely into the financial affairs of the concern, and the active member of it was not very communicative; but she had unbounded confidence in him, and while he was hopeful she was satisfied.
It would be tedious to follow the young builder through all the details of his business. The frame of the Maud was all set up in due time, and then planked. By the first of August, when the vacation at the High School commenced, she was ready to be launched. All the joiner work on deck and in the cabin was completed, and had received two coats of paint. Mr. Rodman had paid a hundred dollars every week on account, which was more than Donald needed to carry on the work, and the affairs of Ramsay & Son were in a very prosperous condition.
On the day of the launch, the Yacht Club attended in a body, and all the young ladies of the High School were present. Miss Maud Rodman, with a bottle in her hand, had consented formally to give her own name to the beautiful craft. Nellie Patterdale was to be on deck with her, attended by Donald and Sam Rodman. The boarding at the end of the shop had been removed, to allow thepassage of the yacht into her future element. The ways had been laid down into the water, and well slushed. It was high tide at ten o'clock, and this hour had been chosen for the great event.
"Are you all ready, Mr. Kennedy?" asked Donald.
"All ready," replied the workman.
"Let her slide!" shouted the boat-builder.
A few smart blows with the hammers removed the dog-shores and the wedges, and the Maud began to move very slowly at first. Those on deck were obliged to stoop until the hull had passed out of the shop.
"Now stand up," said Donald, as the yacht passed the end of the shop; and he thrust a long pole, with a flag attached to the end, into the mast hole.
The boat increased her speed as she advanced, and soon struck the water with a splash.
"Now break the bottle, Maud," added Donald.
"I give this yacht the name of Maud," said Miss Rodman, in a loud tone, as she broke the bottle upon the heel of the bowsprit.
"Won't she tip over, Don John?" asked Nellie.
"Not at all; nearly all her ballast has been putinto her, and she will stand up like a queen on the water," answered Donald, proudly, as he realized that the launch was a perfect success.
Loud cheers from the crowd on shore greeted the yacht as she went into the embrace of her chosen element. The ladies waved their handkerchiefs, and the gentlemen their hats. Maud and Nellie returned the salute, and so did Sam Rodman; but Donald was too busy, just then, even to enjoy his triumph. As the hull slid off into the deep water, the boat-builder threw over the anchor, and veered out the cable till her headway was checked. The Maud rested on the water as gracefully as a swan, and the work of the day was done.
Hardly had the yacht brought up at her cable, when the Juno, in which Laud Cavendish had been laying off and on where he could see the launch, ran alongside of her.
"Keep off!" shouted Donald; "you will scrape her sides."
"No; hold on, Don John; I have a cork fender," replied Laud, as he threw his painter on board of the Maud. "Catch a turn—will you?"
"Don't let him come on board, if you can helpit," whispered Nellie Patterdale. "He is a terrible bore."
"I can help it," replied Donald, as, with a boat-hook he shoved off the bow of the Juno.
Then, for the first time, he observed that Laud had a passenger, a man whom he remembered to have seen before, though he did not think where.
"What are you about, Don John?" demanded Laud.
"Keep off, then," replied Donald. "We don't want any visitors on board yet. We are going to haul her up to the wharf at once."
"But I came off to offer the ladies a passage to the shore," said Laud.
"They don't want any passage to the shore."
"Good morning, Miss Patterdale," added Laud, as Nellie went to the rail near the Juno. "Allow me to offer you a place in this boat to convey you to the shore."
"Thank you, Mr. Cavendish; I intend to remain where I am," replied she, rather haughtily.
"I shall be happy to take you out to sail, if you will do me the honor to accompany me; and Miss Rodman, too, if she will go."
"No, I thank you; I am otherwise engaged,"answered Nellie, as she retreated to the other side of the yacht.
"I say, Donald, let me come on board," asked Laud, who was desperately bent upon improving his acquaintance with Nellie Patterdale.
"Not now; you can come on board at the wharf."
Donald was resolute, and Laud, angry at his rebuff,filedaway.
"Here is a man that wants to see you, Don John," shouted Laud, as he ran his boat up to the Maud again.
"I can't see him now," replied Donald.
Kennedy now came alongside in the skiff, bringing a warp-line from the shore, by which the Maud was hauled up to the wharf. The spectators went on board, and examined the work. Many of them crawled into the cabin and cook-room, and all of them were enthusiastic in their praise, though a few seasoned it with wholesome criticism. Some thought the cabin ought to be longer, evidently believing that it was possible to put a quart of water into a pint bottle; others thought she ought to be rigged as a schooner instead of a sloop, which was a matter of fancy with the owner; but allagreed that she was a beautiful yacht. In honor of the event, and to please the young people, Mr. Rodman had prepared a collation at his house, to which the members of the Yacht Club and others were cordially invited. Kennedy and the other men who worked on the Maud were included in the invitation, and the afternoon was to be a holiday. Laud Cavendish, who had moored the Juno and come on shore, liberally interpreted the invitation to include himself, and joined the party, though he was not a member of the club. Some people have a certain exuberance on the side of their faces, which enables them to do things which others cannot do.
"I want to see you, Don John," said Laud, as the party began to move from the wharf towards the mansion of Mr. Rodman.
"I'll see you this evening," replied Donald, who was anxious to gain a position at the side of Miss Nellie Patterdale.
"That will be too late. You saw the man in the Juno with me—didn't you?" continued Laud, proceeding to open his business.
"I saw him."
"Did you know him?"
"No; though I thought I had seen him before," replied Donald, as they walked along in the rear of the party.
"He is the man who was beaten within an inch of his life over to Lincolnville, a while ago."
"Hasbrook?"
"Yes, his name is Jacob Hasbrook."
"He was with us in the library of Captain Patterdale the day we were there, when the man had a sun-stroke."
"Was he? Well, I don't remember that. Folks say he is a big rascal, and the licking he got was no more than he deserved. He was laid up for a month after it; but now he and the sheriff are trying to find out who did it."
Donald was interested, in spite of himself, and for the time even forgot the pleasant smile of Nellie, which was a great deal for him to forget.
"Has he any idea who it was that beat him?"
"I don't know whether he has or not. He only asks questions, and don't answer any. You know I met you over to Turtle Head the morning after the affair in Lincolnville."
"I remember all about it," answered Donald.
"I saw you in the Juno afterwards. By theway, Don John, you didn't tell me how you happened to be in the Juno at that time. I don't recollect whether you had her at Turtle Head, or not. I don't think I saw her there, at any rate."
"No matter whether you did or not. Go on with your story, for we are almost to Mr. Rodman's house," replied Donald, impatiently.
"Well, after I left you, I ran over towards Saturday Cove," continued Laud. "You know where that is."
"Of course I do."
This was the place towards which Captain Shivernock had gone in the sail-boat, and where Laud had probably seen him, when he gave him the money paid for the Juno. Laud did not say that this was the time and place he had met the captain, but Donald was entirely satisfied on this point.
"From Saturday Cove I ran on the other tack over to Gilky's Harbor," added Laud.
"Did you see anybody near the cove?"
"I didn't say whether I did or not," replied Laud, after some hesitation, which confirmed Donald's belief that he had met the captain on this occasion. "Never mind that. Off Gilky's Harbor I hailed Tom Reed, who had been a-fishing.It seems that Tom told Hasbrook he saw me that forenoon, and Hasbrook has been to see me half a dozen times about it. I don't know whether he thinks I am the fellow that thrashed him, or not. He has pumped me dry about it. I happened to let on that I saw you, and Hasbrook wants to talk with you."
By this time they reached Mr. Rodman's house, and to the surprise of Donald, Laud Cavendish coolly walked into the grounds with him.
Laud Cavendish was at Donald's side when they entered the grounds of Mr. Rodman, where the tables were spread under the trees in the garden. As the collation was in honor of the launch of the Maud, of course the young boat-builder was a person of no little consequence, and being with him, Laud was permitted to enter the grounds unchallenged; but they soon separated.
Donald was disturbed by what Laud had told him, and he did not wish to answer any questions which might be put to him by Hasbrook, who was evidently working his own case, trying to ascertain who had committed the outrage upon him. He did not wish to tell whom he had seen on that Saturday forenoon, and thus violate the confidence of Captain Shivernock. But he was entirely satisfied that the captain had nothing to do with it,for he had not left his house until after the deed was done, according to the testimony of Sykes and his wife, whom he had separately interviewed. To decline to answer Hasbrook's questions, on the other hand, was to excite suspicion. He could not tell any lies about the case. If he could, it would have been easily managed; as it was, the situation was very awkward. But he had not time to think much of the matter, for one and another began to congratulate him upon the success of the launch, the fine proportions and the workmanship of the Maud. The praise of Captain Patterdale was particularly agreeable to him; but the best news he heard was that Major Norwood intended to have a yacht built for his son, and would probably give the job to Ramsay & Son.
"Well, Don John, you are a real lion," laughed Nellie Patterdale, when, at last, the young boat-builder obtained a place at her side, which had been the objective point with him since he entered the grounds.
"Better be a lion than a bear," replied Donald.
"Everybody says you have built a splendid yacht, and Maud is delighted to have it named after her."
"I think the Sea Foam ought to have been called the Nellie," added Donald.
"Pooh! I asked Ned to call her the Sea Foam."
"If I ever build a yacht on my own account, I shall certainly name her the Nellie Patterdale," continued Donald, though the remark cost him a terrible struggle.
"I thank you, Don John; but I hope you will never build one on your own account, then," answered she, with a slight blush.
"Why, wouldn't you like to have a boat named after you?" asked he, rather taken aback at her reply.
"I shouldn't like to have my whole name given to a boat. It is too long."
"O, well! Then I shall call her the Nellie."
"You are too late, Don John," laughed Laud Cavendish, who was standing within hearing distance, and who now stepped forward, raised his hat, bowed, and smirked. "I have already ordered the painter to inscribe that word on the bows and stern of the Juno, for I never liked her present name."
Nellie blushed deeper than before, but it was with anger this time, though she made no reply toLaud's impudent remark. At this moment Mr. Rodman invited the party to gather around the tables and partake of the collation.
"Will Miss Patterdale allow me to offer her my arm?" added Laud, as he thrust his elbow up before her.
"No, I thank you," she replied, walking towards the tables, but keeping at Donald's side.
The boat-builder had not the courage to offer her his arm, though some of the sons of the nabobs had done so to the ladies; but he kept at her side. Laud was desperate, for Nellie seemed to be the key of destiny to him. If he could win her heart and hand, or even her hand without the heart, his fortune would be made, and the wealth and social position of which cruel fate had thus far robbed him would be obtained. Though she snubbed him, he could not see it, and would not accept the situation. If Donald had not been there, she would not have declined his offered arm; and he regarded the boat-builder as the only obstacle in his path.
"I wish you had not invited that puppy, Don John," said Nellie, as they moved towards the tables; and there was a snap in her tones which emphasized the remark.
"I didn't invite him," replied Donald, warmly.
"He came in with you, and Mr. Rodman said you must have asked him."
"Indeed, I did not; I had no right to invite him," protested Donald.
Nellie immediately told this to the host of the occasion, and in doing so she left Donald for a moment.
"Why don't you get out of the way, Don John, when you see what I am up to?" said Laud, in a low tone, but earnestly and indignantly, as though Donald had stepped between him and the cheerful destiny in which his imagination revelled.
"What are you up to?"
"I told you before that I liked Nellie, and you are all the time coming between me and her. She would have taken my arm if you had stepped aside."
"I don't choose to step aside," added Donald.
"I want to get in there, Don John," added Laud, in a milder tone.
"Paddle your own canoe."
"You don't care anything about her."
"How do you know I don't?"
"Do you?"
"That's my affair."
"She don't care for you."
"Nor you, either."
"Perhaps not now, but I can make it all right with her," said Laud, as he twirled his colored mustache, which he probably regarded as a lady-killer. "Besides, you are not old enough to think of such things yet, Don John."
"Well, I don't think of such things yet," replied Donald, who really spoke only the truth, so far as he was consciously concerned.
"But you ought not to stick by her to-day. You are the boat-builder, and you should bestow your attentions upon Maud Rodman, after whom the yacht was named. She is the daughter of the man who gave you the job. If you will just keep away from Nellie, I can paddle my own canoe, as you say."
"Mr. Cavendish," interposed Mr. Rodman, "I believe you are not a member of the Belfast Yacht Club."
"I am not yet, but I intend to join," replied Laud.
"In the mean time, this occasion is for the members of the club and their friends; and I wishto suggest the propriety of your withdrawing, as I believe you are here without an invitation," added Mr. Rodman.
"I came with Don John," said Laud, rather startled by the plain speech of the host.
"If Don John invited you—"
"I didn't invite him, or any one else. I did not consider that I had any right to do so," protested Donald, as he walked forward and joined Nellie.
Laud could not gainsay this honest avowal; but there was no limit to his wrath at that moment, and he determined to punish the boat-builder for "going back" on him, as he regarded it.
The collation was a sumptuous one, for when Belfast nabobs do anything, they do it. The guests had good appetites, and did abundant justice to the feast. The incident of which Laud Cavendish had been the central figure caused some talk and some laughter.
"He had the impudence to say he was going to name his boat after me," said Nellie Patterdale. "He don't like the name of Juno."
"Does he own the Juno?" asked Captain Patterdale, quietly.
"I suppose he does."
"How is that, Don John?" added the captain.
"Yes, sir, he owns her; Captain Shivernock got tired of the Juno, and Laud bought her."
Captain Patterdale made a note of that piece of information, and regarded it as a clew to assist in the discovery of the tin box, which had not yet been found, though the owner and the deputy sheriff had been looking diligently for it ever since its disappearance.
"What did he pay for her?" inquired Captain Patterdale.
"Three hundred and fifty dollars," answered Donald, who hoped he would not be asked of whom Laud had bought the Juno.
The captain did not ask the question, for it seemed to be self-evident that he had purchased her of Captain Shivernock. Indeed, nothing more was said about the matter. A dance on the shaven lawn followed the collation, and the guests remained until the dews of evening began to fall. Donald walked home with Nellie, and then went to the shop. He expected to find Hasbrook there, but he had returned to Lincolnville. He saw that the sails for the Maud had been sent down duringhis absence, and on the desk lay the bill for them, enclosed in an envelope, directed to "Messrs. Ramsay & Son." While he was looking at it, Mr. Leach, the sail-maker, entered the shop. He had come to look after his money, for possibly he had not entire confidence in the financial stability of the firm.
"Have you looked over those sails, Don John?" asked Leach.
"Not yet; it is rather too dark to examine them to-night," replied Donald.
"That's the best suit of sails I ever made," added the sail-maker. "You said you wanted the best that could be had."
"I did." And Donald unrolled them. "They look like a good job."
"If they are not as good as anything that ever went on a boat, I'll make you another suit for nothing. I was in hopes you would look them over to-night. I don't want to trouble you, Don John, but I'm a little short of money. Captain Patterdale has a mortgage on my house, and I like to pay the interest on it the day it is due. You said you would let me have the money when the sails were delivered."
"And so I will."
"If they are not all right, I will make them so," added Leach. "I should like to pay the captain my interest money to-night, if I can."
"You can. I will go into the house and get the money."
Donald went to his room in the cottage, and took from their hiding-place the bills which had been paid to him by Laud Cavendish for the Juno. Without this he had not enough to pay the sail-maker. He did not like to use this money, for he was not fully satisfied that Laud would not get into trouble on account of it, or that he might not himself have some difficulty with Captain Shivernock. He feared that he should be called upon to refund this money; but Mr. Rodman would pay him another instalment of the price of the Maud in a few days, and he should then be in condition to meet any demand upon him. Laud had paid him seven fifty-dollar bills, and he put them in his pocket. As he passed through the kitchen, he lighted the lantern, and returned to the shop.
"I didn't mean to dun you up so sharp for this bill," said Leach; "but I haven't a dollar in my pocket at this minute, and I am very anxious to be punctual in the payment of my interest."
"It's all right; I had as lief pay it now as at any other time. In fact, I like to pay up as soon as the work is done," replied Donald, as he handed the sail-maker three of the fifty-dollar bills, which was the price agreed upon for the sails, five in number.
Leach looked carefully at each of the bills. All of them were quite new and fresh, and one was peculiar enough to attract the attention of any one through whose hands it might pass. It was just like the others, but at some period, not very remote in its history, it had been torn into four parts. It might have been in a sheet of note paper, torn up by some one who did not know the bill was between the leaves. It had been mended with two narrow slips of thin, white paper, extending across the length and width of the bill, like the horizontal white cross on the flag of Denmark.
"That bill has been in four pieces," said Leach, as he turned it over and examined it; "but I suppose it is good."
"If it is not, I will give you another for it," answered Donald.
"It is all here; so I think it is all right. I wonder who tore it up."
"I don't know; it was so when I took it."
"I am very much obliged to you, Don John; and the next time I make a suit of sails for you, you needn't pay me till you get ready," said the sail-maker, as he put the money in his wallet.
"I didn't pay for this suit till I got ready," laughed the boat-builder; "and when you get up another, I hope I shall be able to pay you the cash for them."
Leach left the shop a happy man; for most men are cheerful when they have plenty of money in their pocket. He was more especially happy because, being an honest man, he was able now to pay the interest on the mortgage note on the day it was due. He had worked half the night before in order to finish the sails, so that he might get the money to pay it. With a light step, therefore, he walked to the elegant mansion of Captain Patterdale, and rang the bell at the library door. There was a light in the room, which indicated that the captain was at home. He was admitted by the nabob himself, who answered his own bell at this door.
"I suppose you thought I wasn't going to pay my interest on the day it was due," said Leach, with a cheerful smile.
The Sail-maker's Bill. Page 199.The Sail-maker's Bill.Page 199.
"On the contrary, I didn't think anything at all about it," replied Captain Patterdale. "I was not even aware that your interest was due to-day."
"I came pretty near not paying it, for work has been rather slack this season; but the firm of Ramsay & Son helped me out by paying me promptly for the sails I made for the Maud."
"Ramsay & Son is a great concern," laughed the nabob.
"It pays promptly; and that's more than all of them do," added Leach, drawing his wallet from his pocket.
"I haven't your note by me, Mr. Leach," said Captain Patterdale; but he did not consider it necessary to state that the important document was at that moment in the tin box, wherever the said tin box might be. "I will give you a receipt for the amount you pay, and indorse it upon the note when I have it."
"All right, captain."
"Do you know how much the interest is? I am sure I have forgotten," added the rich man.
"I ought to know. I have had to work too hard to get the money in time to forget how much it was. It is just seventy dollars," answered Leach.
"You needn't pay it now, if you are short."
"I'm not short now. I'm flush, for which I thank Don John," said the sail-maker, as he placed two of the fifty-dollar bills on the desk, at which the captain was writing the receipt.
The uppermost of the two bills was the mended one, for Leach thought if there was any doubt in regard to this, it ought to be known at once. If the nabob would take it, the matter was settled. Captain Patterdale wrote the receipt, and did not at once glance at the money.
"There's a hundred, captain," added the sail-maker.
The rich man picked up the bills, and turned over the upper one. If he did not start, it was not because he was not surprised. He was utterly confounded when he saw that bill, and his thoughts flashed quickly through his mind. But he did not betray his thoughts or his emotions, quick as were the former, and intense as were the latter. He took up the mended bill, and looked it over several times.
"That's the white cross of Denmark," said he, suppressing his emotions.
"Isn't the bill good?" asked the sail-maker.
"Good as gold for eighty-eight cents on a dollar," replied the captain.
"Then it is not good," added Leach, who did not quite comprehend the nabob's mathematics.
"Yes, it is."
"But you say it is worth only eighty-eight cents on a dollar."
"That is all any paper dollar is worth when gold is a little rising fourteen per cent. premium. The bill is perfectly good, in spite of the white cross upon it. You want thirty dollars change."
The captain counted out this sum, and handed it to the debtor.
"If the bill isn't good, I can give you another," replied Leach, as he took the money.
"It is a good bill, and I prefer it to any other for certain reasons of my own. It has the white cross of Denmark upon it; at least, the white bars on this bill remind me of the flag of that nation."
"It's like a flag—is it?" added the sail-maker, who did not understand the rich man's allusion.
"Like the flag of Denmark. I made a voyage to Copenhagen once, and this bill reminds me of the merchant's flag, which has a couple of white bars across a red ground. Where did you say you got this bill, Mr. Leach?"
"Don John gave it to me, not half an hour ago."
"It has been torn into quarters some time, and the pieces put together again. Did Don John mend the bill himself?"
"No, sir; he says the bill is just as it was when he received it. I looked at it pretty sharp when I took it; but he said if it wasn't good, he would give me another."
"It is perfectly good. Did he tell you where he got the bill?" asked Captain Patterdale, manifesting none of the emotion which agitated him.
"No, sir; he did not. I didn't ask him. If it makes any difference, I will do so."
"It makes no difference whatever. It is all right, Mr. Leach."
The sail-maker folded up his receipt, and left the library. He went home with eighty dollars in his pocket, entirely satisfied with himself, with the nabob, and especially with the firm of Ramsay & Son. He did not care a straw about the white cross of Denmark, so long as the bill was good. Captain Patterdale was deeply interested in the bill which bore this mark, and possibly he expected to conquer by this sign. He was not so much interested in the bill because he had made a voyageup the Baltic and seen the white cross there, as because he had seen it on a bill in that tin box. He was not only interested, but he was anxious, for the active member of the firm of Ramsay & Son seemed to be implicated in a very unfortunate and criminal transaction.
More than once Captain Patterdale had observed the pleasant relations between Don John and his fair daughter. As Nellie was a very pretty girl, intelligent, well educated, and agreeable, and in due time would be the heiress of a quarter or a half million, as the case might be, he was rather particular in regard to the friendships she contracted with the young gentlemen of the city. Possibly he did not approve the intimacy between them. But whatever opinions he may have entertained in regard to the equality of social relations between his daughter and the future partner of her joys and sorrows, we must do him the justice to say that he preferred honor and honesty to wealth and position in the gentleman whom Nellie might choose for her life companion. The suspicion, or rather the conviction, forced upon him by "the white cross of Denmark," that Donald was neither honest nor honorable, was vastly more painful thanthe fact that he was poor, and was the son of a mere ship carpenter.
Certainly Nellie did like the young man, though, as she was hardly more than a child, it might be a fancy that would pass away when she realized the difference between the daughter of a nabob and the son of a ship carpenter. While he was thinking of the subject, Nellie entered the library, as she generally did when her father was alone there. She was his only confidant in the house in the matter of the tin box, and he determined to talk with her about the painful discovery he had just made.
"Well, Nellie, did you have a good time to-day?" asked Captain Patterdale, as his daughter seated herself near his desk.
"I did; a capital time. Everybody seemed to enjoy it," replied she.
"But some seemed to enjoy it more than others," added the captain, with a smile.
"Now, father, you have something to say," said she, with a blush. "I wish you would say it right out, and not torment me for half an hour, trying to guess what it is."
"Of course, if I hadn't anything to say, I should hold my tongue," laughed her father.
"Everybody don't."
"But I do."
"Do you think I enjoyed the occasion more than any one else, father?"
"I thought you were one of the few who enjoyed it most."
"Perhaps I was; but what have I done?"
"Done?"
"What terrible sin have I committed now?"
"None, my child."
"But you are going to tell me that I have sinned against the letter of the law of propriety, or something of that kind. This is the way you always begin."
"Then this time is an exception to all other times, for I haven't a word of fault to find with you."
"I am so glad! I was trying to think what wicked thing I had been doing."
"Nothing, child. Don John seemed to be supremely happy this afternoon."
"I dare say he was; but the firm of Ramsay & Son had a successful launch, and Don John had compliments enough to turn the head of any one with a particle of vanity in his composition."
"No doubt of it; and I suppose you were not behind the others in adding fuel to the flame."
"What flame, father?"
"The flame of vanity."
"On the contrary, I don't think I uttered a single compliment to him."
"It was hardly necessary to utter it; but if you had danced with him only half as often, it would have flattered his vanity less."
"How could I help it, when he asked me? There were more gentlemen than ladies present, and I did not like to break up the sets," protested Nellie.
"Of course not; but being the lion of the occasion, don't you think he might have divided himself up a little more equitably?"
"I don't know; but I couldn't choose my own partner," replied Nellie, her cheeks glowing.
"You like Don John very well?"
"I certainly do, father," replied she, honestly. "Don't you?"
"Perhaps it don't make so much difference whether I like him or not."
"You have praised him to the skies, father. You said he was a very smart boy; and not one in a hundred young fellows takes hold of business with so much energy and good judgment. I am sure, if you had not said so much in his favor, Ishouldn't have thought half so much of him," argued Nellie.
"I don't blame you for thinking well of him, my child," interposed her father. "I only hope you are not becoming too much interested in him."
"I only like him as a good-hearted, noble fellow," added Nellie, with a deeper blush than before, for she could not help understanding just what her father meant.
"He appears to be a very good-hearted fellow now; but he is young, and has not yet fully developed his character. He may yet turn out to be a worthless fellow, dissolute and dishonest," continued the captain.
"Don John!" exclaimed Nellie, utterly unwilling to accept such a supposition.
"Even Don John. I can recall more than one young man, who promised as well as he does, that turned out very badly; and men fully developed in character, sustaining the highest reputations in the community, have been detected in the grossest frauds. I trust Don John will realize the hopes of his friends; but we must not be too positive."
"I can't believe that Don John will ever become a bad man," protested Nellie.
"We don't know. 'Put not your trust in princes,' in our day and nation, might read, 'Put not your trust in young men.'"
"Why do you say all this, father?" asked Nellie, anxiously. "Has Don John done anything wrong; or is he suspected of doing anything wrong?"
"He is at least suspected," replied Captain Patterdale.
"Why, father!"
"You need not be in haste to condemn him, or even to think ill of him, Nellie."
"I certainly shall not."
"There is the white cross of Denmark," added the captain, holding up the bank bill which had told him such a terrible story about the boat-builder.
"What is it, father? It looks like a bank note."
"It is; but there is the white cross of Denmark on it."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"I only mean that these white slips of paper make the bill look like the flag of Denmark."
Nellie took the bill and examined it.
"It has been torn into four pieces and mended," said she.
"That is precisely how it happens to be the white cross of Denmark. Do you think, if you had ever seen that bill before, you would recognize it again, if it fell into your hands?" added the captain.
"Certainly I should."
"Well, it has been in my hands before. Do you remember the day that Michael had the sun-stroke?"
"Yes, sir; and your tin box disappeared that day."
"Precisely so; and this bill was in that tin box. Jacob Hasbrook, of Lincolnville, paid me a note. I put the money in the box, intending to take it over to the bank before night, and deposit it the next day. I looked at the bill when I counted the money, and I spoke to Hasbrook about it. I called it the white cross of Denmark then."
"Where did you get it now?" inquired Nellie, her heart in her throat with anxiety.
"Mr. Leach, the sail-maker, paid it to me just before you came into the library."
"Mr. Leach!" exclaimed she, permitting herself to be cheered by a ray of hope that her father was not working up a case against Donald Ramsay.
"Yes; you remember who were in the library on the day I lost the tin box."
"I remember very well; for all of you went out and carried Michael into the house. Besides we talked about the box ever so long. You asked me who had been in the library while you were up stairs; and I told you Mr. Hasbrook, Laud Cavendish, and Don John."
"Precisely so; I remember it all very distinctly. Now, one of the bills that was in that box comes back to me."
"But it was paid to you by Mr. Leach."
"It was; but he had it from Don John half an hour before he paid it to me."
"Why, father!" exclaimed Nellie, with real anguish; for even a suspicion against Donald was a shock to her. "I can never believe it!"
"I don't wish you to believe anything yet; but you may as well be prepared for anything an investigation may disclose."
"That Don John should steal!" ejaculated Nellie. "Why, we all considered him the very soul of honor!"
"You are getting along faster than I do with your conclusions, child," added Captain Patterdale. "A suspicion is not proof. The bill came from him, beyond a doubt. But something can be said in his favor, besides the statement that his character is excellent. Of the three persons who were in the library that day, two of them had wagons on the street. It does not seem probable that Don John walked through the city with that tin box in his hand. If he did, some one must have seen it. Of course he would not have carried it openly, while it could easily have been concealed in the wagon of Hasbrook or Laud Cavendish."
"Certainly; if Don John had taken it, he would not have dared to carry it through the streets," added Nellie, comforted by the suggestion.
"Again, if he had stolen this white cross of Denmark, he would not have been likely to pass it off here in Belfast," continued the captain; "for he is sharp enough to see that it would be identified as soon as it appeared. Very likely Mr. Leach told him he intended to pay me some money, and he surely would not have allowed the bill to come back to me."
"I know he didn't do it," cried Nellie, with enthusiasm.
"You are too fast again, child. It is possible that he did, however improbable it may seem now, for rogues often make very silly blunders. Is Edward in the house?"
"I think so; he was reading theAgewhen I came in."
"Tell him to go down and ask Don John to come up and see me. We will have the matter cleared up before we sleep. But, Nellie, don't tell Edward what I want to see Don John for. Not a word about that to any one. By keeping my own counsel, I may get at the whole truth; whereas the thief, if he gets wind of what I am doing, may cover his tracks or run away."
"I will be very discreet, father," replied Nellie, as she left the library.
In a few moments she returned.
"He has gone, father; though he is very tired," said she.
"I suppose he is; but I don't want to believe that Don John is a thief even over one night," replied the captain.
"He asked me what you wanted of Don John; but I didn't tell him."
The father and daughter discussed the painfulsuspicion until Donald arrived, and entered the library with Edward. A conversation on indifferent topics was continued for some time, and the boat-builder wondered if he had been sent for to talk about the launch of the Maud, which was now an old story.
"How is the wind, Edward?" asked Captain Patterdale.
"'Sou'-sou'-west, half west," laughed Edward, who understood precisely what his father meant by his question; and bidding Donald good night, he left the library, without the formality of saying he would go and see which way the wind was.
"You know which way the wind is, Nellie; and so you need not leave," added the captain, as she rose from her seat to follow the example of her brother.
"So did Ned, for he told you," she answered.
"And you heard him, and know also."
When Captain Patterdale had private business with a visitor, and he wished any member of his own family to retire, he always asked which way the wind was.
"Don John, you had a great success in the launch of the Maud to-day," said the nabob; butas the same thing had been said half a dozen times before since the boat-builder entered the room, it was hardly to be regarded as an original idea; and Donald was satisfied that the launch was not the business upon which he had been sent for.
"Yes, sir; we got her off very well," he replied. "I was sorry I couldn't launch her with the mast stepped, so as to dress her in the colors."
"In that case, you would have needed the flags of all nations. I have them, and will lend them to you any time when you wish to make a sensation."
"Thank you, sir."
"I have here the white cross of Denmark," added the captain, holding up the mended bill.
"A fifty-dollar white-cross," laughed Donald. "I have seen it before."
"This bill?"
"Yes, sir; I paid it to Mr. Leach for the Maud's sails since dark," answered Donald, so squarely that the nabob could not help looking at his daughter and smiling.
"He said you paid promptly, which is a solid virtue in a business man. By the way, Don John, you will be out of work as soon as the Maud is finished."
"I hope to have another yacht to build by that time, especially if the Maud does well."
"I wanted to say a word to you about that, and tell you some good news, Don John," continued Captain Patterdale, as calmly as though he had no interest whatever in the mended bill. "I had a long talk with Mr. Norwood this afternoon. He says he shall give you the job if the Maud sails as well as the Skylark or the Sea Foam. He don't insist that she shall beat them."
"But I expect she will do it; if she don't I shall be disappointed," added Donald.
"Don't expect too much, Don John. I thought you would sleep better if you knew just how Mr. Norwood stood on this question."
"I shall, sir; and I am very much obliged to you."
"Do you think you will make any money on the building of the Maud?" asked the nabob.
"Yes, sir. I think I shall do pretty well with her."
"You seem to have money enough to pay your bills as you go along. Did Mr. Rodman pay you this bill?" inquired the captain, as he held up the cross again.
"No, sir; he did not. I have had that bill in the house for some time," replied Donald.
"Are you so flush as that?"
"Yes, sir; I had considerable cash in the house."
"Your father left something, I suppose."
"Yes, sir; but he never had that bill and the other two I paid Mr. Leach," replied Donald; and he could not help thinking all the time that they were a part of the sum Laud Cavendish had paid him for the Juno, under promise not to say where he got it, if everything was all right.
Though the boat-builder was a square young man, he could not help being somewhat embarrassed, for his sense of honor did not permit him to violate the confidence of any one.
"If it is a fair question, Don John, where did you get this bill?" asked the captain.
Donald thought it was hardly a fair question under the circumstances, and he made no answer, for he was thinking how he could get along without a lie, and still say nothing about Laud's connection with the bill, for that would expose Captain Shivernock.
"You don't answer me, Don John," added the nabob, mildly.
"I don't like to tell," replied Donald.
"Why not?"
"I promised not to do so."
"You promised not to tell where you got this money?"
Poor Nellie was almost overwhelmed by these answers on the part of Donald, and her father began to have some painful doubts.
"I did, sir; that is, I promised not to tell if everything about the money was all right."
"If you don't tell where you got the money, how are you to know whether everything is all right or not?" demanded Captain Patterdale, in sharper tones than he had yet used.
"Well, I don't know," answered the boat-builder, not a little confused, and sadly troubled by the anxious expression on Miss Nellie's pretty face.
Perhaps her father, who understood human nature exceedingly well, had required her to remain in the library during this interview, for a purpose; but whether he did or not, Donald was really more concerned about her good opinion than he was about that of any other person in the world, unless it was his mother. He was conscious that he was not making a good appearance; and under the sad gaze of those pretty eyes, he was determined to redeem himself.
"You ought not to make such promises, Don John," said the captain; and this time he spoke quite sternly.
"You have that bill, sir. Is there anything wrong about it?" asked Donald.
"Yes."
"Then my promise covers nothing. Laud Cavendish paid me that bill," added the boat-builder.
"Laud Cavendish!" exclaimed Nellie.
Her father shook his head, to intimate that she was to say nothing.
"Laud Cavendish gave you this bill?" repeated the captain.
"Yes, sir, and six more just like it; only the others were not mended. I paid Mr. Leach three of them, and here are the other four," said Donald, producing his wallet, and taking from it the four bills, which he had not returned to their hiding-place in the bureau.
Captain Patterdale examined them, and compared them with the two in his possession. They looked like the bills he had deposited in the tinbox, when Hasbrook paid him the thirteen hundred and fifty dollars and interest. Twelve of the bills which made up this sum were fifties, nearly new; the balance was in hundreds, and smaller notes, older, more discolored, and worn.
"Laud Cavendish paid you three hundred and fifty dollars, then?" continued the nabob.
"Yes, sir; just that. But what is there wrong about it?" asked Donald, trembling with emotion, when he realized what a scrape he had got into.
"Following your example, Don John, I shall for the present decline to answer," replied the captain. "If you don't know—"
"I don't!" protested Donald, earnestly.
"If you don't know, I thank God; and I congratulate you that you don't know."
"I haven't the least idea."
"Of course, if you don't wish to answer any question I may ask, you can decline to answer, as I do, Don John."
"I am entirely willing to answer any and every question that concerns me."
"As you please; but you can't be called upon to say anything that will criminate yourself."
"Criminate myself, sir!" exclaimed Donald, aghast. "I haven't done anything wrong."
"I don't say that you have, Don John; more than that, I don't believe you have; but if you answer any question of mine, you must do it of your own free will and accord."
"I will, sir."
"For what did Laud Cavendish pay you three hundred and fifty dollars?"
"For the Juno," replied Donald, promptly.
"I did not know he owned the Juno."
"He said he did to-day; at least, he said he was going to change her name," added Nellie.
"The fact that I did not know it doesn't prove that it was not so. You sold the Juno to Laud, did you, Don John?"
"I did, sir."
"Did you own the Juno?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you buy her of Captain Shivernock?"
"No, sir; I did not buy her; he made me a present of her."
"A present!"
"Yes, sir; he got disgusted with her, and gave her to me. I could not afford to keep her, and sold her to Laud Cavendish."
"Gave her to you! That's very strange."
"But Captain Shivernock is a very strange man."
"None will dispute that," replied Captain Patterdale, with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders. "That man throws away his property with utter recklessness; and I should not be surprised if he ended his life in the almshouse. I will not ask any explanation of the conduct of Captain Shivernock. Laud Cavendish is not a man of means. Did he tell you, Donald, where he got his money to buy a boat worth three hundred and fifty dollars?"
"He did, sir, and explained the matter so that I was satisfied; for I would not sell him the Juno till he convinced me that there was no hitch about the money."
"Well, where did he get it?"
"I don't feel at liberty to tell, sir; for he told me it was a great secret, which did not affect him, but another person. I inquired into the matter myself, and was satisfied it was all right."
"I am afraid you have been deceived, Don John; but I am convinced you have done no wrong yourself—at least, not intentionally. Secrets are dangerous; and when people wish you to concealanything, you may generally be sure there is something wrong somewhere, though it may look all right to you. I have no more questions to ask to-night, Don John; but I may wish to see you again in regard to this subject. I must see Mr. Laud Cavendish next."