.. -*- encoding: utf-8 -*-

.. meta::
   :PG.Id: 55074
   :PG.Title: The Cruise of the Sally D
   :PG.Released: 2017-07-08
   :PG.Rights: Public Domain
   :PG.Producer: Al Haines
   :DC.Creator: James Otis
   :DC.Title: The Cruise of the Sally D
   :DC.Language: en
   :DC.Created: 1910
   :coverpage: images/img-cover.jpg

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THE CRUISE OF THE SALLY D
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      THE CRUISE
      OF THE SALLY D

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      BY

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      JAMES OTIS

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      Author of
      *Toby Tyler*

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      GROSSET & DUNLAP
      PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

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      *By arrangement with Penn. Pub. Co.*

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      COPYRIGHT, 1907-1908, BY JAMES OTIS KALER

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      COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY

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      PRINTED IN THE U. S. A.

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      The Cruise of the Sally D.

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   Contents

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I. `Uncle Ben's Advice`_
II. `The Rescue`_
III. `War Declared`_
IV. `A Matter Of Business`_
V. `An Unwelcome Visitor`_
VI. `A Pitched Battle`_
VII. `Uncle Ben's Arrival`_
VIII. `Uncle Ben's "Plan"`_
IX. `The Stranded Schooner`_
X. `Mr. Rowe's Proposition`_
XI. `"For Sale"`_
XII. `Shipowners`_
XIII. `Wrecking`_
XIV. `A War Of Words`_
XV. `A New Member`_
XVI. `"The Baby"`_
XVII. `The Launching`_
XVIII. `The Trial Trip`_
XIX. `The First Cruise`_
XX. `Getting Even`_
XXI. `At The Port`_
XXII. `Freighting Lumber`_
XXIII. `The Family Home`_
XXIV. `The "Housewarming"`_





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.. _`UNCLE BEN'S ADVICE`:

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   The Cruise of the Sally D.

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   CHAPTER I

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   UNCLE BEN'S ADVICE

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Uncle Ben picked up a bit of driftwood,
and began to whittle it to a fine point.  The
boy looked at him anxiously.

"Well," said Uncle Ben at last, "I never
allowed that a lad had the right to run away
from his home, an' I've lived nigh to sixty
years, man an' boy, consekently it stands to
reason that I oughter know how much trouble
is likely to come from sich didoes."

"Huh!" the boy broke in, "you don't call
the 'Sally D.' a home, do you?  I guess you
wouldn't if you'd lived on her a spell."

"No," said Uncle Ben, "after what you've
told me I don't.  An' Cap'en Doak was only
your stepfather at the best of times.  Now
that your mother's dead it don't appeal to me
that he's any relation whatsoever, so,
consekently ag'in, an' holdin' that a schooner
can't be called a house, which same is
necessary to the makin's of a home, what's wrong
with your sneakin' off unbeknownst to Cap'en
Doak before the 'Sally D.' weighs anchor?"

"But where could I go, Uncle Ben?  I
haven't got so much as one cent in this wide
world, an' there's never a single person who
would take me in.  Besides, s'pose I sneaked
off while the 'Sally D.' is lying here, I couldn't
get away from the island, 'less you should set
me across to the mainland."

"I wasn't countin' that you would leave
the island, Sammy.  What's to hinder your
stoppin' right where you are, an' helpin'
me out in the lobster fishin'?  I'm allowin'
that Apple Island ain't the worst place in the
world, 'specially when you compare it with
the 'Sally D.'s' cabin while Cap'en Doak is
ragin' 'round findin' a lot of fun in knockin'
you fore 'n' aft by way of exercise.  Now, I
don't wanter be taken as meanin' that I
think lobster fishin' is a very encouragin'
business for a bright little shaver like you;
but it goes way ahead of the lay you've got
with that stepfather of yourn.  What your
mother ever saw in Eliakim Doak to make
her willin' to marry him, 'specially after she'd
been on what you might call terms of friendly
acquaintance with your father, beats me."

"Mother did it all on my account," Sam
cried quickly, his eyes filling with tears as he
spoke of his "best friend."  "You know we
had nothin' left but the house when father
died, an' Cap'en Doak made her believe that
he would give me a start in the world with a
good education."

"All of which he perceeded to do by gettin'
the little money ye had inter his own hands
an' squanderin' it," Uncle Ben exclaimed as
he angrily splintered the result of his
handiwork.  "Speakin' from your mother's end of
the trade, it was a mighty good thing she died
less'n a year after she hitched up with Cap'en
Doak, though it come tough on you.  Does
he allow that you're to spend your life—or the
best part of it—as cook aboard the 'Sally D.,'
with never a cent in the way of wages, when
you, an' he, an' everybody knows he squandered
full fifteen hundred dollars of your
money, for I've been told he sold the house at
that figger?"

"He says that he's bound to take care of
me," the lad replied, as if anger was rapidly
getting the better of him.

"An' he's doin' it by keepin' you aboard
that ramshackle old schooner, which is likely
to drop inter pieces any minute, an' savin'
what he'd otherwise have to pay as wages to
a cook!"

"He'd serve me out terribly if I should try
to run away from him," Sam said half to himself,
with a tremor as of fear.  "If I sneaked
off while the 'Sally D.' laid at anchor here,
he'd know just where I was."

"Well, an' s'posen he did?" Uncle Ben
asked sharply, looking down at the lad as if
in anger.  "S'posen he did, what good would
it do him?  I don't allow that I own this 'ere
island; but I pay rent for it, which amounts
to much the same thing, an' Eliakim Doak
would soon find out that he couldn't tromp
over me!  Sneak off inter the bushes this
very hour, lad, so's to give me a chance to
talk to the old heathen in what you might
call a sensible way, an' I'll guarantee he'll up
anchor without raisin' any very considerable
of a row."

"An' what then?" the boy asked as he
looked over his shoulder apprehensively,
much as if fearing his stepfather might
suddenly have come within ear-shot.

"Why then me an' you'll strike out for
ourselves.  I own the shanty yonder, the
dory on the beach, two hundred or more
lobster-pots, with cars an' what lawyers call
'other appurtences,' an' you shall have a fair
share of what money comes in the way of
Apple Island.  I'm allowin' it would be a
favor to you, though that ain't the chiefest
reason why I'm makin' it.  I'd like to have
for mate a decent lad like you, for it's
lonesome here sometimes—that much I'm willin'
to admit."

"Why is it that you never had a mate,
Uncle Ben?  I've heard lots of folks puzzle
over the same question."

"I reckon you have, lad, for this 'ere coast
of Maine is mightily given to gossip.  I've
had the question put to me time an' time
ag'in; but never felt called on to answer it
till now, when it may be we're likely to come
together as mates.  First an' foremost, why
did I come off here nigh to forty years ago
an' settle down to catchin' lobsters, when it
seems as if a man what was put inter this world
to help others as well as himself mighter
done better?  It was all on account of my
havin' been the rankest kind of an idjut
when I was young, same's you are."

"Oh, come, Uncle Ben, you don't think I'm
as bad as all that," said Sam Cushing, smiling.

"Well, you got to prove it," grinned Uncle
Ben.  "Anyway, I couldn't figger out that
book learnin' would do me any good, an' I
didn't get it when I might, consekently I
wasn't fitted for much of anythin' else.
Howsomever, I made up my mind that even a
lobster catcher might lead a clean life, an' I
never run up agin any who might be willin'
to go inter the business an' at the same time
come to my way of thinkin'; therefore an'
consekently I never took on a mate; never so
much as offered so to do, till you come to me
this mornin' with the story of what Eliakim
Doak was doin' in his own behalf."

"But I couldn't really be a mate of yours,
Uncle Ben!" the lad said with a deep indrawing
of his breath, as if the honor was far
too great for him.

"Why not?  All I ask of a mate is that he
shall live, so far as he's able, in the way the
good God allowed he oughter, an' from the
first time you landed on this 'ere island I've
said to myself that you was a decent kind of
a lad who wouldn't knowin'ly go wrong.
Mark ye, Sammy, I don't set myself up as
bein' any better'n my kind; but this you
can go sure on: that I don't reckon on bein'
worse.  I've allers had an idee of considerable
weight in my mind, an' you might be the
beginnin' of my runnin' it out, so to speak."

"What do you mean, Uncle Ben?" the lad
asked curiously.

"That's what I ain't goin' to say offhand,
my boy.  We'll wait an' see if there's any
chance of its workin' out the way I've figgered
it in my mind.  The question is whether
you're minded to run away from Cap'en
Doak an' the 'Sally D.,' takin' your chances
on Apple Island with me?"

"If you think I won't be a bother an' if
you're willin' to——"

"In case I hadn't been willin', or hadn't
figgered in my mind how things might turn,
I wouldn't have made the offer, lad," and
once more Uncle Ben fell to whittling a pine
stick as if his very life depended upon
fashioning it into a certain shape within the
shortest possible space of time.  "An' it ain't
any one-sided offer, Sammy Cushing, 'cause
I'm allowin' that your comin' would be a
pleasure an' a profit to me, as Deacon Stubbs
would put it, to say nothin' of the fact that
you'd be livin' a more decent life than will
ever fall to your share aboard the 'Sally D.'"

"It'll be a big thing for me," and Sam
looked timidly in the direction of the slovenly
schooner which lay at anchor in the little cove
near by Uncle Ben's oddly-constructed dwelling.
Sam was trying to screw his courage to
the sticking point of running away from
the selfish stepfather who had abused him
sorely since that day when the grave closed
over the earthly form of his mother.  "It'll
be a big thing for me if it can be done; but
I'll smart for it if Cap'en Doak ever gets his
hands on me ag'in."

"If he does, I'll be there to take a share in
the business," Uncle Ben said mildly, his
usually mild blue eyes taking on the hue of
steel.  "Come up to the shanty an' we'll fix
you out for runnin' away, which shouldn't be
necessary, seein's there's nothin' to run from."

Then the old man closed his knife with a
sharp click, as if to show that the important
business conference was finally closed, and
went with a certain well-defined air of resolution
toward that collection of shanties of which
he was the proud architect, and which had
served to shelter him from the storms and
sunshine such as had visited the coast of
Maine during the forty years just past.

The captain of the "Sally D." was stretched
out at full length on the top of the cabin,
apparently asleep, when the old man and the
boy skirted the shore of the cove on their way
to Uncle Ben's home, but that he had been
keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings
could be told when he cried sharply:

"Are you goin' to loaf away the whole
day ashore, Sam, or do you count on comin'
somewhere nigh to doin' your share of the
work?  It strikes me things are at a pretty
pass when the cook of a schooner can spin
yarns here an' there while he should be
wrastlin' with dinner!"

"Don't let him rattle you," Uncle Ben
said warningly to Sam, and in a louder tone
he addressed the half-stupefied captain of the
"Sally D."  "I'm allowin' that the boy has
earned the right to do pretty nigh as he
pleases, while you're layin' here when the
fishin' oughter be good outside."

"I'll lay here till I feel good an' ready to
get under way!" Captain Doak cried angrily,
and Uncle Ben replied placidly:

"Then by the same token the boy will stay
ashore till he gets tired of decent company."

Captain Doak raised himself on one elbow
as if thoroughly astonished that any one
should dare speak to the owner and commander
of the "Sally D." in such a manner;
but evidently did not think it necessary to
make reply, for he fell back on the deck once
more, and Uncle Ben said to his young
companion in a tone of disgust:

"Leave the poor, miserable creeter alone,
Sam.  If it wasn't for raisin' a row that
wouldn't be seemly, I'd advise tellin' him
offhand what you count on doin'; but the
smoothest way is allers best, so you shall
sneak off as has been agreed, till he leaves
the cove."

"An' then?" Sam asked in a tone of fear.

"When he comes back, if so be he does, an'
which seems likely, I'll be the one to deal
with him, for by that time I'm allowin' we'll
have the right to count you out of it.  But
you can make up your mind that he won't
raise any great of a row, seein's he's got sense
enough to know on which side his bread is
buttered.  I've got a lease of Apple Island,
an' there's no fisherman comes ashore without
my say-so, while I pay the rent."

Having thus thoroughly defined his position,
Uncle Ben led the way into the odd
collection of building, saying as he took from
the rude cupboard a generous amount of eatables:

"Here's what'll keep you from bein'
hungry for a couple of days, lad.  Strike inter
the bushes near the spring, an' I'll pass
the word when the 'Sally D.' has weighed
anchor."

In a timid manner, as if afraid of being
caught in what seemed like an act of
insubordination against lawful authority, Sam
gathered up the food Uncle Ben had laid on
the table, and then hurriedly, as if actually
fleeing for his life, he ran toward the thickest
of bushes which marked the centre of the
island.





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.. _`THE RESCUE`:

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   CHAPTER II


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   THE RESCUE

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There was no idea in Sam Cushing's mind
as he ran at full speed in the direction of the
thicket which grew very nearly in the middle
of the island that he was doing anything
wrong in thus endeavoring to hide from his
stepfather.  Although the lad had not spoken,
save to Uncle Ben, of the cruel treatment
received from the captain of the "Sally D.,"
through fear lest people might think he was
"whining," he knew full well that if his
mother was alive she would advise him much
as the old lobster catcher had done.

It was the fear of what Captain Doak might
be able to do in the way of punishment that
had prevented him from attempting to escape
from his besotted, cruel taskmaster; but now,
with Uncle Ben to aid him, the situation was
changed very materially, and but for the fear
that his stepfather would succeed in recapturing
him, the lad would have been more nearly
happy than at any time since his mother went
out from this world into the beyond.

Fear of what Captain Doak would do in
case he succeeded in laying hands on him
once more served to lend fleetness to the lad's
feet and to strengthen his courage, while he
took good care not to loiter within sight of the
"Sally D." and to make thorough search for
the best possible hiding-place.

From a distance the thicket appeared to be
dense, but once he was among the bushes
there seemed to be a woeful lack of
opportunities for concealment in case careful search
of the place should be made.  Hurrying
feverishly forward without coming upon that
for which he sought, he passed entirely
through the clump of evergreens, finding
himself on that side of the island facing the
open ocean before it seemed as if he had really
begun the search, and then he would have
turned in alarm to gain such poor shelter as
the bushes afforded, had he not seen, rising
and falling on the heavy swell, that which so
attracted his attention as to render him forgetful,
for the moment, of what the "Sally D.'s"
commander might be able to do.

Hardly more than a hundred yards outside
the long line of creamy foam which
marked the eastern ledge, was what appeared
to be a partially shattered boat.

"She's wrecked," said Sam.  "I wonder
where she came from.  Hullo!"

The boy gave a start of surprise, and looked
intently at a dark spot among the wreckage.
"There's some one there!"  But it was not
possible for Sam to gain a very good view of
the shipwrecked person, because nothing save
his head could be seen above the surface, and
even that was hidden now and then as a
curling wave submerged it.

Now indeed had Sam forgotten that such a
man as Captain Doak ever had an existence.
He understood in a twinkling that unless
immediate aid could be given, the sufferer would
be beaten to death upon the jagged rocks, if
indeed any life yet remained.

Dropping the food Uncle Ben had given
him, he ran swiftly seaward until arriving at
the water's edge, and then, throwing off his
clothing, he made ready for what must
necessarily be a struggle.  By wading just inside
the reef he came to the point where it
seemed most probable the shattered boat
would be cast ashore.

By this time it was possible for him to see
that he who had fallen into such a sore plight
was a lad of about his own age, who waved
his hand feebly once, as if imploring aid.

"I'll bring you ashore, never fear!" Sam
cried, hoping by such words to animate the
boy, who was evidently on the verge of
exhaustion.  "Don't let go the boat till I've got
a good grip on you!"

Once more the lad waved his hand, and
even though he had been inclined to speak,
there was no opportunity, for by this time his
frail support had been caught up by the green
waves as they made a dash for the rocks.

"Keep your wits about you!" Sam cried
cheerily as he ventured a few paces further
into the sea, and the words were hardly more
than spoken before the stranger lad was lifted
high in the air.

Accustomed as he was to the surf, Sam
knew exactly what should be done, and he
performed his task as well as Uncle Ben,
skilful surfman though he was, could have done it.
Bending his body until he was very nearly in
a stooping posture, and at the same time
taking good care that he had a secure
foothold, Sam allowed the wall of water to pass
entirely over him, when he stood erect once
more, ready to meet the receding wave as it
drew back the half-drowned boy.

Deftly he seized him by the collar of his
woolen shirt, which, fortunately, was
unbuttoned at the throat, and then came the
struggle for life, when the treacherous
undertow tugged at his legs and the weight of the
lad he was bent on rescuing, flung seaward by
the heavy wave, threatened to overwhelm
him.  It was no slight task Sam had
undertaken; but thanks to his experience in
battling against the surf, he finally succeeded
in dragging the stranger beyond reach of the
next hungry wave, and then fell on the sand
beside him, with not sufficient strength
remaining to stand upright.

No longer than while one might have
counted thirty did Sam remain thus inactive,
and then, still panting from his recent struggle,
the lad gave all his attention to the boy
whose life he had saved.

"I reckon you're all right now," he said,
with an effort to speak cheerily, "an' the
sooner you move around a bit so's to get rid
of the salt-water cargo you must have taken
aboard, the better you'll feel."

"It don't seem as if I'd ever get back the use
of my legs," the lad said, but without making
any effort to follow the advice given, and Sam
replied with a hearty laugh which had in it
more of relief than mirth:

"This ain't the time to give in beaten, when
you're out of your troubles.  'Cordin' to the
looks of that boat you must have been washin'
'round quite a spell."

"Since jest before daylight this mornin',
an' it's pretty hard work to make myself
believe that I haven't been overboard a whole
week."

"How did it happen?"

"My boat was run down by the Boston
steamer—leastways, I believe it must have
been that.  I went out alone to bait trawls,
'cause we was short-handed aboard the 'Flyin'
Fish,' an' there was no dory-mate for me——"

"Who sent you out alone in the night
baitin' trawls?" Sam cried indignantly.

"Why, Cap'en Moses, of course; he allowed,
seein's how it was good weather, that I might
do the job."

"How long have you been sailin' with sich
a cap'en as that?  He'd make a good mate for
Cap'en Doak!"

"This was my first voyage, an' I ain't
much of a sailor, 'cause I've never been to sea
before."

"What's your name?"

"Tom Falonna."

"Where do you live?"

"That's what I don't rightly know, since I
cut loose from Mother Sharkey's place.  You
see, I did chores there for my board, but it
seemed as if I oughter earn more'n that, so I
got a chance to ship on the 'Flyin' Fish' for a
short cruise.  I was to get ten dollars a month,
if I turned to in good shape, so that's why it
seemed all right for me to try my first at
runnin' trawls alone.  Now I'm afraid I shan't
find Cap'en Moses again.  Where am I?"

"On Apple Island, with the best man,
except my father, who ever lived.  He'll see to
it that you don't take any more chances of
bein' run down in the night by a steamer,
but——"

Sam ceased speaking very suddenly.  For
the first time since sighting the young
fisherman he remembered that Captain Doak had
an existence, and a disagreeable memory it
was indeed.

Hurriedly he told Thomas Falonna of all
that had happened within the past four or five
hours, concluding by saying as he looked
around timidly:

"I've got to hide somewhere till the
'Sally D.' weighs anchor, an' there's no tellin'
but that Cap'en Doak is close at hand this
very minute!"

The rescued lad sprang to his feet, but with
some little difficulty, apparently putting from
his mind all thoughts of self as he realized
that the boy who had rendered him such great
service was in sore need of aid, and followed to
the best of his ability when Sam ran back to
where he had left the food given him by their
Uncle Ben.

"I couldn't find a place to hide in the
bushes, an' it's lucky I didn't, else I wouldn't
have seen you," Sam said hurriedly when
the two were together once more.  "It won't
do for me to hang 'round here very long!"

"Why don't you go up behind them big
rocks?  I reckon you could keep out of sight
by dodging from one to the other, even if the
old brute was pretty close to your heels,"
Falonna suggested as he pointed to several
huge boulders just under the break of the land,
and Sam caught at the idea without delay.

Five minutes later the two lads were hidden
fairly well, save in event of a systematic
search, and it was Tom Falonna who ate the
food with which Uncle Ben had provided Sam,
for the rescued lad had not tasted even water
since the night previous.

"I tell you this stuff is mighty good; but
you needn't be afraid I'll take more'n a fair
share, 'cause it may be quite a spell before
your stepfather gives over huntin' after you."

"Take what you want; I'll get along all
right if I don't have another mouthful till
to-morrow, for it hasn't been so very long since
I had dinner, an' you're needin' twice as much
as we've got here.  Tell me where your folks
are?"

Tom's story was not a long one.  He had
been born in Bavaria, and when only a few
weeks old was taken aboard ship by his
parents, who were emigrating to this country.
Both father and mother brought from their
native land the germs of fever; were taken
sick during the voyage, and died in the
quarantine hospital very shortly after having
been brought ashore.  Tom did not have a
very clear idea of how he, as a small baby,
contrived to live; his first memories were of
the woman he called "Mother Sharkey," with
whom he found a home, such as it was, until
a few days before being cast up on Apple
Island, when he had shipped as a green hand
aboard the "Flying Fish."

Although the recital did not occupy more
than two or three minutes, it had hardly come
to an end when Sam started up in alarm as if
to take to his heels; but Tom forced him back
behind the rocks as he asked in a whisper:

"What's the matter now?  You'll be seen
unless you're more careful!"

"Don't you hear that man talkin'?" Sam
whispered in a tremulous voice.  "That's
Cap'en Doak, an' he's after me!"

"There's somebody with him."

"Yes, it's Uncle Ben."

"Then what makes you jump around so
much?  If the old lobster catcher is half as
good a man as you think, he'll see to it your
stepfather won't kick up too much of a row."

"I don't know whether he can stop Cap'en
Doak when he gets goin' right strong, for he's
terrible sometimes."

"Well, keep behind the rock, an' don't
leave this place till you're certain he's got his
eye on you.  I've hid from Mother Sharkey
so many times that I know how it oughter be
done."

By this time the lads could hear plainly the
voices of the two men, and but few words were
needed to explain why Uncle Ben was in such
bad company.

"I know he's somewhere on the island, an'
I'll hunt him out if I stay here a week!"
Captain Doak was saying angrily.

"You'll do nothin' of the kind, Eliakim
Doak, an' that I'm tellin' you for a fact.  I've
allowed you to come across here rather'n have
an up an' down row; but even if you got your
hands on the boy you shouldn't take him
away, an' that you can count on.  As for
stoppin' ashore here any length of time, that's
for me to say.  So long as I pay the rent, this
'ere island is my private property, an' if you're
on it an hour from this time I'll bring suit
agin you for trespass as sure as my name's
Ben Johnson!"

"I'm allowin' to do pretty nigh as I please,"
Captain Doak cried in a rage, and Uncle Ben
replied in a placid tone as he turned to retrace
his steps:

"'Cordin' to my way of thinkin', Eliakim,
you're makin' the biggest kind of a mistake,
an' I'm goin' to take the trouble to prove it
before another half hour goes over our heads."

The lobster catcher was some distance on
his way to the opposite shore before he ceased
speaking, and then, peering cautiously out
from behind the rock, Tom could see that
the master of the "Sally D." was decidedly
disturbed in mind, for he stood irresolutely,
shifting from one foot to the other as if
uncertain exactly what course to pursue.

"What can your Uncle Ben do if the cap'en
turns real rusty?" Tom asked in the softest
of whispers, and Sam replied with a sigh of
anxiety:

"It seems to me as if he can't do anythin',
for there's nobody else on the island."

"Well, he's made a right good bluff of it,
anyway, an' has got this pirate of yours
guessin' mighty hard," Tom whispered in a
tone of satisfaction, after which he turned his
attention to spying upon the commander of
the "Sally D."





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.. _`WAR DECLARED`:

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   CHAPTER III


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   WAR DECLARED

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Captain Eliakim Doak remained as if in
deep thought for several moments after Uncle
Ben left him with what, from such a placid
man as the old lobster catcher, was a most
emphatic threat.  Bluster as he might, and
even Deacon Stubbs had been heard to say
that the commander of the "Sally D." was
stronger at blustering than he was at fighting,
he understood full well that it would be in
the power of Uncle Ben to make matters very
inconvenient, if not absolutely disagreeable for
him.

As a matter of course Uncle Ben as the
owner or lessee of the island had no right to
forbid vessels to anchor in the coves; but it
was for him to say who should be permitted
to come ashore, and the fisherman who could
not take aboard his water supply from this
particular place would be put to great
inconvenience.  Until to-day Uncle Ben had
welcomed any who pleased to visit the island, and
was ever ready to lend a hand when it was
needed, therefore it can readily be seen that
for business reasons, if for no other, Captain
Doak could not well afford to seriously offend
the old lobster catcher.

The question to be decided in Captain
Doak's mind was as to which would be the
greater loss, Sam's services, which did not cost
him anything in the way of money, or Uncle
Ben's friendship, which really meant the shutting
out of Apple Island's conveniences from
the "Sally D." and her commander.

It was evident that Captain Doak decided
he could get along without the lobster catcher's
friendship better than he could the cook to
whom he paid nothing, for after a brief time
of hesitation and thought he said sufficiently
loud to be heard by those who were hiding
behind the rocks:

"If that old lobster thinks I'm dependin'
on him for fresh water, he'll soon find he's
mistaken, an' as for his standin' up with Sam
agin me, I'll let him know that it's a job he'd
better not tackle!"

Then, as if having forgotten that he had
crossed the island in search of the runaway,
Captain Doak followed rapidly in Uncle Ben's
footsteps, and Sam whispered to his new-made
friend:

"There's goin' to be a big row now for sure.
The cap'en has got his back up, an' I'm afraid
Uncle Ben will get the worst of it."

"It kinder strikes me that we're bound to
take a hand in it, 'cordin' to all you've said
'bout both of 'em," Tom replied in a matter-of-fact
tone.  "If your boss gets the upper
hand things are likely to be warm for you, so
the play is to put in what licks we can for the
other one."

"We couldn't do anything!" Sam exclaimed
with a long-drawn sigh.  "Cap'en Doak would
chew us all up before we'd even winked."

"I ain't so certain of that.  I've never seen
a row yet, an' I've been mixed up with a lot
of 'em in my day, when a boy didn't have a
chance to make considerable of a showin', if
he was willin' to pitch in.  Come on before
it's too late!  Your boss has got inter the
bushes by this time an' won't be likely to
know what we're up to if we keep our wits
about us."

Sam, not believing it would be possible to
lend aid to Uncle Ben, and not eager to come
any nearer his stepfather than might be
absolutely necessary, would have refused to leave
his place of concealment, but Tom had stepped
out from behind the rocks as he spoke, setting
off at once in the same direction as that taken
by Captain Doak.

"Keep close behind me an' I'll show you
how to work a trick or two," Tom said, as if
to show that he had taken command of the
party, and then he walked at such a rapid pace
that Sam could not have taken the lead even
had he been so disposed.

It was not difficult to follow the commander
of the "Sally D." without attracting his
attention; the threat made by Uncle Ben had
aroused Captain Doak's anger to such an
extent that he appeared to have forgotten Sam
entirely.

Until the angry fisherman had passed
through the thicket Tom kept reasonably close
to his heels, but when he came out into the
open, on the slope which led to the cove, it
became necessary for the boys to hang back
until quite a distance in the rear.  Therefore,
when he turned sharply to the left around the
shed in which Uncle Ben stored his fuel, the
lads no longer had him in view.

In order to advance with the least danger
of being seen Tom had made a wide detour to
gain the shelter of a stack of lobster-pots, with
no idea in mind that there was any necessity
for moving rapidly.  But suddenly he heard
the voice of Captain Doak, raised high as if in
anger.

"Now there will be a row, an' if we don't
take a hand Uncle Ben is bound to get the
worst of it!" Sam cried, as he urged Tom
forward by gripping his arm firmly.  "Come on!
We've got to help Uncle Ben!"

His own fears were forgotten in the desire
to aid the old man who had been so kind to
him.

The boys arrived on the scene at the exact
moment when their services were most needed
by Uncle Ben, for the master of the "Sally
D.," apparently half crazed by anger, was
rushing toward the lobster catcher with
clenched fists.

"I reckon here's where we get our work
in!" Tom cried, as if delighted by the
evidences of trouble, and catching up the first
missile that came to his hand, which proved
to be a lobster-pot buoy, with a half-inch rope
made fast to one end, he ran between the two
men, swinging the heavy weapon in a
threatening manner.

So blinded by his rage was Captain Doak
that he apparently did not see the newcomers
until Sam, armed with a heavy stake, pressed
close by the side of his friend, and then,
suddenly recognizing the truant cook, the
commander of the "Sally D." sprang forward to
seize him.

"None of that, or I'll let this 'ere buoy come
agin your head!" Tom cried threateningly.
He swung his improvised weapon yet more
vigorously, and Captain Doak fell back a few
paces, for a single blow from the heavy missile
would have inflicted a serious wound.

"Why didn't you stay in the bushes?"
Uncle Ben asked sharply of Sam, and before
the latter could reply Captain Doak shouted:

"Get aboard the schooner, you young idler,
an' when I've settled with this Ben Johnson
I'll 'tend to your case in sich a way that you
won't try to give me the slip ag'in!"

"He'll stay where he is!  An' if you raise
your hand against him we'll see what the law
can do toward makin' you pay over to the lad
the money what belongs to him from the sellin'
of his mother's house!" Uncle Ben cried, as
he pulled Sam toward him, at the same time
looking in bewilderment at Tom, as if
wondering where he had dropped from.

Angry though Captain Doak was, he could
understand without too great a mental effort
that the odds were against him.

"If you think you can carry matters with
sich a high hand, Ben Johnson, keep on
tryin', an' before you're many days older I'll
show you what claim I've got on that idle,
worthless Sam.  You've run agin the wrong
man when you tackle me, an' I'll straighten
out things on this 'ere island if I never wet
another line this season."

"An' I'm tellin' you, Eliakim Doak, that
you shall answer to the law for trespass.  I've
warned you off this place, an' you've stayed to
threaten, so it's time I found out who's master
here," Uncle Ben replied, his face pale with
anger, but his voice calm and low.

Just for one moment Captain Doak lingered,
as if to decide whether there was yet a
possibility of his overcoming the small army
opposed to him, and then, shaking his fist in
impotent rage, he walked slowly away to where
the "Sally D.'s" dory lay with her bow on the
beach.

Uncle Ben followed slowly, the boys trailing
on behind him, and not until the fisherman
had pulled off to the schooner was any word
spoken by those on the island.  Then the old
lobster catcher said with a sigh, which might
have been one of regret:

"I've lived here nigh to thirty years, off an'
on, an' this is the first time I've had a hard
word with man or boy.  I reckon Eliakim an'
I have declared war now, though, an' it stands
me in hand to keep my weather eye open, for
he ain't the kind of a man who's given to fair
fightin'."  Then, turning suddenly upon Sam,
he asked, pointing toward Tom, "Where did
that lad come from, an' what made you try to
take a hand in the row?"

"We couldn't stand still an' see Cap'en Doak
jump on you," Sam replied quickly, and then,
in the fewest possible words, he told of Tom's
rescue, giving to himself very little credit for
what had been done in the way of saving life.

"It begins to look as if the good Lord was
bound I should carry out the plan I've been
turnin' over in my mind these many years,"
Uncle Ben said slowly, as if thinking aloud,
and when Sam asked for an explanation of the
words he added: "Get inter the shanty, lads;
there's no good reason why you should stay
outside here where the sight of you will only
make Eliakim Doak worse.  We'll talk this
over later, when we've got more time.  Now
it stands me in hand to make ready for a trip
to town."

"To town, Uncle Ben!" Sam cried as if in
alarm.  "If you go while the 'Sally D.' is
layin' here, Cap'en Doak will come ashore an'
serve me out terribly."

"I'm allowin' the two of us could make it
mighty hot for him if he tried any funny
business," Tom interrupted, and from the
tone of his voice one would have said that it
would give him no little pleasure to try
conclusions with the commander of the "Sally D."

"I shan't go away while that schooner is
anchored off here," Uncle Ben said decidedly.
"What's more, I'm grieved that I've let my
temper get the best of me, even though
Eliakim did threaten.  Howsomever, it stands me
in hand to take the consequences, which are
that I must go to town after riggin' up some
kind of a plan so's to make sure of findin'
you lads here when I get back."

"Is it because of your plan that you're
goin', Uncle Ben?" Sam asked as if in doubt
as to whether he had the right to raise such a
question.

"No, lad, I've got to go, seein's how I
allowed to bring suit agin Eliakim Doak for
trespass, an' it won't do to break my word
now.  Besides, if I don't do something of the
kind, there's no tellin' how far that man may
dare to go for the sake of gettin' his hands
on you once more, which is what I'm goin' to
prevent.  My plan can be talked over after
we've settled down peaceably, so to speak,
though it does really seem as if it was workin'
itself out with no help from me."

"I don't believe that the cap'en cares very
much about the law, an' I'm expectin' he'll
keep on raisin' a row till I just have to go
back to the 'Sally D.,'" Sam said, with a
long-drawn sigh, and Uncle Ben replied almost
sharply:

"I'm allowin' that he hasn't cared much
for the law back along, else he wouldn't have
dared to sell your home an' put the money
inter his own pocket; but it'll go hard if I
can't bring him 'round to respectin' what the
court says shall be done.  It seems as if I
was goin' back on all the principles I've held
to by gettin' inter law at my time of life; but
it's too late to draw out now, for neither he
nor any other man shall hector a boy same's
he's been hectorin' you."

Then Uncle Ben went into the shanty as
if to make preparations for departure, while
Sam and Tom stood watching the movements
of the two men who could be seen moving
about on the deck of the "Sally D.," and Tom
finally asked:

"Who's the other feller?"

"Rube Rowe; he's a real good man, an'
has told me more than once that he wouldn't
sail in the 'Sally D.' if it wasn't that Cap'en
Doak pays him better wages than he could
get on any other craft.  You see, it ain't easy
to find decent fishermen who'll sail with a
man like him," and he waved his hand in the
direction of Captain Doak, "so he has to give
good money, or go without."

"Would Rube Rowe do anything to hurt you?"

"Don't reckon he'd think there was anythin'
wrong in draggin' me aboard the schooner, if
the cap'en said to, 'cause he's my stepfather,
an' a good many people believe I'm bound to
hang right by him.  If it hadn't been for
Uncle Ben I'd never so much as thought of
runnin' away, an' perhaps it would have been
better if I hadn't started, 'cause he'll make it
mighty warm for me if he ever gets me aboard
the schooner."

"You'll be a softy if he does get a hold on
you after all that's been done.  I'd like to see
the fisherman who could haul me away from
this island if Uncle Ben had allowed I might
stay with him.  It's time your old schooner
got under way."

"I'm afraid Cap'en Doak won't leave till
he's had one more whack at me," Sam replied
sorrowfully and then, turning abruptly,
he made his way to the shanty that he might
take counsel with Uncle Ben.





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   CHAPTER IV


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   A MATTER OF BUSINESS

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When the boys entered the shanty the old
lobster catcher was putting on his oilskins,
and Sam said in surprise:

"I thought you counted on goin' over to
town, Uncle Ben?"

"That's what I've got in my mind, lad,
seein's there don't seem to be anythin' else
that's pressin'; but I ain't reckonin' on leavin'
while the 'Sally D.' is layin' here at anchor,
for it would be much the same as invitin'
Eliakim Doak to come ashore an' yank you
off.  But business is business.  No matter how
big a row we may have on hand the pots are
to be hauled if we count on gettin' a livin',
an' seein's how I've got three mouths to feed,
it stands me in hand to look sharp after our
bread an' butter."

"What shall Tom an' I be doin' while
you're gone?"

"Doin'?  Why, I was allowin' you'd bear
a hand, same's decent lads oughter.  If you
two have gone inter partnership with me, it
kinder looks as if you was needin' to get the
hang of the ropes, so to speak."

"Is Tom to stay here on Apple Island with
us?" Sam asked in surprise and delight.

"Where else can he stay?  'Cordin' to his
story he ain't never known any more of a
home than you've had since your mother
died, an' seein's how you hauled him ashore,
it looks as if we was in duty bound to take
care of him, though, of course, it's for him to
say if he wants to stay."

"That's what I want to do, if you'll have
me!" said Tom, who had overheard the
conversation as he entered the single room which
served as kitchen, dining-room, bedchamber
and parlor.  "I ain't soft enough to allow
you'll keep me 'round jest so's you'll have
somethin' pretty to look at, so if you'll
kinder show me how it's done, I'll tackle my
share of the work."

"That's the way I like to hear a lad talk,"
Uncle Ben said approvingly.  "I don't allow
that I'm needin' two mates, seein's how the
work ain't rushin'; but since you're both
needin' a home, why it stands to reason that
you oughter help run things the best you
know how.  We'll haul the pots, an' before
that's been done I'm allowin' Eliakim Doak
will get the 'Sally D.' under way.  If he
does, there'll be nothin' to prevent my goin'
to town an' findin' out 'bout how I stand
with the law when I set myself agin sich
authority as a mighty poor stepfather has
over a boy."

Then the old man, having put on his oilskins,
led the way out of the shanty toward
the dory, which lay high up on the beach, and
Tom said in a whisper:

"Tell me how you go to work haulin'
lobster-pots?  I don't want to make sich a
bloomin' chump of myself at the first go-off
that your Uncle Ben won't have me hangin'
'round, 'cause it strikes me that this is a
mighty nice kind of a place in which to
live."

"You'll see how it's done when the first pot
comes up, an' after that you won't have to
ask any questions.  All you an' I have to do
is row the dory, an' I reckon you can keep up
that end of the work if you could go out
runnin' trawls before daylight."

"If that's all he wants, I'll pull the bottom
out of the dory, an' what's more, do it alone."

"It'll be a long stretch before we get 'round
to all the pots, so you needn't jump to it so
hard," Sam replied with a smile, which died
quickly away from his face as he heard the
captain of the "Sally D." hailing Uncle Ben,
for by this time the old fisherman had come
on the beach directly opposite where the
shabby schooner lay at anchor.

"Don't be too brash, Ben Johnson, or you
may find your neck so far inter a noose that
you can't easy get it out ag'in.  It's a serious
matter to interfere 'twixt a lad an' them as
has authority over him, as you'll come to
know if you don't go slow!"

"I reckon there's little need for your
cautionin', Eliakim Doak," Uncle Ben
replied placidly.  "I've been turnin' this ere
thing over in my mind ever since William
Mansfield told me how you'd been usin' the
boy.  If you want to see what the law's got
to say 'bout it, that'll jest suit me, 'cause I'm
countin' on knowin' what Sammy's rights are
before we're many days older.  I'm no kith
or kin to him, but count it my duty, if
nobody else is willin' to take up the matter, to
see that he has what's comin' to him in this
world."

"I'll make you wish you'd never been
born!" Captain Doak cried in a rage, and
then, much to Sam's relief of mind, he went
into the "Sally D.'s" cabin very quickly, as
if he had most important business there.

"Eliakim can bark right smart, but I
reckon we needn't have much fear of his
bite," Uncle Ben said, as he stood by the
bow of the dory waiting for the boys to lend
him a hand in launching her.

Five minutes later, the old lobster catcher
and his small family were afloat, heading,
with Sam and Tom each pulling a pair of
oars, toward the nearest tiny buoy which
marked the location of the first pot to be
hauled.

Now, as a matter of fact, there isn't anything
particularly exciting in hauling on a
long wet rope until the cage-like lobster-pot
is brought to the surface; but Tom was
intensely interested in the operation so often
repeated before the day's work had come to
an end.  Perhaps it was because he felt a
certain eagerness to know how great a catch
would be taken, and, perhaps, he was anxious
to master all the details in the shortest
possible space of time, so that he might be of
real assistance to the old man who was
offering him what he never remembered of having
before in his life—a home.

When twenty or more pots had been hauled
in, the marketable lobsters thrown into the
dory, while the small ones were tossed overboard
to grow a little more, and the pots baited
again with fresh fish, Tom insisted on being
allowed to do his full share of the work.

"It ain't more'n loafin' to row from one
buoy to another, an' there's no reason why I
couldn't bear a hand, now I've seen how it's
done," he said eagerly, and after some faint
protest, Uncle Ben took up the lad's oars, as
he said with a laugh:

"Have your own way, sonny, though the
work is a bit heavier than you are counting
on.  If you two boys are reckonin' on helpin'
me build up a family, I allow the sooner you
break in at lobsterin' the better.  Sammy here
knows what little there is to be knowed about
it, an' if you get inter the job in good shape
there won't be anythin' for me to do 'cept
dodder 'round ashore while you earn the
livin'."

"I wish that could be the way of it, Uncle
Ben!" Sam exclaimed earnestly, and then
the conversation came to an end, as Tom
made his first effort to catch the mooring
rope of a buoy with the short gaff while the
dory was gliding swiftly past the small target.
It is not strange that he failed at the first
attempt, for it requires no little deftness with
a gaff to "hook on," and it was necessary for
the oarsmen to back the dory here and there
until the lad had the rope in his hands.

"Well," he would laugh, "I didn't make
any great fist at it that time, for a fact; but it
can't take sich a dreadful long time before I
get the hang of it, an' when I do, this part of
the work shall be my job."

And Tom did "break in" even sooner than
Uncle Ben expected.  Before he had brought
half a dozen pots to the surface it was as if he
had had considerable experience in such tasks,
and Uncle Ben said approvingly:

"I declare for it, Tom, you're goin' to be a
keen hand at catchin' lobsters!  You handle
them pots easier than I could do it, an' if so
be I'm called on to stop at Southport over
night, I'll know that you an' Sam can 'tend
to the work as well as if I was here to do the
bossin'."

Tom's eyes glistened with pleasure because
of the praise; but Sam's face lengthened
perceptibly at the possibility that Uncle Ben
might be away from the island more than a
few hours.

It was not yet two o'clock in the afternoon
when all the pots had been hauled, emptied,
re-baited and set again.  The catch, consisting
of twenty-two marketable lobsters, was thrown
into the floating cage, called by the fishermen
a "car," and Uncle Ben and his family were
ashore once more.

"Now, if you lads will lend a hand at
launchin' the keel-boat I'll get under way for
Southport," the old man said as he pulled off
his oilskins by way of "dressing" for the
voyage.  "I've got a fair wind across; but if
so be it hasn't shifted long 'bout sunset, I'll
stop over night with William Mansfield,
rather than tackle the job of rowin' a heavy
boat so far."

"But what about Cap'en Doak?" Sam
asked, thinking of his stepfather for the first
time since Tom had begun the work of "breaking
in" at the work of lobster catching.  Then
he looked quickly around, but the "Sally D."
no longer remained at anchor in the cove.

"Eliakim has made up his mind that it
won't be safe for him to have any truck with
the law after skinnin' you out of your mother's
house, an' I reckon he won't show his head
on Apple Island ag'in, 'specially after he hears
'bout what I've done—an' you can make up
your mind that everybody in Southport will
go out of their way to let him know I've been
talkin' with the 'Squire, as I count on doin'
before you see me ag'in."

"But suppose he should come back to hunt
for me?" and now Sam's fears arose so high
that it was with difficulty he could control his
voice sufficiently to speak in an ordinary tone.

"There's little chance he'll put back right
away," Uncle Ben replied without seeming
to observe the lad's show of fear.  "He's
bound to do a little somethin' in the way of
fishin', else how can he pay Rube Rowe's
wages?  I'm allowin' we shan't see him under
three or four days, an' by that time I'll have
your business fixed up so tight that he can't
turn a hair.  Leastways, it's 'bout the same as
certain that he won't get under way an' come
back to anchorage all in the same half day, so
we can count on bein' rid of him while I'm
away.  Better catch a mess of cunners for
supper, an' if so be that you're willin', tidy up
the shanty a bit, for I've been mighty slack in
my housekeepin' this past week."

Then, much as if eager to put an end to
any further conversation regarding Captain
Doak, Uncle Ben set about launching the
keel-boat, and within a very few minutes after
she was afloat he was sailing away from Apple
Island in the direction of Southport.

Sam and Tom stood on the beach watching
this kindly-hearted old man who had given
them a home until he appeared to be hardly
more than a tiny blot in the distance, and
then Sam said, as he searched here and there
with his eyes, as if fearing the "Sally D." had
already hove in sight:

"It would be mighty tough on me if Cap'en
Doak should come back 'twixt now an' sunset!"

"I'm not so certain of that," Tom said
stoutly.  "He ain't more'n any other man,
an' it strikes me we'd be mighty poor kind of
boys if we couldn't hold our own on this
island.  I wouldn't be afraid if your Cap'en
Doak an' his Rube Rowe both come ashore at
the same time, for with that buoy I had when
he was here before I could make a pretty good
play at keepin' 'em at a distance for quite a
spell."

"But you couldn't stand up swingin' a
buoy 'round your head all night," Sam
suggested mournfully, and then as he thought
of Tom's attempting to perform such a feat
during all the hours of darkness he broke
into a hearty laugh, so comical was the
picture in his mind.

"When you get through havin' sich a good
time I reckon we'd better have a whack at
cleanin' up the shanty 'cordin' to your Uncle
Ben's orders," Tom said curtly, and without
further delay the task was begun, although a
careful housewife would have said they were
making no improvement in the apartment.

When the shanty was, in their eyes, as
cleanly and orderly as it could be made, Sam
overhauled Uncle Ben's stock of fishing-lines,
and during the half hour that followed they
caught cunners and skinned them, until they
had ready for the frying-pan as many as half
a dozen hungry boys could have eaten.

"I'll cook the supper if you'll bring up
from the beach wood enough to keep the fire
going," Sam said, and from that time until a
few minutes before sunset they enjoyed
themselves as thoroughly as if they had but lately
left the most pleasant homes in the land to
spend a few days in pleasure on Apple Island.

They ate their supper and the shanty was
once more set to rights.  Near the door was a
store of driftwood sufficient to keep a fire
going many days, and the two had seated
themselves on the cliff which jutted out above
the roof of Uncle Ben's home to discuss the
future, for Tom insisted on knowing why the
old lobster catcher was willing to burden
himself with two boys who had no legal claim on
him.

Sam had begun to answer the questions
by telling what he knew concerning the old
man, when far away in the distance, directly
in the golden pathway formed by the rays of
the setting sun, appeared the outlines of a
vessel.

"That's the 'Sally D.'!" Sam cried in alarm.

"Cap'en Doak is comin' here after me, just as
I was afraid he would!"

"How do you know that is his schooner?"

"There ain't another vessel sailin' out of
Southport that has a topmast like the
'Sally D.'  What am I to do, oh, what am
I to do?"





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   CHAPTER V


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   AN UNWELCOME VISITOR

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Tom was apparently lost in surprise because
the lad who had shown so much bravery by
saving the life of a stranger at imminent risk
of his own was nearly overcome by terror
simply through seeing in the far distance that
vessel on which he knew was his stepfather.

He looked alternately at Sam and the
"Sally D.," as if fancying that somewhere
in the middle distance he might see that
which would give him a clue to what was
really a riddle, and failing in making out
more than the wide expanse of restless waters,
he turned toward his friend, asking impatiently:

"What's comin' over you so bad?  S'pose
that vessel is the 'Sally D.,' what's the use of
worryin'?"

"Cap'en Doak is comin' ashore after me.
He must have sailed around the island to
wait till he saw Uncle Ben headin' for
Southport, an' he could get his hands on me
without much trouble.  What'll I do?  Oh, what'll
I do?"

"Look here, Sam!" Tom cried impatiently.
"If you're willin' to stand here on the beach
when your stepfather lands, in case that
vessel is the 'Sally D.,' an' in case he's comin'
back after you, then I allow he might have a
chance of pickin' you up without very much
bother; but what's to hinder your makin'
things lively for him?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked helplessly,
and it really seemed as if he had lost
his wits in the sudden attack of terror which
beset him so sorely.

"Mean?  Can't you see that the cap'en of
that 'ere schooner would have a mighty rough
time gettin' his hands on you, if it was a case
of huntin' for what he wanted?  This ain't
any toy island, an' I'd be willin' to bet great
big dollars that there ain't the man livin'
who could get hold of me if I wanted to keep
out of his way!  What's to hinder our layin'
low in the bushes, if so be he comes ashore?
I reckon he would be a good long day runnin'
us down, an' before that happened your Uncle
Ben would be back to take a hand in the
scrimmage!"

The look of distress slowly died Away from
Sam's face as his companion spoke.  He had
been so overcome by terror at seeing the
"Sally D." that there was no room in his
mind for any thought save what Captain
Doak would do if it was possible for him to
work his will, but now he began to realize
that he was showing himself very much of a
coward.

"Say, that's so!  You must think I'm a
regular baby!" he said with a faint attempt
at a smile.  "Just for a minute it seemed as if
I was bound to stand right here waitin' till
Cap'en Doak came ashore.  I guess we'll give
him a good chance to hunt for us."

"That's the way to talk," Tom said
approvingly.  "We'll give him a run for his
money, an' if he gets his hands on either of
us I'm allowin' it'll be 'cause we've lost our
heads.  There's no reason why we should
stay up here on the rocks where he'll see us,
so let's slip down the other side where we'll
be out of the way an' can see what he counts
on doin'."

"Why not go straight back into the bushes
an' find a hidin'-place?"

"'Cause there's no need of it yet a while.
It wouldn't be any very big job to keep ahead
of him, with anythin' decent in the way of a
start, an' I want to see how far he dares jump
after your Uncle Ben has told him that he's
goin' to law 'bout it."

Sam had no desire to linger in the vicinity.
So great was his fear of Captain Doak that
he would gladly have put to sea in the dory
rather than take the slight chance of being
captured on the island.  But, having once
shown himself to be a veritable coward so far
as an encounter with the commander of the
"Sally D." was concerned, he shrank from
any further display of fear.

Therefore it was that the boys crouched
behind the brow of the cliff, where a full view
of the cove could be had, watching the shabby
schooner as she crept nearer and nearer to the
land, and Sam found it really difficult to
prevent a tremor of fear from being apparent in
his voice as he replied to Tom's questions
regarding Uncle Ben.

The good people of Southport, where Sam
had been born, knew that Benjamin Johnson
was a native of the town, and even as a young
man had been known as an "odd stick," who,
when his father and mother died, earned
sufficient to make a home for his two sisters by
his labor as a fisherman.  When the young
women were married, Ben leased Apple Island,
and for many years had worked industriously;
it was generally believed he had saved
considerable money, and there were many who,
not knowing him of whom they spoke, called
the lobster catcher a miser.

"He's been mighty good to me since mother
died," Sam said when Tom had come to an
end of his questions, "an' if he can make
Cap'en Doak behave himself so's I'll dare to
show my head, I'll be in great luck livin' here
with him."

"Do you reckon he'll let me stay, too?"
Tom asked anxiously.

"He has just the same as said you could,
an' all we've got to do in order to have as
good a home as any fellow could ask for, is to
jump right inter the work, same's you've
begun.  It's a big lot of help to Uncle Ben, now
that he's gettin' 'under old, to have
somebody pull the pots, an' between the two of us
we oughter tend to the business without his
raisin' a finger."

"You can bet I'll do my part of it all right;
but perhaps he ain't countin' on stayin' here
very long."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked in alarm.

"That plan of his that he keeps tellin' about
may have somethin' to do with leavin' the
island."

Such a suggestion as this would have caused
Sam no slight anxiety at any other time, for
the possibility that Uncle Ben's "plan,"
whatever it might be, would involve his
abandoning Apple Island had never occurred to the
lad until this moment.  Just now, however,
while the "Sally D." was slowly but surely
approaching the anchorage, he could give
little heed to anything save the fear that Captain
Doak might succeed in getting hold of him
once more.

Soon the lads could see the two men clearly,
and Sam knew only too well that his
stepfather was in a towering rage.

"He'll use up more'n one rope's end on me
if he gets the chance!" the lad said with an
indrawing of the breath, and his companion,
trying to speak in a careless tone, replied:

"Oh, he'll have a mighty tough time
gettin' near enough to make much trouble, no
matter how long he stays.  We'll wait here
till we see what his game is, for there won't
be any sense in runnin' 'round very lively
before there's need for it."

The lads were not kept in suspense many
moments.  Within a quarter hour the "Sally D."
was inside the cove; Rube Rowe let the
anchor go with a rush, the sails were hauled
down, but not furled, and with everything on
the deck at sixes and sevens, Captain Doak
jumped into the dory which was towing alongside,
shouting impatiently to his solitary
sailor:

"Bear a hand lively, Rube, for I ain't
countin' on wastin' very much time over this job!"

"Lookin' for a boy on this 'ere island, an'
the sun within half an hour of settin', is goin'
to be a good deal like huntin' for a needle in
a haystack," Mr. Rowe grumbled as he
obeyed orders, and he was hardly more than
in the boat before the angry captain had
begun to row her to the shore.

"We'll go straight across the island, for if
Ben hasn't taken him along the cub is sure to
get as far away as possible, an' once we get our
hands on him, it's a case of goin' aboard
lively; I've spent too much time on him already."

"I ain't certain as the law will uphold us
in takin' him by force, even if you are his
stepfather," the sailor replied fretfully, and his
employer cried angrily:

"Do what I tell you, an' I'll look after the
law part of it.  Don't be afraid of knockin'
him down if you find that he can run too fast.
Now bear to the east'ard an' I'll tackle the
other end of the island; there's little chance
he can give both of us the slip."

Having thus given his orders, Captain Doak
set off at a rapid pace, passing within twenty
yards of where the lads were cowering behind
the jutting rocks of the cliff, and Tom
whispered when the angry man was so far away
that there could be no danger his words might
be overheard:

"Now you see that it was best to stay right
here; they don't count on our hangin' 'round
near the cove, an' this is as good a place as we
could find.  I haven't had to sneak away
time an' time ag'in from Mother Sharkey
without gettin' a mighty good idea of how the
trick can be turned."

During the next thirty minutes the boys
remained silent but on the alert, one watching
for Captain Doak, and the other for Rube
Rowe, and the shadows of evening were
lengthening before either of the men put in
an appearance.  Then they could be seen
coming directly toward the shanty, walking
side by side, and Tom whispered triumphantly:

"They've given it up as a bad job, so all
we've got to do is lay low here till they look
inside the shanty, for it ain't likely they'll
leave without openin' the door."

"Hadn't we better run while we've got a
chance?" Sam asked tremulously.

"Not a bit of it.  They'd be sure to sight
us, but if we can keep our distance half an
hour longer, it'll be so dark that they can't
see an inch before their noses."

Sam literally flattened himself against the
cliff, in his effort to hide, and hardly dared to
breathe when the two men approached the
shanty directly beneath him.

"If it wasn't so late I'd have that miserable
cub out of this!" Captain Doak cried angrily
as he kicked open the door of Uncle Ben's
home, "an' even as it is he hasn't given me
the slip, for the 'Sally' shall stay where she
is till I've put him aboard."

"If that's the way you're feelin', I'm
allowin' that we won't wet another line this
season," Rube Rowe said with a laugh which
caused Captain Doak to turn with upraised
hand as if to strike a blow, and the sailor
cried warningly as he put himself in a posture
of defense:

"None of that, Eliakim, or you an' I'll part
company mighty sudden!  I ain't so fond of
the 'Sally D.,' an' it wouldn't take much of
your funny business to give me my discharge."

"Don't talk crazy, Rube!  What we're after
is that young cub, an' this ain't the time to
cut up rough."

"You're doin' the rough part of it, 'cordin'
to my way of thinkin', an' I want you to
understand that it won't take much to put me
out of the job altogether.  I ain't so certain
that you've got the law on your side, an' then
ag'in, I've allers felt sorry for the little chap,
'cause there's no denyin' but that you've led
him the toughest kind of a life, an' he savin'
you the wages of a cook."

"Hold your tongue!  I know more 'bout
law than that drivelin' old lobster catcher can
tell me, so don't get the idee that I'm leadin'
you inter any trouble.  The boy is my stepson,
an' he's bound to dance to my pipin' till
he's twenty-one, or I'll know the reason why.
Got any matches?"

"What do you want of 'em?"

"I'm goin' to set this shack on fire.  Ben
Johnson shall be made to understand what it
means to buck agin me.  If he was here, I'd
give him a lesson that wouldn't soon be forgot;
but seein's he ain't, I'll let him have a
taste of what's comin'."

"If I had any matches you shouldn't have
'em to use on that shanty!" Rube Rowe cried
angrily.  "I know what it means to set a
house on fire!"

"This ain't a house, you bloomin' idjut; it's
nothin' but a fisherman's shanty, an' the law
won't be troubled 'bout it.  Besides who's to
know we did the job, if we get under way
lively—I can come back after Sam to-morrow."

"You'll get no matches from me," Rube
growled as he walked rapidly up the shore,
and Captain Doak, seemingly incited to yet
greater anger by the opposition of his "crew,"
said hoarsely as he ran toward the "Sally D.'s"
boat:

"I'll go aboard an' get what I want.  When
that's been done, you an' I'll have a settlement!"

"I reckon here's where we've got our work
cut out for us," Tom whispered as he crept
slowly to the top of the cliff.  "That cap'en
of yours won't set any shanty afire while I've
got life enough to roll a lot of these rocks down
on his head!"





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`A PITCHED BATTLE`:

.. class:: center large bold

   CHAPTER VI


.. class:: center medium bold

   A PITCHED BATTLE

.. vspace:: 2

In strict justice to Sam Cushing it must be
set down that he was not a coward in any
sense of the word, and certainly he proved
himself to be brave when he saved the life of
Tom Falonna at risk of his own, yet the idea
of opposing the commander of the "Sally D." to
the extent of provoking a personal
encounter frightened him.  More than once since
the death of his mother had he attempted to
resist when his stepfather was unusually cruel,
and on each occasion had he suffered severely.

Therefore, it was that Tom's preparations to
defend Uncle Tom's shanty against Captain
Doak seemed to him an extra hazardous
undertaking, more particularly since the chances
of his being captured by his angry stepfather
would, apparently, be increased, and, following
Tom up the side of the cliff, he whispered
entreatingly:

"Don't get us both into the worst kind of
a muss!  The cap'en an' Rube Rowe can
surely get the best of us if it comes to a fight,
an' then I'll be carried off on board the
'Sally'!"

"I ain't countin' on lettin' that villain burn
the only home your Uncle Ben has got,
'specially while there are so many rocks layin'
'round here loose," Tom replied grimly, as
he began gathering missiles where they would
be ready for use.  "'Cordin' to what he said,
Rube Rowe ain't likely to take much of a
hand in this 'ere row, 'cause he's got sense
enough to know that settin' a man's house on
fire is a mighty dangerous thing to do."

"He may not help start a fire, but he's
bound to lend a hand if Cap'en Doak gets inter
a row with us!"

"Then it'll be so much the worse for him,
'cause I'm goin' to make a mighty big try at
keepin' that villain at his distance, an' if I
can get one crack at him he'll be down an' out
for quite a spell.  There he goes for matches,
an' I reckon he's too wild by this time to
really know what kind of a sore he's breedin'
for himself.  Folks get sent to jail for what
he's aimin' to do——"

"Then he'd be out of my way for good an'
all," Sam said hopefully, and Tom replied in
a tone of reproach:

"Yes, you'd be all right; but your Uncle
Ben wouldn't have any shanty to live in, an'
then what about our plan of stoppin' here with
him?"

Sam had no reply to make; he was not a
little ashamed at having thought only of
himself and, as Tom had stated the case, he would
be injured as much as benefited by such
disposal of his stepfather as he had suggested.

The situation not only alarmed but perplexed
him, and, not knowing what else to do,
he watched the movements of Captain Doak,
who could be seen only as a dark smudge
against the lighter sky.  The commander of
the "Sally D." was standing erect in the dory
as he pushed at the oars with a force and haste
which told of the angry storm that was raging
in his mind, and while Tom made ready his
ammunition for the battle which was
evidently so near at hand, Sam announced to
him the movements of the man who was eager
to work so much mischief.

"He's in a terrible hurry; perhaps because
he's afraid Uncle Ben will come back before
he can start the fire.  Now he's alongside the
schooner, an' jumpin' aboard.  My, my! but
ain't he movin' spry!"

"He'll jump 'round worse'n ever if he gets
one of these rocks side of his head," Tom
replied as he ranged the missiles in front of him
with exceeding care.

"Now he's comin' out of the cabin, an' I
s'pose he's got matches enough to set the whole
island on fire.  See him jump inter the dory!
I tell you, Tom, he's mighty ugly by this time!"

"I ain't feelin' much like a lamb myself,"
Master Falonna said placidly as he brought up
from the foot of the cliff yet more rocks.  "I
reckon I've got enough here to keep him at
his distance quite a spell."

"He's comin' ashore—now he's on the
beach!  Look out for yourself!"

"Get up here where you can take a hand
in this business!  I'm countin' you'll do your
share!"

"Of course I will!" Sam cried.  If the
battle had to come, he was quite as determined
as his friend to prevent any mischief being
done to Uncle Ben's property.

The lad had not yet gained a position by
Tom's side when Captain Doak could be heard
shouting to the "crew" of the "Sally":

"Hi!  Rube! Come up here, you skulker,
an' see what Eliakim Doak can do to them
who try to tread on his corns!"

From far away in the distance came the reply:

"I ain't comin'!  I hired with you for a
season's fishin', an' when you go to runnin'
your head inter jail tricks, I don't train in
any of it!"

"You're a coward, that's what you are!"
the angry fisherman cried, and the boys on
the cliff could see him coming toward them
swiftly.  "If you're 'fraid of your own shadder,
stand by to go aboard, for we'll weigh anchor
as soon as this job is finished!"

Captain Doak hardly more than ceased
speaking when he had come near the shanty;
but before he could enter it, a warning cry
sounded from the cliff, and a huge rock rolled
swiftly toward him.

"Get back there, an' be lively 'bout it,"
Tom cried, "else you'll stand a chance of
havin' your head broke!  There won't be any
funny business on this 'ere island to-night,
'less somebody gets hurt pretty bad!"

"Who's that?" Captain Doak asked in a
rage, stepping back in order that he might
have a view of the top of the cliff, and at the
same instant a missile, smaller than the first,
grazed his arm, causing him to leap aside very
suddenly.

"Get back where you belong, 'less you
wanter be knocked out of time!" Tom
shouted, and, sheltering himself as much as
possible behind a projecting portion of the
cliff, the commander of the "Sally D." cried
in a voice hoarse with rage:

"I'll flog you within an inch of your life,
you miserable shirker.  Come down here, Sam,
or I'll mark you with a rope's end as you've
never been marked before!"

"I reckon you won't do much floggin' or
markin' yet a while," Tom replied stoutly,
standing with a missile in either hand, ready
to fire a shot whenever Captain Doak was so
incautious as to give him an opportunity.
"Go aboard your schooner, 'less you're achin'
to be 'bout the same as killed, for if we get a
fair whack at your precious body it ain't
likely you'll be very spry for some time to
come!"

"Rube!  Rube Rowe!  Get around on the
top of the cliff an' pitch them cubs down!"

"Do it yourself, if it's got to be done.  I
didn't ship with you for a pirate!" was the reply
from the beach, and Tom added mockingly:

"I reckon you'll have to tackle the job
yourself, cap'en, an' if you don't get all that's
comin' to you before it's over, I'm way off my
base.  We've got plenty of rocks handy."

While one might have counted twenty,
Captain Doak remained silent and motionless,
and then a tiny spark of light could be
seen near where he crouched, which caused
Tom to whisper:

"He's settin' fire to the rubbish, hopin' the
flames will creep over to the shanty, an'
perhaps they may, for the wind is settin' this
way.  If we'd only thought to bring up a
bucket of water, it would be easy to put an end
to his fun!"

"There are a couple of buckets behind the
shed.  If I could get down without his seein'
me, it wouldn't take long to have 'em up here."

"Go ahead an' get 'em!" Tom whispered
excitedly.  "I'll see to it that he don't get
out from behind the rocks while you're
gone!"

Understanding that there was no time to be
wasted if he would carry out the plan successfully,
Sam made his way softly down the cliff,
and in the meanwhile Tom watched anxiously
the tiny threads of flame which began to curl
up from amid the dried grass, seaweed and
driftwood, and were fanned by the wind
directly toward the shanty.

"I'll smoke you out, you cubs!" Captain
Doak cried triumphantly as he pushed the
blazing fragments forward with a short stick.
"It won't be many minutes before you'll be
glad to make a change of quarters, an' then
will come my time!"

At that moment Sam came to the top of the
cliff with the two buckets, each more than
half full of sea water, and, seizing one, Tom
waited until Captain Doak leaned forward to
put more fuel on the rapidly increasing fire,
when he threw the contents with rare good aim.

The water struck the commander of the
"Sally D." full in the face, causing him to leap
backward sputtering and choking, while a good
deal of the liquid fell on the flames.  The
second bucket was emptied in the same manner
immediately afterward, and all danger of
mischief was at an end for the time being.

It would be difficult to describe clearly the
exhibition of rage which the commander of
the "Sally D." gave on being thus baffled by
two lads.  He stormed at Sam because the lad
had dared to run away from the schooner; at
Tom for taking part in a quarrel which was
none of his, and at Rube Rowe for "skulking"
on the beach when his employer was in need
of his services.

The "crew" of the "Sally D." remained
silent under the torrent of abuse during a few
seconds, and then boldly announced his
determination:

"I'm nothin' but a common, every-day
fisherman, but I allow to be somewhere nigh
honest.  I shipped with you for a summer's
work, an' never allowed to go 'round burnin'
houses.  If you give me one more word of
abuse, I'll turn to an' help the boys so far as
I'm able——"

"You'll finish out the season aboard the
'Sally D.,' or you'll never see a cent of
wages!" Captain Doak cried, the words sounding
hoarse and indistinct because of his rage.

"I'm allowin' that if I should go inter court
with the story of why we parted company
before the season ended, I'd be able to collect
all you owe me, if so be you've got property
enough left to be attached by the sheriff; so I
ain't worryin' 'bout that part of it."

Having thus defined his position, Rube
Rowe, as the boys could see, set about
launching the "Sally's" dory, apparently making
ready to go on board, and Captain Doak, seemingly
forgetting the enemy on the cliff, sprang
out from his hiding-place as if to try
conclusions with his mutinous "crew."

"Now's our chance!" Tom whispered as he
threw two rocks with good aim, and an instant
later the commander of the "Sally D." measured
his length on the sand, evidently having
been struck by one or both of the missiles.

"What if we have killed him?" Sam cried
in a tone of fear when his stepfather made no
effort to rise to his feet, and Tom replied
savagely:

"I hope we have hurt him enough to put
some sense in him; but you'll see him jumpin'
'round in a minute."

The lad spoke in a loud tone, and must
have been heard by the captain, for he
scrambled to his feet with all haste, running
toward the dory as he cried shrilly:

"I'll shoot you boys if I have to spend a
week on this bloomin' island!"

"Has he a gun?" Tom asked, as he sheltered
himself behind the top of the cliff once
more, and Sam replied with a laugh:

"There is one hangin' up in the cabin; but
I've heard him say that it would do more
harm to the fellow who fired it than to
whatever it was aimed at."

"I don't believe he'll dare show himself
near enough to shoot; but if he does I'll take
good care that the next rock hurts him more.
That fire ain't quite out yet, an' we'd better
be gettin' more water while he's goin'
aboard.  Stay here on watch, an' I'll 'tend to
that part of it."

Sam was not eager for the task of defending
the cliff, therefore, before his friend could say
anything more, he seized the bucket, running
boldly down the rocky incline, careless as to
whether he might be seen.

When he returned with the water, Tom
threw it on the smoldering rubbish, and after
assuring himself that the last spark had been
extinguished, said in the tone of one giving
valuable information:

"Your bloomin' cap'en has gone aboard,
an' taken the sailor with him.  I reckon you'd
better get a little more water, an' then we'll
kinder fix up 'bout what we shall do if he
really tries to shoot us, though I don't believe
he can make any great fist at it with the kind
of gun you say he's got."





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`UNCLE BEN'S ARRIVAL`:

.. class:: center large bold

   CHAPTER VII


.. class:: center medium bold

   UNCLE BEN'S ARRIVAL

.. vspace:: 2

Sam filled both buckets with sea water and
carried them to the top of the cliff, where
they could conveniently be got at in case the
commander of the "Sally D." made another
attempt to burn the shanty, and, this done,
there was nothing more to be done in the way
of defense.

Now that he had time to consider the situation
more calmly, and while they were waiting
for Captain Doak to reappear, Tom began
to have some misgivings regarding their
ability to hold possession of the island against
a man armed with a deadly weapon.

"Are you certain that gun of his ain't in
condition?" he asked anxiously, and Sam
replied with a laugh, as if there was no
question whatsoever in his mind:

"I heard the cap'en say it had been loaded
more'n two years, an' in that time, for it has
been hangin' up in the 'Sally's' cabin all the
while, it stands to reason it must have
gathered considerable rust.  Rube Rowe said he'd
rather stand in front than behind it, in case
anybody was crazy enough to pull the trigger."

"Then I reckon it's all right," Tom said
with a sigh of relief.  "I ain't backin' down
any when it comes to stoppin' that bloomin'
fisherman from burnin' your Uncle Ben's
shanty; but I ain't had any too much
experience in fightin' with guns.  When I lived
with Mother Sharkey it was only a case of
dodgin' anythin' she could lay her hands on,
an' I'm way up on tricks like that, 'cause you
see I had to be mighty spry or catch it hot;
but——"

"There comes Cap'en Doak, an' he's got the
gun with him!" Sam cried, for he could make
out, in the gloom, the outlines of a man
emerging from the cabin of the schooner.
"P'rhaps he's jest crazy-mad enough to fire off
the thing without stoppin' to think of the rust!"

"I don't see but that we'll have to take our
chances on it, 'cause it's too late to make a
move now.  Get a couple of rocks ready, an'
when I say the word let 'em drive the best you
know how.  We're bound to do him all the
damage we can.  He started all this, and its
his fault if he gets hurt."

Sam armed himself as his companion had
suggested, but at the same time he was far
from feeling comfortable in mind.  It was to
him a very serious matter, this attempting to
work injury to a human being, and the idea
came into his mind that he would be solely
responsible for whatever might happen,
because, by at once giving himself up, to his
stepfather, he could put an end to further
trouble on the island, but in such case he
would receive most terrible punishment.

"Look here, Tom," he said in a tearful tone
as he allowed the rocks to drop from his
hands, "this row wouldn't have come off if
I hadn't run away from the schooner an' I
can stop it all now by goin' aboard the
'Sally' an' takin' what the cap'en sees fit to
deal out in the way of a thumpin'.  I'm goin'
to give in, an' then there won't be any danger
Uncle Ben's shanty will be burned."

"You ain't goin' to do any sich foolish
thing!" Tom cried, excitedly.  "An' what's
more, your Uncle Ben's shanty won't be
burned while there are plenty of rocks near by!
S'pose you hadn't run away, where'd I be
now?  Swashin' 'round off the shore with the
fish havin' a Thanksgivin' dinner, an' on
account of that I'm bound to hold up the biggest
end of this 'ere scrimmage.  You won't go
aboard the schooner to-night, not if I have to
hold you on this cliff with one hand while I
fight the cap'en with the other.  Here comes
the old pirate, so get busy!"

Captain Doak had lost no time in coming
ashore after getting possession of his weapon,
and as Tom spoke he was advancing rapidly
toward the shanty, apparently confident of
speedily reducing the defenders to subjection.

"Hold on there!  You've come far enough!"
Master Falonna cried when the angry captain
was a hundred feet away.  "The next time we
knock you down it won't be so easy to get up!"

"I'll shoot you loafers full of holes!" the
commander of the "Sally D." cried, the tremor
of his voice telling that he was almost beside
himself with rage; but to Tom's relief, he took
good care to remain at a respectful distance
from the foot of the cliff.  "I'm willin' to give
you one chance more, an' if you ain't wise
enough to take it, there's goin' to be a whole
lot of trouble on this island.  Let that
worthless Sam go aboard the 'Sally' this minute,
an' I'll get the schooner under way in a jiffy.
If he——"

"Never mind 'bout the rest of it, mister,
'cause Sam's goin' to stay right where he is,
'less we have ter come down an' wipe the earth
up with you.  I reckon you're right when you
say there's goin' to be trouble; but you're the
one what'll have it!"

For reply Captain Doak raised the gun as
if to take aim, and Tom whispered excitedly:

"He's goin' to shoot!  Let him have it!"

At the same instant he suited the action to
the words; four missiles came skimming down
the cliff, one of them striking the rusty gun
within an inch of the captain's face, and
another hitting the commander of the "Sally D."
on the left leg with a thud that could be
distinctly heard.

The ancient weapon was knocked from the
captain's hands, or fell when he grasped the
injured limb as if in greatest distress, and then
came from his lips a regular torrent of abuse
and threats.

"I don't allow you're doin' us any damage
by usin' your tongue so much; but at the same
time I ain't willin' to stand here doin' nothin'
while you're shootin' your mouth off at sich a
rate," Tom said threateningly, as he armed
himself with more rocks.  "Get on down toward
the beach, or I'll try my hand at bruisin'
your other leg!"

To the surprise of both the boys, Captain
Doak hastily obeyed this command, hobbling
off as if it caused him keenest pain to use the
injured member, but at the same time taking
good care not to linger within range of those
whom he had attempted to bully.

"What do you think of that?" Tom cried
in astonishment as he watched the commander
of the "Sally D." hurrying to gain the beach.

"He has gone off to try some other game,
an' when he comes again we'll get it hotter,"
Sam whispered timidly, and Tom replied
scornfully, almost as if disappointed because
the battle had been ended so suddenly:

"Unless he puts up somethin' hotter we've
wasted our time by luggin' up so many rocks.
He's nothin' but a great big bully, that's what
he is, an' the minute things ain't runnin' his
way he's ready to cry baby.  I'm goin' to get
that gun!"

"Don't!  Don't leave the cliff, or he'll
serve you out terrible!" Sam cried, trying to
prevent his companion from scrambling down
the rocky descent, but Tom pushed him aside
as he said disdainfully:

"It'll be a cold day when he uses me so
very terrible, the big bag of wind!" and down
he ran at full speed, Captain Doak apparently
giving no heed as the lad captured the rusty
gun.

In less than sixty seconds Tom was on the
top of the cliff again, brandishing his trophy
as he shouted to the commander of the
schooner who, seated on the sand, was rubbing
his injured limb energetically:

"It's time you went aboard, 'less you want
to get another dose.  We're here to look after
things while Uncle Ben is away, an' don't
count on havin' sich as you 'round here after
dark!  I'm goin' to pile a lot of rocks on this
gun, when it has been pointed straight for
you, an' then tie a string to the trigger so I
can pull it without takin' the chances of
havin' my head blown off.  If you're in the
way there'll be a mighty good show of gettin'
hurt."

"What's goin' on over there?" a voice
cried from across the water, and as the boys
remained silent in surprise they heard the
splash of oars in the distance.

"Uncle Ben has come back!" Sam shouted,
in a tone of most intense relief, and
immediately after came the question:

"What's the matter ashore?"

"Cap'en Doak has been tryin' to burn the
shanty!" Tom replied, and from the deck of
the schooner Rube Rowe took part in the
conversation by saying irritably:

"I reckon you haven't got back any too
soon, Uncle Ben.  The skipper is crazier than
a woodchuck, an' if the boys hadn't put up a
pretty stiff fight he'd cut quite a swarth!"

There was no reply, but Sam fancied that
the oars were worked more energetically, as if
the old lobster catcher was in a hurry to gain
the shore, and Tom whispered, as he made
careful selection of two rocks:

"Let's get down on the beach about as soon
as your Uncle Ben comes ashore, for there's
no tellin' what that bloomin' stepfather of
yours may try to do to the old man."

It is possible that Sam would not have
ventured down from the cliff alone; but he could
do no less than follow the example set by his
companion and by the time Uncle Ben's dory
struck the shore the two lads were so near
that they might easily have fallen upon
Captain Doak before he could do a mischief.

The old lobster catcher hauled his boat far
up on the beach and threw out the anchor,
lest she should drift away when the tide rose
again, before saying anything to the man
whom he had warned against trespassing on
Apple Island.  Then, instead of speaking in
an angry tone, he said placidly:

"You are only makin' matters worse for
yourself, Eliakim, by tryin' to work mischief.
I allowed you'd let your temper get the upper
hand an' so did what I could to protect Sam
Cushing.  I've finished the business at the
Port, 'cordin' to what I promised, an' if you
lay the weight of your finger on the lad ag'in
you'll be buckin' agin the whole state of
Maine, 'cause you've no longer got a shadder
of a claim on him."

"What's the meanin' of all that, you old
idjut?" Captain Doak cried angrily, looking
toward Uncle Ben for the first time since he
had come ashore.

"I mean that a legal guardian will be
app'inted for the boy you've wronged outer his
mother's house, an' his case will be looked
inter by the judge.  As for your bein' here,
that's another matter, an' I've found out jest
what rights I've got to this 'ere island, seein's
how I pay rent for it.  You're to keep a proper
distance, Eliakim Doak, for I'm warnin' you
off of what is the same as my property, an' if
you put your foot on this place ag'in I'll have
you sued for trespass."

"Hurray for Uncle Ben," said Tom gleefully.
Sam was too astonished to speak.

"It takes considerable to get me started,"
Uncle Ben went on, "an' you mustn't think
that all this has come on me sudden-like;
I've had it in mind ever since the day you
sold Sam's house, puttin' the money inter your
own pocket, but didn't get 'round to straightenin'
things till you allowed he was obleeged
to stop aboard with you, doin' a man's work
an' gettin' nothin' in the way of wages."  Then
walking toward his shanty, giving no
heed as to what Captain Doak might propose
to do, the old man said to the boys, "I reckon
it is time you turned in, for the night is
gettin' old.  Come with me, for growin' lads
need a good bit of sleep to keep 'em in shape."

Tom and Sam followed Uncle Ben; but before
entering the shanty both looked back to
see what the commander of the "Sally D."
was doing, and, much to their surprise, saw
that he remained seated on the sand as when
the old lobster catcher came ashore.

"He's not goin' to leave," Tom announced,
as he closed the door behind him lest the
subject of their conversation should overhear the
words, and Uncle Ben replied placidly:

"He'll go aboard after a spell, an' get the
schooner under way.  An obstinate man is
Eliakim Doak, an' it goes agin the grain to
be forced inter doin' what he don't like.
Have you had much trouble with him?"

Both lads told the story of what had
happened on the island, giving the story in a
fragmentary way, but none the less clearly,
and when the recital was done Uncle Ben said
in a tone of conviction:

"It's lucky he didn't have his will, an'
p'rhaps it's well he kicked up a row, else I
might have fiddled over my plan till there
wasn't life enough left in me to carry it out
as I've figgered on.  Now it's the same as
started, an' all owin' to Eliakim's bad
temper."

Sam and Tom looked at each other in
perplexity.  Uncle Ben appeared to think he had
accomplished something of importance, and
yet they failed to understand what he meant,
for to mix a plan of his with the actions of
Captain Doak seemed much like trying to
combine oil with water.

"What is it, Uncle Ben?" Sam asked after
waiting in vain for the old man to make the
necessary explanations.  "How did Cap'en
Doak's tryin' to burn the shanty have
anythin' to do with your plan?"

"It wasn't what he tried to do since I left
that made any difference; but only because I
knew he was out to make trouble.  I'll get a
bite to eat, fill my pipe, an' then, while I'm
takin' comfort, you shall hear all about it."

The old man set about making ready a meal,
and while he was thus engaged Tom crept out
to learn what move Captain Doak might have
made, returning five minutes later with the
report that the commander of the "Sally D."
yet remained on the beach as when they had
left him.





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.. _`UNCLE BEN'S "PLAN"`:

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   CHAPTER VIII


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   UNCLE BEN'S "PLAN"

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Before Uncle Ben's "bite" had been made
ready the boys understood that it was quite
time for them to have breakfast.  Already
the first gray light of the coming day could
be seen in the eastern sky.  and it surprised
them not a little at thus realizing how long a
time had been spent in defending the shanty.

"It didn't seem to be as if we'd been foolin'
with Cap'en Doak so long, but 'cordin' to the
looks of things he's made a night of it," Sam
said in surprise, as he looked out of the shanty
door at the sky.

"I'm reckonin' you got so excited that you
couldn't keep any very close run of the time,"
and as he spoke Uncle Ben displayed a slice
of juicy steak he had brought from the
mainland.  "What do you think of that?  It ain't
very often I allow myself to buy meat when
there's plenty of fish to be had for the takin',
but this seemed to be what you might call an
extry occasion on account of its bein' the
beginnin' of my plan."

"You said you'd tell us what that was,"
Sam suggested carelessly, and the old man
replied with a merry laugh:

"That part of the story will come in reg'lar
order, but not till I've wore the edge off my
appetite, for it makes a man feel mighty
sharkish to pull the greater part of the way
from Southport to Apple Island."

"Why didn't you wait till mornin', same's
you figgered on?"

"Wa'al, I'd got through with the business
concernin' Eliakim Doak, an' somehow—I
can't rightly say why—it seemed as if I was
needed here, so I made sail.  P'rhaps it was
lucky I did, for that stepfather of yourn had
let himself drop inter a bit of temper."

"Temper!" Tom repeated with a laugh.
"He was boilin' mad, that's what ailed him,
an' ready for all kinds of trouble.  Couldn't
you use the dory's sail?"

"None to speak of, lad, none to speak of.
A dory makes more leeway than headway,
when it comes to standin' up agin the wind,
so after foolin' 'round with the canvas for a
spell I took to the oars.  Time was when I
didn't mind a pull from here to the Port, but
now it seems like a longish job.  This meat
smells good, eh?"

"That's what it does!" Tom replied
emphatically.  "I haven't had anythin' to eat
but fish for so long that it seems like I must
be growin' fins."

"Wa'al, we've got plenty of time to enjoy
this, 'cause we won't need to pull pots till well
toward noon.  Jest take a squint outside, an'
see if Eliakim is still nestlin' in the sand."

"He isn't on the beach, an' the dory has
disappeared, so I reckon he's on board the
'Sally,'" Sam reported after a brief survey of
the shore.

"We'll hope he's got sense enough left to
give Apple Island a wide berth in the future,
for I've made up my mind that he shan't hang
round here makin' trouble.  The time has
come when, if my plan is to amount to anythin',
I've got to stick up for all the rights the
law allows.  I reckon you lads may as well
fall to, for the meat is cooked, an' I've got two
loaves of baker's bread to go with it, sayin'
nothin' of these pertaters what are browned
to a turn."

The boys did not need to be urged; both
were hungry, as well they might be after the
exertions of the night, and Tom was about to
make an attack upon the potatoes without
waiting for Uncle Ben to serve him, when he
saw that Sam was sitting with bowed head, as
if waiting for some ceremony to be performed.

"What seems to be the trouble?" he asked
with a laugh, which died away very suddenly
when the old lobster catcher began thanking
his heavenly Father for the food with which
they had been provided.

"It's the least we can do, Tom, to thank the
Lord for all the blessin's He's allowin' us, for
certain it is we don't deserve any," Uncle
Ben said when his prayer was finished and he
had begun to attend to the wants of his guests.
"I ain't countin' on tryin' to read you a lesson,
for any lad what's got common sense can see
how much he owes his Maker; but I hope
you'll kinder keep your weather eye liftin'
till you come to realize how the thing stands."

Tom's face flushed, and Uncle Ben,
understanding that he felt ashamed, set about telling
of his doings in Southport, and how much of
stores he was counting to bring from the
mainland on the next trip.

Once during the meal Sam looked out of the
door to make certain that the commander of the
"Sally D." was not lurking in the vicinity;
but nothing was seen to cause alarm.  The
schooner remained at anchor in the cove, and
it was not yet sufficiently light to make out
whether any person was on deck.

When hunger had been appeased, Sam insisted
that he and Tom be allowed to wash the
dishes while Uncle Ben was filling his pipe,
and the old man was hardly more than ready
to explain his "plan" before the lads were at
liberty to act the part of listeners.

"I've had this 'ere thing on my mind for
many a year, but never seemed able to get
'round to it till I heard how Eliakim Doak
was treatin' Sammy, an' then I says to myself,
says I, 'Benny, this is the time when you
oughter be gettin' your plan under way,'"
and Uncle Ben leaned back in his chair with
the smoke clouds curling around his head.
"I allowed that I'd take Sammy in an' care
for him, seein's how he didn't have anybody
to look after him proper like.  Then come the
idea that if I could lend a hand to Sammy,
why couldn't I do the same to half a dozen
lads what was needin' a home; but the thing
didn't come out straight in my mind till I
was on my way to Southport yesterday."

"I can't seem to make out exactly what
you mean," Sam said in perplexity as the old
man ceased speaking, much as if his story had
been told.

"It'll all come plain after a bit, lad, 'cause
you see I ain't got inter my yarn yet, so to
speak.  Wa'al, I was turnin' the matter over
in my mind jest before Tom takes it inter his
head to show up, an' then I says to myself,
says I, 'Benny, it's all bein' worked out for
yer, so go ahead an' do the rest,' an' that's
what I did yesterday, so to speak."

"But what did you do yesterday, Uncle
Benny?" Sam asked in perplexity.

"That's jest what I'm tryin' to tell you,
lad; but first an' foremost you must know
what the plan really is.  I allowed that this
'ere island was big enough for quite a family,
an' that a good-sized school of boys might get
a decent livin' here, if so be they was willin'
to work.  You see it wouldn't be much of a
job to raise all the vegetables that a big lot
of people could eat in a winter.  Then ag'in,
if we had a schooner the size of the 'Sally D.,'
an' boys enough to run her, we'd be makin' a
large dollar by fishin', with the lobster
business goin' on same as ever.  Now do you
catch on to the plan?"

"You mean to hire a lot of boys to come
here an' work for you!" Tom cried, believing
he understood the drift of the old man's remarks.

"I don't mean to hire 'em, lad; but when
we find a boy like you was yesterday, we'll
say to him somethin' like this: 'If you're
willin' to pay your own way in the world,
want a home, an' will live peaceable one with
another, come inter your Uncle Ben's family,
an' we'll share an' share alike.'  Now here
are you two, both willin' to do a full share of
work, an' here's me with the island, boats an'
lobster gear for a start.  We've already set
ourselves up as a family, an' if so be we run
across a decent lad who's in need of a home—mind
you, we won't cavort 'round the country
huntin' for 'em, but if we come across one,
we'll give him a show on Apple Island, leavin'
him at liberty to turn his back on us when
things ain't to his likin'."

"Is it kind of a 'sylum that you're startin',
sir?" Tom asked in a tone of disappointment,
and Uncle Ben replied emphatically:

"Not a bit of it, lad, not a bit of it!  We'll
jest gather a family here, with no charity
business 'bout it.  Each one shall do what he
can for the good of himself an' all around
him.  We'll have some rules, same's would be
found in every proper kind of a family, an'
when we can't live up to 'em, we'll separate
peaceable an' friendly.  It'll be a case of
workin' for a livin', an' workin' hard; but
we'll be able to live snug, lads, for Apple
Island ain't the worst place in the world, an'
if so be the family grows till this shanty is
too small for it, why all we have to do is build
another."

Tom's face was aglow with pleasure, and
Sam stood by the old man's chair that he
might show his joy by caressing Uncle Ben's
hand, worn and horny though it was with hard labor.

"Like the plan, eh?" and the lobster
catcher appeared to be well pleased by the
expression on the faces of the boys.  "Wa'al,
the Lord has been mighty good to me all my
life, an' I've laid by a tidy bit of money,
thinkin' the day might come when I could
help them as hadn't had it as easy in this
world as has been my lot, an' I reckon it's
close at hand.  When the family grows big
enough, I can buy, an' pay cash for, a trim
little schooner 'bout the size of the 'Sally D.,'
an' then we'll carry on a reg'lar wholesale
business in the fishin' line.  I've jest taken a
new lease for the island, runnin' twenty years,
an' when that time has come to an end I'll be
in the other world, while one of you is keepin'
the family goin'."

"But what if Cap'en Doak should keep on
tryin' to get hold of me now, when everythin'
looks so fine?" Sam asked in a whisper,
as if afraid of expressing his fears in words.

"You needn't have any trouble on that
score, lad.  When Eliakim turns up in Southport
ag'in, he'll find out what I've been doin'
an' won't dare to raise so much as a finger
agin you."

"S'posin' there should be five or six boys
here at one time, do you reckon we could all
earn a livin'?" Tom asked.

"Earn a livin'?  Why, the lobster fishin',
carried on industriously, would run the whole
family, an' if we have a schooner for deep sea
work, there's no reason why we couldn't lay
by considerable money.  I'm countin' that
when the time comes for me to go over the
dark river, if so be the plan is carried out, I
can leave you boys with a handsome capital.
But remember this, an' don't let it out of
your mind once, that the whole plan depends
on every member of the family doin' his level
best in the way of work.  There'll be plenty
of times when we'll have a chance for play;
but while business is to be looked after, it's a
case of hustle, 'cause lobsters an' fish don't
hang 'round cryin' for lazy folks to catch 'em."

Then, his "plan" having thus far been
given in detail, Uncle Ben went out of the
shanty, much as if believing that these, the
first two members of his "family," might want
to discuss the matter, and no sooner had he
gone than Tom exclaimed with a long-drawn sigh.

"Well I'll be blowed, if he ain't the best
kind of a man I ever run across!  Jest think
of his workin' all these years with the idee
of spendin' his money on a bloomin' lot of
duffers like us!"

"He's mighty good, an' it makes me feel
awful mean when I think that if it hadn't
been for you I wouldn't had the nerve to
stand Cap'en Doak off when he was tryin' to
burn the shanty!" Sam said mournfully, and
hie companion cried cheerfully:

"Don't let any sich notions get to worryin'
yer, Sam.  If you'd been here alone I'm
allowin' you'd perked up in great shape; but
that pirate had kept the upper hand so long
that you'd got kinder shaky.  I wonder if
he's had sense enough to make sail?"

By way of answering his own question Tom
opened the door of the shanty, and an
exclamation of mingled surprise and anger burst
from his lips as he looked out:

"Well, he's the worst ever!  Will you look
at the miserable sneak comin' ashore again!
Now what game is he tryin' to work, I wonder?"

By this time the new day had fully come,
and as Sam peered out over his companion's
shoulder he could see Rube Rowe sitting idly
on the rail of the "Sally D.," while Captain
Doak was rowing ashore alone in the dory.

Uncle Ben must have learned the captain's
intentions while the boys were talking in the
shanty, for he was standing on the shore at a
point where it seemed positive the dory would
take the sand, evidently counting on "having
it out" alone with the commander of the
"Sally D."

"We've got to take a hand in this, Sam!"
Tom cried hurriedly.  "There's no tellin'
what that pirate may do to your Uncle Ben,
an' we're the ones who've got to stand up for
the new family if it comes to a row."

Tom did not wait to see what steps Sam
proposed to take; but, stopping only long
enough to arm himself with the buoy to
which was attached a short length of rope,
ran with all speed toward where che old
lobster catcher stood awaiting the coming of him
who might well be looked upon as an enemy.

Sam Cushing was not far behind his friend
in making ready to aid Uncle Ben in case it
should be necessary.  A broken oar was the
only weapon near at hand, and with this
upraised as a club, he ran and took his place
alongside Tom Falonna, who, ankle-deep in
the water, stood directly in front of the old man.





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.. _`THE STRANDED SCHOONER`:

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   CHAPTER IX


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   THE STRANDED SCHOONER

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The old lobster catcher understood full well
why the boys were gathering so close around
him, and most likely their desire to defend
pleased him well; yet he motioned Tom to
stand aside, as he said:

"I'm allowin', lads, that Eliakim won't be
wild enough to kick up very much of a row,
an' by showin' yourselves ready for a fight, it
might make him worse'n he is naturally.  Get
up shore a bit, an' leave me to deal with him,
for he ain't the first man I've seen a good
deal mixed by bad temper."

Tom had hardly more than time to obey this
command before the master of the "Sally D."
was ashore and striding up to Uncle Ben
threateningly.  Tom swung his buoy ready
for use, believing that an attack was about to
be made upon the old man.

"I want you to understand, Ben Johnson,
that I don't allow anybody to mix himself in
my business as you've been doin', an' I'm here
to settle accounts," and Captain Doak raised
his hand as if to strike; but Tom's buoy came
so near his head that he prudently stepped
back a couple of paces.

"The time has gone by, Eliakim, when
you an' I can settle anythin'.  In order to
protect Sammy, I was obliged to go to
Southport yesterday, an' when next you put in
there it will be to see that your power over
him is gone.  I've taken a longer lease of the
island, an' found out jest what my rights are
as to the place.  You're trespassin', an' if you
don't take yourself off mighty quick, I shall
enter complaint agin you."

It seemed impossible for the commander of
the "Sally D." to speak, so great was his
anger, and while one might have counted
twenty he stood in front of the old man
waving his hands threateningly, but not daring
to advance a single pace because of the buoy
which Tom swung around his head in a
manner that told how heavy a blow could be
delivered with it.  Before it was possible for
the infuriated man to gain command of his
tongue, Rube Rowe shouted:

"Come aboard, cap'en.  What's the use of
kickin' agin the law, for you know Uncle
Ben has the upper hand?"

"I'll pound you to a jelly when I get
aboard, which won't be till after I've squared
accounts with this meddlin' old idjut!" Captain
Doak cried savagely, and his "crew"
replied impatiently:

"If you don't come 'round on another tack
mighty soon, I'll go ashore, an' once there
you ain't big enough to make me step foot on
this deck ag'in!"

"I'll lash you to the foremast for a mutinous
hound, that's the way I'll serve you, an' it
won't take me long to do it!"

It was as if the captain had suddenly
forgotten that he came ashore to settle accounts
with Uncle Ben, so great had become his
desire to punish his "crew" for thus daring to
speak disrespectfully, and without further heed
to those on the beach, he leaped into the dory,
pulling back to the schooner as rapidly as he
had previously rowed toward the island.

"He'll come pretty nigh killin' Rube," Sam
cried in alarm.  "He's not quite himself, an'
when he gets that way he's terrible."

"I'm allowin' that Rube will hold his
own," Uncle Ben replied placidly, "an' it'll be
strange if Eliakim don't get the worst of the
bargain."

"Why don't Sam an' I go aboard the
schooner to take a hand in whatever happens?"
Tom asked quickly.  "That sailor is
a decent fellow, an' I'd hate to see him done
up by a duffer like Cap'en Doak."

"I've forbid his comin' on the island, an' it
wouldn't do for us to lay ourselves open to a
charge of trespass by goin' aboard his vessel.
You needn't have any fear but that Reuben
will come out all right jest now; but what
may happen after the 'Sally' gets under way
is another matter."

The boys made no reply to this remark, for
Uncle Ben had but just ceased speaking when
Captain Doak ran the dory alongside the
schooner and was clambering over the rail,
Rube Rowe standing amidships as if indifferent
as to what might be done.  The enraged
man had hardly more than gained a footing
on the deck when the "crew" suddenly
aroused himself to activity, and while one
might have counted ten, the two struggled
together, after which the master of the schooner
dropped on the deck as if felled by a blow.

Then Rube Rowe disappeared from view,
and while the boys were wondering if he had
been seriously injured during the short
squabble, he came out of the cabin, dragging a sea
chest, which he lowered into the dory that
lay alongside.  In another moment he was
pulling for the shore, and Uncle Ben announced
as if the situation needed little or no
explanation:

"Reuben has allowed to desert the 'Sally
D.,' an' I reckon Eliakim will have a hard
time to find another man, for he ain't in no
ways a favorite with fishermen."

"How can he sail the 'Sally' alone?  Sam
asked, in surprise.

"He can't, an' that's why I'm sorry he an'
Reuben parted company so soon, 'cause we'll
have him layin' here kickin' up a fuss when
we count on bein' peaceable."

"Reckon I can take your dory a minute,
eh, Uncle Ben?" Rube said as he beached the
schooner's boat and threw the sea chest out on
the sand.  Then, without waiting for reply,
he launched the old man's craft, and began
towing the "Sally D.'s" dory out to the
schooner.

Until he had completed his task Uncle Ben
and his "family" watched the proceedings in
silence, but when he returned to the shore,
pulling the dory belonging to the island well
up on the beach, the old man asked with just
a tinge of curiosity in his tones:

"Where is Eliakim?"

"Stretched out on the deck, too ugly to
move; now he knows I won't stand any more
of his nonsense."

"Ain't you puttin' yourself in the way of
bein' called a mutineer, by knockin' the cap'en
down?"

"Mutiny aboard a fishin' vessel layin' at
anchor, with only one man as crew, an' he
doin' no more'n protecting himself!" Mr. Rowe
repeated with a scornful laugh.  "If
Doak can make mutiny out of it, an' prove to
a judge that I wasn't doin' any more'n a
decent man has a right to do, by defendin'
himself, let him go ahead an' I'll stand the shot.
Say, Uncle Ben, will you keep me here a little
while, pervidin' I'll turn to an' work my
board?"

"For certain, Reuben.  You're welcome to
stay as long as you like, an' needn't distress
yourself tryin' to pay for what you eat.  It
kinder looks as if my family was growin'
faster'n I counted on, an' at this rate I'll have
to get somebody to help me out with the
housekeepin'."

"I'll do the cookin' an' Tom can look after the
shanty," Sam cried, and Master Falonna added:

"We can do that much, an' 'tend to the
lobster-pots while we're restin'.  Even then it
won't be any more'n a snap, 'longside of what
I've been having."

"I reckon I'm able to do my full share of
the work for a spell yet, so we won't shove it
all off on to you lads.  Reuben shall lend a
hand, as he's allowed, an'——  Hello!  Eliakim
has come to, an' now I'm guessin' we'll
hear considerable bad talk."

Captain Doak had risen to his feet, and was
standing near the rail looking toward the
shore where he could see that his "crew" had
really abandoned him.  He gazed at the group
on the beach for an instant, then looked
alongside where the dory was made fast, and
afterward shouted in a voice thick with rage:

"Don't think you've beaten me off, Ben
Johnson!  I'll spend all my time from this
out settlin' accounts with you, an' when they've
been squared, I'll make Rube Rowe wish he'd
never been born!  Better do your crowin'
now, 'cause you won't have a chance after
twenty-four hours have gone by!"

"I'm allowin' Eliakim's bark is worse'n his
bite," Uncle Ben said placidly, as the
commander of the "Sally D." ran forward much
as though time was very precious just then.
"But what is the poor creeter countin' on
doin'?  Surely, he don't allow to sail the
schooner alone!"

"He's liable to allow anything," Mr. Rowe
replied, and then the conversation ceased as
those on the beach watched the captain of the
schooner.

That he intended to sail the vessel alone
could be seen when he hauled in on the
anchor.

"He won't go far if he don't make sail
mighty quick," Mr. Rowe muttered as the
little schooner swung around once the anchor
was clear of the bottom.  "With the wind
settin' in so strong from the s'uthard, it'll be
a touch an' go if he clears the point.  Why
didn't he get some sail on her first, an' then
he might have been able to handle himself?"

When in his right mind Captain Doak was
a good seaman, and, perhaps, there were none
in Southport who could get more speed out of
a vessel than he; but now he was little better
than a crazy person, and before it was possible
to raise an inch of canvas the bow of the
"Sally D." was so far inside the point that she
could not by any possibility be made to
clear it.

"Let go your anchor, Eliakim, or you'll
take the ground for sartin!" Uncle Ben cried
excitedly, and Captain Doak replied, as ne
ceased work to shake his fist threateningly:

"Hold your tongue!  I'll run my own craft
as I please, an' when I come back there won't
be enough left of you an' your gang to fill a
pint pot!"

Then he turned to the main halyards once
more; but before he could make the first
motion toward hoisting the sail the schooner,
given considerable headway by the strong
wind, struck heavily just inside the point,
throwing her commander to the deck.  The
surf was by no means heavy, but yet had
sufficient force to send the "Sally D." inshore
yet further, until her nose was buried deeply
in the sand, when she heeled over at a sharp
angle.

"That's the end of his cruise, an' now we'll
have him on our hands, for no matter who
owns the island, he's got the right to come
ashore in order to save his schooner," Uncle
Ben said mournfully, and Mr. Rowe added:

"Unless he hires a steamer to pull her off,
she'll lay where she is for good an' all.  It's
the top of the tide, an' nothin' but a tug,
which can't be found this side of Portland,
will move her.  I allow that Eliakim hasn't
got ready money enough to pay any sich bills."

By this time Captain Doak had scrambled
to his feet, and was gazing stupidly into the
water, as if not fully understanding what had
happened; but he aroused himself to activity
when Uncle Ben cried in a friendly tone:

"I'm allowin' you're needin' a tug, Eliakim,
an' if we can take any word to Southport for
you, we're ready.  The 'Sally' is on there to
stay till you can get steam power to haul
her off."

"Mind your own business, or it'll be the
worse for you!" Captain Doak roared.
"When I'm so far gone that I'm ready to
take advice from a cantin' old hypocrite like
you, it'll be time to order my coffin!"

Then, moving like one in a fury of rage, the
commander of the stranded schooner literally
threw himself over the rail into the dory, and
an instant later was pulling like mad in the
direction of Southport.

"He's crazy as a hedgehog, an' I'm allowin'
he'll be worse before gettin' better," Mr. Rowe
said as he turned his attention to dragging
the heavy chest toward the shanty, while Tom
and Sam ran along the beach until arriving
opposite where the "Sally" lay helpless, and
so near the disabled schooner's bow that it
seemed as if they might board her without
wetting a foot.

"Don't make the mistake of foolin' with
her," Uncle Ben shouted warningly.  "She's
abandoned, an' any one has the right to take
possession, but we can't afford to have more of
a row with Eliakim Doak, so the safest plan
is to give the schooner a wide berth.  We'll
pull the pots now, so's to stay in the shanty
when he comes back to set about workin' her off."

"An' it'll stand him in hand to come
mighty soon, for it won't take long for her to
settle herself so far in the sand that all the
steamers 'twixt here an' Boston couldn't pull
her off," Mr. Rowe cried as he dragged his
chest inside the shanty, disappearing with it
to come out a moment later and say cheerily:

"If you lads know where the pots are,
I'll row the dory while you do the pullin'.
Uncle Ben can stay ashore an' look after
things, 'cause there ain't any call for all hands
to go."

The old lobster catcher made no protest at
thus being relieved of labor, and as soon as
they could make ready Mr. Rowe and the two
boys set off to make a complete voyage around
the island, as would be necessary in order to
examine all the traps, while Uncle Ben was
left critically examining the "Sally D." from
a distance, as if trying to form in his mind
some plan of launching her.





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.. _`MR. ROWE'S PROPOSITION`:

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   CHAPTER X


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   MR. ROWE'S PROPOSITION

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The catch brought in on this day, when
Uncle Ben had no hand in the work, was so
large as to surprise the old man, and he said
in a tone of content, when Sam reported the
number of lobsters put into the car, which was
just outside of where the stranded schooner
lay:

"'Cordin' to the looks of things it would
pay for me to stay ashore all the time, for I
haven't taken as many full-sized lobsters this
last month."

"Well, why don't you do it, Uncle Ben?"
Rube Rowe asked, as if the matter was one
which might readily be arranged.  "You're
gettin' kinder old to be knockin' 'round in a
boat, an' it looks as if you had help enough
here to run things about as they oughter be
run."

"I don't allow that the boys are quite up to
handlin' a dory in heavy weather, an' pullin'
pots at the same time, so I reckon it's a case
of my keepin' off the shelf a spell longer,"
Uncle Ben replied placidly.  "I wouldn't
know what to do with myself, knockin'
'round on shore with nothin' 'special to be
done."

"The boys have been tellin' me 'bout your
plan, an' I allowed that when you'd got your
family together, there'd be plenty for you to
do without lobsterin', 'cept when you wanted
to tackle the job in pleasant weather for what
fun might be got out of it," Mr. Rowe
suggested in a tone which told that he would
have said more, but lacked the courage,
whereupon Uncle Ben asked with a smile:

"What is it, Reuben?  There's more in
your noddle than you've let out so far, an' no
reason why you shouldn't make a clean breast
of it."

"Wa'al, I reckon I may as well say what
came inter my mind while we were out in the
dory.  The boys got the idea that you was
countin' on buyin' a schooner, so's you could
do a little fishin'?"

"That's in my mind, Reuben; but, of course,
it ain't to be thought of till the family grows
a bit.  Sam an' Tom will have their hands
full with lobsterin', an' consequently, there
wouldn't be anybody to run the vessel if I
bought one."

"It was the idee of the schooner that set me
to thinkin'," Mr. Rowe said hesitatingly, much
as though hardly daring to put his thoughts
into words.  "If there was another man on
the island, I don't see why you couldn't run
a schooner on short trips, an' 'tend to the
lobster catchin' at the same time; two boys,
with a skipper who knew his business, oughter
bring in quite considerable fares of fish."

"But so long as I'm the only one to look
after anythin' of the kind, there ain't much
sense in talkin' 'bout it," Uncle Ben said with
a laugh which ceased very suddenly as a new
idea presented itself.  "Look here, Reuben
Rowe, are you kinder hintin' that you'd turn
to with us?"

"That's jest the size of it, Uncle Ben!" Mr. Rowe
exclaimed, evidently much relieved in
mind by having the matter thus brought
speedily to a head.

"I ain't allowin' that I could run a schooner
or look after the lobster end of it as well as
you; but yet you know I'm counted an A1
man aboard a fisherman."

"We couldn't afford to hire a skipper,
Reuben.  If I can contrive to pay for a vessel,
the crew will have to work for the family,
without countin' on gettin' wages."

"Wa'al, ain't that the same as I've been
talkin'?" and now Mr. Rowe really appeared
aggrieved because he had been misunderstood.

"What?" Uncle Ben cried in amazement,
as, with his hands on his knees he looked
keenly at the fisherman.  "Do you mean to
say you'd be willin' to come here to Apple
Island an' work on the same lay as the boys?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Mr. Rowe asked
meekly.  "Take one season with another I
don't earn much more'n my keep, 'specially
when I go ashore at this port or that an' blowin'
my wages same's the most of the crew do,
an' I can't seem to hold off when they're keen
to have me go with 'em.  Seein's how I never
was any great of a scholar, an' wasted what
few chances I did have for gettin' an education,
I can't count on goin' ahead as a sailor,
so why not stop here where things look to be
mighty snug?  Take it all in all, Uncle Ben,"
and now Mr. Rowe's tone was one of pleading,
"there ain't much difference betwixt the
way I'm fixed an' the way the boys stand; so
far as I know there ain't child nor chick in
this world that wants to have any truck with
me, 'cept it is in the way of hirin' me for the
smallest wages I'll take.  When I get so low
down as to sail with Eliakim Doak it seems
as if it was time to take a turn, an' p'rhaps it
would come if I could be one of your family,
same's Sam is."

"Look here, Reuben," and Uncle Ben spoke
in a most friendly tone, "you've got good
reason to believe that I'd share whatever I had
with you so long as you keep yourself fairly
clean in habits, as I've heard you do.  If so
be you wanter jine our family, rememberin'
that each one works for the good of the whole,
settle down here, an' we'll make things as
pleasant as we can; but don't think you're
bound to stay any pertic'lar time.  Whenever
the fit takes yer, pack up an' be off with
friendly feelin's all 'round."

"You're what I call a good man, Uncle Ben,
an' it might s'prise yer to know what a big
favor you're doin' for me.  I'll have a home
for the first time in twenty years, an' the show
to feel that I'm of some use in the world.  I
don't count on braggin', but at the same
time I'm allowin' I can help out a good bit."

"I know full well you can, Reuben, an'
I'm glad to have you with us.  We'll build
up a place here on Apple Island that a man
can take pride in, an' it'll help mightily to
have you join us; but remember, when you
have an itchin' to get out with the rest of the
world, don't be backward in speakin' right
out."

Mr. Rowe seemed to think it necessary to
shake hands all round in token of having thus
been made a member of the "family," and,
this done in the gravest manner possible, he
set about dragging his chest into the shanty
that he might make himself more fully at
home expiating to Sam in the meanwhile
that all he owned was there.

"I'm here bag an' baggage, lad, an' mighty
glad to be settled down for the first time since
I can remember."

That noon Sam cooked dinner, making a
regular feast with roasted lobsters, fried fish
and something which looked considerably
like an apple pie, although the cook modestly
confessed that he had not had "real good luck
with it."

The remainder of the day was spent catching
cunners to be used as bait for the lobster
traps; mending some of the old pots, and
putting tar on the seams of the dory.  Mr. Rowe
worked as if the labor was sport, and
Uncle Ben no sooner tried his hand at this
thing or that, than one of his "family"
insisted on doing it, until the old man said with
a laugh of content:

"I declare it does seem as if all hands were
bent on drivin' me outer business.  I've allers
been able to putter 'round with nobody to help,
an' it comes a little odd not to be allowed to
so much as raise a finger."

"Your part is to do hard work, bossin' the
rest of us, Uncle Ben," Mr. Rowe said cheerily.
"There ain't so much to be done but that the
boys an' me can get through it without half
tryin', an' it's time you did a little loafin' so's
to see how it seems."

During the afternoon Uncle Ben's family
fully expected Captain Doak would return
with a steamer to pull the "Sally D." from
her resting place in the sand, and when night
came without any sign from the owner of the
schooner, Mr. Rowe said, with an air of
concern:

"I declare I ain't hankerin' for a sight of
Eliakim; but I do wish he'd show up with a
tug, for the longer the schooner lays here the
more it will cost to get her off.  Give her one
week, with a southerly wind blowin', as is
likely at this season of the year, an' she'll be
smothered in sand."

"It's goin' to be a big job at the best to get
her off, seein's she took the ground at chock
high water," Uncle Ben added, as if talking
to himself; "but it'll cost more'n she's worth,
if the work ain't begun mighty soon."

"How much do you allow she's worth?"
Tom asked, and one might have thought he
had it in his mind to buy her, so serious and
businesslike was his air.

"Wa'al, I allow she'd fetch seven or eight
hundred dollars afloat, an' not half that where
she lays," Uncle Ben replied as he looked at
the stranded schooner critically.  "She must
be fifteen or sixteen years old, which ain't
much if she'd had proper care; but Eliakim
has allowed her to run down terribly these
last two seasons.  Look at her!  Oakum
hangin' out of her seams like yarn in a
frayed stockin', an' you never could tell by
the hull what color she was painted last."

"If Eliakim wanted to sell her as she lays,
I'm allowin' he couldn't get four hundred
cash, an' yet it wouldn't take so many dollars
to put her in good fair trim.  I'd like to own
her, high an' dry as she is," Mr. Rowe said
thoughtfully.

"But how would you get her into the
water?" Tom asked curiously.

"I'd leave her where she is till I'd got her
lookin' somethin' like a vessel, shorin' her up
so's she wouldn't really bury herself, an' then
I'd risk the launchin' part of it.  She must
be nigh full of water by this time, for she leaks
a good bit around the stern-post."

"Wa'al, we can't do any good by settin'
here chinnin'," Uncle Ben said abruptly as he
rose to his feet.  "If this 'ere family is to be
kept from starvin' we'd best turn in, so's to be
ready for a good day's work to-morrow."

Sam was the first to "turn out" next morning,
as was his duty since he had taken upon
himself the task of cook, and he had no more
than opened the door than the sleepers were
startled into wakefulness by hearing him cry:

"Cap'en Doak has come back; but he's
alone, an' it don't look as if he was goin' to
do anythin' toward floatin' the 'Sally,' for he's
sittin' on the sand smokin'."

"Most likely he's waitin' for the steamer to
come," Uncle Ben said, as he made a hurried
toilet.  "If so be he's got things ready for the
launchin' of her, we must all bear a hand."

"Are you goin' to help him after what he's
tried to do against you?" Tom asked in surprise,
and the old man replied in a decided tone:

"That goes without sayin', lad.  It's no
reason why we should be brutes because he
makes a beast of himself at times.  If there's
anythin' we can do to help another in trouble,
I'm hopin' we'll be ready to do it, without
stoppin' to reckon up whether he's in our debt."

Then Uncle Ben went rapidly toward the
commander of the stranded schooner, and
Tom Falonna, eager to hear what might be
said, followed close at his heels; but neither
Sam nor Mr. Rowe showed any desire to have
an interview with Captain Doak.

"Wa'al, Eliakim, are you countin' on havin'
a steamer over here to pull the 'Sally' off?"
Uncle Ben asked cheerily, and Captain Doak
replied in a surly tone:

"Whether I am or not is none of your
affairs, Ben Johnson, an' I'll thank you to
keep your nose outer my business or there'll
be considerable trouble sich as won't be
pleasant."

"Now, see here, Eliakim," and Uncle Ben
spoke in a most friendly tone, apparently
giving no heed to the ill-natured words, "I
ain't countin' on meddlin' with you an' yours
more'n I already have, an' what I did was
somethin' that you brought on yourself.
Now if we can give you a lift in floatin' the
'Sally,' we wanter do it, as neighbors
should."

"I've seen your tracks at the Port, so let me
tell you, Ben Johnson, that if I couldn't
launch the 'Sally' without your help, I'd leave
her to rot where she is!"

Uncle Ben was not so thick-headed but he
could understand that it would be worse than
useless to attempt to hold friendly converse
with Captain Doak while he was in such a
humor, therefore he went slowly back to the
shanty, looking as if in deep distress.

"I hope he'll never get her off!" Tom
cried angrily when he and the old man were
so far from the captain that there could be no
danger his words would be heard by the owner
of the schooner.  "He acts like a great big
chump!"

"There's no call to say anythin' harsh,
Tom," Uncle Ben said reprovingly.  "He
allers used to be a pleasant-spoken man till he
got into bad habits.  I reckon he'll be glad of
our help before he finishes the job that's to be
done, an' when that time comes we'll turn to
jest as willin'ly as if he'd shown himself to
be the best friend we ever had.  I'm hopin',
lad, that this 'ere family I'm tryin' to get
together will allers do as they'd be done by,
for it's the one mighty good rule in this
world."





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.. _`"FOR SALE"`:

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   CHAPTER XI


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   "FOR SALE"

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Although Uncle Ben appeared so ready to
find excuses for Captain Doak's surliness, Tom
Falonna was not disposed to let the matter
drop, as if it were no more than an ordinary
incident, but, on his return to the shanty,
told Mr. Rowe and Sam of the meeting, and
what had passed between the two men, adding
in conclusion:

"'Cordin' to my way of thinkin', there's
sich a thing as bein' too good for this 'ere
world, an' that's what's ailin' Uncle Ben.
What he oughter done was to up an' hit that
pirate a clip under the ear, so's to give him a
lesson in manners.  I only wish his schooner
had to lay there on the sand till I lent a hand
toward gettin' her off!  You can bet real
money that she'd rot there!"

"After all that's been done an' said, I ain't
got it in my heart to do a friendly turn for
Eliakim Doak," Mr. Rowe added
thoughtfully.  "I'd heard considerable 'bout him
before I agreed to fish aboard the 'Sally D.'
this season; but I never allowed he, nor any
other man for that matter, could be so
downright mean an' ugly as he'd showed hisself.
I'd had it in mind to leave him the very
minute I could get some little part of what
was due me for wages; but when Sam stirred
up things, I come to believe that dollars didn't
count very big when it meant stayin' aboard
the schooner any longer.  My biggest hope
now is that he'll float her mighty sudden, for
the sooner that's been done the quicker we'll
get rid of him."

"It won't seem as if we'd really been made
over inter a family till he has left the island
for good an' all," Sam said emphatically, as
he straightened up from his work of frying
fish to look over his shoulder apprehensively
toward the beach.  "It's dead certain he'll be
on the watch for a chance to get hold of me
once more, no matter how much Uncle Ben
threatens, an' I'll have cold chills just so long
as he hangs 'round here."

"Don't let Eliakim fret you, Sammy,"
Uncle Ben, who had entered the shanty in
time to hear the conclusion of the lad's
remark, said placidly as he seated himself at
the breakfast table.  "I cut his claws when I
went to the Port, an' he knows he'd get inter
mighty deep water with the law by interferin'
in your affairs."

Uncle Ben, understanding that such conversation
only served to increase Sam's fears
regarding what the owner of the "Sally D."
might do, hastened to change the subject by
outlining the labors of the day:

"I reckon we may as well get at the old
pots, to put 'em in shape agin winter weather.
Now we've started out as a reg'lar family, it
stands us in hand to have some rule 'bout
the day's work.  It strikes me that if
Eliakim is goin' to loaf 'round here, as seems to
be his idee, I'd better stop ashore to keep him
down where he belongs.  So s'posen all hands
turn to an' bring the traps up here where I can
find 'em handy?  When that's been done, the
lobsterin' crew better get onto their job.  If
they have as good luck as came to 'em yesterday,
it'll be a case of carryin' a cargo to the
Port mighty soon."

Sam, at this point, put an end to the
conversation by setting before the hungry family
the results of his labor as cook, and during the
next ten minutes all hands were actively
engaged "puttin' in a stomach linin'," as
Uncle Ben expressed it.

Immediately the meal was finished Mr. Rowe
and Tommy set about bringing up the
pots which needed repairs, while Sam washed
the dishes and otherwise put the shanty to
rights.  Uncle Ben lost no time in beginning
his portion of the work, and while the "family"
were thus as industrious as bees, Captain
Doak sat on the beach sulkily smoking his pipe.

"I declare, Sammy, I can't make out what
Eliakim's got on his mind," the old lobster
catcher said, after getting well settled down to
his task of knitting new heads for the traps.
"It don't look as if he counted on doin'
anythin' toward gettin' the 'Sally' outer the
sand, an' yet he must have some scheme in
his mind."

"P'rhaps he's waitin' to get hold of me,"
the amateur cook suggested timidly.

"Then he's wastin' his time, for a fact.
You'll be out in the dory with Reuben an'
Tommy the best part of the day, an' I'll go
bail he can't do you any harm there.  When
you get back, the family will all be close at
your heels, so however evil-minded he may
be, Eliakim won't be able to spin a thread."

"If so be the cook is done putterin' 'round,
we'll look after the pots!" Mr. Rowe called
cheerily from the outside as he and Tommy
brought up the last load of traps, and Sam
replied to what might be considered as an
invitation, by hurrying out of the shanty.

When the three launched Uncle Ben's dory
in order to begin the real work of the day
Captain Doak yet remained where Sam had
first seen him that morning, and, so far as
could be told, he gave no heed whatever when
the lads and his mutinous "crew" passed to
and fro near him.

"Do you allow he might be thinkin' of
tryin' to get square with Uncle Ben?"
Tommy asked in a whisper when the dory
was some little distance from the shore on her
way to the nearest trap, and Mr. Rowe replied
confidently:

"Don't get any sich a notion as that down,
lad.  Eliakim is sober enough now to realize
that he'd be gettin' inter the worst kind of hot
water if he tried any funny games with the
old man, 'specially after we would swear he
was the only outsider left on the island when
we pushed off.  He couldn't count on doin'
any mischief with the idee that nobody would
know who'd done it.  I reckon he's hard up
for cash to hire help in floatin' the schooner,
an' havin' nothin' else to do, is kinder
watchin' the craft, with a crazy belief that she
may slide off'er the sand without waitin' for help."

Then the dory was over the first trap, and
Tom, who insisted on serving a thorough
apprenticeship at the business, was picking up
the buoy rope with the gaff, doing it "uncommonly
handy-like," as Mr. Rowe said approvingly.

The "take" was not as large as on the day
previous, but yet they found marketable lobsters
enough to satisfy any save the most avaricious,
and when finally the dory was pulled
around the southern point of the island on
her way to the car, where the results of the
day's work were to be left, Mr. Rowe said
exultantly:

"I reckon the family have earned their
keep an' a leetle more this day.  With lobsters
fetchin' eighteen cents apiece wholesale
we've scooped in good wages.  But wait till
Uncle Ben gets a schooner!  Then you lads
will be jumpin' to in good earnest.  What
with saltin' down, runnin' fresh fish inter
market, an' 'tendin' to the traps, it won't be
any very idle lives you'll be leadin'."

"Knockin' 'round here don't seem like real
work," Master Falonna replied, in a tone of
content.  "But even if it was the hardest
kind of a job we'd feel like bucklin' down in
great shape, so long as we're workin' to make
a home for the family.  Hello!  It looks as if
Cap'en Doak had gone at last!  I can't see his
dory anywhere!"

"What's that white thing on the 'Sally's'
hull?" Mr. Rowe asked, curiously, turning in
his seat to make certain Tommy was not
mistaken as to the absence of the unwelcome
visitor.

Neither of the lads could even make a guess
as to the correct reply.  They could see a
small square of white on the hull of the
stranded vessel, and it had, from a distance,
the appearance of a sheet of paper; but since
it was not probable Captain Doak would have
taken the trouble to fasten anything of the
kind on the "Sally," it seemed reasonable to
suppose that something had been blown
against the timbers by the wind, as Tommy
suggested carelessly.

When the lobsters had been thrown into
the car and the fishermen were nearing the
beach, Uncle Ben came out of the shanty
to meet them, and as the boat's bow struck the
sand he cried, showing signs of nervous excitement
for perhaps the first time in his life:

"Do you see that 'ere?" and he pointed
to the square of white which had already
attracted Mr. Rowe's attention.

"Ay; what is it?" Reuben asked carelessly
as he leaped over the gunwale into the
water to aid in carrying the dory beyond
reach of the tide.

"It's a notice sayin' that the 'Sally D.'
will be sold at auction as she lays, this day
week," Uncle Ben replied with yet more
show of excitement, and Mr. Rowe said
curiously:

"Sold at auction, eh?  So that's what Eliakim
came over here for so early, eh?  Sellin'
her as she lays!  Does that mean he believes
she can't be floated?"

"I dunno; he wouldn't make any talk to
me 'bout it.  After you left I tried to be
neighborly—asked him to come inter the shanty an'
have a cup of coffee; but I might jest as well
have invited a ragin' hyena.  He made a good
deal of rough talk, mixin' in some threats, an'
after a spell tacked up that paper.  Sold as
she lays this day week!  I'm allowin' he
couldn't raise the money to hire a tug, an'
kinder figgered that the season wouldn't
'mount to much, now that he had lost his
crew an' the cook, so he's countin' on goin'
outer the business.  How much do you
reckon she'll fetch, Reuben?"

"Wa'al, the 'Sally' ain't any slouch of
a schooner," Mr. Rowe said slowly and
thoughtfully, as if giving due weight to the
subject; "but neither is she so very young,
an' it'll need a power of fixin' to put her inter
what you might call first-class shape, for I'm
doubtin' if Eliakim has spent a dollar on her
these last five years.  Then ag'in, she'll be
mighty deep in the sand by this day week,
an' the tides won't be runnin' so high.  Take
it all in all, Eliakim will come out mighty
well if he gets four hundred dollars, though
if I had twice as much ag'in, an' lived here on
the island, I'd allow it would be a good
bargain to offer it."

"How much will it cost for a tug to pull
her off?"

"Wa'al, that's as may be.  It ain't any
ways certain it could be done in two days, or
even four, an' I allow there ain't a man 'round
here who'd take the job less'n a couple of
hundred, with the chances of not finishin' it
even then.  But it wouldn't be any steamer
for me, if I owned the schooner an' lived
here."

"How would you go about it?" Uncle Ben
asked quickly, and with no slight show of
eagerness.

"First an' foremost, I'd get out five or six
of the biggest trees on this 'ere island, an'
peel off the bark so's they'd answer for ways.
Then I'd start in when the tide was goin', an'
dig along one side till I'd made sich a slope
that she'd reg'larly fall inter it—after I had
the timbers fixed jest right.  Then it would
be more of a job to get her shored up on the
other side; but it could be done if time didn't
count for too much.";

"I dunno as I jest catch your meanin',
Reuben," Uncle Ben said in perplexity, and
Mr. Rowe replied with a laugh:

"I don't reckon as I've made it very plain;
but the thing is mapped out all right in my
head.  I've been thinkin' 'bout it ever since
the 'Sally' run her nose inter that sand, an'
am willin' to agree that I could do it with the
crew that's here, in less'n six weeks.  Of
course, if a man had to hire them as was
needed to help him, keepin' 'em 'round loafin'
when the tide was so high that the work
couldn't be done, it would cost a pile of
money; but put this 'ere family at the job,
an' it would be easy."

"An' you'd be willin' to pay eight hundred
dollars for her, eh?"

"Look here, Uncle Ben," and Mr. Rowe
wheeled to look the old man suspiciously in
the face.  "You aint pumpin' me jest for the
sake of talkin', an' that I'll bet on!  What
have yer got in your noddle?"

"Wa'al, Reuben, to tell the truth I've been
wonderin' if this 'ere wasn't our chance to get
a schooner for what little money we've got to
spend.  When I talked 'bout goin' inter fishin',
I allowed it might be possible to buy a small
craft at a song, 'specially if she was so old
that it wouldn't be safe to take her to the
Banks.  But here's the 'Sally'; we know
what she is—looks worse'n she really is, an'
a craft that would serve our turn to a hair.
I've got eight hundred dollars, an' that's about
all——"

"Take my word for it, Uncle Ben, you
won't have to put half of it out to get her!"
Mr. Rowe cried excitedly, while Sam and
Tommy shook hands with each other as their
way of showing approbation of the old man's
scheme.  "She's worth a good five hundred
more to you, than to any other man, 'cause
you can float her so much cheaper'n a fellow
could who had to hire a crew for the work.
Jest say that you'll be willin' to spend four
hundred, an' I'll figger my plan out so plain
that it can be understood, an' prove that we
needn't pay a cent for steamers or men."

"I would believe the Lord had put it inter
Eliakim's head to sell her in order that we
might have a vessel of our own, if she could
be bought at that price," Uncle Ben replied
emphatically, and that he had been considering
the matter in all its bearings, was shown
when he added: "If we didn't have to pay
more than you allow, then I'd have enough
left to put her inter good sailin' trim, for she
needs a thorough overhaulin'."

"Now look here, Uncle Ben," and Mr. Rowe
spoke with so much earnestness as to
be impressive, "you can take my word for it
that she's jest the same as yours this very
minute, though if you take my advice, you'll
get somebody at the Port to bid her in to
you, 'cause I've got an idea that Eliakim
wouldn't let you have her if he could help
himself.  Buy the schooner, an' if I can't get
her afloat without askin' you to spend a cent
of money, I'll sign articles to work for you
without wages, till I'm as old as Methusalem!"





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.. _`SHIPOWNERS`:

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   CHAPTER XII


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   SHIPOWNERS

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It is only reasonable to suppose that the
crew of the dory, after having been at work
nearly all day at the oars or hauling in the
wet ropes of the lobster traps, were ravenously
hungry, and yet never one of them gave
a thought to food because of the excitement
which possessed all at the mere suggestion
that it might be possible for them soon to
become shipowners.

The family was, as Uncle Ben afterward
expressed it, "all mixed up," and night had fully
come before the first move was made toward
going into the shanty.  Mr. Rowe insisted on
showing exactly how he would set at work to
get the "Sally D." on ways from which she
could readily be launched after the necessary
repairs had been made, and drew diagrams in
the sand until that portion of the beach looked
as if an immense flock of sea-gulls had been
promenading to and fro.

The result of all the conversation and
discussion was that Uncle Ben finally said in a
decisive tone:

"I'll agree to buy her as she lays, if the
price don't go over five hundred dollars.
There ain't any doubt in my mind but that
she's worth, as you figger, Reuben, twice that
money, but we can't yet tell how much must
be spent before she's seaworthy, an' it wouldn't
do for this 'ere family to spend so much on
the first cost that they couldn't put her in
shape afterward."

"I'm allowin' you won't hear anybody bid
over you," Mr. Rowe said in a tone of
conviction; "that is, if Eliakim don't suspicion
you're tryin' to buy her.  He's so mighty
sore 'cause you've taken Sammy an' me inter
the family, that he'd be willin' to lose a good
many dollars rather'n have her knocked down
to you.  Why not get Billy Mansfield to bid
on her?  Of course, I'm allowin' he ain't
figgerin' to get her for himself, an' that you
could soon find out.  It looks reasonable he's
huntin' for the chance to make an investment,
an' Eliakim never'd think of smellin'
'round to see if he was on your side.  We've
got a good load of lobsters in the car, Uncle
Ben, an' some dandies that we took outer the
traps to-day, so what's to hinder your goin'
over to the Port in the mornin'?  We'll 'tend
to the work here all right, an' you may stay
till you've worn your welcome out, so far as
business is concerned."

"I believe I'll go, Reuben," the old lobster
catcher replied after a brief time of thought.
"To tell the truth, I was kinder turnin' over
that same thing in my mind before you spoke.
We can't afford to take any risks jest now, an'
there's no tellin' how soon the weather may
change so's we can't get over to the Port for
quite a spell.  I reckon we'd best toddle up
to the shanty an' get somethin' to eat, seein's
how it's pretty nigh time to tumble in for the
night.  It beats all how a chance like this mixes me up!"

"I don't wonder at it, Uncle Ben," Sam
cried.  "The thought of havin' the 'Sally D.'
for our own would mix anybody up!  If we
can only get her!" and Sam ran swiftly toward
the house to make ready the long-delayed
meal, Tom following close at his heels in
order to render such assistance as might be
in his power.

On that particular night the cook might
have made many blunders without any one's
being the wiser, so excited was every member
of the "family" at the possibility of owning
a vessel, and the old lobster catcher himself
was not in any less a "mixed" frame of mind
than Mr. Rowe, who was, as he said, "so
twisted" that Sam was actually obliged to
lead him to the table when the meal had
been made ready, otherwise he might have
gone supperless to bed.

Again and again did Reuben explain how
he proposed to launch the schooner without
the aid of a steamer or machinery; at least a
dozen times Uncle Ben tried to make an
estimate of how much money it would be necessary
to spend after the vessel was afloat; and
whenever they could get a chance to join in
the conversation, Sam and Tom speculated
upon the income which might be earned by
the "family" after an outfit for deep-sea
fishing had been purchased.

In fact, the sole topic of conversation, from
the moment Uncle Ben had broached the
subject until nearly midnight, was regarding
the possibilities of the future if the "Sally D."
should be purchased by the old lobster catcher
and when the master of the shanty declared
he would not allow another word spoken until
after daybreak next morning, Reuben Rowe
confessed that he was more weary than he
ever had been even after a hard day's work
at mackerel catching.

Quite as a matter of course, it was the first
thing the members of the family recalled to
mind on awakening next morning, and Uncle
Ben was hurried as never before, to the end
that he might make a start for Southport at
the earliest possible moment.

"I declare for it, if one or another of you
hasn't been luggin' me around ever since I
turned out," he said half laughingly, half
fretfully, when he clambered into the dory
which Mr. Rowe had launched.  "A body
would think you feared the Port might be
moved away if I didn't get there before dinner
time an' yet I can't see as there's any sich
dreadful hurry, seein's the 'Sally' won't be
sold till yesterday week."

"It's time you got things fixed, 'cause we
can't afford to let sich a chance slip us,"
Mr. Rowe said as he pushed the dory's bow off
even before the old man had taken up the
oars.

"I don't allow there'll be much chance of
things slippin' us, even if I ain't there till
afternoon.  Look sharp to the island, an' if
so be Eliakim takes it inter his head to come
before I get back, see to it you don't say a
word to rile him.  He has sure brought all
his trouble on his own head; but I can't help
feelin' bad for him, when I think he's got to
sell the 'Sally' 'cause he hasn't the money to
put her in shape."

"I believe he would lend that old pirate all
the cash he's got, if anybody asked him!"
Tommy whispered irritably.  "This is the
first time I ever believed a man could be too
good."

"Better look after the traps before you
tackle another job," Uncle Ben cried as he
pulled the boat slowly away from the shore.
"I don't believe, Reuben, that you'd better do
anythin' 'bout gettin' trees for the 'Sally's'
ways, as you talked of last night, for them as
count their chickens too soon are apt to come
to grief."

"I'm only hopin' he don't come across
Eliakim Doak," Mr. Rowe said as he and the
lads stood watching the old man while he
rowed with vigorous strokes toward Southport.

"Why?" Tommy asked curiously.

"For fear of his gettin' so tender-hearted
that he'd tell him of the plan we've got for
gettin' hold of the 'Sally.'"

Then Mr. Rowe, as if believing it was his
duty to act as master of the island in the
absence of Uncle Ben, insisted that the boys
should lose no more time before beginning
the work of the day.

As can well be imagined, the purchase of
the "Sally D." was all they could talk about,
and even the fact that an unusually large
number of marketable lobsters were found in
the traps did not provoke any comment on
their good fortune, because of the fulness of
their minds with other matters.  All three
were on the lookout when, half an hour after
sunset, the old lobster catcher hove in sight,
and they were waiting on the beach while he
was yet nearly a mile away.

"Yes, I've fixed everything as nearly as it
be done," he said in reply to the eager
questions when he was come within hailing
distance.  "William Mansfield will 'tend to
the business, an' he advises me to pay even six
hundred dollars, if we can't get the 'Sally'
for less; says he'll be glad to give us credit for
what we may need in the way of supplies.  I
ain't willin' to run up store bills, though I've
given him his own head in the matter of a
price.  An' now don't say another word 'bout
ownin' the schooner, else we're likely to
neglect everythin'."

Because of this last remark neither Mr. Rowe
nor the boys again spoke of that which
lay so near their hearts, until the night before
the day on which the auction was to be held
in 'Squire Hubbard's office in Southport, and
then it was Reuben who said with ill-assumed
carelessness:

"I'm allowin' you'll want to be off bright
an' early in the mornin', Uncle Ben?"

"Ay, that I shall, an' if the days have been
goin' by as slow to you as to me, this has been
a miserable long week for all hands.  I allow
it's wrong to set one's heart on a thing so
strong as mine's set on ownin' the 'Sally D.,'
but I couldn't put it outer my mind for a
single minute, an' if we begin to talk 'bout it
now, I shan't get a wink of sleep."

Sam and Tom could have told him that
they had literally counted the hours since it
was known that the schooner was to be sold
at auction, until it had come to be a firm
belief with them that the "family" could not
prosper on the lines laid down by Uncle Ben,
unless they succeeded in buying the vessel.

However, great as was their impatience for
the result of the sale to be known, and eager
though they were to hear that Uncle Ben had
become a shipowner, neither gave words to
that which was in his mind until the moment
when the old lobster catcher sat in the dory, a
full half hour before daylight, ready to begin
his journey.  Then Sam said in a tremulous
voice:

"I hope you will get her, Uncle Ben!"

"So do I, from the bottom of my heart, lad!
It's much the same as wicked for us to get so
bound up in any one thing, an' yet, no matter
how well we was gettin' on before she was
offered for sale, it really seems as if my plan of
havin' a family would come to naught without her."

"Better not hang 'round here talkin',"
Mr. Rowe said impatiently.  "There's no tellin'
when this wind may flatten completely out,
an' it won't do for you to have a long
pull while the weather promises to be so hot."

Then, without waiting for the word, Reuben
pushed the dory's bow off, and it seemed to
the boys as if the first real step toward
the purchase of the "Sally" had been
taken.

"It'll seem like a month before he gets
back, even if he has a fair wind each way,"
Tommy said with a long-drawn sigh, and Sam
cried cheerily:

"Let's get to work, an' keep right at it, else
the day will never go by."

Even Mr. Rowe followed this advice, and it
is safe to say that a greater amount of work
had never before been performed on Apple
Island in the same length of time.  When the
sun began to go down into the west, however,
every one kept his eyes fixed on the horizon
in the direction of Southport, and Uncle Ben's
dory looked to be no more than a tiny speck
on the waters, when Reuben shouted:

"He's comin', lads, an' now it can't be sich
a dreadful long time before we know who
owns the 'Sally D.'!"

Surely the moments never passed more
slowly, nor the dory never moved at such a
snail's pace before, and Uncle Ben was barely
within hailing distance when, unable longer
to restrain his patience, Sam cried:

"Who owns her, Uncle Ben?  Who owns
the 'Sally'?"

Then in a shrill, but triumphant tone, came
the reply:

"Uncle Ben's family bought her for four
hundred and seventy dollars, an' I've got the
papers in my pocket!"

Instantly it was as if the three on the beach
had taken leave of their senses.  They shouted,
sang, and Tommy even danced a hornpipe,
after which Mr. Rowe, having learned all he
wished to know, ran over to the stranded
schooner, where he began making calculations
for the work he had already determined
should be begun on the morrow.

The two boys acted much as if they wanted
to hug the old lobster catcher when finally he
stepped ashore; at all events, they each took
one of his hands, shaking it so vigorously that
he was forced to cry for mercy.

"I reckon I've got a pretty good idee of how
you've been feelin'," he said when the
whirlwind of their congratulations had subsided
somewhat.  "Goin' over to the Port I got all
worked up over thinkin' that p'rhaps somebody
might jump in an' offer more'n we could
afford to pay, till I was jest as limp as a rag.
We needn't be worried very much, though,
'cause nobody seemed to think she was worth
a great deal after layin' in the sand so long.
'Siah Fernald allowed that he'd give four
hundred, an' that's what he started her at.  I
said four-twenty-five, an' he jumped ten more;
then I made it four-fifty, an' he sung out
'sixty, an' that's a good bit more'n she's worth
as she lays.'  I made it four-seventy, an' the
auctioneer hung on for another bid till I
begun to think he didn't want me to have her,
when he shouted, 'Sold to Uncle Ben Johnson,
an' I wish him good luck with her.'"

"But I thought Mr. Mansfield was goin' to
buy her for you?" Sam cried.

"So he was, lad, so he was.  Leastways,
that's what he'd agreed to do; but I got so
worked up over the business on the way across,
that I clean forgot everythin' except how much
we wanted to own her an' went to biddin' on
my own account."

"Was Pirate Doak there?" Tommy asked.

"Ay, lad, an' glum enough he looked.  One
spell I thought he was goin' to break the sale
up rather'n let me have her; but by hook or
by crook he held his tongue, after growlin' out
that whoever bought her would be called on
to pay cash down.  When the auctioneer said
she was mine I got the money from William
Mansfield, for I'd fixed things when I was in
the Port before, so's he could get six hundred
outer the bank for me.  Eliakim signed the
bill of sale, but he never looked my way once.
For a wonder he was sober, an' so contrived to
act pretty nigh decent.  Now we'll go over an'
have a squint at the family's property!"





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.. _`WRECKING`:

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   CHAPTER XIII


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   WRECKING

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When Uncle Ben and the two boys arrived
at the stranded schooner Mr. Rowe was there,
bustling around as if it was his intention to
begin the task of launching her at once, and
Uncle Ben said with a laugh, which at the
same time was much like a chuckle of satisfaction:

"Wa'al, Reuben, are you countin' on havin'
her in deep water before we turn in?"

"I ain't allowin' to let any grass grow under
my feet, an' that's a fact," Mr. Rowe replied
in a tone of decision.  "This 'ere is a longish
job, an' I want to get the whole thing figgered
out in my head so's we won't have to do any
of the work over ag'in."

"Ain't you in any way curious to know how
I fixed up the trade?"

"I reckon news like that will keep, seein's
how the schooner is yours past all chance of
Cap'en Doak's backin' out, eh?"

"The money has been paid, an' I've got a
clean bill of sale in my pocket.  William
Mansfield looked things up, so's to make
certain there wasn't a mortgage or lien on her,
consequently, seein's how Eliakim signed the
documents of his own free will, an' was mighty
glad to get hold of my four hundred and
seventy dollars, I don't see any show for him to
back down on the bargain."

"Come on board, Tommy, an' see what she
looks like!" Sam cried as he clambered up
over the bow, and Master Falonna followed
close at his heels, the older members of the
"family" paying no attention to what the
lads did, so intent was Reuben on explaining
to Uncle Ben exactly how he proposed to
begin work on the following morning.

"I'm wonderin' if the boys can't 'tend to the
traps alone, to-morrow, so's to give you an' me
all the time we want.  It ain't that there'll be
sich a dreadful sight of work; but we'll need
to do a pile of figgerin', an' at that sort of
thing two heads are better'n one."

"I reckon they can get along all right,"
Uncle Ben replied thoughtfully.  "Both of
'em have tried it often enough, an' that 'ere
Tommy takes hold as if he was born to be a
lobster catcher.  I was thinkin', though, that
there'd be a lot of things needed, an' I'd be
called on to go to the Port."

"Unless you've got business of your own, I
reckon you'd better stay 'round here one day
so's to make certain I don't go astray on my
calculatin'.  You see, I didn't get all the
schoolin' I mighter had, an' when it comes
to shakin' up figgers, I ain't over-strong."

"Hello, Uncle Ben!" Sam cried from the
deck of the schooner.  "Cap'en Doak has left
all his things in the cabin—gun an' everythin'.
Do you s'pose he allowed to throw the whole
lot inter the trade?"

"The 'Sally' was sold jest as she laid, with
everythin' aboard, 'cordin' to what the
auctioneer said, an' he allowed there was
considerable fishin' gear in the hold: but it don't
seem likely Eliakim would leave sich as a gun
to go inter the bargain."

"Come up here an' look your property over,
so's to know jest what you did buy," and Sam
passed down the bight of a rope that the old
man might come up without too great exertion.

Mr. Rowe dropped his "calculations" in
order to aid in the examination of the new
property, and night was fully come before
either member of the party had satisfied his
curiosity.  There were many articles in the
cabin such as blankets, oilskins, cooking
utensils, the rusty gun, and crockery, which
would be of service to the "family"; but the
collection was so large that it did not seem
possible Captain Doak had intended all should
be sold with the schooner, and Uncle Ben said
with a long-drawn sigh as he led the way over
the rail:

"Dear, dear, I did hope that we'd seen the
last of Eliakim; but now I s'pose he'll be
fritterin' 'round here pretty nigh all summer,
makin' mischief, an' allowin' he's only gettin'
his things away."

"If you bought the schooner jest as she
lays, I wouldn't trouble my head 'bout Eliakim
Doak.  I'd tell him flat-flooted that what
things was aboard belonged to the man who
bought her, an' that he'd get himself filled so
full of holes that he could let hisself out for a
milk-strainer, if he ever stepped foot on the
island ag'in," and Mr. Rowe shook his fist in
the direction of Southport, as if by so doing
he could frighten the man who might possibly
attempt to work mischief.

"We won't have any words with Eliakim,
Reuben," Uncle Ben replied placidly.  "If he
comes here claimin' what's in the cabin, I
shall tell him to take it an' be off; but he must
be made to understand that I won't have him
whifflin' 'round this island any longer than's
necessary to pack his dunnage inter a boat.
Now then, Sammy, if you're goin' to give us
any supper this night, it's time you began to
stir yourself right lively."

Sam did not need to be reminded of the task
to be performed.  He was already in advance
of the others on the way to the shanty when
Uncle Ben spoke, and immediately quickened
his pace to a run, followed closely by Tom.

If it is true that "too many cooks spoil the
broth," then the supper should have been
ruined beyond redemption on this first night
after the family had become shipowners, for
each member insisted on "bearing a hand,"
until, as Sam declared, it was hard work to
find the stove.

Uncle Ben's prayer was one of thanksgiving,
when supper had finally been made ready,
and even a stranger might have understood
from the words how rejoiced the old man was
at having thus come into possession of the
"Sally D.," for by the purchase of the vessel
it seemed to him as if there could no longer
be any question as to the success of his plan
relating to the gathering of a family.

There was very little sleeping done by the
inmates of the shanty on this night.  So great
was the excitement that each one got up two
or three times to look out of the door for some
signs of a new day, and it yet lacked a full
hour of sunrise when Uncle Ben said in a tone
of positive relief:

"I reckon we may as well turn out, lads.
There's a good deal to be done before nightfall,
an' precious little chance that we can
sleep while all hands are on edge 'bout the
schooner."

Mr. Rowe ate breakfast hurriedly, as soon as
it had been made ready, and then, in
persuance of the plan already formed in his
mind, went, in company with Uncle Ben, to
the grove of fir trees in the middle of the
island, it having already been arranged that
Sam and Tommy should attend to the traps
alone.

The boys were proud at thus being entrusted
with the labor, yet it would have been
more to their liking had the task assigned
them been on shore, for they were feverishly
eager to see the work of launching the "Sally
D." begun.  As it was, they set about the job
with a will, and it is safe to say that never
before had Uncle Ben's traps been hauled and
reset in such a short time.  What pleased them
better than all was the fact that the catch was
unusually large, and Tom said in a tone of
satisfaction as the last captive was thrown into
the car:

"At this rate Uncle Ben won't have to take
very much more of his money out of the bank
to pay for outfittin' the schooner, 'cause the
lobsters will pay all the bills.  I'm glad we've
got so many, an' a good deal better pleased
because now we can turn to an' help Mr. Rowe
with his work.  Let's get ashore lively.  I'll
help cook dinner, so's not to be gettin' any
more of the fun than you."

When the boys went ashore they were
disappointed at not seeing any evidences of
Mr. Rowe's work.  They had expected much would
have been done toward floating the schooner,
and yet it was as if she had not been visited
since they set out to haul the traps.

Not until the two men had answered the
summons to dinner did the lads understand
the meaning of this seeming neglect, and then
Mr. Rowe explained that until the timbers, of
which the ways were to be made, had been cut
and dragged to the shore nothing could be
done.

"We'll give you a job as soon as these 'ere
vittles have been ate," he said with a laugh.
"Uncle Ben an' I have got three trees ready,
an' while you're makin' horses out of yourselves
by haulin' 'em to the beach we'll trim
up as many more."

Sam would have left the dishes unwashed
on this day, in order to get at what seemed
more important work the sooner; but Uncle
Ben insisted that the housework must go on
as usual, whether the "Sally" was floated or
not, therefore the shanty was set to rights,
hastily but thoroughly, before the boys began
their share of the wrecking.

It was exhausting labor to get a pair of
wheels under each of the heavy timbers in turn,
and drag it across the island, but neither Sam
nor Tom counted the cost, so that their portion
of the task was accomplished.

When night came again Mr. Rowe announced
that it was his purpose to "make a
showin'" next day, promising that when the
sun had set once more his companions should
see that which would make plain his method
of floating the schooner.

"I've got timbers enough for the ways on
the port side," he said, "an' there won't be
need of cuttin' more till she's on her beam-ends.
The only question is whether we can
do it in one tide; for if we can't, all our work
will be wasted."

"If it wasn't for pullin' the pots, Tommy
an' I could put in some mighty big licks at
shovelin' sand," Sam suggested, and much to
his surprise Uncle Ben added placidly:

"I've been thinkin' of jest that same thing,
lad.  You see I ain't used to anythin' but
fishin', an' can't do more'n half a man's work
at other jobs, so I'm allowin' to pull the pots
alone to-morrow, same's I've done year in an'
year out ever since settlin' down here.  That
will leave you boys free to help Reuben, an'
I'm countin' on seein' a big pile of work done
when I get back."

"That's what will happen," Tommy replied
confidently, and then he began to help the
cook that they might get to bed the earlier.

There were no laggards in the shanty next
morning.  It would not be time to attend to
the traps until about the middle of the forenoon,
because of the tide, therefore Uncle Ben
took it upon himself to do the housework.
Thus there was nothing to prevent the boys
from getting at the task of wrecking as soon as
breakfast was eaten, and the meal had been
prepared before sunrise.

A hard master was Reuben Rowe.  His
desire to see the "Sally D." in a seaworthy
condition was so great that it seemed as if
neither himself nor any other could do as
much work in a given time as he wished to
see done, and the consequence was that he
drove his assistants to the utmost of their
powers, until Sam laughingly declared that
he "begrudged the time it took them to draw
their breath."

The plan was to excavate the sand from
beneath the port side of the schooner, doing it
in such a manner that the timbers could be
set in place before she heeled over, and this
was, as he said, "quite a nice piece of work."

Uncle Ben shoveled industriously until it
was time for him to visit the traps, and then
said cheerily as he pushed off in the dory:

"I'm allowin' to come back as soon as may
be, an' I'm not sorry to get a breathin' spell.
Pullin' lobster-pots is child's play 'longside of
what Reuben expects his helpers to do, an' I'll
be havin' what you might call a vacation.
Keep steady at it, lads, for that's the way to
win in a long race."

"An' you can make up your mind that
we're counting on that same thing!" Reuben
replied emphatically.  "After we get the
schooner on what you might call ways, so's
there's no chance of her sinkin' any deeper in
the sand, it'll be all right to take things a
little easier, but till that's done it's a case of
hustle all the time."

Then Uncle Ben pulled off from the shore,
and the three laborers shoveled sand as if
their very lives depended upon it, until
Reuben finally announced:

"I'm thinkin' half an hour more will see
us well along with this job, an' it hasn't
been done any too quick, for the tide is
beginnin' to come.  If it catches us before the
timbers are down all the work will go for
nothin', 'cause it wouldn't take long for the
sea to wash every grain of sand back where
we've taken it from."

As he spoke the lads straightened up for an
instant to relieve the painful strain on their
backs, and at the same time Sam chanced to
look seaward, when he saw that which caused
him to cry in dismay:

"There comes a dory from Southport way!
It can't be anybody but Cap'en Doak, an' he
wouldn't pull all the distance over here
except it was to make mischief!"

There was an expression of anxiety on
Reuben Rowe's face as he gazed intently in
the direction indicated by Sam, and after
what seemed like a very long time of silence
he said slowly, and with somewhat of menace
in his tones:

"I'm allowin' that's him for sure, an' there's
likely to be the biggest kind of a row if he
tries to be funny.  If we lay still half an hour
jest now, this day's work is spoiled, an' he
shan't be the man to waste our time like that!"

"I wish Uncle Ben was here," Sam said
half to himself, and Reuben added:

"I ain't certain but it's a good idee he's
away.  The old man is too soft-hearted to
deal with the likes of Eliakim Doak, an' I
ain't given that way a little bit, seein's I
know him root an' branch."

"What will you do if he tries to kick up a
row?" Tommy asked anxiously, and one
might have believed that he would be pleased
to see the former owner of the "Sally D."
meet with a person who was not very careful
to avoid hurting his feelings.

"I'll give him all he's lookin' for, an' a little
more!  Dig the best you know how, lads, an'
p'rhaps we can get the timbers in place before
he makes the cove.  Then we'll have time to
look after his case," and Mr. Rowe set the
example by throwing out sand from the trench
in a regular stream.





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.. _`A WAR OF WORDS`:

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   CHAPTER XIV


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   A WAR OF WORDS

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"I want you boys to know that I ain't afraid
of Eliakim Doak, when it's only my own skin
that's to be hurt, nor of any four men like
him," Mr. Rowe said as he continued to throw
up the sand.  "It's only 'cause I'm afraid he
may contrive to keep us on edge till the tide
comes up an' puts things in bad shape.  If
we can get these 'ere timbers down shipshape,
before he pulls in, I'll be ready to give
him a full dose.  Jump to it, lads, for every
shovelful counts jest now!"

There was little need to urge the boys to
further exertions; they could understand full
well how important it was, unless they were
willing to lose what had already been done,
to push the work to the utmost, and never
for a single instant did they even look
seaward, although both were curious to know
how rapidly the enemy was approaching.

It was fortunate for Uncle Ben's "family"
that Captain Doak did not take it into his
head to leave Southport any earlier in the
day, for he was nearly half a mile from the
cove when, with a cry of triumph, Mr. Rowe
laid the last timber in place, as he said
grimly:

"Now let the old heathen come; we're
ready for him," and he literally scraped the
perspiration from his face.

"It'll be quite a spell yet before he gets
here," and Tom straightened himself slowly,
as if with difficulty after remaining in a bent
position so long.  "What I'm keen to know
is, how much better off we are after puttin'
these logs down?  The schooner lays jest as
she did before."

"Ay, lad, an' lucky for you she didn't heel
over while we were workin' so far under the
hull.  I'll admit that it don't look now as if
we'd done very much for her comfort; but
after the tide comes up, an' the water
swashes back an' forth for a spell, you'll see
her lay over like a tired man, an' unless I'm
way out of my reckonin', she'll be restin' the
biggest part of her weight on the logs by
mornin'.  Then it's only a matter of workin'
the other side like this.  After that's been
done, we know for a fact that she can't settle
any further inter the sand, an' it'll only need
a couple of smooth planks with a few wedges,
to slide her off when we're ready."

"I hope it'll work; but I can't figger out
how," Sam said in perplexity, and before
Mr. Rowe's mirth, which had been aroused by the
expression on the boy's face, was abated,
Captain Doak ran his dory up on the shore within
a dozen yards of where the "Sally D." lay.

"What's goin' on here?" he cried angrily,
and as if it surprised him to see any one at
work near the schooner.

"We're tryin' to stop the old hooker from
buryin' herself in the sand," Mr. Rowe replied
without any show of anger; but Tom noted
with no little satisfaction that the former
"crew" of the "Sally" held his shovel firmly
in his right hand, as if thinking it might be
needed for a weapon.

"What right have you to be foolin' 'round
her?" and Captain Doak rose to his feet
threateningly, whereupon Mr. Rowe stepped a
few paces nearer the bow of the vessel to where
he could clamber on board without difficulty.

"I haven't turned her over to Ben Johnson,
an' p'rhaps I shall change my mind 'bout
lettin' her go, 'specially at the ridiculous price
he bid."

"You gave him a clear bill of sale!" Mr. Rowe
cried angrily, and the two boys ranged
themselves on either side of him, as if
believing they would soon be called upon to take
part in defending the property of the
"family."

"I may have been crazy enough to give a
bill of sale, but till I say the word he ain't got
any right to fool 'round her.  An' I warn you
here an' now, Rube Rowe, that if you so much
as lay your hand on that craft I'll sue you for
trespass, if so be I ain't on the spot to knock
your two eyes inter one!" and Captain Doak
stepped out from the dory in what both Sam
and Tom thought was a threatening manner.

"Hold on, Eliakim Doak, an' don't take
the chance of makin' the biggest mistake of
your life!" Mr. Rowe said impressively.
"You haven't got old Uncle Ben here to deal
with.  I don't keep soft words for sich as I
know you to be.  I'm in charge of this 'ere
island, likewise the schooner that has been
bought an' paid for, an' it'll be the sickest
day's work you ever did to kick up a row jest
now.  What'er you here for, anyhow?"

"I came to get my things outer the cabin,
an' to settle on whether I'd let her go at any
price——"

"The last part of it has been settled already,
an' that you know very well, Eliakim Doak,
'less you're willin' to admit you're a bigger
dummy than I ever allowed you was.  Uncle
Ben has said that you could have what things
are in the cabin, though if I'd bought the
schooner as she lays, it would be a long, cold
day before you'd take the value of a fish-scale
away from her."

"We'll see 'bout that part of it," said Captain Doak.

"We've seen about it already!  I'll throw
out what stuff Uncle Ben allowed you could
take away, an' then you'll make a quick move
from this 'ere island, or I'll know the reason
why," and with the agility of a monkey
Mr. Rowe clambered aboard the stranded vessel.

Captain Doak stepped forward as if about
to make an attack, but seeing Sam and Tom
near the bow with shovels ready to be used
as weapons, he wisely concluded to remain
on the beach, contenting himself by shouting:

"I'll have the law on you if a single thing
in that 'ere cabin is touched!"

In reply to this threat came a shower of
oilskins, followed by the rusty musket and a
quantity of battered tin dishes.

"Shove that stuff aboard your craft, an' I'll
send down some more," Mr. Rowe cried with
a grin as he leaned over the rail.  "It's a
certain thing, Eliakim, that you ain't to be
allowed to board this 'ere schooner, for I
wouldn't trust you as far as I could sling a
mule by the ear, if there was any chance to
do mischief!"

"I'll stay where I am till I get good an'
ready, an' you ain't the man who can make
me move!  I've got rights that I'm goin' to
have——"

"The only rights you've got 'round here is
to get inter that dory, an' keep beyond low
water mark!" Mr. Rowe cried as if in a fury of
rage, and the two lads were actually frightened
when they saw him leap over the rail with an
oar raised over his shoulder threateningly.
"Now take that dunnage inter yer boat, or
get in without it, else——"

"Reuben!  Reuben!" came in placid tones
from over the water, and, looking up, the lads
saw Uncle Ben pulling slowly toward the
island.

"If he hadn't got back quite so soon I
declare I'd have damaged you some with this
oar!" Mr. Rowe cried savagely, as he swung
the weapon menacingly in front of Captain
Doak until he could do no less than beat a
slow retreat toward his boat.

Then the war of words ceased until the old
lobster catcher ran his dory ashore and
stepped out on the beach as if it was the most
natural thing in the world to see Captain
Doak on Apple Island.

"Have you been havin' any trouble with
the cap'en, Reuben?" he asked, and
Mr. Rowe, so angry that the words came like a
torrent, replied by repeating what the former
owner of the "Sally D." had said.

"There is no reason, Reuben, why you
should get so disturbed over it, for the sale
was open an' legal.  Eliakim took from me
the money I bid, and gave a lawful bill of sale.
It is only right that he should have what
belongings are in the cabin, for I didn't count
them as goin' with the schooner."

"Wa'al, he's got 'em, hasn't he?" Mr. Rowe
cried, pointing to the assortment of
goods on the sand.  "I don't allow that he
shall step his foot on board the 'Sally,' for
nobody knows how much mischief sich as he'd
be willin' to do when he's in one of his ugly
tantrums."

"I'm not allowin' he shall go on board,"
Uncle Ben said in such a firm tone that the
boys looked at him in surprise.  "He can
name over what he claims, an' then leave the
island, else I'll start for the Port.  What'll be
done after I get there he knows full well."

Captain Doak appeared to be quite as much
surprised as were the boys; but it was not in
his nature to give in beaten until absolutely
obliged so to do, and he cried hotly:

"I'll do as I please——"

"We'll see about that!" and Reuben advanced
with upraised oar.  "I didn't think it
was in Uncle Ben to take sich a strong stand;
but it seems that he's got considerable backbone
after all, which is apt to be the way with
these soft-spoken folks.  You're to leave, an'
do it mighty quick, without another word, or
I'll let this oar drop!"

To the surprise of all, even including
Mr. Rowe, Captain Doak selected a few articles
from the collection on the beach and threw
them into his dory without speaking, but after
pulling from the shore a few strokes, he
stopped to say:

"Don't think you've seen the last of me,
Ben Johnson.  I count the 'Sally' as belongin'
to me as much as she ever did, an' from this
out I'll make it my business to see that you
don't swell 'round in her, lordin' it over me!"

"No one wants to lord it over you, Eliakim,"
Uncle Ben replied, quietly.  "I would
like to be friends with you, an' have tried
from the first to lend a hand when you was
needin' it——"

"I s'pose that's what you was doin' when
you took my cook from me?" the captain
roared.

"What I did then was to help a poor little
orphan who was bein' abused, an' it was no
more than my duty."

"Fine words butter no parsnips with me!
I'll show you an' that mutinous hound of a
Rube Rowe what comes to them that cross
Eliakim Doak's path!" and with this threat
the captain rowed away, the little group on the
island watching until he was beyond ear-shot,
when Mr. Rowe said thoughtfully:

"I never had no great idee that Eliakim
ever hankered much after the truth, but when
he promises to work mischief, I'm believin'
he'll keep his word."

"It's childish for us to think that he can
do anythin' to harm us," Uncle Ben replied,
as he pushed off the dory again, preparatory
to carrying his morning's catch to the car.

"It would be childish to give him a fair
chance," Mr. Rowe cried.  "I'm not allowin'
that he'll cut any great swarth while the
'Sally' is high an' dry on the sand; but once
she's afloat you know as well as I that a man
like Eliakim could do her so much harm in
one hour that we couldn't repair it in a year."

"We won't cross any bridges until we come
to them," the old man said cheerily, as he
pulled away, and Reuben added in a low
tone, not caring that Uncle Ben should hear
him:

"I allow there's a good deal of sense in that
old sayin', but there are times when a man
better keep his weather eye peeled to see that
sich as Eliakim don't build bridges for him to
cross.  We'll put aboard this plunder that
Doak didn't take away with him, an' then get
dinner, for I'm countin' we'll have a spell at
the pump this afternoon.  There's a good bit
of water aboard the 'Sally,' an' it must be
well out of her before we can caulk around
the stern-post."

When Uncle Ben came ashore from the
lobster car dinner was nearly ready, and while
washing his hands and face he announced the
result of his morning's work.

"Things are surely comin' our way.
Here we are takin' more lobsters than
I've seen come out of the pots this many a
day, an' jest when we're needin' the money to
buy a new outfit for the 'Sally.'"

"Much good the new outfit will do her if
Eliakim's goin' to hang 'round watchin' for a
chance to put a spoke in the wheel," Mr. Rowe
grumbled.

"There, there, Reuben, don't keep frettin'
when we've got so much to be thankful for.
Eliakim's bark is worse'n his bite, an' that
I've known this many a day."

At this point the conversation was interrupted
by Sam's announcement that dinner
was ready, and, much to Tommy's surprise,
Uncle Ben's prayer was mostly a plea for
Captain Doak, that he might be brought to see the
errors of his ways.

While eating, the old man asked concerning
the work that had been done during his
absence, and when Reuben had made a detailed
report, he said:

"I'm allowin' that you'll be wantin' me to
make another voyage to the Port mighty soon,
Reuben?"

"It would be a good thing if we had a bale
of oakum an' a barrel of tar this very day.
We're goin' to pump her out after dinner, an'
oughter be able to stop the worst of the leaks
as soon as that's been done."

"I'll get off bright an' early in the
mornin'.  Sammy an' Tommy can tend to the
pots, an' you'll have to shift as best you can
alone till they have done the work.  I'm
allowin' there are some things the cook is
needin', so we'll write 'em all down an' I'll
spread myself buyin' stuff."

Sam did not wait to finish his dinner before
making out a list of what was needed in the
way of stores, and Mr. Rowe called for several
tools that would be required in the work of
wrecking, all of which promised to make up a
busy day of shopping.

"I reckon I'll be gone till nigh nightfall,
if I buy all that stuff," Uncle Ben said, with a
chuckle of pleasure.  "It's mighty lucky
lobsters are fetchin' a big price, else I might
have to bust the bank by drawin' out all my
money."

Mr. Rowe was not inclined to linger long at
table, or spend very much time in conversation
while there remained so great an amount
of work to be done on the "Sally," and as soon
as Tom and Sam could wash the dishes he
insisted on their following him to the beach.

A full hour after sunset did the entire
"family" labor on their vessel, and when
finally they went to the shanty, tired to the
verge of exhaustion, it was with the pleasing
knowledge that very much had been accomplished
since sunrise.  The largest leak, which
was near the stern-post, as Reuben had
guessed, was stopped as well as it could be
with oiled rags, and the "Sally D." had
already settled over to port on the timbers.

"I'm allowin' that by to-morrow night,
even though you lads are to loaf half the time
foolin' with the lobster traps, we'll have things
in sich shape that she can't go any further
inter the sand, no matter how strong the wind
may blow from the s'uthard."





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.. _`A NEW MEMBER`:

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   CHAPTER XV


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   A NEW MEMBER

.. vspace:: 2

When Sam was first told that he would be
allowed to live on Apple Island with Uncle
Ben, he mentally promised that he would be
the first up and at work in the morning, to
the end that the old lobster catcher might gain
more rest than had been possible when, as he
himself expressed it, he was "captain, mate,
and all the crew down to the cook"; but on
this day after the first real work of wrecking
had been done on the "Sally D.," the lad's
eyes were so heavy with slumber that he
continued to sleep even while Mr. Rowe and
Uncle Ben were cooking breakfast.

When, finally, he did awaken, the odor of
coffee and fried fish came to his nostrils, and
for the merest fraction of time he believed it
was all a dream; but an instant later he was
on his feet, thoroughly wide awake, as he said
with somewhat of reproach in his tone:

"Why didn't you waken me, Mr. Rowe?
It isn't fair for you an' Uncle Ben to be doin'
my work when I show myself such a sleepyhead.
It would have served me right if you'd
dragged me out by the heels!"

"You put in a hard day's work yesterday,
Sammy," Uncle Ben said in a kindly tone.
"It stands to reason that you was tired out,
an' it seemed the biggest kind of a pity to
break in on what you was enjoyin' so much,
'specially since my eyes were open so wide that
I couldn't have brought 'em together agin no
matter how hard I tried.  I declare for it, I'm
allowin' myself to get wrought up over ownin'
the 'Sally' as bad as Deacon Stubbs was when
'Bije Fernald gave him a foxhound!  The
idea of what I've got to buy at the Port to-day,
an' how the schooner will look after we get
her in sailin' trim once more, has kinder
turned my head.  Give Tommy a shake, Sam,
an' as soon as you boys have washed up, we'll
have breakfast."

All this while Tom had been sleeping noisily
yet peacefully, but he was aroused to
consciousness of his surroundings very speedily
after Sam obeyed Uncle Ben's command, and
was no less surprised than had been his
comrade, on finding the breakfast ready for eating.

The old lobster catcher seemed to think it
comical because he had been able to cook
breakfast without arousing either of the lads,
and evidently enjoyed the surprise, therefore
very slight complaint was made by the regular
cook, although he felt that in some way, he
was not just certain how, a wrong had been
done him.

Uncle Ben lost no time, once the meal had
been eaten, in setting out on the voyage, and
indeed it was necessary to start early if he
counted on doing all his shopping and returning
before dark.

"If it should so happen, which I don't think
likely, that Eliakim takes it inter his head to
come over here to-day, don't get up a row with
him, 'cause he ain't worth it," the old man
said warningly as he pushed off the dory and
took up the oars.

"But you don't count that we're to stand
'round with our fingers in our mouths an' let
him do whatever comes inter his ugly head,
do yer?" Mr. Rowe asked sharply.

"I'm allowin' that you'll look after things
same as if they was your own, an' they really
are so long as you're members of the family.
What I mean is, that you are to get along
without callin' names or otherwise talkin'
rough."

"All right, I'll see to that part of it,"
Reuben replied grimly.  "I'd thump his head
with an oar an' not open my mouth."

"Now, now, Reuben, remember that a soft
answer turneth away wrath."

"It may with some, but not sich as Eliakim
Doak.  I'm noticin' that your answers
wasn't so soft yesterday."

"He'd got all haired up when I come ashore,
an' wasn't in the mood to listen except to
somethin' harsh."

"Well, don't get to worryin', Uncle Ben;
I'll see to it that we don't have a big row,
though if one does come, you can make up
your mind Eliakim won't want to neighbor on
Apple Island for quite a spell, 'cause I'll do
the job up brown."

Uncle Ben was forced to content himself
with this promise, because he could not well
afford to spend any more time discussing the
matter.  He had a long voyage before him,
with no slight amount of work to be done
after arriving at Southport, and it was
necessary he took full advantage of the morning
breeze.

It would not be time for the boys to haul
the traps until nearly noon, therefore
Mr. Rowe set them to work digging sand on the
starboard side of the "Sally," and when it was
time to look after the pots all the timbers had
been put in place.

"Now I reckon we can afford to take our
time," Mr. Rowe said in a tone of satisfaction,
as he wiped the perspiration from his face.
"The 'Sally' won't sink any deeper, an' we
can get at the job of puttin' her inter proper
trim 'cordin' as the fancy strikes us."

"Do you believe she can be launched
without hiring a steamer?" Tommy asked
incredulously.

"Of course she can! though we don't allow
to do anythin' in that line till the hull is
sound, an' the 'Sally' less of a sieve than she
has been these two years past.  But there's no
call for you to stand 'round here chinnin'.
It's time to look after the traps, an' when you
get back I'll have a few chores that you can do."

Mr. Rowe's "chores" were what other people
might have called downright hard work,
as the lads learned when they came back from
the traps, feeling unusually jolly because the
catch had been large; but they did not complain,
for however severe the labor it was much
the same as play when they thought of what
was to come after the last blow had been
struck.

Bread and butter with plenty of clear, cold
water to wash it down served as the noon-day
meal, and it was thus frugal because Mr. Rowe
had suggested that the cook prepare a
regular dinner at night, when Uncle Ben
would be there to enjoy it.

Fortunately, Captain Doak did not take it
into his head to visit Apple Island that day
and the "chores" were not done until late in
the afternoon, when Mr. Rowe said with the
air of one who is content with what he has
accomplished:

"I reckon we can afford to knock off now,
lads, for we've put in a good many hours since
Uncle Ben began hustlin' 'round this mornin'.
Tommy an' I'll catch a nice mess of cunners
while Sam is gettin' ready to fry 'em.  By the
time supper's ready the old man oughter be
here."

Soon all three were so intent on these duties
that they gave no heed to anything else,
and before either had thought of watching
for Uncle Ben's return, the dory was at
the mouth of the little harbor.  It was Sam
who made the discovery that the old lobster
catcher was so near, and he announced the
fact in a tone of surprise:

"Here's Uncle Ben, an' we ain't half ready
for him!  My! but he has got a full cargo,
an'——  Say, who is that with him?"

Reuben and Tommy, having caught as
many cunners as would be needed for supper,
were cleaning them when Sam cried out, and
after one glance seaward Mr. Rowe shouted:

"Now what's in the wind?  Do you reckon
he had to find somebody to help pull the dory?"

"If that's so, he wasn't very fussy 'bout
what he took.  The chap in the bow looks as
if he had been livin' on wind puddin' for the
last couple of weeks!" Tommy said, speaking
in a low tone lest the words be overheard, for
already was the bow of the dory grating on the
beach.

The cause of these comments was a very
small and very hungry looking boy who was
perched up on the cargo, which had been piled
two or more feet above the gunwale, and was
now staring at the scene before him with eyes
that seemed many sizes too large for his thin
face.

"Now why do you s'pose the old man has
brought home that little monkey?" Mr. Rowe
said half to himself, making no move toward
going to the shore, and Sam, a moment later,
cried as if believing he had made an
important discovery:

"I know what's up!  Uncle Ben has found a
new member of the family!  Come on, let's go
down an' see him.  Say, but ain't he been
playin' in hard luck!" and Sam, followed by
Tommy and Mr. Rowe, ran at full speed to the
shore.

"I was kinder wonderin' why you didn't
lend a hand at unloadin' this boat," Uncle
Ben said laughingly as he scrambled ashore
with the little stranger in his arms.  "Kinder
s'prised at seein' this present I've brought yer,
eh?  Wa'al, what do you think of that?"
and the old man gently dropped the strange
boy, who looked almost like a baby, on the
sand.

"Who is he?  Where'd you find him?"
Sam cried, going shyly up to the stranger, who
stood silent and motionless, as if not quite
decided whether to laugh or cry.

"His name is Joey Sampson; he's been
livin' out at the poor farm, an' the s'lectmen
got so mighty economical they cooked up the
idee Southport couldn't afford to feed him any
longer, so was countin' on sendin' the poor
little creeter down to St. Johns, where
somebody said his father's cousin lived.  Never
tried to find out if that 'ere cousin would take
him in or not, but jest allowed to ship him off.
I told 'em I'd adopt the child as a new
member of my family, an' they was mighty glad
to get rid of him.  Wa'al, Joey, what do you
think of Apple Island?"

"It's a pretty place, sir," the little stranger
said in a tearful voice, and straightway Sam's
heart went out to him.

"It's better than pretty, Joey," he said,
taking the little fellow in his arms, for, as
Mr. Rowe afterward declared, "he wasn't bigger'n
a shirt button."  "If the only home you've
had has been the poor farm, you'll soon come
to know that you was mighty lucky when
Uncle Ben run across your track.  Here's
Tommy, an' Mr. Rowe, an' me, who hadn't any
home till we were given the chance to stay
here, an' it's a mighty comfortable place, with
the best man for the head of the family that
ever lived, as you'll find out before bein' here
many days."

"There, there, Sammy," Uncle Ben interrupted,
"have done with your fairy tales.
Take Joey up to the shanty, an' the rest of us
will tote what of the stuff needs to go under
cover.  Supper ready?"

"It will be in five minutes, for then the
biscuit'll be done," and away Sam ran toward
the shanty, petting Joey as if he was really
the baby he looked to be.  "You'll get on
here famously," he said when they were come
to the building, "for it'll only be a case of
settin' still an' seein' yourself grow fat.  Then
when our schooner is afloat what great times
you'll have fishin'!"

"Do you s'pose your Uncle Ben will let me
stay here very long?" the little lad asked
wistfully.

"Of course he will, else you wouldn't have
been brought here.  He's buildin' up a family
out of jest sich lonesome boys as you an' me,
an' you've come here to be part of it.  Camp
down in my bunk while I look after the
supper, for I'm the cook, an' keep on thankin'
your lucky stars that Uncle Ben happened to
see you at the right time.  How long have
you been at the poor farm?"

"Ever since I can remember."

"Did you like it out there?"

"It wasn't very nice," Joey replied timidly,
and Sam added emphatically:

"I'll bet it wasn't, though there was one
spell when I thought it would be a good deal
better than livin' aboard the 'Sally D.' with
Cap'en Doak ugly a good deal more'n half
the time.  Did you ever see that cousin down
in St. Johns?"

"I never knew there was one till Deacon
Stubbs said it was a shame a big boy like me
should be eatin' the bread of idleness, when I
had blood relations that were next door to
rollin' in luxury."

"Well, was you idle?"

"I did everything they told me—lugged in
the wood, split the kindlings, drove the cows
to pasture, an' brought in the water——"

"An' that's what they call eatin' the bread
of idleness!" Uncle Ben cried as he entered
with his arms full of packages, which he laid
in one of the bunks, and, taking Joey in his
arms, seated himself by the window.  "Look
out there at our schooner, sonny boy!  Some
day she'll be layin' at anchor, as trim a craft
as ever floated, an' then you shall walk the
quarter-deck like any cap'en, while we do the
drudgery.  You're one of the family now,
Joey, an' I'm countin' that all hands will
come to love you as much as I've found time
to do already.  You're a wee mite of a thing,
an' it's a baby we've been needin' to make
things ship-shape, so that's the berth you've
dropped inter.  Now then, Sammy, get them
biscuit out, for I reckon our Joey is mighty
sharkish, seein's he hasn't had any dinner,
an' come to think of it, neither have I, for
that matter."

Mr. Rowe came into the shanty on tiptoe,
as if thinking he must be very quiet while
Uncle Ben was holding the "baby," and
Tommy, who followed him, said laughingly:
"You'd think Joey was a reg'lar kid, by
the way Mr. Rowe moves 'round.  But say,
don't it make things look better to see sich a
little shaver here!"

Joey would have been very hard to please
if the greeting he received in his new home
had not soothed his heart, and by the time
Uncle Ben made a "high chair" by putting a
buoy on one of the stools and covering it with
an old fish-net, he appeared to be in the best
of spirits.

"A month of this kind of livin', with
plenty of fresh air an' nobody to talk 'bout
the bread of idleness, will make a new man
of you, Joey," Uncle Ben said when the tiny
lad, unable to swallow another mouthful,
slipped down from the fish-net cushion.  "I'm
allowin' to set here in stormy weather, when
there's nothin' to be done outside, an' jest
watch you grow fat."





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.. _`"THE BABY"`:

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   CHAPTER XVI


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   "THE BABY"

.. vspace:: 2

If, when Uncle Ben started for the Port on
the trip when he found Joey Sampson, Sam
and Tom had been told that anything could
happen on Apple Island which might turn
the least little portion of their attention from
the schooner they would have said indignantly
that it was not possible, and yet not
only the two lads, but even Mr. Rowe, soon
came to think that the new, tiny member of
the family was more interesting than the
work of wrecking.

On the morning after Joey's arrival Uncle
Ben insisted on being allowed to wash the
dishes and set the house to rights, claiming
that it might be better for Sam and Tom to
spend all the time possible, before the hour
came for hauling the traps, helping Mr. Rowe,
and Sam said almost jealously, when he
followed the others out of the shanty very shortly
after daybreak:

"I really believe Uncle Ben is willin' to do
the housework this mornin', so's he can watch
Joey!  But say, I don't blame him a little
bit, for that baby is mighty cute!"

"It's goin' to be a big thing for us to have him
'round here," Tom replied reflectively.  "Jest
as soon as Uncle Ben gets through foolin' with
him we'll take the little shaver out in the dory
to let him see us haul in the lobsters——"

"You won't do any sich risky thing!" Mr. Rowe
said, emphatically.  "Don't get the wild
idee inter your heads that you can take
the baby out in a dory 'less Uncle Ben or
I go with you.  'Cordin' to the looks of the
schooner, we haven't got to keep so terribly
sharp at the work of floatin' her, now we've
put the timbers in place, an' it may be that I
can go out with you a spell this forenoon, so's
to let Joey see what lobsterin' is like."

If one could judge by the expression which
came over the faces of the lads when Mr. Rowe
thus made it plain that he intended to have a
full share of the "baby's" company, they were
not particularly well pleased with this
announcement, nor did they continue the
subject further.

There was plenty of work before them, now
that Uncle Ben had brought from Southport
the needed materials, and the three set about
it with a will during a full hour, when it
seemed much as if they had lost interest, for
then Uncle Ben came down to the shore leading
Joey by the hand, and straightway each
of the laborers appeared to believe he was
called upon to entertain the new member of
the family.

Uncle Ben stretched himself lazily on the
sand as if it pleased him wondrously well to
watch the "baby," while Mr. Rowe introduced
him to the "Sally D.," even carrying
him on board upon his shoulders, and,
seeing Sam and Tommy wistfully watching the
movements of the two, the old man said
encouragingly:

"If you boys want to play with Joey, why
don't you do it?  I reckon, now that Reuben
has got these famous timbers of his in place,
there ain't any good reason why you shouldn't
take things easy, an' the baby hasn't had any
too comfortable a time in this world but that
he'll take to a bit of sport with you."

Mr. Rowe was clambering down over the
bow of the schooner as Uncle Ben thus spoke,
and one might almost have fancied that he
was displeased with the proposition which
would prevent him from sharing in the romp.
He said quickly to the lad who was yet seated
on his shoulder:

"How would it strike you if we went over
to look at the lobster car?"

"You can't see anythin' there, Joey,"
Tommy cried enticingly.  "Come with Sam
an' me; we'll roll up our trousers an' go in
wadin'."

The little lad from the poorhouse scrambled
down from Mr. Rowe's shoulder, eager
to accept the invitation, and the former
"crew" of the "Sally D." could do no less
than seat himself by Uncle Ben's side, saying
in an apologetic tone as he did so:

"I s'pose, when you come right down to
facts, that I'm a leetle too old to be playin'
with a lot of youngsters; but it seems so
mighty good to have a baby like him
cavortin' 'round, that I can't help wantin' to
have a hand in the fun myself."

"I don't blame you, Reuben, I don't blame
you a little bit, for I've been feelin' a good
deal that way myself this mornin'.  To have
a little shaver like Joey tumblin' 'round,
makes it seem as if we'd really started a
family, an' if things go along as smooth as
they oughter, what with the schooner, an' all
these 'ere youngsters, the rest of my days will
be spent in havin' a good time watchin' the
rest of you runnin' the island.  Look at that
baby, will yer!  Ain't it doin' him a world of
good to be paddlin' in the water?  I'm
allowin' that when we got hold of him it was
a good deal better trade than buyin' the
schooner."

As a matter of fact, Joey Sampson so occupied
the attention of all the "family" that
when the hour of noon came around, and no
more than sixty minutes had been spent in
work on the "Sally," Mr. Rowe said half to
himself, but yet speaking so loud that Uncle
Ben could hear the words:

"He's a mighty smart baby, an' I'm glad
he's goin' to live here on the island; but there's
got to be some rules an' regerlations 'bout
playin' with him, or watchin' others do it, else
it'll be winter before we're ready to launch the
schooner."

"I reckon you're right, Reuben," Uncle
Ben said with a long-drawn sigh, "an' I'm
goin' to draw a line on myself right away;
but at the same time I don't know when I've
enjoyed myself more'n I have this forenoon.
As for the baby!  Look at him rollin' over in
the sand!  At a moderate guess I'd say he'd
fatted up a full half-pound since mornin'."

It was quite a long time, however, before
Uncle Ben was able to "draw a line" upon
himself to the extent of treating the "baby"
like an ordinary member of the family.  It
was not until the old lobster catcher had taken
him out in the dory that he might see the
boys haul the traps, and that Mr. Rowe had
given him an afternoon of pleasure on board
the stranded schooner, and Sam and Tom had
carried him to the grove in the centre of the
island, that the regular routine of work was
taken up once more.

Then all hands labored with a will to make
up for the time spent in amusement, although
each night, for at least half an hour after
supper, Uncle Ben insisted on holding the "baby"
on his knee while Sam and Tom washed the
dishes and set the house to rights generally.

And as to Joey?  Verily his lines had fallen
in pleasant places.  Never before had he
received so much attention, and for the first time
in his life did he understand what it meant to
be loved and petted.  It was the belief of all
the members of the family that he was growing
fat very rapidly, and Uncle Ben daily gave
words to his regret that he had not been
sufficiently thoughtful to have weighed the little
fellow before leaving Southport, so they might
know to a certainty how much Apple Island
agreed with him.

It must not be supposed, however, that while
the "family" was thus being amused by Joey
as if he had been a veritable plaything, all the
work was neglected.  As Mr. Rowe said,
"they spent about half the time coddlin' him,
but managed to putter 'round the 'Sally D.'
enough to show that they were really bent on
launchin' her."

Then came the time when it was agreed
among all hands that the "baby" must take
care of himself, to a certain extent, and the
work of wrecking was pushed forward with a
will, each member of the family doing his
best to make up the lost time.

The schooner's hull had been caulked and
painted while yet she lay half in the sand and
half on the rude ways, and Mr. Rowe felt
confident every leak was stopped.  Sam and Tom
had taken it upon themselves to clean and
paint the interior of the cabin until it was as
sweet as soap and water could make it, and
thus every token of Captain Doak had been
cleared away.

Uncle Ben had made two trips to Southport,
but Joey had refused each invitation to go with
him, giving as his reason that Apple Island
was far too pleasant a place to leave even for
a single hour, and this refusal pleased the old
man even more than to have had the lad all
to himself during an entire day.

Then, about five weeks from the day when
Uncle Ben became the owner of the "Sally
D.," everything was made ready for the
launching, and Mr. Rowe announced that at high
tide on the following morning he would be
able to prove to the family that his method of
wrecking was without a flaw.

"We'll make a reg'lar Fourth of July out
of the day," Uncle Ben declared, as he sat by
the window with Joey on his knee, "an'
even if we did squander considerable time
on the baby when he first came, I'm allowin'
that we've earned a little pleasurin', so Sammy
an' Tommy shall get up the finest dinner they
know how to cook, an' we'll eat it in the
'Sally's' cabin after she's swingin' to her
anchor in the cove."

As a matter of course, this was welcome
news to the cooks, and they at once set about
deciding upon what particularly dainty dishes
should be served, until Mr. Rowe said half to
himself:

"When I think that in all this time Eliakim
Doak hasn't showed hisself, I can't help fearin'
he has been hatchin' some kind of mischief
for unless he's left Southport, which don't
seem likely, it ain't reasonable to think he'd
be willin' to let us go on so smooth."

"Now, now, Reuben, don't go to crossin'
bridges before you come to 'em," Uncle Ben
said placidly, as he stroked Joey's hair
affectionately.  "I'm allowin' that Eliakim has
come to see the evil of his ways, an' hasn't
been givin' a thought to work us harm.  Beside
what call has he to do anythin' agin us?
We paid cash for the schooner, an' more than
anybody else would give, at a time when he
wanted to sell her, so, as I've figgered it, we did
him a good turn."

"There's no goin' back of that, Uncle Ben,"
Mr. Rowe agreed, "but doin' Eliakim Doak a
good turn is much the same as if you'd kicked
another man black an' blue.  He ain't built
the right way to appreciate it.  The only time
he can be made to understand is when
somebody stands ready to knock him down
whenever he goes wrong, an' that'll keep him where
he belongs."

"Wa'al, Reuben, we won't bother our heads
'bout Eliakim jest now when the 'Sally' is so
near afloat.  Let's have our launchin' in the
mornin' an' celebrate it the best we know how,
without thinkin' of anythin' that ain't
pleasant," and once more Uncle Ben gave himself
up to the enjoyment of treating Joey as a
veritable baby.

It is safe to say that at least once every five
minutes during the remaining time of daylight
each member of the "family" looked out
of the window at the "Sally D." as she stood
on the ways, looking every inch fit for the
launching, and more jaunty, so Uncle Ben
declared, than on the first day she made the
acquaintance of the water.

There was no indication that the sun was
near at hand when Mr. Rowe awakened the
inmates of the shanty next morning, but he
insisted they should be up and at work in order
that, as he expressed it, "they might have
plenty of time to look at the 'Sally' before
she went slidin' down the well-greased ways."

Therefore it was that the sun had not yet
risen when the family ate breakfast, and Sam
and Tom finished the morning's work at least
three hours before the tide would be at its
height.  They were intending to cook a
regular feast to be carried aboard the "Sally"
after she was in the water, but it would not be
time to set about that for a long while and the
lads, having nothing else with which to
occupy themselves, strolled down to the beach
when the shanty had been set to rights, where
were Uncle Ben, Mr. Rowe and Joey Sampson
gazing at the schooner as eagerly as if they
had never seen her before.

"There's no use talkin', she'll make a snug
little craft for this 'ere family," Mr. Rowe was
saying as the lads joined the party, "an' if she
don't bring in a good many more dollars than
ever the lobster business did it's 'cause I've
forgotten how to handle a line!"'

"I'm hopin' she'll pay well," Uncle Ben
replied thoughtfully, "but it ain't on account
of my hankerin' after the dollars for myself.
I reckon there's enough left in the bank to
pay my funeral expenses, an' I'm hopin' the
Lord won't let me live after I can't take care
of myself; but it's the family that's makin'
me want to have more money comin' in.  If
I can see scraped together what's needed to
buy the island an' have it fixed by the lawyers
so's it'll always be a home for decent boys
who are willin' to help themselves if they're
given half a chance, then I'll feel as if I'd done
somethin' in this 'ere world that's worth
countin'."

Mr. Rowe looked oddly out of the corner of
his eye at the old lobster catcher for a moment,
and then said, half to himself:

"'Cordin' to the way I look at things, what
you've already done is well worth countin',
Uncle Ben, an' if there are sich matters as
harps in the next world, yours oughter be the
biggest an' have the most strings!"

"If that old heathen ain't comin' over here
jest when we don't want him, I'm a duffer!"
Tom screamed at the full strength of his lungs
as he pointed across the water in the direction
of Southport, and, turning quickly to learn
the cause of the alarm, the other members of
the family saw two dories heading for the
island, one leading the other by a considerable
distance.

In an instant Uncle Ben and Mr. Rowe were
on their feet, the old lobster catcher showing
by his face that he was seriously disturbed in
mind, as he asked of Mr. Rowe in a gentle
whisper:

"Do you allow, Reuben, that Eliakim can
really be comin' here after havin' stayed away
so long?"

"I'm ready to allow that there's nothin' too
mean for him to do, 'specially when he's got
one of his ugly spells.  It strikes me that
we've got to handle him my way, instead of
yours, for you're too soft to deal with the likes
of Eliakim Doak."

"We won't have any trouble, Reuben,
unless he tries to do mischief, an' then
allow we're warranted in protectin' our
own.  Ain't there two men in that first dory?"

"Yes, an' most like he's got some vagabond
crony or another, with more trailin' on behind,
allowin' that they'll do jest about as they
please.  Now see here, Uncle Ben," and
Mr. Rowe spoke in an imploring tone.  "You
ain't built the right way to tackle sich as
them, so s'pose you toddle up to the shanty
with Joey, an' let the boys an' me 'tend to
this 'ere job?  I'm willin' to agree that soft
words are all right as a general thing, but
when it comes to throwin' 'em away on the
likes of Eliakim, it's a waste of time an'
breath.  This 'ere is the same as your own
island, an' if you'll crawl off somewhere, I'll
see to it that Doak don't do any funny
business."





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.. _`THE LAUNCHING`:

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   CHAPTER XVII


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   THE LAUNCHING

.. vspace:: 2

Uncle Ben lifted Joey in his arms, as if
about to do exactly as Mr. Rowe desired, and
then remembering, most likely, that Reuben's
methods of dealing with men like Captain
Doak were not such as he approved of, he
stood irresolute, gazing anxiously at the
approaching boats as he said:

"It's too bad that our day of pleasurin'
should be spoiled by Eliakim, when he hasn't
got the least little reason for makin' a row."

"Do as Mr. Rowe wants you to, Uncle Ben,
an' there won't be much of anythin' spoiled,"
Tommy said pleadingly, as he tried to drag
the old man toward the shanty.  "The three
of us can take care of the schooner without
tryin' very hard."

"But I'm afraid there'll be a fight, Tommy,
an' that's a poor way of celebratin' the
launchin' of the 'Sally,'" the old man said
mournfully.

"Don't you worry 'bout that, for we'll
knock his head off before he gets very far
along in his funny business," Tom cried
confidently, and this assurance seemed to have
the opposite effect from that intended.

"We won't stir up more of a row than can
be helped, an' I'm certain you'd rather we
showed a little fight than let him do harm to
the schooner just when we've got her in sailin'
trim," Sam pleaded, and Mr. Rowe added,
speaking as if to a child:

"Now do look at it in the right light,
Uncle Ben!  We're bound to take care of the
'Sally,' else what'll come of your plan for
makin' a home here for them what ain't got
any?"

In no other way could Mr. Rowe have
presented the case to more speedily insure
Uncle Ben's obedience.  The possibility that
Captain Doak might work such mischief as
would prevent him from carrying out the
scheme he had so long in mind, and which
was so well begun, caused the old man to lose
sight of everything else, and, as if escaping
from some terrible and immediate danger, he
ran swiftly toward the shanty with Joey in
his arms.

"Now we're got rid of Uncle Ben, I reckon
it won't take us long to settle that old heathen's
hash, no matter how many heelers he's got
with him," Tommy said, in a tone of
satisfaction, and looking very much as if the
prospect of trouble with the former owner of
the "Sally D." pleased him greatly.

Mr. Rowe, however, was not inclined to
look upon the situation as affording many
possibilities for enjoyment.  The fact that
Captain Doak had such a large party with
him seemed fairly good evidence that he had
come to do something more than make threats,
and, regardless of the fact that he had spoken
so confidently of what he would be able to do in
the way of protecting the "family's" property,
Reuben understood that he and the two lads
could not successfully oppose any determined
attack.

Within five minutes after Uncle Ben and
Joey had taken refuge in the shanty, it was
possible to make out that the second dory had
as crew three men, and these with the men in
the first boat would make up a force which
would be able to carry out any plan agreed
upon, however bravely the defenders of the
island might battle for their rights.

"That's Eliakim in the leadin' dory," Mr. Rowe
said after a keen survey of the approaching
craft, "an' unless I'm way out of my
reckonin', it's Jim Coulson with him.
'Cordin' to my idee these two are about the
most worthless couple that can be found in
the Port.  It stands to reason they've come
to make trouble, an' I'm beginnin' to be afraid
we'll have our hands full."

"They'll have to work mighty lively if
they get the best of us," Tom said confidently
as he searched about for something in the
shape of a club that would serve his purpose,
and Sam, who was seriously disturbed by the
expression of anxiety on Mr. Rowe's face,
added doubtfully:

"We can't hold out very long against five
men, less Uncle Ben takes it inter his head
to lend a hand, an' I'm afraid he'd see 'em
wreck the 'Sally' before thinkin' he oughter
make a reg'lar fight."

"No, we can't count on him," and Mr. Rowe
shook his head sorrowfully, but seeming
to recover his courage an instant later, as
he added: "Howsomever, we'll make it hot
for a spell, no matter how many Eliakim has
got with him, an' then if we're downed it
won't be our fault."

Tom had found such a weapon as would
apparently serve his purpose, and set about
procuring something of the same kind for Sam;
but Mr. Rowe made no preparations whatever.
He stood with his gaze fixed upon the
leading boat, as if by such close scrutiny he
could determine what the enemy's first move
would be, and then walked slowly up the
beach on seeing that the dory would take the
sand a short distance to the eastward of where
the "Sally" rested on the ways as if impatient
to be in the water once more.

It was evident that Captain Doak had come
for some other purpose than to indulge in
empty threats, for he spoke not a word as the
little craft drifted shoreward, and when she
was within fifty feet of the beach Mr. Rowe
cried warningly:

"Don't make the mistake of landin' on this
island, Eliakim Doak, or there'll be more
trouble come of it than you're lookin' for!
You've been cautioned against trespassin', an'
tellin' you that Uncle Ben counts on doin' jest
as he threatened."

"If I did my duty I'd have you in jail for
mutiny!" Captain Doak cried threateningly.
"If you mix inter this matter, I'll have a
warrant out before you're a day older, Reuben
Rowe!"

"Why don't you go ahead an' get your
warrants, instead of makin' so much talk
about it?" the sailor cried angrily.  "I count
on mixin' in here long enough to give you the
strongest dose you ever got, an' don't you
forget it!  If you come ashore here I'll see to it
that you don't go back in as good shape as you
are now."  Then in a whisper to Tom, who
stood close by his side, "You two lads are to
jump on Jim Coulson the minute he puts foot
on the sand, without payin' any heed to me.
If I can't take care of Eliakim Doak single
handed, it'll serve me right to be used up."

Tom, repeating Reuben's words to Sam, ran
forward to take his part in the coming battle
just as Captain Doak leaped ashore, evidently
bent on trying conclusions with Mr. Rowe at
once, and just at this point, when it seemed
as if there was no longer any possibility a fight
could be averted, the second dory had come
within hailing distance.

Until this moment none of those of the
island had given any particular heed to her,
therefore, they were really startled by hearing
a friendly voice cry:

"Look out, Reuben!  Don't get inter a
mix-up when there's no real need of it!
We've come over to see that you ain't imposed
on."

"It's Uncle Ben's friend, Billy Mansfield
an' he must have had an inklin' of what
Eliakim was up to!" Mr. Rowe said to the
lads in a tone of relief.  "I reckon there won't
be any great amount of mischief done this
day!"

"What are you doin' here?" Captain Doak
cried savagely, wheeling about to face the
newcomers as if he was only at this moment
aware of their neighborhood.  "I'll have you
understand that the man who comes agin' me
this day is like to get all that's needed!"

"Don't make the mistake of threatenin',
Eliakim Doak!" Mr. Mansfield cried
warningly.  "It may be that we've come over to
have a share in the launchin', seein's how there
ain't much goin' on in the Port to-day, an'
then ag'in perhaps we tailed on knowin' you
was bent on mischief, an' countin' to lend
Uncle Ben a hand.  Since you've begun to
threaten, it may be well if I give you notice
here an' now, that you're to keep away from
this island.  We at the Port have made up
our minds that you've got to live somewhere
near decent from this on, or leave our part of
the country."

By this time Mr. Mansfield and his friends
had stepped ashore from their dory and were
standing between the former owner of the
"Sally D." and the defenders of the island,
showing by their attitude that they were
ready to lend a hand against the two who
were plotting mischief.

"I've come here for my schooner, an' count
on havin' her," Captain Doak cried in a voice
hoarse with passion.  "You an' half a dozen
like you did what you could to cheat me out
of the vessel, an' it'll be a sorry day when you
go any further in sich fraud."

"You know as well as I do, Eliakim, that
you were forced to sell the 'Sally' because
you couldn't raise money enough to float her,"
and it was evident that Mr. Mansfield was
striving hard to speak in a calm tone.  "If
any other than Uncle Ben had bought the
craft you wouldn't have dared to open your
mouth about ownership; but on account of his
bein' a peaceable man who'd stand a good
deal before raisin' a hand in his own defense,
you think it will be possible to bully him out
of a few more dollars.  We at the Port heard
last night of what you counted on doin'
to-day, an' we three have come, representin' the
town, to give you final warnin'.  Behave yourself
so far as the schooner an' this island are
concerned, or we'll send you out of the
county on a rail!"  Then, turning to Mr. Rowe,
as if believing there was no need of
further conversation with Captain Doak, the
visitor asked, "Where is the old man?"

"Up in the shanty.  We sent him there,
thinkin' we could handle Eliakim better without him."

"Well, seein's Cap'en Doak is sober enough
to understand that he'd better not kick up any
row while we're here, s'posen you go ahead
with your launchin'?  We've come out to help
celebrate, an' don't want any hitch in the
business."

"She shall come off the ways at high
water," Mr. Rowe replied in a tone of relief,
and as Mr. Mansfield and his friends went
toward the shanty he set about the final
arrangements for sending the "Sally" into the
water.

Captain Doak and his friend stood irresolutely
near their boat, as if trying to decide
whether it would be safe for them to make
any further attempt at bullying the inhabitants
of the island, while Mr. Rowe and the
lads went about their work as if the former
owner of the "Sally" no longer had an existence.

There was really very little remaining to be
done before the schooner was ready for the
launching, but Mr. Rowe seemed eager to find
something with which to occupy himself, and
his companions did their best at seconding his
efforts.

During five minutes or more Captain Doak
stood near by the dory conversing in whispers
with his friend, and then the two went aboard,
Reuben calling after them as they slowly
pulled away from the island:

"You've heard what Billy Mansfield said
the folks at the Port would do if you tried to
be funny with Uncle Ben, an' it won't be a
bad idee if you bear in mind the fact that I'll
be prepared for sich as you from this time out."

"You wouldn't be crowin' so loud if folks
at the Port had minded their own business,"
Captain Doak growled.  "My time will come
some day, an' when it does, you'll wish you'd
never been born!"

Then the two men bent their backs to the
oars, as if not eager for further conversation,
and Mr. Rowe said in a confident tone to his
companions:

"You can set it down as a fact that Eliakim
won't dare to try any more funny business,
seein's he's roused the folks at the Port.
We've had a mighty lucky day of it, 'cordin'
to my way of thinkin', for what he might do
has bothered me not a little."

"An' do you believe he's done for now?"
Tommy asked incredulously.

"Ay, lad, you can set that down as a fact.
Eliakim is a good deal of a coward any time;
but now that Billy Mansfield has read the riot
act to him, he'll give Apple Island a wide berth
from this out.  I reckon we may as well pass
the word that them as wants to see the
launchin' had best be gettin' their seats, for
the tide's as high as it's likely to be this day."

It was as if the lads had, during the excitement
of a possible battle with Captain Doak,
forgotten that the moment was near at hand
when it was to be shown whether the many
days of labor would be rewarded by success,
and now when Mr. Rowe made his announcement
they were plunged into a state of mingled
joy and doubt such as would be difficult to
describe.

Sam ran at full speed toward the shanty to
summon those who had taken shelter there
from the unpleasant scene which was presented
by the arrival of the former owner of the
"Sally D.," and Tommy had no more than
hoisted the flags on the schooner's spars than
the visitors, Uncle Ben and Joey, came rapidly
down to the beach.

"I'm allowin' that all of you will go on
board the 'Sally,'" Reuben Rowe said, taking
it upon himself to act as master of ceremonies,
as was indeed his right after all he had done.
"The lads an' I can start her, I reckon.
You'll find the anchor ready for lettin' go, so
stand by to bring her up with a sharp turn,
for it'll be quick work once she's on the
move."

Uncle Ben tossed Joey aboard over the bow,
while the guests followed as best they might,
and immediately the last one was on the deck
Mr. Rowe gave the word to his assistants.

Sam and Tom worked on one side of the
hull, driving the starting wedge home, while
Reuben attended to the work immediately
opposite them, and it is safe to say that every
member of the launching party was astonished
by the swiftness and ease with which this final
portion of the task was performed.  To the
two lads who were just under the bow swinging
the heavy sledges, it seemed as if no more
than half a dozen blows had been struck
before the "Sally" began to slide down the ways
much as though eager to be in the water,
sending the spray high over her stern when
the plunge was made.

Then what a shout went up!  If Captain
Doak had not made good use of his time with
the oars he must have heard the cries of
rejoicing when the little schooner was afloat
once more, tossing on the swell she herself had
created and riding to her anchor much like a
captive sea-gull.

"It's a great job you've done, Reuben!"
Uncle Ben cried in a tone of triumph when
the cheering had subsided sufficiently to
admit of his making himself heard.  "From this
out, so long as it pleases you to stay at Apple
Island a member of the family, the 'Sally'
shall be under your command!"

"All right, Uncle Ben," Mr. Rowe replied,
waving his arms as if it was absolutely
impossible for him to remain motionless.  "I'll
take advantage of that promise by sayin' that
if the folks from the Port will stop over night
here, so's we can get the ballast in, we'll carry
'em home bright an' early to-morrow mornin'
on board the 'Sally.'"

"You're right, Reuben, you're right," the
old lobster catcher cried, gleefully as any
child.  "I'll see that they stay, an' all hands
of us will turn to for gettin' the ballast in!"





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.. _`THE TRIAL TRIP`:

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   CHAPTER XVIII


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   THE TRIAL TRIP

.. vspace:: 2

Sam and Tommy could not afford to spend
very many moments in rejoicing after the
"Sally D." was afloat, because the work of
preparing a dinner which should really be a feast
of thanksgiving had been intrusted to them,
and time was precious if the task was to be
performed according to their desires.

It was impossible, however, for the two lads
not to devote a few moments to admiring the
jaunty little schooner as she rose and fell on
the gentle swell, tugging at the anchor cable
as if coaxing to be allowed to use her wings
once more where the water was deep and the
wind blew half a gale.

"It seems almost as if we had built the
whole of her," Sam said, half to himself, as he
gazed with critical eye upon the charming
marine picture before him.

"An' I allow we can take more credit for
her looks than belongs to the man who really
did put her together," Mr. Rowe added
quickly.  "She was what you might call a
wreck when Uncle Ben bought her, an' now
cast your eyes over the beauty!  I remember
when she was first launched, an' am free to
say that she didn't come anywhere near bein'
as handsome as at this minute, for her spars
never did have rake enough, while the bowsprit
allers made her look snub-nosed.  We've
changed all that; she's as tight as a cup, an' if
she can't outsail anythin' on this 'ere coast
I'll eat my hat, instead of the dinner you lads
are allowin' to fix up this day."

"An' it's time we got about the work,
instead of standin' here lookin' at the dandy of
all schooners that ever floated," Tommy said
with no slight show of nervousness.  "Here
we've got to build a fire in the cabin, cook all
the stuff that has been made ready, set the
table, an' do more work than the law allows!
Can't you make Uncle Ben an' his visitors
come ashore, Mr. Rowe?"

"They can't do it till I go after 'em in the
dory, an' that's the fact," Reuben replied
laughingly.  "Do you know, I'd clean forgot
everythin' except the little beauty that we've
worked over so long!  If Eliakim Doak could
see her this minute, I'm reckonin' he'd jest
about go crazy 'cause she don't belong to him
any longer!"

"Don't talk about that old heathen!"
Tommy cried imploringly.  "It seems like it
would bring us bad luck even to speak his
name on the first day the 'Sally' is in the
water.  Take hold with me, Sam, an' we'll
shove off the dory, else Mr. Rowe'll never get
through lookin' at the schooner!"

Reuben aroused himself, as it were, and
in another moment set about the work which
was necessary before the first steps toward
making ready the thanksgiving feast could be
taken.

It was agreed that Tom should go aboard
and build a fire in the cook-stove, which had
been made ready for use several days before
the launching, while Sam began the task of
bringing the eatables from the shanty to the
shore, with the assistance of Reuben and little
Joey, as soon as the guests had been brought
ashore, for the "baby of the family" had
insisted on being allowed to aid in the celebration.

Although no one had anticipated the coming
of guests, it had been agreed that Uncle
Ben should not raise his hand in the way of
work on this day, therefore, according to the
program already made, he had nothing to do
save act the part of host to Mr. Mansfield and
his friends.

How Sam and Tom worked when the food
had been brought aboard the "Sally" and
they, with Joey as assistant, were alone on the
schooner!  Sam had already laid his plans as
to what should be served for dinner, and such
a quantity of food had been provided that
even the addition of three to the list of feasters
did not require additional preparation, save
in the way of extra dishes and stools.

Because of the visitors from Southport,
Mr. Rowe suggested that a table be set up on deck,
since the cabin was too small to accommodate
so many, therefore, while the boys worked
over the stove he and Joey put two boards,
that were well scrubbed with soap and water,
across from the top of the cabin to the
starboard rail, and on these the feast was spread.

The bill of fare was made up of fried lobster,
broiled cunners, roasted clams, lobster
chowder, stewed clams, potatoes and fresh
bread in plenty, and coffee for all in
brightly-scoured tin cups.

Not until late in the afternoon was Sam
willing to admit that he could do no more,
and then Mr. Rowe brought Uncle Ben and
the guests on board, after making the dory
gay with a couple of old flags.

If the boys had been hoping to be complimented
for their skill as cooks they were not
disappointed, for the gentlemen from Southport
were loud and profuse in their praises as
they seated themselves on either side the
makeshift for a table, and Sam's eyes
glistened when Uncle Ben declared that the
"family cook" was the best coffee maker "he
had ever struck."

It can well be fancied how fervent was the
blessing the old lobster catcher invoked, and
a stranger might have thought that the
schooner had been presented to him without
money and without price, so humbly grateful
was he to the good God for the gift of the little
vessel.

Sam and Tom insisted upon waiting upon
those at table, and little Joey had been eager
to assist them, but Uncle Ben declared that he
wouldn't be able to eat a mouthful unless the
baby was by his side, therefore, the two boys
had the pleasure of conducting the feast
unaided.

How the food disappeared after the feasters
got well to work!  If Sam's skill as a cook
had not already been spoken of he would have
understood that it was fully appreciated before
that dinner came to an end.  Even though so
much had been prepared, it was necessary to
fry six more lobsters, else the two boys would
have gone hungry, for nearly everything on
the table was gone before the last man
declared it was impossible for him to eat any
more.

"It's the best dinner I ever put into my
mouth," Mr. Mansfield said decidedly as he
sipped the steaming coffee.  "I've heard it
said Sammy Cushing could beat any cook that
ever sailed out of the Port; but I never put
much faith in the talk till to-day.  I allow
you're buildin' up quite a family here, Uncle Ben?"

"That's what I'm hopin' to do, William,"
the old lobster catcher replied modestly.
"Not havin' child nor chick of my own, it
seems as if I oughter do somethin' in the way
of lookin' after youngsters what haven't got
any homes.  Apple Island is big enough for
a good many, an' now that we've got this 'ere
schooner to be used in fishin', I'm allowin'
that we can provide for quite a number of lads
who are willin' to help themselves.  Since
Reuben Rowe wants to stay with us, an' will
run the 'Sally,' it stands to reason that with
what the vessel brings in, added to the lobsterin',
we'll be able to do more than pay our way."

"I've allers allowed that you was a good
citizen, Uncle Ben," Mr. Mansfield said as he
rose to his feet, "an' we at the Port are proud
of you, even though we haven't said very
much about it.  When the selectmen got so
snug that they couldn't afford to keep Joey at
the poor farm, an' you gave him a home sich
as any boy can be happy in, we had a better
idee of what you was tryin' to do than if you'd
spent a week explainin' it.  The upshot of
the whole matter is that we of the Port made
up our minds to have a hand in the business,
an' without much tryin' we've raised a
hundred dollars cash, with the agreement to give
more when it's needed, so here's the money."

Having said this, Mr. Mansfield laid before
Uncle Ben a roll of bank-notes, and then sat
down with the air of a man who is nearly on
the verge of exhaustion from much speaking.

Uncle Ben was so surprised that during
several moments it seemed impossible for him
to say a word; he swallowed something which
seemed to have come up in his throat suddenly,
brushed his eyes as if they were full of
dust, started up to leave the table, and then
sank back again as if unable to do other than
keep down the lump in his throat.

It was Mr. Rowe who put an end to what
was becoming really unpleasant by crying out
loudly:

"Three cheers for Uncle Ben an' the people
of the Port who've found out what kind of a
man he is!"

Then all hands, except the old man himself,
cheered wildly, and in the confusion caused
by this outburst Mr. Mansfield proposed that
the guests go ashore in order that the boys
might have a chance to set the deck of the
schooner to rights after the thanksgiving feast.

"It begins to look as if this 'ere family was
comin' out right strong, if the folks at the
Port are lookin' after it," Tom said, in a tone
of triumph, and Sam replied sharply:

"Put all the people at the Port together,
an' they wouldn't make up one of Uncle Ben's
fingers!  It would have been a long day
before they thought of startin' a family, an' it
wasn't until Uncle Ben had spent about all
the money he had in the bank that they woke
up to the idee he was doin' somethin' big in
helpin' sich fellers as you an' me."

"Don't you count one hundred dollars
any thin'?" Tom asked in surprise.

"Of course I do; but what is it for all of
them to raise, when Uncle Ben has put out
more'n five times as much without winkin'?"

Then Sam, as if he had settled the matter
finally, went about his work, and the sun was
not yet ready to drop out of sight behind the
hills when the deck and cabin of the "Sally
D." were as cleanly and orderly as before the
feast was made ready.

Mr. Mansfield and his friends were not
inclined to eat the "bread of idleness," as was
shown very shortly after they went on shore;
for then they set about bringing out ballast in
the dories, under the direction of Mr. Rowe,
until a full half hour before night had shut
in, the "Sally D." was in good trim for the
trial trip on the following morning.

As had been arranged, the regular crew of
the "Sally" slept on board that night in the
newly-painted bunks.  Reuben claimed the
right as captain to the aftermost one on the
starboard side, while Sam and Tom occupied
the two forward berths opposite, and very
snug and beautiful was the cabin when the
small swinging lamp had been lighted.

"It won't be anythin' more'n fun to go out
fishin' in a craft like this," Tom said sleepily,
as he took one last look around before
Mr. Rowe extinguished the light for the night,
and the "captain" replied with no little of
sharpness in his tones:

"It's dollars, not fun, that we'll be after,
lad, when once the work is begun.  This 'ere
schooner has cost a heap of money, even
though Uncle Ben did get her at a bargain,
an' if she don't bring in the whole expense of
the family, with a little left over for them as
may come later, I'll say we've made a bloomin'
failure of our job.  Why, I've known a craft
like this to pay for herself twice over in one
season, an' while we can't count on any sich
luck as that, seein' our crew will be small, we
oughter make enough to keep Uncle Ben's
mind easy 'bout money matters.  Now you
lads are to shut your eyes, 'cause it'll be a
mighty early call in the mornin'."

As to this last Mr. Rowe kept his word
faithfully, for it seemed to the boys as if they
had no more than fallen asleep before he
aroused them with the word that they would
"need to jump right lively in order to make
breakfast ready before the schooner was under way."

The sun had not yet risen when Uncle Ben,
little Joey and the guests came on board; but
even then Sam and Tom had a hearty meal
prepared; and when, with every flag flying
and the wind cresting the waves with foam,
the "Sally D." glided out of the cove under
full sail, the day was no more than well begun.

If only it were possible to describe the joy of
the "family" on this first trip of the schooner
they had rescued from the sands!  Every
inch of canvas was spread to the fresh breeze,
the little craft heeling over to it until to Joey
it seemed as if she was in danger of capsizing,
and with the water spouting up from her
bow into spray, she gave good proof that
Reuben had told only the truth when he said
she could show her heels to anything of her
size that ever sailed out of Southport.

Mr. Rowe stood at the helm; Sam and Tom
stationed themselves in the bow as lookouts,
although there was no need of any such
precaution; Joey ran to and fro screaming with
delight, while Uncle Ben and his guests
remained well aft where they could watch with
sailorly eyes the movements of the jaunty
little schooner.

The lads in the bow, who behaved very
much as if believing the cruise could not be
made if they failed of keeping their eyes fixed
upon the waters ahead, would have been well
content to spend the entire day, and then a
dozen more, cruising idly about, and it was
really with a sense of disappointment that
they saw the entrance to the harbor of
Southport close under the bow.

"I reckon we've been comin' some, to get
here as soon as this," Tom said in a tone of
admiration, and Sam added contentedly:

"This is the craft that can fly when she's
in shape, with somebody at the helm who
knows what he's about."

It was as if the people at the Port had
received early notice of the exact time when
the "Sally" was to arrive, for as she entered
the harbor flags were flying on every vessel
in port, the church bells were ringing out a
noisy welcome, and the one pier was literally
black with people who had assembled to
welcome the "family" and their schooner.

"It looks as if they counted on makin' a
reg'lar celebration out of it," Sam said in
delight, and then a cloud came over his face as
he added in a whisper: "S'pose Cap'en Doak
should be here, an' it stands to reason he is,
we're bound to have trouble, 'cause he'll never
get over sayin' that he owns some part of the
'Sally'!"

"Well, let him say it," Tom replied carelessly.
"He can talk himself black in the
face without changin' anythin', an' by this
time the folks here know what kind of a
pirate he is."

"But we can't afford to have a row the
very first day the 'Sally' is under sail, 'cause
it'll be bad luck!" Sam wailed.

"The luck will be whatever we're a mind
to make it, an' as for that old heathen, he
won't dare to open his mouth while all these
people are around."

Reuben Rowe interrupted the conversation
by giving the word to let go the jib halyards,
and by the time the "Sally" was stripped of
her canvas Uncle Ben had thrown a hawser
ashore to be caught and made fast by the
many hands that were outstretched to have a
part in this first landing.

The little schooner was not moored when
the church bells rang out a yet louder
welcome, and Uncle Ben's weather-bronzed cheeks
were actually red as the citizens of the Port
shouted themselves hoarse in his honor.

"It's a big day!" Sam whispered to Tom,
"an' if only Cap'en Doak ain't here we'll
have the time of our lives!"





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.. _`THE FIRST CRUISE`:

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   CHAPTER XIX


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   THE FIRST CRUISE

.. vspace:: 2

When Joey Sampson was an inmate of the
poorhouse, the people of Southport gave little
heed to him as, bent on some errand, he
entered the village; but on this day it seemed
as if every man, woman and child was eager
to speak a kindly word.  The tiny fellow was
lifted over the rail by some of the more
officious even before the "Sally D." had really
come to a full stop, while those whom he had
never seen before greeted him as a friend until
he was absolutely dazed by receiving so much
attention.

Uncle Ben also found that he had suddenly
grown popular, for the people crowded around
when he came over the side of the schooner,
shaking his hand so often and vigorously that
the old man was really bewildered, and whispered
to Sam at the first opportunity:

"I declare, Sammy, I can't make out what
has come over the folks here!  A body would
think I was the best friend they ever had; it
wasn't this way when I put in here last."

"They're beginnin' to find you out, Uncle
Ben, that's what's the matter," Sam replied
with a laugh, and Reuben Rowe, who had
come up in time to overhear the conversation,
added:

"I'm allowin' that you can lay a good deal
of this 'ere reception to Eliakim Doak.  He's
been makin' so much talk, an' threatenin' to
raise sich a pile of mischief, that the folks
began to think 'bout what you're doin' in the
way of raisin' a family, till all of a sudden
they've found out that you're the salt of the
earth."

Then the conversation ceased because of the
many people who had been pushing their way
through the throng to speak with the old
lobster catcher, and who insisted on claiming
his attention; therefore Sam modestly allowed
himself to be shoved back against the rail of
the "Sally," where he was standing when
Tom, who had been to the head of the pier,
came up literally breathless with excitement.

"Your old pirate is over there by the storehouse
sure enough; but while so many people
are around I reckon he won't dare to show
himself very big.  I've got it in my head,
though, that he'll raise a row if it looks as
if he could without gettin' inter too much
trouble."

Sam was no longer afraid of what Captain
Doak might do.  The citizens of Southport
had been so cordial in their welcome that the
lad knew full well the former owner of the
"Sally D." would not dare to say or do
anything disagreeable, and he replied with a
show of carelessness:

"We needn't bother our heads 'bout fair,
to-day, for he's got sense enough to keep
quiet; but when we're back on the island,
an' the 'Sally' is layin' at anchor with
nobody aboard, he'll be brave as a lion, cause
he knows Uncle Ben wouldn't hurt a fly no
matter how many times he'd been bitten."

Having thus dismissed Captain Doak from
their minds, the boys gave themselves wholly
up to the pleasures provided for them by the
citizens of the Port, and from that time until
late in the afternoon they enjoyed every
moment of the time.  Then Mr. Rowe, who had
come in search of them and found both
feasting on figs in Mr. Mansfield's store,
announced:

"Uncle Ben says it's time we was makin' a
break for home, an' I allow he's right, seein's
how we need to get an early start to-morrow,
for there's considerable work to be done after
we get home."

"Where are you countin' on goin' to-morrow?"
Sam asked as he followed the captain
of the schooner.

"Deep-sea fishin'.  Uncle Ben has bought
a barrel of bait, an' we're goin' to see what
can be done with it."

"Is it to be the first real cruise?  How long
are we to be gone?" Tom asked excitedly.

"It'll be a real cruise all right, an' I'm
allowin' we'll stay till we get fish enough
aboard to make it pay," and Mr. Rowe led the
way to the pier at a rapid pace.  "You see
Uncle Ben found a chance to buy some bait
cheap, an' since he an' Joey can look after the
lobsterin' without strainin' themselves very
hard, it stands us in hand to make the 'Sally'
earn some little part of what's been put out
on her."

"But we'll have to take a lot of food with
us," and Tom looked anxious, as if fearing
the start could not be made as soon as Reuben
had proposed.

"I reckon it won't take you two lads long
to put aboard what we'll need in the way of
pork, flour an' potatoes.  It'll be a case of
livin' mostly on what we catch, or goin'
hungry."

Now the boys were as eager to leave the
town as they had been to visit it, and on
arriving at the schooner were well pleased at
finding Uncle Ben and Joey aboard awaiting them.

If the citizens of the Port could have had
their way the little vessel and her crew would
have remained in harbor many days, but,
recognizing the fact that the old lobster catcher
would be eager to make the first experiment
at deep-sea fishing, after having spent so many
dollars on the "Sally," they did what little
they might toward hastening the departure.

When the hawsers had been cast off and the
Bails hoisted, the people cheered Uncle Ben and
his "family" until they were well out of the
harbor, and not until then did the boys think
it possible to attend to their duties, which
were to cook supper and make preparations
for the night, Mr. Rowe having announced
with an air of authority that the "crew"
would be forced to sleep on board in order to
be ready for an early start.

"We're goin' out for fish," he said, as if
expecting some one would dispute the statement,
"an' what's more, we're bound to get
'em.  The first cruise must be made to pay,
else we're like to have bad luck."

"I kinder had it in mind, Reuben, that the
whole family oughter have a hand in the first
fishin'; but since we've got the bait, I reckon
you an' the boys will have to go out alone,"
Uncle Ben said with such a mournful ring in
the words that all hands understood he was
disappointed in not being able to take part in
the opening venture, and Sam replied quickly,
stifling his own desires:

"You shall go, Uncle Ben, an' I'll 'tend to
the pots alone.  It won't be very much of a job."

"No, no, Sammy, I shan't agree to anythin'
like that, for I know how keen you an' Tommy
are to try out the 'Sally.'  It's foolish in an
old man like me to hanker after what oughter
be an old story at my time of life.  The baby
an' I'll stay at home where we belong, an' look
after the island to see that it don't run away."

"I can't see anythin' foolish in your wantin'
to go, 'specially since you've come pretty nigh
sinkin' your last dollar in this 'ere schooner,"
and Mr. Rowe spoke in a thoughtful tone, as
if he was turning some plan over in his mind.
"Say, what's to hinder your goin', anyway?"

"We can't use the 'Sally' as a plaything,
Reuben.  Lobsterin' is what we're dependin'
on for a livin', and it mustn't be neglected."

"Who's talkin' 'bout neglectin' it?" and the
captain of the "Sally" appeared aggrieved
because such a suggestion had been made.
"I'm keepin' it in mind that lobsterin' is the
mainstay of this 'ere family, while fishin' is
what might be called a side issue till it's been
tried out good an' hard.  What's to hinder
our lookin' after the traps to-night?  We've
only got one barrel of bait, an' it don't stand
to reason that the first cruise can be a very
long one.  Now it won't do any harm if the
pots ain't hauled for eight an' forty hours, an'
we're sure to be back before that time has
gone by."

Uncle Ben's face brightened, while little
Joey clapped his hands in glee at the possibility
of making the first cruise in the schooner
on which all hands had labored so long and
earnestly, and Sam, now quite as eager as
either of the two, cried pleadingly:

"Take up with Mr. Rowe's offer, Uncle Ben,
take it up!  Tom an' I'll pull the traps as
soon as ever we get back, an' you won't be the
poorer by a single lobster, 'cause we'll put in
plenty of bait so's them as get inter the traps
won't go to eatin' each other."

Then Tommy added his entreaties, while
Mr. Rowe continued to "figger out" how and
why Uncle Ben could safely leave the island
during two days, with the result that the old
man, after questioning the boys as to whether
they had cunners enough on hand to bait all
the traps, said slowly, much as if he was
weakly yielding to temptation:

"I'm free to confess that I'm jest the same
as achin' to have a hand in the first take of
fish that comes aboard the 'Sally' after she's
the same as been dug outer the sand, an' while
I know it's childish to set my heart on sich
things, the baby an' I'll go.  We'll not be
very much worse off for mixin' in a little play
with our work, even if we have the same as
wasted this whole day."

"I don't call it a waste of time when you
try out a schooner after launchin' her,"
Mr. Rowe grumbled, "an' seein's how the folks at
the Port sent you a clean hundred dollars, it
strikes me you was in duty bound to carry
back them as brought it."

"Yes, yes, Reuben, I'm allowin' you're
right, an' we'll all hands go on the first
cruise.  Look after your helm, for if the lads
are to haul the pots to-night, we need to make
Apple Island as soon as may be."

It was needless to caution Mr. Rowe as to
his steering, for he was doing his best to leave
the straightest of straight wakes behind him,
and from the time of leaving Southport had
never once taken his eyes from the course.
However, the sheets were flattened a bit to get
all the advantage which might be had from
the breeze, and Uncle Ben and little Joey
swayed down on the jib halyards to take out
an imaginary wrinkle from the canvas.

It seemed as if even the wind was favorably
disposed toward Uncle Ben's desires, for it
freshened very decidedly within ten minutes
after the question had been settled, and the
"Sally D." sped toward Apple Island with a
big bone in her teeth, heeling over until little
Joey began to fear she would capsize.

The sun was considerably more than an
hour high when the family arrived at the
cove, and immediately the anchor had been
let go Mr. Rowe said sharply, as he began to
snug down the canvas:

"You lads don't want to waste any time
now, else it'll be too dark to see the buoys
before you have pulled all the pots.  Get away
smartly; Uncle Ben an' I'll 'tend to matters
here."

The lads were over the rail in a twinkling,
only waiting to tow the old dory alongside the
"Sally" before setting off with the idea of
doing half a day's work in two hours, and
Uncle Ben called after them as they left the
cove:

"Don't stay out after dark, lads, 'cause it
ain't safe to pull pots when, if one of you went
overboard, the other couldn't see him.  I'm
allowin' it won't be any great harm if we
don't look after 'em all to-night; we'll make
up on fish what we may lose in the way of
lobsters."

To this the lads made no reply; but when
they returned to the cove, a full three hours
after setting out, it was with the report that
every trap had been visited.

"The catch was so big that it didn't seem
right to skip any," Sam said by way of
explanation.  "We took mighty good care not
to make a slip while haulin' in, an' brought
back forty-one full-sized lobsters, which I allow
is the biggest haul that's been made this season.

"Indeed it is, lad," Uncle Ben cried excitedly.
"I declare for it, we oughter stay home
if lobsters are movin' at that rate!"

"Now, now, Uncle Ben, you can't go back
on your word," Mr. Rowe cried as if in alarm.
"You've allowed to go with us in the mornin',
an' here are these boys wet an' hungry with
tryin' to fix things so's nothin' would prevent
you takin' part in the first cruise.  Supper is
all ready for you, lads, an' the sooner you fill
up your stomachs the quicker you'll be able
to turn in, for a full night's rest is what all
hands will be needin' before another day's
work has been done."

Then Mr. Rowe served up the remains of the
breakfast, which he had heated for the occasion,
and without stopping to argue with Uncle
Ben as to the question raised by him, Sam and
Tom set about eating as if they and food had
been strangers for many a long day.

Half an hour later every bunk in the
"Sally's" cabin had an occupant, and, save
for the loud breathing, there were no signs of
life apparent until Mr. Rowe came out "all
standing" at least an hour before daybreak.

"All hands on deck!" he shouted, after
looking out of the cuddy-hatch.  "We're goin'
to have as much wind as will be needed, an'
can't afford to be loafin' 'round here while
there's many a school of fat mackerel outside
cryin' for us to come an' catch 'em."

There was little need to urge Uncle Ben's
family on this morning, once their eyes were
open, for the idea of making a try at taking
fish was so exciting that it only needed they
should be aroused to consciousness before all
hands were, as Tom said, "skippin' 'round
right lively."

It was hardly more than daybreak when
the "Sally" sailed out of the cove with every
flag flying, Uncle Ben at the helm, the two
boys cooking breakfast in the cabin, and little
Joey and Mr. Rowe forward on the lookout
for mackerel.

It was well for the "family" that the cooks
did not loiter over their portion of the work,
for in less than ten minutes after the last one
had eaten breakfast Mr. Rowe gave the welcome
word that there was a big school of fish
in the path of gold cast by the rising sun, and
when Tom came on deck he could see what
appeared to be a shadow, even amid the rays
of light.

"Yes, them's mackerel, all right!" Uncle
Ben said joyously in answer to Tom's
question.  "They swim so near the surface that
their fins are almost out of water.  A big
school it is, for a fact, an' if we get our fair
share out of it I'm allowin' we shan't be away
from the island many hours, for at this season
of the year fresh mackerel are worth a good
bit of money.  We'll be in a hurry to get
'em to market."

Ten minutes later Mr. Rowe was throwing
bait industriously as the "Sally" came
up into the wind, and the old lobster
catcher cried excitedly as he made ready his
lines:

"Get your gigs out, lads, for this 'ere is a
hungry school.  Let the hooks jest touch the
water, an' when you bring one in over the
rail, snap him off anywhere on deck, for this
kind of fishin' is what you might call lively
work, with no time for finnicky business."

Even as he spoke Uncle Ben drew in a fish,
and in a twinkling all hands were pulling the
flapping beauties over the rail at a rate that
promised the richest kind of a fare in a very
short time.





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.. _`GETTING EVEN`:

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   CHAPTER XX


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   GETTING EVEN

.. vspace:: 2

To Tom and little Joey mackerel catching
was a novelty, and neither was able to aid
very much in the work until after having
satisfied his curiosity regarding this odd
method of fishing.

Tom was lost in wonder because the hungry
fish snapped at the bit of white cloth, or even
the bare hook, before it was well down to the
surface of the water, and not the least of his
surprise was regarding the ease with which
the mackerel could be shaken off after having
been brought inboard.

"It's the greatest fishin' I ever heard tell
of!" he exclaimed in delight as Uncle Ben
detached a rainbow-colored fish from the hook
by a sharp jerk on the line.  "My, my, but
don't they take hold lively!"

"That's more'n can be said for you," the
old lobster catcher replied with a laugh as he
pulled in another fish.  "When you strike a
school of mackerel it don't pay to spend much
time with your mouth open, for they're odd
creeters, an' jest as apt to knock off bitin' in
another minute as they are to keep on for the
next hour.  Fishermen have to get 'em when
they're in the humor, an' it's a case of jumpin'
to it the best you know how.  Why don't you
swing your line over?"

"I declare for it I'd forgotten all about
doin' my share," Tom said, in what was much
like a tone of apology as he acted upon the
old man's suggestion.  "It's so funny that I
couldn't do anythin' but watch."

Even while speaking he swung a fat fish
over the rail, and from that moment the
most enthusiastic fisherman aboard was Tom
Falonna.

The eager fish even allowed themselves to
be caught by the "baby," and little Joey
screamed with delight as he brought over the
rail a tiny "tinker" gorgeous in hues of blue,
green, pink and white.

"Talk about luck on the first cruise!" Mr. Rowe
cried when it seemed as if the "Sally's"
deck was completely covered with the beautiful
fish.  "To strike a school so near inshore
at this time of year is enough to make a man
sit up an' look at himself; but to have 'em
keep up the fun so long is somethin' I never
run across!  What about losin' a few lobsters
for the sake of gatherin' in sich a fare as this?
I'm tellin' you, Uncle Ben, if we could get
this lot inter Boston fresh, the 'Sally' would
come somewhere near payin' half her cost.
If we only had a lot of ice aboard!"

"I'm allowin' Portland would be as good a
market as Boston, an' if this wind holds we
could run in there with the mackerel sweet
an' fresh, even though we didn't have any
ice," Uncle Ben replied thoughtfully, but
without ceasing his work for a single instant.

"I believe it would pay, even though we
didn't get back to the island for a week, for
there's a good bit of money in this fare,"
Reuben said in a tone of satisfaction; but his
face clouded when the old man added decidedly:

"We can't afford to take the chances of
havin' things go wrong at home, an' that's the
fact."

"S'pose you can't get 'em in port fresh,
what is to be done with such a slat?" Tom
asked, and Mr. Rowe replied mournfully:

"We'll have to salt 'em down, which not
only means a big lot of work, but cuts down
the price a lot.  It's a pity we hadn't left you
lads ashore, an' then it would be a case of our
gettin' inter market with what would fetch a
couple of hundred dollars."

"How far do you allow we are from Apple
Island now?" Sam asked suddenly, as if a
happy thought had come to him.

"Somewhere 'bout five miles, I reckon.
What do you say, Uncle Ben?"

"We can't be much further off than that;
but if we was countin' on makin' Portland, it
would add ten miles to the run if we put in
home, an' that's far enough to cut short our
chances of gettin' the fish on the market
while the weather is so warm."

"What's to hinder Tom an' me from pullin'
over home when this school gets through
bitin'?" Sam asked.  "You could get under
way in a jiffy, an' have no need to worry
'bout things on the island.  The only trouble
would be that you'd have to go without a
small boat."

"You've hit the nail square on the head,
lad!" Mr. Rowe cried excitedly.  "It's the
very thing to be done!  I allow we can get
along without the dory when it's a case of
scoopin' in two hundred dollars or more!"

"What about it, Uncle Ben?" Sam asked
anxiously, and the old man replied, speaking
slowly and thoughtfully:

"It'll be a long pull for you, Sammy; but
if it wasn't for that I'd say Reuben had the
right idee.  We've got a lot of fish here, an'
they're worth seven or eight cents apiece as
they run, for fresh mackerel at this time of
the year are somethin' of a rarity, an' there
are rich folks enough in this world to pay
extra money for the sake of havin' things out
of season."

"Then the whole business is settled," Tom
cried, still continuing his work of adding to
the cargo.  "It wouldn't make any difference
if we were ten miles from home, 'cause we'd
be bound to pull back for the sake of helpin'
bring in two hundred dollars to the family.
How is that for two or three hours' fishin'?"

To this outburst Uncle Ben made no reply
and his crew took it for granted that the
matter was settled without need of further
discussion.  Mr. Rowe suggested that the
"baby," who was not making any great headway
at taking fish, set about gathering up the
catch into baskets that it might be sent into
the hold where the sun could not shine upon
it and the remainder of the "family" worked
even more rapidly than before, if indeed that
could be possible, in order to add to the take
before the mackerel were done biting.

It seemed to the eager fishermen as if a full
hour had been spent at the work before the
fish, with no apparent reason, suddenly sank
out of sight, and Uncle Ben announced as he
swung his lines inboard:

"That finishes this job, an' if you're countin'
on makin' Portland while the fare is sweet an'
fresh, Reuben, I'm allowin' we'd better get
the 'Sally' on her course.  It's been a rare
piece of good fortune for the first cruise,"
Uncle Ben said placidly, and Mr. Rowe
shouted in a tone of command:

"Now, then, if you boys are reckonin' on
pullin' back home, it's time you got over the
rail, for we can't waste a minute jest now!"

"Shan't we hold on a bit to help put the
fish in the hold?" Sam asked.  "It's so early
in the day that no great harm will be done if
we make the trip three or four miles longer."

"We can do that work after we're on our
course, an' I'm not allowin' you shall go any
further from home," Uncle Ben said decidedly.
"If you're willin' to go back, get about the
job before the 'Sally' is under way."

"Willin'?  Of course we are!" Tom cried
as he hauled the dory alongside.  "It would
be funny if we wasn't, with so much money
to be made.  I'd go back alone rather than
lose the chance to make a pile on the first
cruise."

"Then over the rail with you, an' be
lively!" Mr. Rowe cried.

In a twinkling the two boys were in the
dory, the painter was cast off, and little Joey
was dancing excitedly about the deck as he
screamed shrilly:

"Good-bye, Sam!  Good-bye, Tom!  I'm
sorry you won't have a chance to see the city,
but I'll tell you all about it when we get
back!"

"We don't want to see any city, when
there's lots of lobsters in the pots!" Sam
cried cheerily.  "Say, Uncle Ben, the car
was mighty nigh full when we dumped the
catch in last night; what's to be done if we
have good luck to-day?"

"Better freight a load over to the Port,
Sammy, if you feel able to pull that far.
Mr. Mansfield will take all you carry; but in case
you're too tired, we'll run the chances of losin'
some of 'em, seein's how this 'ere lot of
mackerel more'n makes up for them as may eat
each other."

"Jest hold your hand on the top of your
head till we get tired when there are big
dollars to be made, an' see how long you'll keep
it there!" Tom cried as the "Sally" came
around on her heel, every inch of canvas
catching the fresh breeze and forcing the little
schooner on her way to Portland, as if
understanding how necessary it was the fish be
delivered to the purchasers by daybreak next
morning.

"I thought I'd seen quick work before, but
I never struck any thin' so sudden as mackerel
fishin'," Tom said when the dory, with the
boys each pulling a pair of oars, was headed
for Apple Island.  "There must be big money
in sich business, an' I wonder Uncle Ben don't
knock off lobsterin' to 'tend to it."

"We might come out fifty times, an' not
strike luck the same as we had it this
mornin'," Sam replied with a happy laugh.
"It's great for the first cruise, an' now if we
can take as many lobsters as we did last night,
it'll seem as if this family had started in all
right."

So elated were the lads by the success of the
morning that the five-mile pull was hardly
more than sport, and so busy were they
speculating as to how much money the mackerel
would bring in that it seemed as if they
were hardly more than cast off from the "Sally
D." before Apple Island was close under the
dory's bow.

"I reckon Mr. Rowe was way out of his
reckonin' when he said we were so far away,"
Tom cried in astonishment, when Sam called
his attention to the fact that they were almost
home.  "It can't have been more'n——  Hello!
Ain't that your old heathen jest
pullin' out of the cove?"

Sam ceased rowing in order to gaze in the
direction indicated by Tom's outstretched
finger, and an exclamation of dismay burst
from his lips as he cried:

"That's him sure enough!  Now, what
kind of mischief do you reckon he's been up to?"

"With all hands of us an' the 'Sally'
away from home, I don't allow he could kick up
very much of a row," Tom replied carelessly,
and added with a hearty laugh, "I reckon
he was chafin' some under the collar when he
found we'd got out of his way."

"Unless he fooled with the lobster car, I
don't s'pose he could do much mischief," Sam
said half to himself; "but yet it seems as if
he must have cut up some kind of a shine, else
why is he goin' off so peaceable like?"

"'Cause there was nobody ashore to pick up
a fuss with," Tom replied in a tone of satisfaction.
"I wish Uncle Ben would let Mr. Rowe,
an' you, an' me serve the old pirate out once!
I'll bet he wouldn't want to come foolin' 'round
this island ag'in!"

The lads gave no further attention to Captain
Doak, after making certain that he was
pulling toward the Port at his best pace, and
five minutes later their dory had rounded
the point, opening to view the shore of the
cove.

Then it was that both the boys ceased rowing
very suddenly, as they gave vent to a cry
of mingled anger and sorrow, for the shanty
appeared to be in a blaze, with the flames
already bursting out through the roof.

"That's what the old heathen has been
doin'!" Tom cried in a rage, as he dipped his
oars deep in the water.  "Pull around, Sam,
so's we can overhaul him, an' no matter how
big he is, I'll give him a dose that won't be
forgotten very soon!"

"Even if we could get the best of him,
there's no use chasin' his boat; he's got a good
mile the start, an' we'd never be able to make
that up 'twixt here an' the Port.  Pull, Tom,
pull the best you know how, an' perhaps we
can save some few of the things!"

"It's too late now, for the whole place is in
a light blaze," Tom replied sorrowfully, but he
obeyed the command to the best of his ability,
and the dory was sent over the water at a rate
of speed which, it is safe to say, she had never
equaled.

The boys did not slow down on nearing the
shore, but ran her at full speed high up on the
sand, leaping over the rail even as she struck,
but before they had taken a single step in the
direction of the shanty it was possible to see
that any efforts of theirs would be useless.

Uncle Ben's home, slightly built of
inflammable material, was burning fiercely, the
flames leaping up from every point, and it
could be understood that Captain Doak had
waited until making certain his villainous
work was thoroughly performed before he left
the island.

The boys ran at full speed, however, hardly
knowing what they did, and came to a halt
only when the heat of the fire prevented any
nearer approach.  Here they stood watching
the devouring flames in silence a full minute,
when Tom, turning in the direction of the
Port, shook his fist threateningly as he cried
angrily:

"It makes no difference what Uncle Ben
says, if ever I come within strikin' distance of
that miserable pirate!  The idea of burnin' a
shanty when he couldn't do himself any good,
but only to turn an old man outer house an'
home!  Come on, Sam, even if we can't catch
him we'll tell the folks at the Port what he
has done, an' I'll be way out of my reckonin'
if they don't make it hot for him before he's
many hours older!"

"We can't spend the time to go there till
after the traps have been hauled, 'cause even
if the shanty is burned we've got to take care
of the lobsters," Sam replied with a sigh.
"If we could only rig up some kind of a
place for Uncle Ben to sleep in when he get
back!"

"He'll have the 'Sally,' won't he?  We
can live aboard of her till another house is
built; but it'll take all the money that comes
in from the mackerel to pay for new lumber."

"I forgot that we'd have the schooner for a
home, so things ain't quite so bad as they
might have been.  See here, Tom, we mustn't
think of runnin' after Cap'en Doak, for there's
no knowin' but that we'll have to carry a load
of lobsters to the Port, an' if that's so, we
oughter get off early, 'cause we must be back
before dark."

"Why?  There's no place here for us to
sleep, 'less we camp under the trees an' if we
have to go to the Port I'm thinkin' we'd best
stay there till mornin', 'cause there's no show
Uncle Ben can get back even as early as to-morrow."

"You're right; but even at that we can't
hang 'round here very long, seein's how
there's nothin' to be done.  Let's pull the
traps, an' then make up our minds what we'd
best do."

"Say, we've got to go to the town, 'cause
there ain't anythin' here to eat, an' I'm mighty
hungry already."

"Come on, then; we'll tackle the traps, for
it's a case of goin' hungry till that work has
been done an' we've pulled a heavy dory six
or seven miles!"





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.. _`AT THE PORT`:

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   CHAPTER XXI


.. class:: center medium bold

   AT THE PORT

.. vspace:: 2

Tom's hunger increased as he realized that
it would be impossible to get anything to eat
until after considerable heavy work had been
done, and he was already tired with the labors
of the day; but since Sam did not complain,
he would have been ashamed to speak of his
own desires or needs, and followed his comrade
back to where they had so hastily left the
dory.

"It's goin' to come pretty tough on us, I
reckon; but we oughter be willin' to tire
ourselves a big bit, seein's this is about the best
chance we'll ever have to show Uncle Ben
what we're willin' to do toward squarin' up
for his bein' so good to us," Sam said, as if
believing his companion needed heartening, and
Tom replied stoutly, forcing a smile to his lips:

"Don't get it inter your head that I'm goin'
to cry baby jest 'cause I can't fill myself up
with things to eat.  I've been hungry many a
time when I didn't see any show ahead for
gettin' the next day's breakfast, an' reckon I
can hold out as long as you.  It won't do any
harm if we lay in a cargo of water.  My
mouth is pretty dry, an' that old pirate
couldn't play any funny business with the
spring."

Then the boys refreshed themselves with
cold water, after which they launched the
dory to set about the work of hauling traps,
each doing his best to make it appear that
plenty of exercise was the one thing needed at
that time.

The catch was not as large as on the
previous night, but yet they brought in so
many lobsters that Sam knew from experience
it would not be wise to leave such a large
number in the car any length of time, and
said with an air of wisdom as they neared the
cove on their return:

"We'd have to go to the Port even though
the shanty hadn't been burned, an' if we
count on gettin' there before dark it's a case
of hustlin' right lively from now on.  We'll
take as big a cargo as can be carried in good
shape, an' be off.  Do you want another drink
of water?"

"I could stow away considerable, but I
reckon we'd better not stop to go to the spring.
The sooner we strike the Port the sooner we'll
get somethin' to eat, an' I'm growin' mighty
hollow inside."

It was neither a long nor a difficult task to
take from the car, by aid of a gaff, as many
lobsters as were needed to make up a fairly
good cargo for the dory, and when this had
been done the lads buckled down to the oars
once more, both feeling so tired that under any
other circumstances they would have believed
it absolutely impossible to make the journey.

With so heavy a load the boat moved sluggishly
through the water, despite all their
efforts, and, to add to their labor, the wind was
dead ahead.

"It's goin' to be a long pull; but Uncle Ben
says that any job can be done by stickin' at it.
So don't let's look around to see how near we
are, but keep on workin' the oars till we get
there," Sam said with a brave effort at
cheerfulness as he set the example.

The lads were not inclined for conversation
during the journey; both were nearly
exhausted, and it required all their courage to
continue at the laborious task.  It really
seemed as if the dory lay like a log on the
water, and no matter how they tugged at the
oars, which had apparently grown wonderfully
heavy since morning, it seemed impossible
to crawl away from the island.

Tom shut his teeth tightly as he worked,
while Sam, trusting that his comrade would
steer the craft, kept his eyes fixed upon the
bottom of the boat, striving manfully to forget
that he was weary, thirsty, and hungry.  The
rippling of the water against the side of the
dory was the only sound to be heard; the sun,
although very near to setting, sent his most
fervent rays across the lazy swell of the ocean
as if trying to discourage the toiling lads,
while the warm wind, instead of refreshing,
only added to their discomfort.

But, following Uncle Ben's advice, they
"stuck at it" without any interval of rest,
and, as a matter of course, decreased the
distance between themselves and the Port by a
certain number of inches with every stroke of
the oars.

Finally, just when the sun had sunk out of
sight behind the western hills, the dory poked
her nose around that point of land which
formed the eastern arm, or side, of Southport
harbor, and Sam said with a long-drawn sigh
of relief as he pulled a trifle more vigorously
at the oars:

"It surely seems as if we'd been rowin' two
or three days.  I did think, when Uncle Ben
told me I might live with him on Apple
Island, that the time never could come when
I'd be played out by pullin' a boat, 'cause of
bein' so glad that I had a decent home once
more; but if we'd been much longer rowin'
over here I ain't certain as I could have stuck
at it."

"Don't talk about it," Tom replied with a
groan.  "I'm so near dead that if I stop to
think I'll tumble over.  It did seem a spell
ago as if I was starvin'; but now I'd rather
lay down an' sleep than have the best dinner
that ever was cooked!"

Ten minutes later the dory was made fast
to the pier, and, by the rarest good fortune,
the first person in Southport who learned of
their arrival was Mr. Mansfield.  He had just
sauntered down on the wharf when Sam
crawled ashore with the painter, and, as a
matter of course, was curious to learn why
they had come without Uncle Ben.

But little time was spent in telling the
story, for no sooner had Mr. Mansfield gotten
an inkling of the mischief done, than he
turned abruptly, almost running up the street.

"Now what?" Tom, who had thrown himself
full length on the pier, asked with mild
curiosity, being so nearly exhausted that he
could not display a very lively interest in anything.

"I reckon he's gone to tell the folks what's
been done.  We'll have to wait here."

"That's jest what I want to do, an' he
needn't hurry back on my account, for I could
stay right where I am till mornin' an' not fret
myself very much."

There was little need for the boys to speculate
as to the reason for Mr. Mansfield's sudden
departure.  He returned within five
minutes and at once began to ask many questions,
to all of which Sam replied as well as
he was able; but before having given any
great amount of information his eyes closed in
sleep, despite all his efforts to keep them open,
and the shopkeeper exclaimed in a tone of
self-reproach:

"I come mighty nigh bein' a brute to keep
you here talkin', when, 'cordin' to what's been
said, you must have been workin' like beavers
since before daybreak.  Toddle up to my
house an' go to bed.  There ain't any chance
Uncle Ben can get back within the next four
an' twenty hours."

Not only did Mr. Mansfield provide them
with a bed, but his wife insisted on their
eating a hearty meal before lying down, and
when, finally, the two lads had an opportunity
to crawl between the lavender-scented sheets,
Tom said with a sigh of content:

"It pays to get awfully tired, jest for the
sake of findin' out how nice it is to go to bed."

Then it was as if he had dropped into
dreamland on the instant, for the words were
hardly more than out of his mouth before he
was breathing heavily.  And Sam did not
have time to realize the condition of his
comrade, for he himself was lost in the blissful
unconsciousness of slumber.

Not until the sun had been looking in at the
chamber window of Mr. Mansfield's house a
full hour did the boys realize where they
were, and then Sam jumped out of bed as he
cried:

"Just think of it, Tom, after all our work
to get the lobsters here, we left them in the
dory all night, an' it'll be the biggest kind of
luck if any of 'em are alive now!"

Very hurriedly did the boys dress, and they
would have hastened out of the house on the
instant if Mrs. Mansfield had not insisted on
their partaking of the breakfast which had
been kept so long waiting.

"William took care of the lobsters last
night, so there's no reason why you should be
in such a hurry," she said when Sam
attempted to explain why they should be on the
pier as soon as possible.  "Captain Doak won't
be brought before 'Squire Kelly till nine
o'clock, an' there's nothing you can do till
then."

"Cap'en Doak!" Sam repeated in amazement.
"Why is he to come up before the 'Squire?"

"Because he burned Uncle Ben's house, of
course," the good woman replied sharply.
"Do you suppose the people of the Port are
going to allow him to carry on at such a rate?
He will have a trial and be punished for what
he has done, so William says."

This was most pleasing news to Tom, who
did not hesitate to say he "hoped the old
heathen" would be sent to prison for a long
time; but Sam, although believing the culprit
should be punished, felt sad because the
man was to answer for his misdeeds.

"Oh," he said, as if trying to find some
excuse for the man who had abused him so long,
"he ain't anywhere near so bad when he's
sober."

"Then it's time he was put where he can't be
anything else," Mrs. Mansfield replied sharply.
"I've been longing to have him brought up
to answer for his tricks ever since your mother
died.  She, poor woman, the same as had the
life worried out of her by that miserable
creature!"

Mrs. Mansfield was not the only person in
town who believed the time had come when
Captain Doak should be put where he could
not give way to his appetite and his temper,
as the boys learned when they went out on the
street after having eaten what Tom declared
was "the breakfast of their lives."

The townspeople were determined that
Uncle Ben's family should not longer be
exposed to the vicious whims of Eliakim Doak,
and the testimony of Sam and Tom, who saw
him pulling away from the island shortly
after the shanty had been set on fire, was
sufficient to convict.

The result of the fire was that the former
owner of the "Sally D." received a sentence
of ninety days in the county jail, in addition
to paying a fine of two hundred dollars; but
it was understood that if he left town at once
the sentence would not be carried into effect
until he showed himself again in the state.

It so happened that a lumber-laden vessel
was on the point of leaving the harbor bound
for Cuba and on her Captain Doak took passage,
thus passing out of the lives of those
whom he had wronged, and from that day
until now neither Uncle Ben's family, nor any
citizen of Southport, has ever seen or heard of
him.

When the trial had been brought to an end
and the angry citizens saw Eliakim leave the
harbor on the Cuban-bound craft, Sam and
Tom were called upon to tell over and over
again the story of the previous day's good and
bad happenings, and when the two lads insisted
that they must set out for Apple Island
in order to arrive before dark Mr. Mansfield
said as he went with them to the pier:

"You are to tell Uncle Ben that we of the
Port will buy lumber enough to build him a
regular house, an' he's to come over here after
it when he gets back from Portland.  Say to
him that we count it our duty to make up for
the mischief Eliakim has done, an' when he's
ready to put up the buildin' we'll all lend a
hand.  I reckon we'll make it a reg'lar
vacation time.  You'll find that mother has sent
down food enough to keep you from bein'
hungry till the schooner comes back, an' it
won't be any great hardship if you do have to
sleep out-of-doors this night."

"You've been awful good to us, Mr. Mansfield,
an' we won't forget it," Sam said, as he
took his seat in the dory, and Tom added:

"It kinder seems as if everybody was good
since Uncle Ben took us in hand, an' I'm
hopin' the day'll come when I can show him
how I feel on account of what he did when
he started a family."

"Uncle Ben Johnson is the salt of the
earth, if there's sich a thing, an' the funny
part of it is that it has taken us folks here at
the Port so long to find it out.  We've got the
idee now, though, an' will keep it in mind
mighty fresh."

Then the journey to Apple Island was begun,
the lads pulling steadily and strong after
their long rest, and once outside the harbor
Tom said reflectively:

"I ain't so certain but that your old heathen
did Uncle Ben a good turn when he set the
shanty afire, 'cause now the old man will have
a decent house, which is more'n would ever
have come his way if he'd had to spend good
money buildin' it."

"That's 'cause he wants to keep all the
dollars he can get to help out on raisin' a
family, an' it strikes me that he's doin' it
mighty fast, though I ain't certain as we can
have such high times when there are a good
many fellows around."

Then the lads fell to discussing what would
be the result after Uncle Ben's plan had been
fully carried into execution, and they were
not at an end of it when the dory was run up
on the sand near the ruins of the shanty.

Again was it time to attend to the traps,
and, stopping only to catch cunners enough
to serve as bait, the lads went about their
task, believing that when the work was come
to an end they must perforce find for
themselves beds among the bushes, for it did not
seem possible the "Sally" could return from
Portland until another day had passed.

The catch was not large on this afternoon,
although the labor of hauling the pots was as
great as if they had loaded the dory gunwale
deep with lobsters, and the last one had been
thrown into the car just as the sun sank out
of sight.

"I reckon we'd better hustle if we count on
findin' a good place for sleepin', 'cause it'll be
dark in the woods.  I'm——  Hello!  There's
the 'Sally'!  Why do you s'pose she didn't
go to Portland?"





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.. _`FREIGHTING LUMBER`:

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   CHAPTER XXII


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   FREIGHTING LUMBER

.. vspace:: 2

Even Uncle Ben found it difficult to remain
sedate, as the head of a family should,
when Sam and Tom pulled alongside.  Little
Joey was running fore and aft on the deck,
clapping his hands as he screamed for very
joy, while Mr. Rowe leaned over the rail to
shout something which the lads could not
understand, and the old lobster catcher tried
hard to appear unconcerned, but he could
hold out no longer when the boys clambered
on board.

Reaching out a hand to each of them he
cried in a tone of triumph, as if it was no
longer possible for him to keep the secret:

"We got two hundred an' ten dollars for
the catch, lads!  Only think of that!  Near
to half what the 'Sally' has cost us!"

"An' it ain't the last two-hundred-dollar
fare we'll take 'twixt now an' winter!"
Mr. Rowe cried from amid the mainsail which he
was trying to snug down and at the same
time listen to what was being said.

"But how did you get back so quickly?"
Sam asked.  "We didn't allow to see you
before to-morrow night!"

Mr. Rowe could no longer attend to his
work, but, emerging from the billowy folds of
canvas, he cried exultantly:

"We got back so soon because the 'Sally'
is a reg'lar flyer!  When I sailed with
Eliakim I allowed she could go some, but since
we've shifted her rig she don't touch the water
at all—jest skims over the top like one of
them 'ere flyin' fish.  Why, lads, she's made
as good as eleven knots ever since we parted
company with you, an' if that ain't goin' some
I'd like to know what you call it?"

"She surely is a swift craft!" Uncle Ben
added emphatically, and one had only to look
at his face in order to understand that a sailor's
love for a beautiful vessel was taking root in
his heart.  "Did you lads carry a load of
lobsters to the Port?"

"Ay, that we did, an' have only been home
long enough to pull the pots," Sam replied, at
a loss to know how he should break the sad
news to the old man.  "We had a full cargo,
though I'm thinkin' we wouldn't have gone
if it hadn't been for Cap'en Doak——"

"Has he been here again?" Uncle Ben
asked in alarm.

Now it was Tommy's turn to share in the
story-telling, and, taking the old man by the
arm, he led him aft, where a view could have
been had of the shanty if it had still been
standing, saying as he did so:

"I reckon you can see what's been done?"

"What do you mean, lad?  What has been
done?" Uncle Ben asked impatiently, failing
to note the blackened ruins.

"Can you see the shanty?"

A cry of sorrow burst from the old man's
lips, and his face suddenly paled as he
understood that his home had been reduced to ashes.

"How did it happen, boys?  How could it
have burned?  Wasn't you here, or did it——  No,
that couldn't be, for we didn't leave any
fire in the stove!"

"That pirate of a Doak did it, Uncle Ben!"
Tommy cried passionately.  "We got back
just in time to see him pullin' outer the cove,
an' then the shanty was in a blaze.  But I'm
thinkin' he won't set any more houses afire,
leastways, till that vessel gets to Cuba!"

As a matter of course Uncle Ben could not
understand the meaning of the words and no
small amount of time was spent in telling the
whole story.  When all the details had been
given, and not until then, did Reuben Rowe
speak, when, raising his hand as if taking an
oath, he cried angrily:

"I hope that miserable specimen of a man
will know what it is to go hungry before he
dies, an' if I'm anywhere around I'll chuck
good grub away before givin' him the littlest
bit!"

"Now, now, Reuben, that's bein' downright
wicked," Uncle Ben cried, seizing Mr. Rowe
by the arm.  "We'll hope Eliakim will
come in time to realize what he's about, an'
turn from the evil of his ways."

"Wa'al, I s'pose I'm wishin' somethin' of
the same thing; but at the same time I'd like
to have a hand in the turnin' of him, an' then
I'll go bail he'd know it had been done!" and
Mr. Rowe went back to snugging down the
mainsail as if fearing he could not contain his
wrath before the head of the family.

"Wasn't anythin' saved from the fire?"
Uncle Ben asked after a long pause.

"Everythin' was burning when we got
ashore, an' now we'll have to live aboard the
schooner, I reckon," Tom replied.

"If the folks at the Port are goin' to furnish
lumber for a new house, why not run over
there to-night?" Reuben asked, ceasing work
suddenly again.  "The boys have 'tended to
the pots an' there bein' nothin' here for us to
do we may as well be savin' time."

"Do as you like, Reuben, do as you like,"
the old man said in a sorrowful tone as he
turned abruptly and went into the cabin,
Mr. Rowe saying in a whisper as Uncle Ben
descended the companionway:

"He's takin' it mightily to heart, an' I can't
say as he's to be blamed.  The shanty wasn't
much as houses go, but he'd built it himself,
an' lived in it all his life, so to speak.  It
won't make any difference how good a buildin'
goes up in its place, he'll allers be mournin'
for the old one.  Wa'al, it can't be helped
now, though I do wish Eliakim hadn't been
let off quite so easy.  In with the anchor,
lads, an' we'll make harbor off the Port before
midnight.  Bear a hand lively, an' perhaps
it'll chirk Uncle Ben up a bit if he hears us
bustlin' 'round."

Not until the "Sally" was under way once
more, eating up the miles on her way to
Southport, did Uncle Ben come out of the
cabin, and then, in the hope of cheering him
ever so little, Sam went to his side, taking
him by the hand.

"I'd try not to feel so awfully bad, Uncle
Ben, for if the family grows any bigger you'd
had to have another house or else left some
of us out in the rain."

"I know it, Sammy, I know it, but somehow
I can't help feelin' mighty lonesome 'cause
the shanty's gone, an' what makes it seem
worse is that it wouldn't have been burned if
I hadn't been so childish 'bout wantin' to go
on the 'Sally's' first cruise.  If I had stayed
at home Eliakim never'd done sich a wicked
thing."

"Now that ain't certain, Uncle Ben, 'cause
perhaps you'd been out pullin' pots, an' he'd
had the same chance.  You'll like the new
house just as well after we get it built,"
and Sam patted the old man's hand as
he would have done to soothe a distressed
baby.

"It'll never be quite the same, Sammy boy,
but I ain't got any right to brood over what
can't be helped, an' I'll try mighty hard to
keep it from my mind.  S'pose you an' I
cook supper!  That'll kinder take up our
attention."

Little Joey came below to help the cooks,
leaving Mr. Rowe and Tom to run the
"Sally," and so elaborate were Uncle Ben's
plans for the meal that the schooner was
made fast to the dock at Southport before
supper had been made ready.

It was so late in the evening that the
citizens of Southport were not abroad to note
the arrival, and, therefore, the "family" had
no visitors.

It was Mr. Mansfield who discovered next
morning that the "Sally" was in the harbor,
and he came over the rail before a single
member of the "family" had opened his eyes.

"I was allowin' to find you all in the
dumps, when I saw the 'Sally' at the dock;
but I reckon you ain't takin' it so terrible
hard, Uncle Ben, seein's how you can sleep so
long," the shopkeeper cried as he entered the
cabin without ceremony, and the old lobster
catcher replied almost cheerily:

"It did strike me kinder hard at first,
William, for I'd got to have a mighty
friendly feelin' for the old shanty, but if the
family never has any greater misfortune
than that, God will be good to us."

"I reckon you're right, as you allers are,
Uncle Ben.  Now, instead of thinkin' 'bout
what's gone up in smoke, we'll look ahead to
the house you're goin' to have.  We here at
the Port allow to chip in for the lumber, an'
as soon as it has been freighted to the island,
we're countin' on havin' a regular old-fashioned
raisin' bee, to help you put it together.  Are
you ready to take on a load now?"

"The sooner the better," Uncle Ben replied,
as if almost ashamed to accept the gift.  "I'm
hopin' everybody knows that we'll be mighty
grateful for what's bein' done, an' if ever I get
the chance to do——"

"You've had the chance, an' taken right
hold of it, Uncle Ben.  It has made us feel
like small potatoes to see you tryin' to gather
into a family them who needed a home, an'
now we're goin' to have a share in the scheme.
We'll set right about haulin' the lumber, an' I
reckon the first horse-load will be here by the
time you've had breakfast."

It surely seemed as if every man and horse
in Southport was engaged in loading the
schooner, and it was hardly more than noon,
thanks to the many pairs of willing hands,
before the "Sally" had as much aboard as it
was deemed wise to take on the first trip.

The afternoon was less than half spent when
the "family" were on Apple Island once
more, with their schooner riding at anchor in
the little cove, and now, indeed, was it
necessary that every member do his utmost in the
way of work.  Sam and Tom set off to haul
the traps, while Uncle Ben, Reuben and even
little Joey, labored industriously throwing
the lumber overboard that it might be rafted
to the shore.

It was considerably past midnight when
this day's work was ended, and a more weary
crew never turned into the "Sally D.'s"
bunks, to be awakened next morning at daybreak
that they might return to the Port for
another cargo.

And so this work was kept up until all the
lumber was freighted.  There had been no
neglect of the lobster industry, even when the
two boys were so tired that it seemed
impossible for them to pull the dory around the
island, and, as a matter of course, no fishing
had been indulged in, even though all knew
it might well be that they could get another
large catch of mackerel.  Sam had indeed
proposed that they fish one forenoon out of every
two, hauling the pots in the night; but to this
Uncle Ben would not listen.

"You boys are already doin' more work
than might well be expected of men, an' I
don't count on drivin' willin' horses to death
for the sake of gettin' a few more dollars,"
the old lobster catcher said, very decidedly.
"Next week the folks from the Port are
comin' over to stay quite a spell, an' what
with feedin' them, lookin' after the traps, an'
takin' a turn now an' then at carpenterin',
I'm allowin' you'll have your hands full.
Early Monday mornin' you two lads are to
go over with Reuben after them as are willin'
to help us, an' I reckon then is the time we'd
best empty our car of lobsters."

Therefore it was that the "Sally D." lay in
the cove several days, serving the family as a
home, and as Uncle Ben had planned so was
it done.  When the schooner made Southport
early on the following Monday morning, they
found waiting for them so many of the citizens
that Sam was greatly alarmed lest he and Tom
would not be able to cook food enough, even
though they worked every moment of the time.

The good people of the Port had no idea of
allowing Uncle Ben to feed such an army, but
had ready on the pier what Tom called a
"reg'lar stack" of provisions to be put on
board, and there was no question but that
they counted on enjoying themselves during
such time as the new house was being built.

Among the belongings on the pier was a
large canvas tent, in which the workmen were
to sleep, and Sam said, as he and Tom were
helping stow the goods on the "Sally's" deck:

"What worries me is that Uncle Ben will
get terribly mixed up with so many people
loafin' 'round."

"I reckon he'll keep himself straight when
he sees the house goin' up.  Leastways, he's
got a mighty good idee of what's goin' to
happen, for I heard him tell Mr. Rowe that he
an' us two better try to get three or four
bushels of clams to-night, if we can pull the pots
in time.  Clam diggin' is about the only part
of Apple Island that I don't like," Tommy
added ruefully, "an' these folks will eat a
terrible big pile, I'm thinkin'."

"Then you don't count on doin' it?"

"Don't count on doin' it?  Say, Sam, what
do you take me for?  Do you think I
wouldn't do anythin' Uncle Ben wanted,
whether I liked it or not?  If he asked me to
stand on my head so's to hang dish-towels on
my feet, you'd see me upside down from
mornin' till night."

"Get on there with that dunnage!" Mr. Rowe
called from the quarter-deck, for he was
playing the part of captain to perfection, on
this morning when he had as spectators nearly
every person in Southport.  "Bear a hand
lively, you boys, for I'm wantin' to get under
way mighty quick!"

This served to remind the merrymaking
carpenters that they also must bear a hand.
In a twinkling the stores and tent were on the
schooner's deck, while half a dozen men seized
each halyard, running up the canvas in a
jiffy, and the "Sally" sailed out of the harbor
with the jolliest lot of passengers that could
have been found in a month's search.





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.. _`THE FAMILY HOME`:

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   CHAPTER XXIII


.. class:: center medium bold

   THE FAMILY HOME

.. vspace:: 2

The men of Southport, who had awakened
to the knowledge that Uncle Ben's scheme of
giving a home to boys who needed and were
willing to work for one, had come to Apple
Island intending to do all they could toward
building such a house as would provide for
the needs of the future, but at the same time
they counted on mixing a good deal of
pleasure with their labor.

They behaved more like lads out for a holiday
than staid, respectable citizens of a "slow"
town.  It seemed to have been agreed that the
"family" should not be allowed to do any
more work than was absolutely necessary, for
when Uncle Ben and the boys made ready to
carry the visitors ashore in the dories
Mr. Mansfield said in a tone of command:

"All you who live here on the island are to
keep your fingers out of this job, except when it
can be proven that you are really achin' to work.
We'll get this truck ashore, set up the tent,
an' put our dunnage inter it.  I reckon that'll
be enough for one day.  In the mornin' we'll
begin buildin', an' the family are to keep on
with the reg'lar business same's if we wasn't
here."

"But we can set you ashore, William,"
Uncle Ben said pleadingly.

"You'll do nothin' of the kind, Benny.  If
there ain't anythin' better to be done go up on
the cliffs an' watch us put things to rights."

"Then I allow now's the time when we'd
better get about the clam-diggin', an' we'll
need a pile of 'em if we're to feed sich a
crowd," Uncle Ben said with what was very
like a sigh because his visitors were bent on
working instead of pleasuring.

"They'll be doin' mighty well to eat up all
the stuff that was put aboard at the Port,"
Sam suggested, hoping that it might not be
thought necessary to provide so very much in
the way of provisions, for clam-digging was
not to his liking.

"I allow they've got stores enough," Uncle
Ben replied placidly; "but out here they'll
be lookin' for clams an' lobsters, to say nothin'
of fried cunners, an' we must see to it that
they ain't disappointed."

Now, as any one who has tried it knows
full well, there is nothing like sport in the
task of digging clams, and to Sam it was the
most disagreeable work that could be
performed; but he set about it with a thoroughly
good imitation of cheerfulness, because it was
Uncle Ben who had given the word of command,
and he was eager to show his gratitude
for what the old man had done in his behalf.
When the clam-diggers returned to the cove,
their baskets filled to overflowing, the tent had
been set up, the goods brought from the Port
stowed away in it, and the volunteer carpenters
were exploring the island, shouting and
laughing like a party of schoolboys out on a
holiday.

"It seems jest like a circus," Tommy said
in a whisper to Sam, while little Joey begged
that he might go nearer the tent to see it more
plainly.  "Say, wouldn't you like to get inside?"

"Yes, but perhaps they wouldn't like to
have us snoopin' 'round.  I reckon we'd
better stay aboard the 'Sally' when there isn't
any work to be done ashore, an' besides, you
an' I won't have time to fool very much if
we've got to cook for this whole crowd."

"Hello, Uncle Ben!" Mr. Mansfield shouted
from a distance.  "Send your cooks up to the
tent an' let 'em overhaul our stores to get
what's needed for supper!  I reckon it would
be easier for all hands if you brought the
cookstove from the 'Sally,' an' did the cookin'
under canvas, eh?"

Much to the delight of the cooks, and
particularly to little Joey, it was finally decided
that this should be done, and during that
afternoon Sam and Tommy stood over the
stove making clam chowder, and frying
cunners as fast as Mr. Rowe could catch them,
until it really seemed as if they had prepared
food enough to provide every man, woman
and child in Southport with at least one hearty
meal.

The "Sally" was almost forgotten by the
boys in the novelty of the tent; but before
another day had passed they were decidedly
of the opinion that it was much more easy to
perform the duties of cooks in the snug cabin
of the schooner, than on shore under canvas.

Next morning the visitors set about their
task in earnest, and not only Uncle Ben, but
all his family, were astonished to learn that it
was the intention of the volunteer carpenters
to build a large house, in which should be not
less than eight bedrooms in addition to kitchen
and sitting-room.

"I'm allowin' that your family is bound to
grow mighty fast, as soon as folks get the idee
of what you're about, an' so long as we're goin'
to put up a new house, it's no more'n common
sense to make it big enough to take care of as
many as you may adopt," Mr. Mansfield said
in reply to Uncle Ben's remonstrance against
the erection of what he called a "reg'lar
hotel."

"But I shan't have anythin' to put inter
the rooms," the old lobster catcher added
almost mournfully.

"I'm allowin' the women folks will look
after that part of it, Uncle Ben," Mr. Mansfield
replied.  "Now there's mother, she told me
to put up sich a house as would shelter all the
homeless youngsters you might pick up for
the rest of your life, an' she allowed that the
Southport Sewin' Circle had agreed to see you
had furniture enough to make it look
comfortable.  We're goin' to put a cellar under
the whole buildin', for we've got rocks in
plenty for the wall.  Then you must have a
wood-shed that'll hold fuel for six months of
fires, an' them cooks are to be put inter
quarters that'll make their eyes stick out.  Sammy
Cushing is quite a hand at mixin' up somethin'
good to eat, an' I'm kinder anxious to
see what sort of a fist he can make of it with
everythin' convenient to hand."

It was useless for Uncle Ben to protest.
The citizens of Southport had decided what
was needed, and accompanied their decision
with lumber sufficient to carry it into
execution.  Mr. Mansfield and Deacon Stubbs had
even gone so far as to make rough plans for
the new house, and the others were determined
these should be adhered to so far as might be
possible.

Therefore it was that the visitors worked
as had been agreed upon; Tom and Sam were
kept busy from morning until night cooking
food, and little Joey found it quite as much
as he could do to carry to the tent the wood
chopped by Mr. Rowe.  Uncle Ben hauled
the pots and acted as ship-keeper for the
"Sally," lying at anchor in the cove, when,
as Reuben said, "she oughter be out chasin'
mackerel."  Every person on the island was
busy during all the hours of daylight, save on
the Sabbath, from the day the work was begun
on the family home until it was so nearly
completed that all the meals were served in what
Mr. Mansfield had called the sitting-room.

"Talk 'bout swell houses!" Tom said one
evening when he and Sam were privately
inspecting the building.  "It's goin' to knock
the spots outer everythin' 'round here, an' yet
I'm thinkin' Uncle Ben had rather have the
old shanty back."

"'Course he had, 'cause he built that himself;
but jest wait till he gets the hang of
livin' in a place like this, an' then he'll be
contented as a kitten."

The kitchen was roomy and pleasant, as
Mr. Mansfield had promised, and it really
seemed to Sam and Tommy that their labors
as cooks were lightened fully one-half by the
many conveniences, chief of which was a plan
of Deacon Stubbs' for bringing water by pipes
direct from the spring into the house.

"It's the biggest thing anywhere 'round
these parts," Tommy said in a tone of
approbation on a certain evening when the people
from Southport had retired to the tent, and
the "family" were alone in the new kitchen.

"You could get a big crowd of boys in here,
by stowin' 'em snug."

"That's jest it, Tommy, that's jest it," Uncle
Ben replied, and his tone was so mournful
that the others looked at him in surprise.

"You see I kinder allowed that we'd go slow
in pickin' up the family, so's to make certain
of gettin' boys that were most in need of a
home; but now we've got sich a big house, it
stands us in hand to fill it up as soon as the
work can be done.  I've been thinkin' that
I oughter hunt 'round right away to find
enough for the rooms—that is, when we've
got somethin' in the way of furniture to put
in 'em."

"Better go slow an' sure," Mr. Rowe said
in a tone of caution.  "One or two lads who
didn't care whether they stuck by the rules an'
regerlations would knock the whole scheme
inter a cocked hat."

"That's it, Reuben, that's jest it, an' yet
what'er we goin' to do with this big ark of a
house?"

"Leave her jest where she is, Uncle Ben,"
Mr. Rowe replied sagely.  "In the first place,
even if every room was filled chock-a-block
with beds an' chairs you couldn't take care of
a raft of boys yet a while.  We've got to get
settled down inter runnin' shape first.  The
'Sally' must earn for us what'll buy provisions
for the winter, else the family would go
hungry durin' cold weather.  I'd say that if
we got to goin' by next spring it would be the
most any crew could do.  Then we'll shove
the schooner inter some big port, like Boston
or New York, an' I'll guarantee you can take
your pick of lads."

Uncle Ben was forced to admit that there
was a deal of sound common sense in
Mr. Rowe's remarks, and he said in his usual
placid manner, as he led the "family" to bed
on board the "Sally," after the evening
devotions:

"I reckon we'll let it go your way, Reuben,
an' trust to its bein' the proper thing."

"Proper!  It ain't anythin' else, unless
you're willin' to take the chances of breakin'
the whole thing up.  We'll be gettin' ready
from now till spring, an' then we'll fill that
'ere house as full of boys as a pod is full of
peas."

Then came the day when the men from
Southport declared that their work was done.
The big tent was taken down and stowed
aboard the "Sally."  Such of the provisions
as had not been consumed—and there was a
large amount, so generously had Mr. Mansfield
outfitted the party—was carried into the
cellar of the new house and all was in
readiness for the return trip to Southport.

"I'm allowin' that we've done the best we
knowed how," Deacon Stubbs said, as he
halted on the beach, preventing any from
getting into the waiting dories, "an' all that's
left for us men to do is give a name to what
we've built.  I move, fellow citizens, that we
call this 'ere structure 'Uncle Ben's Retreat.'"

"Second the motion!" Mr. Mansfield cried
at the full strength of his lungs, and by way
of showing that the motion had been carried,
the visitors gave three such hearty cheers
that, as Mr. Rowe said, "the lobsters in the
cars must have got quite a surprise."

Uncle Ben seemed to think it necessary
some one should be left to guard the new
dwelling, but Mr. Mansfield declared that the
whole family must go with them to Southport,
for the ladies of the Sewing Circle had already
insisted that they must be present when a
plan, for the "housewarming" was decided upon.

"Now that we've got rid of Eliakim Doak,
there ain't a man on this 'ere coast mean
enough to harm so much as a shingle on the
roof," the shopkeeper said emphatically, "an'
mother has set her heart on havin' all hands
of you down to the church vestry this evenin'."

Then Apple Island was temporarily
abandoned, and within ten minutes after the
"Sally D." sailed into Southport harbor Uncle
Ben and his family were being escorted by
nearly the entire population, as it then seemed,
to the vestry, where a dinner was being made
ready for those who had just arrived.

Not until evening were the details of the
"housewarming" decided upon; but before
that time came Tommy admitted to Sam and
little Joey that he was almost sorry the good
people of Southport had come to understand
that Uncle Ben's work was the broadest kind
of a charity and should be encouraged.

"I've been tryin' to get outside a little of
what everybody offered me, till it seems as if
I couldn't even wiggle," Tom said mournfully.
"Before I struck Uncle Ben it seemed as if it
would be the biggest kind of a thing if I could
have enough to eat one day; but I'm beginnin'
to feel as if it didn't pay to be too much of a pig."

Tom did not suffer to such an extent,
however, that he failed of doing his full duty
toward the cake and ice cream which were
served in the vestry during the evening; but
Reuben Rowe noted the fact that he was ready
and even eager to go when Uncle Ben announced
that it was time those belonging on
Apple Island should be aboard the "Sally D."
for the night.

"It beats all how folks have changed in this
'ere town since the day I shipped with
Eliakim Doak," Mr. Rowe said in a thoughtful
tone when the "family" were reviewing
the events of the day before getting into the
schooner's bunks.  "I'm allowin', Uncle Ben,
that you owe a good deal of this 'ere friendly
feelin' to Cap'en Doak, for if he hadn't tried to
do all the harm he could, the people wouldn't
have waked up to the idee that your scheme
was the best ever."

"We owe it all to the good Lord, Reuben.
He 'moves in a mysterious way His wonders
to perform,' an' that's the right kind
of a line to keep in mind, lads, when you're
feelin' down to the heel because things don't
go exactly as you'd have 'em.  I figgered an'
figgered, tryin' to think up a plan for startin'
a family, without seein' my way clear, when
lo an' behold, the whole plan is pushed ahead
in a far bigger way than I counted on,
without my raisin' a hand, so to speak."





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.. _`THE "HOUSEWARMING"`:

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   CHAPTER XXIV


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   THE "HOUSEWARMING"

.. vspace:: 2

Next morning Uncle Ben's "family" were
astir bright and early.  To be exact, the sun
had not showed his face when Sammy
announced that breakfast was ready, and the
meal had hardly been begun before the tramp
of many feet told that the good people of
Southport were bent on making a party call.

"I hope I ain't ungrateful for all that has
been done to our benefit," Uncle Ben said as
he arose from the table to welcome his visitors;
"but I did kinder hope we'd be able to get
away without any fuss an' feathers.  I'm really
beginnin' to be ashamed at hearin' 'bout what
I've done, as if it was somethin' outer the
general run, an' it's growin' to look as if the
scheme was gettin' ahead of me."

"You have done somethin' outer the
general run," Mr. Rowe replied emphatically.
"I'd be glad to find another man what was
willin' to give up all his hard-earned dollars
to them as needed a home, an' the scheme
never'll get ahead of you while you're the boss
of the family."

There was no further opportunity for private
conversation, because at this moment
Mr. Mansfield and Deacon Stubbs came down the
cuddy stairs with boisterous greetings, insisting
on shaking hands with every member of
the "family," including little Joey.

"We got kinder 'fraid you might give us
the slip, Benny, by gettin' under way before
sunrise, so the deacon an' me hurried down
without waitin' for breakfast," Mr. Mansfield
began, and on the instant Sam set out clean
plates as token that the visitors should partake
of their morning meal aboard the "Sally D."

"What did you have on your mind, William,
that made you so keen to see us?" Uncle Ben
asked with mild curiosity.

"It's a plan that the women folks cooked
up last night after you'd left the vestry, an
we wanted to make certain it was put through
'cordin' to their figgerin'.  The idee is, Benny,
that the Retreat must have furniture, else it'll
be lonesome like when you begin livin' in it,
an' there ain't the least little bit of reason
why the job shouldn't be finished up brown
right away.  Therefore an' consekently, as
the 'Squire would say, we're goin' to work at
the job, seein's how business here at the Port
is uncommonly dull for this time of year."

"What is it you count on doin', William?"
Uncle Ben asked, an expression of disquietude
coming over his face.

"Furnish the new house, of course," Deacon
Stubbs said quickly, as if fearing he would
not have an opportunity to do his full share
of the talking.  "The women are bustlin'
'round gettin' things together, an' Jim Nason
is puttin' the first load on his jigger this very
minute.  All hands of us are goin' over to
Apple Island with you——"

"We men are goin' to lend a hand at settin'
the stuff ashore, an' while the women folks
are puttin' the new house to rights, we'd like
to go out in the 'Sally' for a little deep-sea
fishin'.  It won't do any harm if you can
cure a good big fare of cod an' haddock, an'
it'll kinder be a starter for your winter's store
of provisions."

Mr. Mansfield ceased speaking at this
moment because Sam and Tommy had put
before the guests a plentiful supply of food and
coffee, and Uncle Ben stood near the
companionway as if bent on beating a retreat,
until Mr. Rowe asked in a whisper:

"What seems to be the trouble?  You ain't
lookin' well."

"There's nothin' the matter with me,
Reuben, except that it looks as if we was
gettin' in the way of idlin' too much.  We
can't afford to let up on lobster catchin', an'
yet how can we 'tend to it if we go out deep-sea
fishin' when there's a big lot of work to
be done on the island?  It strikes me that we're
usin' the 'Sally' more as a toy than a craft
that must be made to support the family."

"Don't fret yourself 'bout that, Benny,"
Mr. Mansfield cried with a laugh, for Uncle
Ben had inadvertently spoken sufficiently
loud for him to hear the last portion of the
remark.  "I'm allowin' that you can afford
to spend a little while havin' a good time,
seein's how, 'cordin' to all I know, you
haven't had a day's pleasurin' in thirty
years—I ain't countin' yesterday."

The old lobster catcher could not well refuse
to join in the plans which had been made
by the people of Southport, more particularly
since they had been arranged with a view to
the benefit of himself and the "family," and
by the time Mr. Mansfield and Deacon Stubbs
had come to the end of an exceedingly hearty
breakfast Uncle Ben was on deck helping to
take aboard the first load of furniture.

The three boys were in high spirits at the
prospect of deep-sea fishing, as well as not a
little pleased at the idea of having the new
house entirely furnished, and a jolly time
they had while aiding in taking on board the
cargo.

"Things are goin' to be mighty fine over
on Apple Island," Tommy said, as he stood
gazing in open-mouthed admiration at a
well-worn bureau on which was painted in gaudy
colors certain objects intended to represent
flowers.  "Mother Sharkey used to think she
had a terrible swell place, but there wasn't
anythin' in her house that could hold a candle
to this!"

"Did you see the chairs that Mr. Mansfield
sent inter the hold?" little Joey screamed.
"Every one of 'em shined as if it had jest
come outer the shop!  Of course, we won't
get a chance to sit on 'em; but they'll be
mighty good to look at!"

"I'll bet we can do more'n look!" Tommy
cried emphatically.  "These things are all for
the new house, an' it don't stand to reason
we'd have to sit on the floor jest 'cause they
was too fine!"

The boys found something to admire in
every piece of furniture which was put
aboard; but when baskets filled with dishes
and cooking utensils were sent over the rail,
Sam could not control his surprise and delight.

"We're goin' to be fixed up like reg'lar
swells!  Jest think how the table will look
when we have real crockery dishes on it!
Talk 'bout cookin'!  If a feller can't spread
hisself with all them things to use, he oughter
bag his head!"

The "Sally D.'s" cargo was not on board
until nearly noon, when no less than twenty
women and men came over the rail to be
taken to the island, and a merry crew they
made.  Little Joey had never been petted to
such an extent in all his short life, while Sam
and Tom received quite as much attention as
if they had been freaks straight from a dime
museum, instead of very ordinary boys.

Not until nearly nightfall did the schooner
come to anchor in the cove opposite "Uncle
Ben's Retreat," and then was begun the more
arduous labor of sending the house furnishings
ashore, for it was necessary to load everything
into the dories, and, afterward, carry
it up to the new house.

While this was being done Sam and Tommy
hauled the traps, and when this was finished,
at a late hour in the night, the men of Southport
were yet engaged in the work of unloading
the "Sally."

"You lads are to turn in right away, an'
try to get some sleep," Uncle Ben said when
the boys had come aboard tired with the
heavy work of attending to the traps.
"Deacon Stubbs allows that we oughter get under
way for fishin' bright an' early in the mornin',
an you'll have to look after the breakfast.
We're likely to be out a couple of days, an' the
lobster catchin' must be neglected all that time."

It was not very much of a task for the boys
to journey over into Dreamland once they
were in the bunks, and it really seemed as if
they had but just closed their eyes in slumber
when Mr. Rowe aroused them with the
announcement that it was time to "get breakfast
under way."

The women of Southport slept in the new
house on this first night, and there were no
tokens that any of them had awakened when
the schooner, with her very large crew, left
the cove within five minutes after Sam and
Tom had been awakened that they might begin
the work of cooking.

Little Joey, to his great delight, had been
allowed to make one of the "Sally D.'s" crew
on this occasion, but neither he nor the other
boys saw very much of the fishing.  The table
in the cabin was so small that no more than
six could sit around it at one time, therefore
the meals were served "in sections," as
Mr. Rowe said, and since Joey played the part of
waiter, he and the cooks were kept busy very
nearly all the time.

"Don't fret 'cause you can't have a line in
your hand," Mr. Rowe said when he came below
for a mug of coffee after the "Sally" had
arrived at the fishing grounds.  "You'll see
enough of that kind of work 'twixt now an'
next spring, an' with sich a gang aboard
there's neither comfort nor pleasure to be had."

"Have they caught any fish yet?" Joey asked.

"Bless your heart, lad, they've been at it
this half hour, an' if it's kept up at the same
rate, we're likely to have by night all that can
be cared for."

In this Mr. Rowe was right.  Before sunset
the men of Southport were weary with the
sport, and Uncle Ben declared that it would
not be possible for his family to cure any
more at one time.  Therefore it was that the
"Sally's" bow was turned toward Apple
Island when the shadows of evening began to
gather, and there were no signs of the coming
day when she glided into Apple Island cove as
silently as a ghost.

The next forenoon was spent in dressing the
fish ready for curing; but Sam and Tom were
not called upon to do their share of the
disagreeable work, owing to the fact that they
were sent out immediately after breakfast to
haul the traps, and when this labor had been
performed the ceremony of warming the new
house was begun.

"Go in an' see what she looks like, with the
swellest kind of fixin's in every room,"
Mr. Rowe said, when the boys pulled in from the
lobster car to the beach.  "You wanter go
inter every room so's to get a sweep of the
whole layout, an' I'm allowin' you never saw
anythin' like it."

"Will they let us go in?" Joey asked
doubtfully.

"Let you?  Why, ain't it your home, same
as it's mine?  Did you allow that we was to
camp on the shore, an' keep the house only to
look at?  Of course you can go in, an' when
you come to the room jest over the kitchen
that's been fixed up for our two cooks, I reckon
you'll puff up the size of four ordinary boys."

"A whole room for only us two?" Sam
cried incredulously.

"That's what, an' it ain't any almshouse
room either!  There's a reg'lar bed with all
the fixin's, an' what do you say to a whole
lookin'-glass?"

The boys could wait to hear no more,
but ran at full speed until they came to that
same room, where they stood in speechless
astonishment a full minute, after which Tom cried:

"Talk about it!  It's the finest ever!  An'
to think that we wouldn't had it but for Uncle
Ben!  Say, Sam, we're a couple of lucky
chaps, eh?  Who'd ever thought I'd come to
this?"

Not until little Joey came and literally
dragged them away did the boys cease to
admire the apartment intended for the use of
the cooks, and then, under the guidance of the
"baby," they explored the entire house,
finding something in every room to excite
wonder and admiration, until having come to the
kitchen with its apparent wealth of cooking
utensils, when Sam spoke for the first time
since entering the building.

"Mr. Rowe said the Southport folks only
counted on givin' us what they had on hand
an' couldn't use any longer!  If this stuff
wasn't good enough for 'em, they oughter
tried to get along with Cap'en Doak's layout
for a couple of days!  What does Uncle Ben
say about it?"

"He's been right there in the sittin'-room
this ever so long, actin' as if he didn't know
what to say," little Joey replied.  "It seems
almost as if he was sorry because it's so fine."

"I reckon he's feelin' kinder bad 'cause
there ain't more boys here, now we've got
such a swell home for 'em," Sammy said
thoughtfully, and then he went down-stairs to
put his face close to Uncle Ben's as he whispered,
"I'm goin' to try mighty hard so's to let
you see how glad I am you took me in."

"Bless your heart, sonny, there ain't a boy
livin' who could do more to show that same
than you've done ever since we two come
together.  It stands all of us in hand to show
our gratitude, an' if you can find the rest of
the family, I'd like for 'em to go off
somewhere with me to thank the good Lord for His
wondrous mercy an' lovin' kindness."

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About the housewarming?  The people of
Southport did that in their own way, making
exceeding merry over it; but I'm of the
belief that Uncle Ben and his family really
"warmed" it when they went into one of
the attic rooms and pledged their lives to the
work of caring for those homeless lads whom
they might meet.

Did the family increase in size?  Perhaps
some day it will be possible to tell of its
famous growth; but just now you who are
interested in it must be content to know that
Uncle Ben has thirty-eight boys in the
"Retreat," and Sam and Tommy are acting as
cooks for all those hungry mouths, while
Mr. Rowe still claims to be the commander of the
"Sally D."

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