CHAPTER VIII
The departure of the bridal party from Woodburn was soon followed bythat of the guests, till all were gone but those from Sunnyside. Theywere entreated to linger, and assured there was nothing to hurry themaway from their father's house.
"I can't bear to have you go yet," said Violet entreatingly. "You arethe only ones of my husband's children left to us, and the house willseem desolate enough to him and me till we, too, can start for Viamede.Besides, you are none of you going there with us, so we want to see allwe can of you now and here."
"We do, indeed," said the captain; "and especially of you, Max, asthere is no knowing how long it may be before Uncle Sam will let ushave you with us again."
"True, father, and I don't want to lose a minute of the time I may havewith you," returned Max feelingly, "or with the other dear ones--wife,child, sister and brother," he added, glancing from one to another.
"No; and we all want to be together while we can; it is so sad tohave to part even for a time," sighed Lucilla, turning a regretfullyaffectionate look upon one and another, especially her father, her eyesfilling as they met the tenderly loving expression in his.
"Yes, parting is hard," he said with forced cheerfulness; "but we willconsole ourselves with the thought that it is not likely to be for verylong. We seem to be in that respect an unusually happy family."
"True, and I think our wedding party has been an entire success," saidViolet in her usual sprightly tones; "nothing went wrong, and ourdarling Grace made the loveliest of brides."
There was a word of cordial assent to that from all present except BabyMary, who had fallen asleep in her mother's arms.
"How long may you stay with us this time, Max?" asked Chester.
"I must leave next Tuesday morning," was the reply. "May I trust you totake good care of my wife and daughter while they are left alone withyou and Sister Lu?"
"Certainly; I intend to do the very best I can for them," returnedChester with the air of one making a very solemn promise. "I hope youare willing to trust me, Sister Eva?" turning to her.
"Perfectly," she said with a pleasant little laugh. "And Lu and I willtry to take good care of Baby Mary's Uncle Chester."
"Ah, it seems it is worth my while to claim to be that," he laughed.
"My dear," said Violet, addressing the captain, "don't you think we canmake our arrangements to leave for Viamede by next Tuesday morning?"
"Yes; I think we can if you wish to go then," he replied; "and by sodoing we should probably reach Key West only a day or two later thanour party on the _Dolphin_."
"Which would be very pleasant for our dear ones, especially Elsie andNed."
"And how glad they will be to see papa and mamma," remarked Lucilla,unable to repress a sigh as she spoke.
"Daughter dear, I am sorry, indeed, that you, Chester, Eva and Maxare not all to be of our party," her father said, regarding her witha loving, regretful look; "but cheer up with the thought that theseparation is not likely to be a very long one. We may hope to be alltogether again in a few months; and I hope with Ned quite restored towonted health and strength."
"Oh, I hope so," she said. "Dear little fellow! His Sister Lu is veryfond of him. And, father, you will write frequently to me?"
"Every day if you will do the same by me," he answered with a smile."And in addition to that we can have telegrams and 'phone messages.So that the separation, will not be so bad as it was in the days whenI was in Uncle Sam's naval service. Now I think I'll go to the 'phoneand ask if cousins Ronald and Annis can be ready to start on Tuesdaymorning."
He did so, and the answer was in the affirmative. Everybody was glad,for those cousins were esteemed good company by one and all, and Nedwas known to be always greatly entertained by Cousin Ronald's use ofhis ventriloquial powers.
"The fun he will make for our Neddie boy will do the little chap aworld of good, no doubt," said Max with satisfaction.
"Surely it will," said Lucilla; "and I am so glad that Dr. Harold stillhas him in his charge, for certainly Harold is a skilful physician,even though related to us," she added with a little laugh.
"Yes," said her father; "I am glad he is to be with us, and that ourdear ones here will still have the services of his brother Herbertand Dr. Arthur Conly, both equally skilful in the practice of theirprofession. Don't let them neglect you, daughter," he added earnestly."Don't fail to summon them promptly, Chester, should any one of you beat all ill."
"Rest assured I will not, sir," returned Chester with prompt decision."Trust me to do my very best for the health and happiness of the twodear ladies left in my charge; the little newcomer also."
"Thank you, Brother Chester," said Max. "It is a great comfort to methat I can leave my dear ones in your care."
"It seems hard to give our dear ones into the care of others," sighedViolet. "It was hard for us to part with our darling Neddie for evena few days, but mamma and Harold can and will take better care of himthan we could, and we hope to join them very soon."
"Yes," said the captain; "and when we start we may hope to overtakethem in somewhat less than two days."
"Yes, father," responded Max; "and what a blessing it is thattravelling is so much speedier work than it used to be even not so verymany years ago."
"And that messages can be sent and received so promptly by telegraphand 'phone," responded the captain. "It seems to bring distant partsof the world much nearer than they used to be, so that temporaryseparations by land or sea are not now the sore trials they were informer days."
"Eva and I feel it a great comfort," said Max, turning to his wife andchild with a tender smile, "as in case I were needed here I might be soeasily summoned and come promptly, even at the risk of having to resignfrom the navy," he added in a half jesting tone.
"Ah, Max, the possibility of tempting you to so rash an act as thatwould certainly make me hesitate to summon you, except in a case of thedirest necessity," said Eva in tones tremulous with emotion.
"But we will hope that no such necessity may ever arise," remarkedCaptain Raymond in a cheery tone. "By the way, let us take another lookat Grace's bridal gifts. Many of them are well worth close scrutiny."
"Yes, indeed," said Violet; "and I must see them carefully packed awayto-day or to-morrow."
"Oh, let us help you with it to-day, Mamma Vi," said Lucilla.
"Thank you, I will," replied Violet.
Examining, chatting over and the packing away of the numerous bridalgifts occupied the greater part of the afternoon; an early teafollowed, and soon after that the Sunnyside folk returned to theirhomes, thinking it not well to have the baby out any later than that incold weather.
For the next few days Violet and the captain felt it lonely enoughwithout the dear ones aboard the _Dolphin_, but busied themselves withpreparations for following them, and in the meantime greatly enjoyedtheir daily intercourse with their near and loved neighbors, his olderchildren and the baby granddaughter.
So the time passed, and to most of them it seemed but a littlewhile before Tuesday morning dawned. Good-bys were then said; Maxwent his way northward and the others of the captain's party took asouthward-bound train of cars, which carried them to Cedar Keys, onthe western Florida coast. From there they went down by steamer toKey West. As we have seen, the captain had sent a telegram ahead, andtheir arrival was a glad event, but not a surprise to the _Dolphin's_passengers. Ned's joy was very great. He had been happy with grandma,uncle and sisters, but papa and mamma were even more to him than werethey, so that their coming seemed to quicken his recovery. Severaldays were spent at that port, that all might have abundant opportunityto see all on both land and water that they cared to see. Ned had nodesire to visit the sponge yards or auctions, but some sponges werebrought on board the _Dolphin_, and he was rather startled for a momentwhen, on picking one up, a scream as of pain and anger seemed to comefrom it. "Don't, you naughty boy; just let me alone!"
"Oh," cried Ned, dropping it hastily, "I didn't know you were ali
ve.But don't be scared; I'll not hurt you."
Then noticing a quizzical look in his father's eye, and catching thesound of a half-smothered laugh from his sister and some of the others,he suddenly comprehended how it happened that the sponge seemed soalive and able to speak in good, plain English.
"Oh, I know; it was Cousin Ronald making the thing talk; for it can'tbe that it's alive after being pulled up out of the water and scrapedand cleaned and all that."
"Silly boy! Dead folks can't talk, but I can," the sponge seemed toreply, speaking in a sneering tone.
"No," laughed Ned; "but Cousin Ronald isn't dead, if you are. Besides,I don't believe you could talk when you were alive."
"Huh! Much you know about it. Some silly little folks think they know agreat deal more than they do."
Ned seemed highly amused. "Oh, it's good fun, Cousin Ronald, so pleasekeep on," he begged, looking up into the kindly face of the oldgentleman.
"Well, now," Mr. Lilburn exclaimed, as if much surprised, "I don't livein that bit of sponge."
"No," laughed Ned; "it's much too little for anybody to live in; but Ithink your voice can get in it, and it's real fun to hear it talk, soplease make it say something more."
"I used to live on the rocks away down under the water," the spongeseemed to say; "that was my home, and I wanted to stay there, but acruel man came down, pulled me off, and brought me up, and I've had anawful time ever since; they shook me and scraped me and squeezed me sohard and long that now I'm more dead than alive."
"Oh, it's too bad!" exclaimed Ned. "I think they might have let youlive on in your own home. Maybe we might send you back to it, if youwere alive; but it's no use now if you are dead."
"Well, Neddie boy, don't you think Mr. Sponge has talked enough now?"asked Cousin Ronald in his own natural voice. "I am really afraid ourgood friends here must be tired of the very sound of his voice."
"Perhaps they are," replied Ned; "and I'm afraid you are tired makinghim talk. But it has been good fun, and I am very much obliged to youfor it, Cousin Ronald."
"You are very welcome," replied Mr. Lilburn; "and I am very glad to beable to give a bit of amusement to a young cousin who has been so ill."
"Thank you, sir; you are ever so kind," returned Ned in grateful tones.
All this happened on deck, late in the afternoon, and Dr. Harold nowsaid he thought it time for his little patient to be taken down intothe saloon, as the air was growing quite cool.
"Oh uncle, I don't want to go down yet, leaving all this good company,"exclaimed Ned imploringly.
"But you don't want to get worse, do you?" asked Harold in kindly tones.
"And mother will go with you," said Violet, rising and taking his handin hers.
"Father, too; and he'll carry you down," added the captain, taking thelittle fellow in his arms and hastening toward the stairway leading tothe cabin of the vessel. Violet followed close behind them, and Dr.Harold and Grace brought up the rear; Grandma Elsie, the younger Elsiesand Alie Leland following them also, Annis and Cousin Ronald, too, sothat in a few minutes the _Dolphin's_ passengers had all deserted thedeck for the saloon.
Then presently came the call to supper, and all gathered about a tablewell furnished with wholesome, satisfying food and drink.
Grace sat at her father's right hand, between him and her husband, andas he carved the fowl and filled the plates, he every now and then gaveher a pleased, scrutinizing, smiling glance.
"You are looking bright and well, daughter," he said at length. "Yourhoneymoon seems to agree with you, though it is perhaps rather early tojudge of that."
"It has been very delightful so far, papa," she returned with a smilingglance first at him and then up into Harold's face; "it could hardlybe otherwise in such a vessel and in such company--with a dear mother,a good doctor, a kind husband--indeed, everything heart could wish,except the dear ones left behind--my dear father, mamma and sisters Luand Eva; not to mention darling Baby Mary. And now," she concluded,"since two of the dearest ones, and Cousin Ronald and Annis havejoined us, I am full of content, of joy, and very, very happy."
"Yes, Gracie, it's ever so nice to have them all here--particularlypapa and mamma," remarked Ned, with a sigh of content; "and I hopeCousin Ronald is going to make lots of fun for us."
"But maybe Dr. Harold won't approve of so much fun for his youngpatient," suggested a voice that seemed to come from somewhere in Ned'srear.
"Oh, who are you now?" queried the little fellow, turning half round inhis chair to look behind him.
"Somebody that knows a thing or two," replied the same voice, nowapparently coming from a distant part of the room.
"Oh, you do, do you?" laughed Ned. "Well, I think I begin to know whoyou are," he added, turning a half-convinced, half-inquiring look uponCousin Ronald.
"Ha! ha! Some little boys think themselves very wise, even when theydon't understand a matter at all," returned the voice of the invisiblespeaker.
"But I do, though," returned Ned; "I know Cousin Ronald and a thing ortwo about what he can do. But it's fun, anyhow; it seems so real, evenif I do know he's doing it."
"And you think I'm your Cousin Ronald, do you? Do I look like thatold gent?" asked the voice, seeming to come from within an adjoiningstateroom.
"Old gent isn't a nice name to give a real gentleman like our CousinRonald," retorted Ned in a tone of disgust, which caused a laugh ofamusement from most of those about the table.
"There, my son, that will do now; let us see you finish your supperquietly," said Captain Raymond, and Ned obeyed.