CHAPTER VII
EXPLORING GLOUCESTER
"Gloucester! Oh, Jane, isn't it great?" Frances said to Jane as theystood on either side of the mast while the "Boojum" was picking herway into the harbor.
Both sides of the harbor were lined with schooners. The sky was barelyperceptible through the rigging of the ships, so tightly were theywedged in around the docks. At Provincetown the cruisers had learnedof the fishermen's strike but they had not realized that it meant thatthe entire fishing fleet of Gloucester would be riding at anchor inthe harbor.
"Gloucester's sky line isn't anything but masts, is it?"
"No, but look Jane! They just let the sails go any way and they areall spilling in the water and look at all those Irishman's pennants,"and Frances pointed out innumerable ropes let to drag in the water.
"The crews must have dropped anchor and dashed ashore without doing asingle thing towards snugging ship. I suppose there is lots to be saidfor the fishermen, but I don't see how they could bear to leave thosedandy schooners all messy like that. And whew! smell the fishy smell."
Jane and Frances had learned really to love the sea and to have deepfeeling for the ships. It actually hurt them to see these sturdyfishing boats so deserted.
"Why, do you know, Frances, it seems just as cruel to me as if I hadgiven Atta Boy a hard run and turned him into his stall and left hissaddle and bridle on and rushed off without rubbing him down andforgotten to feed him and everything. It doesn't seem human," Janegrew quite indignant.
"Did you notice that long black schooner, the 'Josephine R,' how shewas pulling on her anchor chain, looked as if she wasn't going tostick around much longer and stand for this careless treatment? I'llbet she is an imperious lady."
There was no sign of life on any of the many boats riding at anchor.The sun had set and each one should have shown a riding light, butnone did, nor did it seem likely that they would. Yet it seemed thateach boat was in itself alive and indignantly complaining to itsneighbor of the careless treatment it had received at the hands of thecrew. As Frances said, the "Josephine R" looked as though she had nointention of putting up with such inconsideration.
Jane had been at the wheel all afternoon with Breck near enough andready to help her if she got off her course or if she wanted any ofthe sails hauled in. Mr. Wing had said that Jane was farther advancedin her nautical education than any of the other girls because she hadcome to the stage where she not only knew when something was wrongabout the sails but she knew just what to do to make it right andcould get almost as much out of the "Boojum" as its owner could.
The silent Breck had become quite talkative, responding to Jane'snaturalness as everyone else always did. He had told her aboutGloucester and some of the amusing tales about the sportiness of theGloucester fishermen even while they were hard at work off the GrandBanks. They had both read Kipling's "Captains Courageous" and Jane waseager to know more of the delightful little town, and the sturdyindependent people who lived in it.
"They know the sailing game better than anybody else in the world andyou can tell a Gloucester crew and ship a long ways off just by theway she sails. And the risks they take! When most captains give orderto put in a reef or two these Gloucester chaps just crack on morecanvas and walk away. And they know all these waters like you wouldknow your own top drawer," he had told her.
And she had laughed at this last and answered that that showed howlittle he knew about her, because neither she nor anyone, not even aGloucester fisherman, could sail through the conglomerate mess in heruncharted top drawer.
Then she had asked how he happened to know so much about Gloucesterand had bitten her lip the minute she had said it, for that was theone thing she had meant not to do, question him about himself.
But Breck had answered her with a smile and a vague "Oh, I stayed hereonce."
As she stood beside Frances, she mentally ran over the little talksshe had had with Breck and realized more acutely how clever he was,how quick his perception, and keen his observation of people were. Howshe would have loved to have him take her through Gloucester and showher all the narrow little streets that ran back from the water, andwhich he had pictured so vividly to her. "Why are things as they are?"she asked herself. "I know Breck would like to ask me to go ashorewith him tonight because he almost said so and yet he won't because heis in Mr. Wing's employ as a deck hand. As if that would make anydifference, and anyway, I know he isn't just an ordinary deck hand! Heis twice as nice as anybody I have ever known and if he doesn't askme, I've a good mind to ask him to take me myself."
"Jane! Jane! do stop dreaming, and let's go below and get supper.That's the second time Mabel has called us," said Frances, giving hera little shake. "If I didn't know you weren't I would certainly sayyou were in love. Anyway you have all the symptoms."
During supper, Jane determined that she would not let ridiculouslittle conventionalities prevent the promoting of her new foundfriendship with Breck. Clandestine meetings and common intrigue wereentirely foreign to her straightforward self and so she decided thatshe would just tell the others that she was going to ask Breck to sether ashore and go with her to telegraph Aunt Min her next post officeaddress.
"And Breck has been to Gloucester before and, while we are ashore, Iam going to come right out and ask him if he won't take me throughsome of those little narrow streets on the water front," she confidedto Mr. Wing up on deck directly after supper.
"Yes, I would if I were you," Mr. Wing advised her. "I think Breck isthoroughly interesting, and to be bromidic, he is one of 'nature'sgentlemen' if not one of society's. Besides, from little things he letdrop one night when we were on the same watch, I believe he took thisjob for some definite reason other than for self-support. Often I havewished he would mix a bit more with us. You are the only one of thegirls he even notices. Sometimes I think he isn't awfullyhappy--anything you can do with him or for him, Plain Jane, will beheartily approved by the skipper, I can assure you."
Their conversation was stopped by the appearance of Breck through thegalley hatch. "If you are ready, Miss Pellew, I will be very glad totake you to the Western Union," he said very formally.
"Heavens!" thought Jane, "he is all stiff again. How can I unbend himso he will be limber as he was this afternoon. I will begin with someclever, original remark about the weather."
But Breck anticipated her by saying politely, "When we get up as farnorth as Portland, I expect we will see some northern lights." Thenwarming to his subject he continued, "I believe you said you had neverbeen north before. I do hope we have a chance to see the lights then,because I know you would love them."
"Unswallowing his poker already," mentally commented Jane. "This tripwill no doubt turn out all right." Aloud she said frankly, "Breck, Ilove to talk to you. You always sound as if you had knocked about sucha lot--just what I always wanted to do and would have done, no doubt,if I hadn't been born Jane instead of John."
Breck smiled at this open compliment and again compared her with hisblase sister and her group of friends suffering from a heavy boredom."A bit too much, according to some people's way of thinking," heanswered rather grimly.
"Well, of course, half of the world doesn't approve of what the otherhalf does and disapproval makes an almost impassable barrier againstunderstanding, but let's hurry to the telegraph office and then youwill poke around this funny little place with me, won't you?" Janedemanded as they clambered up the wharf ladder.
"I am hoping for several replies to messages I sent at the last port,"Breck told her as they walked along the narrow sidewalk that went pastold and battered warehouses and sail lofts.
"Everything even on land at Gloucester has got to do with sea, shipsor sailors in some way," Jane said as she observed the different signsin the shop windows, advertising sailors' outfits, slickers, rubberboots reaching to the hip and sou'westers.
At the Western Union office, Jane sat down to write her message toAunt Min and Breck went to the desk. Jane heard him ask if anytel
egrams for Allen Breckenridge had been received. The clerk gave himtwo after the usual frantic search through the files. Over the firstone he read Jane saw him knot his brows into a frown and she was muchrelieved when the frown changed into a broad grin at the perusal ofthe second message.
"Allen Breckenridge," Jane thought, "what a peach of a name. I alwaysthought Breck was a mighty little name for such a big man. I wish togoodness he would tell me why he is doing what he is. And I wish Iwasn't so awfully much interested in him."
"Are you finished now?" he smiled down at her, "because if you are,let's get out on the street. All the men off the boats are wanderingaround, looking at the barometers in the different shop windows, justas if they were interested in the weather now as when on board theirschooners. Poor chaps, I reckon they are at a loss for something todo. These New Englanders don't know the gentle art of loafing like theSoutherners do."
"Why Breck," laughed Jane. "How can you, when you know I am from oldKentuck'? Aren't you ashamed?"
"But you are different, you know, certainly different from my notionof the southern girl. I had always thought of them as lying around inhammocks and eating chocolates during the day and refusing heartbrokenyoung men's proposals most of the night."
"But they don't refuse all the young men apparently because I had togive exactly nine wedding presents this spring. And, besides, I eat anawful lot of candy," Jane objected.
"Anyway, I'll say it again. You are different. Do you mind if Icompliment you in rather a horsy way? You handle yourself better thanany girl I ever saw. I would give a lot to see you on a horse too, bythe way."
"Thanks, Breck! That is one of the nicest things I ever had said to meand, of course, I don't mind, why should I?"
"Oh, just the difference in our positions," Breck answered, looking ather very keenly with his clear gray eyes.
"That is the first thing I have heard you say that I didn't like.'Position' is a ridiculous word and one I don't choose to recognize.And, in the second place, you know perfectly well that I was obligedto hear you ask for messages for Allen Breckenridge, so you evidentlyaren't exactly what you seem, not that it is anything either for oragainst you."
"Forgive me, I knew you would feel like that, but I just wanted to besure. Allen Breckenridge is my name, but it seems an awful lot of nameto sail under so I just chopped it off to suit me. Wonder what thefamily would say to the mutilation of the name." Breck chuckled at thethought.
"If they are at all like the Kentucky Breckenridges, I can tell you.They would dilate their nostrils and pinch in their lips and say,'Really, it doesn't seem possible that anyone could do such aridiculous thing!'" Jane imitated the family hauteur.
"I can see that you know them all right," Breck said. "They are afunny bunch, aren't they?" His face took on the grave look that it sooften wore and that had caused Mr. Wing to confide in Jane that he didnot believe Breck was very happy.
It was a look that Jane hated to see there because she was sopowerless to help him. She could not comfort him in ignorance of histrouble and her dread of intruding in his private affairs kept herfrom trying to discover it. Jane put her arm through his and said,"It's getting late, Breck, we had better go back."
Not until they were again on board the "Boojum" did either of themrealize that, after all, they had seen very little of Gloucester.