CHAPTER XVIII
AT THE INLET
It was not the thin, meek-looking woman who uttered these words ofwelcome. The tones were so thunderous that both the lads were startled,and they did not see the speaker, until they stepped across thethreshold. He was an old man, one who must have been near eighty, whowas sitting near the front window, smoking a corncob pipe. His face wasweazened and wrinkled, his white hair thin and his shoulders stooping,but his little eyes twinkled kindly and he wore no glasses. He was inhis shirt sleeves and his waistcoat hung loosely and unbuttoned down thefront. His clean, coarse white shirt showed no necktie, but there was apleasing neatness about his trousers and thick shoes.
Alvin and Chester removed their caps and saluted the couple. The womanhad not spoken and for a long time kept silent.
"Take a cheer! take a cheer!" added the old man, holding his pipe inone hand while he waved the other toward seats; "take a couple if youlike."
The wonder about the old fellow was his voice. Never had the callersheard so deep and resounding a bass. It was literally like thunder. Eachasked himself what it was a half century before.
There was no mistaking his hospitality. Probably in his loneliness hewelcomed any callers, no matter who they might be. He smiled upon theyouths, who noticed that there was not a tooth visible.
"Bless my heart! It does my old eyes good to look upon two such handsomechaps as you! Your faces be clean, your eyes bright, you wear purty goodclothes and I don't b'lieve you use terbacker."
"No," said Alvin; "we haven't begun yet."
"My! my! you don't know what you've missed, but there's time 'nough;wait till you're as old as me afore you start. How old do you think Iam?"
The pleased lads scanned the wrinkled countenance as if trying to makeup their minds. It was Chester who answered for both:
"You must be past sixty-five--pretty close to seventy."
The remark was diplomatic, for both knew he was a good deal older. Theman threw back his head and shook with mirth.
"Do you hear that, Peggy? They think I'm purty close to seventy! That'sthe best joke I've heerd since I was a boy. He! he! Why, young man," headded, abruptly checking his laughter, "I'll be eighty-three come nextChristmas. I was a Christmas gift to my father and mother."
"You don't mean it!" replied Alvin, with a shake of his head.
The wife paused in crossing the floor and laughed, but without the leastsound.
"I don't mean it, eh? Ask Peggy."
The youths looked inquiringly and she nodded several times inconfirmation, but remained mute.
"We can't doubt _her_," said Chester. "You are surely a wonder, Mr.----"
"Folks don't call me mister; I'm Uncle Ben--Ben Trotwood. Who might yoube?"
There was no need of evasion, and Alvin briefly told all the importantfacts. Having given their names, he related how their motor boat hadbeen stolen while they were taking lunch that day in the woods near theblockhouse. It was not worth while to mention Mike Murphy.
"Consarn such scamps!" exclaimed Uncle Ben. "They oughter be made tosmart. But when Peggy opened the door I think you said something 'boutdevouring food."
"We are hungry."
"Wal," said the old man, rising briskly from his chair in answer to anod from his wife, "supper's ready and we'll all set by. If you want toplease us you won't leave a crumb on the table."
"Then we'll be sure to please you."
It was a most enjoyable meal of which our young friends partook, afterUncle Ben had said grace as was his invariable custom. The food wasplain but excellently cooked and there was an abundance. The host was asspry as a man of half his years, and presided, his wife pouring out teawhich never tasted better to Alvin and Chester. Each of the lads, whenno one was watching him, slipped a dollar bill under his plate, where itwas not likely to be seen until after they had gone.
The kindliness of the old man as well as that of the mute wife made theguests feel at home. Toward the close of the meal Chester said:
"Uncle Ben, you've got the most wonderful voice I ever heard."
Plainly the old man was pleased.
"It ain't a sarcumstance to what it was when I was younger. They askedme to sing bass in the church at Trevett, but I nearly bustedproceedings. The folks said that when I let out my voice, they couldn'thear anybody else in the choir."
"It is easy to believe that."
"Then," added Uncle Ben whimsically, "they made me pay for several panesof glass that they insisted my voice had broke. I stood that, till oneSunday, a boy begun yelling that he was afeard of that big black bear inthe gallery and he like to have went into fits ontil I put on thebrakes. Then I quit, plumb disgusted."
"Don't you find it rather lonely here?"
"Sometimes when the children wait too long to visit us."
"How many children have you?"
"Seven boys and six girls. We lost three afore they growed up."
"You are rich indeed," said Chester admiringly.
And then the wife spoke for the first time:
"We ought to be thankful and _we are_!"
It came out that all the sons and daughters were well married and livedwithin a radius of little more than fifty miles. Each family had oftenurged the old couple to make their home with it, but they preferred tolive by themselves. There was no danger of their suffering for anythingthat affection could provide.
Alvin and Chester would have been glad to stay over night, as they wereurged to do, but they decided to push on and learn what they could withthe least possible delay. While daylight would have been more favorable,in many respects, for their task, they feared that the thieves wouldmake off with the _Deerfoot_ before daylight. The intrusion of the manin gray added a zest to the search that had something to do with theirhaste.
Since Uncle Ben rarely went beyond sight of his humble home, he couldtell them nothing of the launch. He admitted that most of the time whenhe sat by the front window smoking, he dozed or was fully asleep. He hadseen no one pass the house during the afternoon except the boy, HenryPerkins. The man in gray might have gone by, but Uncle Ben knew nothingof it.
Promising to call if they ever came into the neighborhood again, theyouths bade the old couple good night. They hurried, for the wife hadbegun clearing away the things from the table, and was sure to discoverthe tip that each had left. They chuckled because they got clear of thehome without such mishap.
It will be remembered that night had descended some time before, and theclouded sky veiled the moon. The path of which Uncle Ben told them waswell defined, but in the dense gloom it was hard to keep it. Alvin,taking the lead, spread out his arms and swept them in front of his faceto prevent collisions with projecting limbs. Once or twice he strayed toone side, but with the help of Chester regained the trail and theypushed on in good spirits, glad that they had not far to go. Thetemperature was so mild that they felt no discomfort from the lack ofextra clothing.
As they drew near the inlet their caution increased. Alvin in frontstepped as softly as an Indian scout entering the camp of an enemy.Chester was equally careful and for some time neither spoke. With thedeep gloom inclosing them on every hand, they were mutually invisible.
Suddenly Chester bumped lightly into his companion.
"What's the matter?" he asked in a whisper.
"I'm out of the path again."
"I don't see that that makes any difference; we must be close to thebay. Push on!"
They felt their way in silence for a few minutes and then stopped oncemore. Not the slightest sound was given out by the water that wassomewhere near them. Alvin hesitated, as he was afraid of a mis-step.
At this juncture, when the two stood motionless and uncertain, nature,singularly enough, came to their relief. The laboring moon for a fewseconds shone partly through the heavy clouds that were drifting beforeits face, and the dim illumination revealed that two paces farther wouldhave taken them into the inlet. Scarcely was this discovery made whenblank night again shut them in.
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"Well, here we are," said Alvin; "and what comes next?"
After all that had been said and done, it dawned upon both at thismoment that their whole venture was foolish to the last degree. Supposethey located the _Deerfoot_, they would be powerless to do anythingmore. Two unarmed youths could not retake it from the thieves, and theymight grope around the place for the whole night without learning thetruth. If they had been able to reach the spot before night, or, failingin that, had waited till the morrow, their eyes would have quickly toldthem all they wished to know.
Standing side by side nonplussed for the moment, Alvin sniffed severaltimes.
"Do you notice it?" he asked in a guarded undertone.
"Notice what?"
"I smell a cigar; somebody is near us."
Chester tested his smelling apparatus and replied:
"You are right; the odor is in the air."
"It reminds me of the kind the governor smokes; and is therefore amighty good one."
"It is the man in gray; he smoked nearly all the time on the boat."