CHAPTER III--THE LUCKIEST BOY IN THE WORLD
Hardly had Mr. Dunstan's new boat crew followed him ashore when awhooping yell sounded from up the road that led to the house. Then intosight dashed a boy mounted on a pony. On they came at a full gallop, theboy reining up with a jerk when barely six feet from his father.
"Careful, Ted!" warned Mr. Dunstan laughingly. "Don't ride me down.You're not yet through with your use for a father, you know."
"I was trying to show you, dad, how Sheridan and I are learning ourpaces together," replied the youngster. He was a rather slightly builtboy, with clustering yellow hair and gray eyes. He wore a khaki suit anda sombrero modeled after the Army campaign hat. Even his saddle was ofthe Army type, being a miniature McClellan in model.
Tom liked this lad after the first look. There was somethingwhole-souled about this little fellow with the laughing eyes. And,though he had been reared in a home of wealth, there was nothing in theleast snobbish in the way he suddenly turned to regard the Motor BoatClub boys.
"Ted, Captain Halstead and his friend, Dawson," said Mr. Dunstan."You'll be glad to know that they've got the 'Meteor' in running orderagain."
Ted was careful to dismount before he offered his hand, with gracefulfriendliness, to each of the boys.
"You've made dad happy if you've got his boat to running again," laughedMaster Ted.
"And you? Aren't you fond of motor boating?" queried Tom.
"Oh, yes; after a fashion, I suppose," replied the Dunstan hopefuldeliberately. "But then, you see, I'm cut out for a soldier. I'm to gointo the Army, you know, and anything to do with salt water smacks a bittoo much of the Navy."
All of which remarkable declaration Master Ted made as though heimagined these new acquaintances understood all about his future plans.
"The Army is fond of the Navy, of course," the lad added by way ofexplanation. "Yet, to a soldier, the Army is the whole thing."
"Oh, I see," smiled Captain Tom, though in truth he didn't "see" in theleast.
"Yes, Ted's to be a soldier. He's doomed--or destined--to that career,"nodded Mr. Dunstan good-humoredly. "There's a whole long story to that,Halstead. Perhaps you and Dawson shall hear the story later. But for nowwe'd better get up to the house."
Master Ted evidently took this as a hint that the subject was to bepursued no further for the present, for he merely said in a verygracious way:
"Of course, I shall see you again. So now I'll take myself off--withSheridan."
Resting his left hand through the bridle and gripping the pony's mane,Master Ted used his right hand to strike the pony a smart blow over therump. As the pony bounded forward the lad made a flying leap into thesaddle. It was such a flying start as almost to startle Tom and Joe.
"He rides like a cowboy," declared Tom admiringly, watching the mountedyoungster out of sight.
"He has need to, I fancy," replied Mr. Dunstan gravely. "That is, sincehe's going into the Army, for Ted wouldn't be satisfied with beinganything less than a cavalryman."
As Mr. Dunstan's last words or the tone in which they were utteredseemed to dismiss the subject, Halstead and his chum knew that they werenot to be further enlightened for the present. They followed theiremployer up to the house.
He took them into a roomy, old-fashioned looking library, with heavyfurniture, and, excusing himself, left them. He soon returned to say:
"The family are now at luncheon, all except Master Ted, so I have giveninstructions to have luncheon served to us in here presently."
In half an hour the meal was before Mr. Dunstan and the boys. It tastedrarely good after their hasty snatches of food aboard the boat. When itwas over Mr. Dunstan took a chair on the porch, lighted a cigar andsaid:
"I'm going to take it easy for a while. Would you like to look about thegrounds?"
Tom and his chum strolled about. They found it a delightful countryplace, covering some forty acres. There was a large stable, a carriagehouse and a garage which contained a big touring car. There weregreenhouses, a poultry place and a small power house that suppliedelectric light to the buildings and grounds.
"It looks like the place of a man who has enough money, but who doesn'tcare about making a big splurge," commented Joe.
"It also looks like the place of an easy-going man," replied Halstead."I wonder how a man like Mr. Dunstan came to get the motor-boat craze?"
"Oh, I imagine he likes to live out on this beautiful old island, andmerely keeps the boat as a means of reaching business," suggestedDawson.
After an hour or more they returned to the house to find Mr. Dunstanplacidly asleep in the same porch chair. So the boys helped themselvesto seats, kept quiet and waited. They were still in doubt as to whethertheir employer wanted to use the boat later in the day. Theirs was along wait, but at last Mr. Dunstan awoke, glanced at his watch andlooked at the boys.
"Becoming bored?" he smiled.
"Oh, no," Tom assured him, "but I've had hard work to keep from fallingsound asleep."
"Have you seen Master Ted lately?"
"Not since we first met him down by the pier."
"That's a youngster with quite a picturesque future ahead of him, Iimagine," continued Mr. Dunstan. "I call him the luckiest boy alive.Perhaps he is not quite that, but he is going to be a very rich man ifhe follows a certain career."
"It must be an Army career, then," hinted Halstead.
"It is, just that. And I suppose I might as well tell you the story, ifit would interest you any. A lot of people know the story now, sothere's no harm in repeating it."
Their host paused to light a cigar before he resumed:
"Ours used to be a good deal of a military family. In fact, everygeneration supplied two or three good soldiers. There were fiveDunstans, all officers, serving in the War of the Revolution. There werefour in the War of 1812, two in the War with Mexico and two in the CivilWar. We gradually fell off a bit, you see, in the numbers we supplied tothe Army. The two who served in the Civil War were uncles of mine. Myfather didn't go--wasn't physically fit. There were three of usbrothers, Gregory, Aaron and myself. Both were older than I. Aaron wouldhave made a fine soldier, but he was always weakly. The fact that hecouldn't wear the uniform almost broke his heart. Yet Aaron had one finetalent. He knew how to make money almost without trying. In fact, hedied a very rich man.
"Greg, on the other hand, was what I expect you would call the blacksheep of the family. He went to Honduras years ago. He's a planter,doing fairly well there, I suppose. He's pretty wild, just as he used tobe. He's always getting mixed up in the many revolutions that they havedown in that little republic of Honduras. One of these days I'm afraidhe'll be shot by a file of government soldiers for being mixed up insome new revolutionary plot.
"My brother Aaron never married. Greg has two daughters, but no sons.Ted is my only son and Aaron just worshiped the lad as the last of therace. Aaron wanted Ted to become a soldier and keep the family in theArmy. The youngster was willing enough, but I didn't wholly fancy it.However, my brother Aaron died a little while ago and I found he hadfixed the matter so that Ted will have to be a soldier."
"How could your brother do that?" asked Tom.
"Why, you see, under the will, brother Greg is let off with one hundredthousand dollars and I get the same. But there's a proviso in the willthat if, within ninety days from Aaron's death, Ted appears in probatecourt with me or other guardian, and there both Ted and myself promisethat he shall be reared for the United States Army, then half a milliondollars is to be paid over to myself or other guardian, in trust for theboy. The income from that half million is to be used to rear and educatehim. But Ted, as a part of his promise, must make every effort to gethimself appointed a cadet at West Point."
"Some other boy might get the cadetship away from him," suggested JoeDawson.
"In case Ted simply can't win a West Point cadetship," replied Mr.Dunstan, "then, at the age of twenty-one, his promise will oblige him toenlist in the Army as a private soldier and do all
in his power to winan officer's commission from the ranks."
"Even then, there's a chance to fail," hinted Tom.
"If the lad fails absolutely to get a commission in the Army," respondedMr. Dunstan, "he will lose a lot of money--that's all. There is anotherfund, amounting to two and a half million dollars, that is to be kept atinterest until the young man is thirty. By that time the money, throughcompound interest, will be much more than doubled. On Ted's thirtiethbirthday all that huge sum of money is to be turned over to him if hehas won, somehow, a commission as an officer of the Army. If he hastried, but failed, then the money is to be devoted to various publicpurposes.
"But if Ted fails to go into probate court on time, with myself or otherguardian, and have the promise made a matter of record, then he loseseverything. In that case I get the same hundred thousand dollars asotherwise, but Greg, instead of receiving only a hundred thousand is toget a cool million dollars."
"Isn't your brother Gregory likely to contest such a will?" asked Tomthoughtfully.
"The will provides that, if he does contest, he shall lose even hishundred thousand dollars," Mr. Dunstan replied. "I have had greatlawyers go all over the will, but they can't find a single flaw throughwhich it can be broken. You see, the will is right in line with whatlawyers call 'public policy.' It's altogether to the public interest tohave the boys of our best old families, as of the best new ones, broughtup with the idea that, they're to give their lives to the service oftheir country. So the will is bound to stand against any contest, and ifGreg or myself tried to break it we'd only cheat ourselves out of goodlysums of money."
"Then Master Ted, of course," pursued Tom, "has been or is going beforethe probate court to have the promise recorded."
"To-day is Tuesday," answered Mr. Dunstan. "The ninety days are up nextMonday. On that day there will be a short session of probate court andTed and I are going to be on hand."
"Is this the first time probate court has been in session since the willwas read, sir?" asked Halstead.
"Oh, no," replied their employer in his most easy-going tone. "But therewas no hurry and I wanted to give the lawyers plenty of time to considerthe matter. Next Monday, being within the required ninety days, will doas well as any other time."
"Well, of all the easy-going men!" gasped Tom inwardly. "To think, withsuch a big fortune at stake, of dilly-dallying until the very last dayof all!"
"So, you see, Ted really _is_ a very lucky boy," finished Mr. Dunstan.
"I should say he is!" breathed Halstead, his face flushing at thethought. _He_ would have been happy over a West Point cadetship withoutany enormous reward.
"The luckiest boy I ever heard of!" vented Joe, his nerves a-thrill overthis story of one of Fortune's greatest favorites. "No wonder your son,sir, is so eager about being a soldier."
"Is your brother Gregory in this country now?" asked Tom slowly.
"Not to the best of my knowledge," almost drawled their employer. "Thelast I heard of him he was still on his plantation in Honduras, probablyhatching more revolutionary plots and giving the government a goodexcuse for sending its soldiers to shoot him one of these days. But I_do_ know that, for a while, Greg had American lawyers hard at worktrying to find some way to smash Aaron's will. They gave it up, though,and so did Greg, after hearing from me that Master Ted was wild tofollow a soldier's career."
Both boys were silent for some time. Yet, if they did no talking, theirthoughts very nearly ran riot. To them it seemed that Ted Dunstan's lotin life lay in all the bright places of glory and fortune. How theywould have relished such a grand chance!
"By the way," said Mr. Dunstan, rising slowly and stretching, "I haven'tseen the youngster in hours. I think I'll locate him and bring himaround here."
He went into the house. Within the next ten minutes two of the menservants left the house, running hurriedly out of sight in differentdirections. At the end of twenty minutes Mr. Dunstan himself appeared,looking actually worried.
"We can't seem to find Ted anywhere," he confessed uneasily. "The youngman hasn't been seen since he stabled his pony at half-past twelve. Ithought he would lunch with Mrs. Dunstan; she thought he was lunchingwith us. We've sent all about the grounds, we've telephoned theneighbors and the town, and all without avail. The pony is in the stableand the young man seems to have disappeared."
"Disappeared?" repeated Tom Halstead, springing to his feet, electrifiedby the news. "Don't you think it more likely, sir, he's been _helped_ todisappear?"
"You think he may have been spirited away?" demanded Mr. Dunstan. "Butwhy?"
"Haven't you yourself told us, sir, that it would be worth some one'strouble, to the extent of nine hundred thousand dollars, to have the boyvanish?" asked Tom breathlessly.
"You suspect my brother?"
"Pardon me, sir, for forgetting that Gregory Dunstan is your brother,"Tom went on whitening. "Yet that talk about disabling the 'Meteor'! Theman who looked like a Spaniard--but the people of Honduras are ofSpanish descent. Why should anyone want to disable the 'Meteor,' unlessto stop a pursuit by water? You yourself have told us that your brotherhas a weakness for mixing up in revolutions down in Honduras."
All this Halstead had shot out jerkily, thinking even faster than hespoke.
"But at this very moment Greg is down in Honduras," objected Mr.Dunstan.
"Even if he is, wouldn't friends of his, who may want funds for a newrevolution, see how easy it was to get the money through getting Ted outof the way?" asked Tom quickly. "Grant that your brother is whollyinnocent of any plot about your son. Wouldn't supposed friends of hisperhaps be willing to spirit the boy away, knowing that if the big moneyprize went to your brother, Gregory Dunstan could afterwards bepersuaded to throw his fortune into some new revolutionary cause?"
"Yes, yes, it's all possible--horribly possible," admitted Mr. Dunstan,covering his face with his hands. "And Greg, who is a citizen ofHonduras now, has even had aspirations in the way of becoming presidentof Honduras. Halstead, I will admit that I had even thought of thepossibility of some just such attempt as this, and yet in broad daylightI dismissed it all as idle dreaming. And now Ted's gone--heaven onlyknows what has become of him!"
"Of course," put in Joe coolly, "it may turn out that the youngster justwent fishing. He may walk in any moment for his supper."
"But he went without his lunch," retorted Mr. Dunstan. "That was whollyunlike Ted."
"The 'Meteor' may be disabled now," broke in Tom. "If she isn't, won'tit be more than well worth while to get the craft out and go scoutingthrough these waters?"
"Yes, yes!" cried Mr. Dunstan. "Come on, boys."
As they raced down through the grounds they espied the coachmanreturning.
"Come along, Michael!" shouted Mr. Dunstan. Then, to the boys heexplained:
"If the 'Meteor' is fit to go out, Michael can go along with you. Ifthere's any fighting he's a heavy-fisted, bull-necked fellow who'd facea regiment of thieves."
Joe had the key of the engine-room hatchway out in his hand before theyreached the pier. In a jiffy he had the sliding door unlocked, almostleaping down into the engine room. With swift hands he set the engine inmotion.
"All right here," he reported, while Bouncer, just liberated, friskedabout his master's legs and then whined.
"Keep the bulldog aboard, too, Michael," called Mr. Dunstan, as hestepped ashore. "Start at once, Captain Halstead. Go as far and wide asyou can and hail any craft you think may have news. Michael, I rely uponyou to use your fists if there's need."
"If there's the chanst!" grinned the Irishman readily.
"I'll run back to the house and get in touch with the police," Mr.Dunstan shouted back over his shoulder.
Tom sprinted aft along the pier, throwing the stern-line aboard. Heleaped aboard forward with the bowline, not stopping then to coil it.
Not even calling to Joe, whose head was barely six feet away, youngCaptain Tom Halstead gave the bridge bellpull a single jerk. As theresponse sounded in the engin
e room alert Joe gave the engine slow speedahead. Tom threw the wheel over and the fine boat glided out from herberth.
Two bells! Full speed ahead! The "Meteor" forged forward, gainingheadway every moment. The hunt for missing Ted Dunstan was started inearnest.