CHAPTER XV. MR. CARLETON GOES AWAY
Squire Brackett, having received sufficient encouragement from Mr.Carleton to warrant action on his part, hitched up his horse oneafternoon and drove around the road back of the cove, turning off atlength at the pasture lane that led in to Billy Cook's farmhouse. Billy,barefoot, as usual, was busy hoeing in a small garden patch at a littledistance from the house.
"How d'ye do, Billy," said the squire, sauntering out, with his handstucked under his coat-tails.
"Afternoon, squire," responded Billy; and added, to himself, "Wonder whathe's up to."
"Quite a stranger, squire," said he. "What brings you way 'round here?"
"Oh, nothing," replied Squire Brackett, seating himself on the handle ofthe wheelbarrow that was loaded with garden-truck. "I was driving by andthought I'd just drop in and say good day."
"Humph! guess not," thought Billy to himself. He knew the squire was notin the habit of making social visits.
"Well, glad to see you, squire," he declared, cordially. "Nice summerwe're having. Wouldn't like to take home a couple dozen fresh eggs, wouldyou? Hens doing right well lately. I can spare you some, I reckon, storeprice."
"Why, yes, I should," answered the squire. "Those hens of yours do laythe finest eggs I know of."
The squire, watching Billy at his work, discoursed of this and that; ofthe weather, the fishing, politics, and the prospect of the hay crop.
"Wonder what he's driving at," was Billy's inward reflection.
"Have a smoke, Billy?" asked the squire, proffering the other one of RobDakin's best and biggest five-cent affairs.
"Don't care if I do," replied Billy, and made a further mentalobservation that something was coming now, sure.
"By the way, Billy," remarked the squire, presently, "how do we stand onthat mortgage on the island down yonder?"
He said it in an offhand way, just as though he didn't know, even to thefraction of a cent, the amount of principal and interest due to that veryhour.
"Why, I guess you know better than I do, the amount of interest up todate," replied Billy. "But it ain't due just yet, eh, squire?"
"Why, no, it isn't," replied Squire Brackett; "and I was thinking perhapswe might fix it up between us so there wouldn't be anything due, and sothat you would have something in your own pocket, besides. How would youlike that?"
"P'r'aps," said Billy.
"Well, now," continued the squire, "there's two hundred dollars andinterest due. Seems to me, if I remember right, you offered to sell theisland to me, a year ago or so, for twelve hundred dollars. That's apretty big price, but I've been thinking it over some lately, and Ireckon I'll come pretty near that figure, if you'd like to make thetrade."
A year ago, Billy Cook would have jumped at the offer. But Billy, bootsor no boots, had a vein of Yankee shrewdness in him.
"There's something in the wind," he thought. "The squire told me I wascrazy when I offered it to him for that, last year."
"Well, squire, I'll tell you," he replied. "Guess I did name somethinglike that as a figure, a year ago. But I dunno about letting it go forthat now, when things are looking up so. They tell me some of them NewYork and Boston real estate fellers have been down here lately, lookingover land. However, I'll just talk it over with the old lady, and let youknow in a day or two."
The squire was taken aback.
"Well," said he, rising to go, "of course I don't leave that offer open.That's a whole lot of money for the land. But I've got a little moneyjust come due, and I thought I might put it into that. Maybe I won't haveit to spare by the time you get ready."
"Well, I reckon the land won't blow away, squire," chuckled Billy. "It'sanchored pretty reasonably firm, I guess. I'll just go in and get thoseeggs."
It did not take Billy Cook long, following the squire's departure, tocome to a conclusion regarding the true inwardness of the affair. Therewas only one man, at present, in the village, who would be likely to beoffering anything like that amount of money for the island; and that manwas Mr. Carleton. So Billy lost no time in hunting the gentleman up.
But, when he had found Mr. Carleton and suggested the matter to him, hewas surprised to meet with a curt denial. Mr. Carleton, being in a badhumour, and having, moreover, as much an intention of purchasing the landas he had of buying the bay, replied, very shortly, in the negative.
"Hm! p'r'aps I guessed wrong," commented Billy. "But there's somethingup. That's sure. I'll just jump the squire on the price, anyway. I maycatch him."
With which resolve, Billy visited the squire the following day, offeredhim the land at an advance of three hundred dollars, and, much to his ownsurprise, got it.
"It's a fearful price, fifteen hundred dollars for that land," exclaimedthe squire, after he had tried in vain to beat down the figure. "I'llnever get a cent out of it; but I'm just fool enough to do it."
"P'r'aps you be," thought Billy.
"I don't like to part with that island, squire," he said. "If you wantit, you'd better draw up the papers, right away to-day, and we'll go overto Mayville and have everything filed straight and regular. Else I mightget sorry and back out."
"All right," said Squire Brackett.
"We can't do it any too soon to suit me," he thought.
So Uncle Billy and Squire Brackett went to Mayville, and the squiregenerously paid the fares.
"Guess I can stand it, at a thousand dollars profit," said the squire tohimself.
Henry Burns and Jack Harvey, arising on the morning following theiradventure with Mr. Carleton, proceeded at once to restore the yacht toits former condition, by purchasing at Rob Dakin's a strong lock for thecabin. It was heavier and clumsier than the one that had been broken,but, as Henry Burns remarked, it was good enough for fishermen.
Then they sailed down alongshore to where the crew had made theirlobster-pots, went to work, and, in a few days, completed the making ofthe remainder to the extent of their material. This proved easierfishing, too, in a way, than the outside cod and hake fishing, andinvolved, of course, no danger, as the pots were set near shore. And, asthey had got their lath-pots practically without expense, it was likelyto prove even more profitable, while it lasted.
The car that they had made, to keep the lobsters alive in, was a big,square boxlike affair, with the slats nailed on just far enough apart sothe lobsters could not escape, but affording a flow of sea-water throughthe car almost as free as the sea itself. The two trap-doors in the roofof the car, through which the lobsters were put in and taken out, werefastened with heavy padlocks. The car was moored in a sheltered nookalongshore, a little distance above the area of water covered by thelath-pots.
They learned how to pack the live lobsters for shipping, too, and sentlots, now and then, by steamer, over to the Bellport and Mayvillemarkets, and to Stoneland. They learned how to stow them into aflour-barrel with their tails curled snugly under, and their backsuppermost, so they could not move; and that a barrel would hold justfifty-five, by actual count, stowed in that way, allowing for ice at thetop, and all covered securely with a piece of coarse sacking. Theyreceived as much as twelve and fifteen cents a pound for these, shippedso that they would arrive alive at market, and began to feel quiteprosperous.
They listened to many a learned discussion, in Rob Dakin's cracker andsugar-barrel forum, over the habits of the lobster; how it was generallyconceded by the local fisherman that the lobster took the bait better atnight; but that other wise men among the catchers argued stoutly thatflood-tide, whether it served by night or day, was the more favourabletime; and how both the ebb and flow of the tides doubtless carried thelobsters back and forth across the feeding-grounds.
They heard discussed, too, the relative merits of flounder and sculpinand cod's heads as the more attractive baits, and whether these, fresh orold, were the more enticing.
Billy Cook had a theory that a lobster has as keen a scent as a hound,and that a fish of somewhat gamy odour was
the better lure; while LongDave Benson "allowed" that a lobster has an eye like a fish-hawk, andthat what was needed was a fish with a gleam of white showing at adistance, like the flounder.
In all, there was a greater and more varied amount of natural philosophyand fish-lore dispensed, free, within the walls of Rob Dakin's grocerystore, than one might hear in a lifetime at any university.
Be it recorded, however, that the suggestion made by young Joe Warren, atone of these discussions, that the lobster regarded one of theselath-pots as some sort of a summer-house, thoughtfully provided forhomeless wanderers of the sea, was received with merited and unanimouscontempt.
They saw little of Mr. Carleton, these days. He had, at first, attemptedto retain the favour of Harvey's crew, but they would have nought to dowith him, following the example of their recognized leader. So it cameabout that Mr. Carleton, left much to himself, and not caring, seemingly,to cultivate the friendship of the elder persons among the summerarrivals, spent the greater part of his time in driving about the island,and in hiring Captain Sam's sailboat, for short cruises about the bay.
He took Harry Brackett out with him occasionally, and, being a man ofshrewd observation, startled that young man one day not a little, bybursting suddenly into laughter when the yacht _Viking_ sailed past, at alittle distance.
"I see your two beauty-spots on the sail," he said, laughing heartily,and pointing to the places where the sail had been neatly mended. "Thatwas a clever trick. Ha! ha! How did you happen to think of that littledodge of tying up the reef-points? Guess you know more about a sailboatthan some folks seem to think, eh?"
Harry Brackett, taken by surprise, made a feeble attempt at denial, butMr. Carleton wouldn't listen to it. He had an assertive, positive way,that Harry Brackett could not withstand. So the boy ended by admittingthe act, vastly relieved to find that a man like Mr. Carleton, of whomhis father spoke so highly, regarded it as a really good joke.
"Makes me feel like a boy again, for all the world," chuckled Mr.Carleton. "Count me in on the next one. I'm a good deal of a boy,myself."
Also, did the astute Mr. Carleton feign to regard as a joke an incidentthat occurred some days later, of a more serious nature, and which hediscovered quite by chance.
It had come on foggy, with a lazy wind from the southeast, and forseveral days the island and the bay had been obscured by thick banks offog, so that one could not see a boat's length ahead. The steamers camein cautiously, sounding their whistles, to note, if they were near land,how quick the echo, or an answering fog-bell, came back to them.
There was no sailing, and the boys remained ashore, mostly up at thecomfortable Warren cottage, or within the tents. They tended thelobster-pots when the fog did not roll in too thick; but for two entiredays it was too heavy for them to find the buoys, and they did nofishing.
It happened on one of these days that, finding it dull in the town, Mr.Carleton invested in a suit of oilskins and rowed down along the shore,where he dropped a line off the ledges and fished for cunners. He was asmart fisherman, and caught a good mess in a short running of theflood-tide.
"I'll get the captain to clean them, and have Mrs. Curtis make me one ofthose fine chowders for supper," he said, as he pushed the basket of fishunder the seat, put the oars into the oar-locks and proceeded to row in.
But Mr. Carleton miscalculated a little, in the fog, and rowed somedistance down the shore before he discovered his mistake. He was turningto row back, when the sound of some one else rowing attracted hisattention. He was close to shore, out of sight.
Presently the boat came dimly into view through the fog, and Mr. Carletonmade out the occupant to be Harry Brackett. He was about to hail him,when the rower turned his boat inshore and stepped out. Then Mr. Carletonobserved that the object at which Harry Brackett had arrived was thelobster-car owned by the campers. Mr. Carleton quietly stepped out of hisown boat, and walked up into the bushes.
Harry Brackett reached for the line with which the car was moored, anddrew the car in to shore. Then, taking from his pocket a ring on whichseveral keys dangled, he proceeded to try them, one by one, in thepadlock of one of the trap-doors. A certain key finally answered hispurpose, and the next moment Mr. Carleton saw the door lifted. HarryBrackett, using a short-handled net, lifted out half a dozen lobsters,dropped them into his boat, and, relocking the trap-door, got into hisboat, and started to row away.
But he nearly fell over in his seat with fright, when the sound oflaughter close on shore greeted him. The next moment, Mr. Carletonstepped into view.
"Ha! ha!" laughed Mr. Carleton. "Oh, you're a sly dog. I see what you'reup to. Little bake going on among some of you island chaps, eh? No reasonwhy our friends should not contribute something to the fun. Oh, I've beena boy, myself. Look out they don't catch you, though. Heavy fine, youknow, for that sort of thing."
Harry Brackett, terrified, rowed ashore to where Mr. Carleton wasstanding. He must explain. He had no idea of stealing the lobsters--whichwas met with derisive laughter from Mr. Carleton, and the assurance thathe was a bold young chap.
From which effort at dissimulation, Harry Brackett came, at length, tobeg and implore Mr. Carleton that he would say nothing about it.
Now, if Mr. Carleton had had any notion that young Harry Brackett mightat some time be useful to him, he certainly went about the manner ofgaining an ascendency over him most admirably. For didn't Mr. Carletonpromise that he would say nothing about the affair? And didn't he feignto treat it as a huge joke? He certainly did. But how cunningly, also, inall his making light of it, did he convey to young Harry Brackett's mindthe fact that he knew it was a criminal thing; and that it would meetwith heavy punishment, if discovered. And how cunningly did he play uponfirst the one, and then the other idea; the idea of a practical joke, andthe idea of the penalty for it, if it should be known; until young HarryBrackett would gladly have promised to do anything in all the world thatMr. Carleton might ask, to buy his silence.
"Then you won't let on about it?" urged Harry Brackett, apprehensively,for the tenth time or more, as he started to row away.
"Never a word from me," said Mr. Carleton. "Ho, you rascal--I've been ayoungster, too. But you're taking pretty big chances of getting intotrouble. Look out for yourself. Ho! ho!"
"I'll never take another chance like it," whined Harry Brackett.
For the remainder of Mr. Carleton's stay on the island, there was onemore youth that avoided him now, though for a different reason than thatof the others. This was young Harry Brackett. He was ashamed to look Mr.Carleton in the face. Perhaps, on the other hand, it was rather Mr.Carleton who avoided meeting the young yachtsman. And perhaps he, too,was ashamed of what he had done.
However, this newly developed modesty on Harry Brackett's part did notprevent Mr. Carleton, driving along the road an afternoon or two later,from overtaking him and insisting that he get in and ride.
"Glad to see you," said Mr. Carleton, as affably as he knew how. "Haven'tseen you around much for a day or two. Lobsters didn't make you chapssick, did they? Ha! ha!"
Harry Brackett flushed, and felt decidedly uncomfortable.
But he tried to laugh it off, and said he was feeling first rate.
"Well," said Mr. Carleton, "you're all right. I like to see a boy ofspirit. I'm glad to have met you. I'm going to leave, to-morrow, by theway."
Harry Brackett wouldn't, for the world, have said how glad he was to hearof it. On the contrary, he said he was sorry; and added, that his father,the squire, would be sorry, too.
"I'll be sorry to lose the squire's company," replied Mr. Carleton. "Butdon't say anything to him about my going. That's a peculiarity of mine; Idon't like to say good-bye to people. Sort of distresses me, don't youknow. That is, don't say anything about it until after I am gone. Like asnot, I shall not speak of it to anybody but you. Captain Sam, even, won'tknow of it until I settle up with him, to-morrow."
"How about Harvey and Henry Burns and that crowd?" inquired HarryBrackett.
/> "Why, the fact is," replied Mr. Carleton, "we have had a little fallingout. I'm sorry about it, too. They're not such bad young chaps--exceptthat Burns boy. He's too notional--don't you think so?"
"Yes," said Harry Brackett, decidedly.
"Well, I broke a lock on their cabin door," continued Mr. Carleton,"because I was desperately worried about the loss of a pin that was worthmost as much as their boat--to say nothing of a cheap lock. Of course Iwas going to get them another, and a better one. They wouldn't have mademuch fuss, either, I think, if it hadn't been for young Burns. Harvey washot-headed about it, but he would have got over it. The other young chap,he was cool as ice; but I could see he was the one I couldn't makefriends with again, so I gave it up."
"Humph!" exclaimed Harry Brackett--"and after all you have done for them,too."
"That's it," said Mr. Carleton; "though I don't care anything about that.I was glad to give them a good time."
"Say," he exclaimed, suddenly, as though an idea had just come to hismind, "I tell you what you do. I'm going over to Bellport for a few days,and then down the coast somewhere. But I'll leave word at Bellport for myletters to be forwarded. I want you to write to me once a week or so. Letme know where the _Viking_ is, and what the boys are doing, and what youare doing. If we get a chance, you and I will play a little joke on them,just to show them they're not so smart--might just tie in a few morereef-points, or something of that sort, eh?"
Mr. Carleton laughed as he spoke.
"I'll do it," said Harry Brackett. "Are you in earnest, though?"
"Yes, sir, honour bright," replied Mr. Carleton. "You keep me informed,and we'll have a joke on them yet."
"Well, good-bye," said Harry Brackett, getting down from the wagon andshaking hands with Mr. Carleton.
"Good-bye," said the other. "And if any one inquires about me, after I amgone, just tell them you heard me say I was going back to Boston."
"Harry," said Squire Brackett, the second evening following this, "I wantyou to go over to Captain Sam's and take this note to Mr. Carleton. It'sabout a little business transaction, so be careful and don't lose it.You're pretty careless sometimes."
"Why, he's gone away," answered Harry Brackett. "No use taking that overto Captain Sam's."
"Gone away!" shouted the squire, seizing his son by the collar. "Goneaway! When did he go?"
"Captain Sam says he went yesterday."
"Why didn't you tell me about it before?" cried Squire Brackett, shakinghis son vigorously.
"Why, how did I know anything about it?" whined Harry Brackett. "How didI know you wanted to see him before he went? You're always blaming me forthings. I'm not to blame."
On second thought, Squire Brackett came to the same conclusion. Still, itbeing his habit of mind invariably to blame somebody else for his ownmisfortunes, he had to vent his irritation on his son.
"Well, clear out of here!" he cried. "You never know anything except atthe wrong time."
Harry Brackett disappeared.
One would have thought that the squire had lost his dearest friend onearth, in the departure of Mr. Carleton, judging by the deep and profoundmelancholy that fell upon him, for a fortnight. Or, on the other hand,one might have thought that Mr. Carleton was his bitterest foe, if anyone had seen him rage and fume in secret, whenever he thought of Mr.Carleton or pronounced his name. Mrs. Brackett overheard him mutter, onone or two occasions, "Fifteen hundred dollars tied up in an island!"But, when she inquired what he meant, she received a reply that was bothincommunicative and not wholly courteous.
As for Billy Cook, the squire wouldn't speak to him, when next theymet--nor for half the summer.
"Never mind," said Uncle Billy to himself, "I'll buy a new pair of Sundayboots, and I'll pay as much as two dollars and a half for 'em."