CHAPTER XXI. THE TRIAL
What one man knew in Mayville was every man's property. Gossip alwaysspread through the town like wildfire. So it happened that on the morningof the arrival of the _Nancy Jane_ and the _Spray_ there was a buzzingand a shaking of heads and a wagging of tongues; and before long thewhole town knew that something of vast importance was about to take placeup at Squire Ellis's court.
"It's those young fellows that set the hotel afire over across atSouthport," said a certain tall, gaunt individual, who happened to be thecentre of an excited group on one of the street corners, near the townpump. "I hear as how Squire Barker is going to defend them, but they dosay he's got no case, because I heard Lem Stevens say as he heard SquireBrackett declare he saw them young chaps down in the billiard-room of thehotel along about midnight, and the fire started pretty quick afterthat."
"Well, guess they'll catch it if Squire Brackett is on their trail,"volunteered another of the group. "He ain't given to showing kindness toanybody, much less to a lot of firebugs."
"I don't believe they ever done it, anyway," ventured a third. "Theydon't seem like that kind, from all I can learn, and they do say as howthey pitched in and saved a lot of Colonel Witham's boarders from beingburned in their beds, when the flames was a-spreadin' fast."
And so the gossip waged, this way and that, while impatient knots ofidlers hung around the entrance to Squire Ellis's court, waiting for teno'clock, when proceedings should begin.
Shortly before the old town clock beat out the ten solemn strokes thatproclaimed the formal sitting of justice, a whisper ran along the line ofloiterers, "Here he comes. It's the judge." And that person of greatimportance, a short, thick-set man, with a quick, nervous step, anenergetic, sharp manner, but, withal, a kindly eye, entered thecourt-room. The next moment the clock announced his punctuality.
The crowd swarmed into the court-room, stuffy and hot enough already, andthe air vibrated with expectancy.
Proceeding up the long village street at this moment was a little group,headed by Captain Sam, not wholly unimpressed with the importance of hisown part in the affair, the boys and Mrs. Warren following, and, not farin the rear, the colonel and the squire. Just as they reached thecourt-room door, Captain Sam halted the little party for a moment, and,not without reluctance, said: "Well, boys, I suppose I'll have to servethese 'ere warrants before we go inside. I'm free to say I'm sorry to doit, but they're the orders of this 'ere honourable court, and they mustbe obeyed by me, a sworn officer of the law."
And having disposed of this somewhat painful formality, Captain Samopened the door and the party were in court.
Presently they were joined by Squire Barker, a sober, elderly,clerical-looking lawyer, dressed in a somewhat rusty suit of black,serious-minded, whose lugubrious manner was not calculated to infuse aspirit of cheer into hearts that were sinking.
The county attorney, who was to conduct the case for the people of theState, a youthful attorney, of comparatively recent admission topractice, bustled about as became a functionary with the burden of animportant matter upon his shoulders.
The court-room, save for the buzzing of innumerable flies upon theuncleaned window-panes, was still as a church when His Honour announcedthat the court was now open for whatsoever matters the county attorneyhad to bring before it.
After the usual formality of acquainting His Honour officially of thematter in hand, which matter His Honour was already as much acquaintedwith as a thousand and one busy tongues of gossip could make him, thelikewise formal answer of "Not guilty" was returned, and, without furtherdelay, Colonel Witham was called to the stand.
The colonel, fully awake to his opportunity, took the stand ratherpompously, thrust a well-filled, expansive waistband to the front, whencethere dangled from a waistcoat pocket a ponderous gold chain, plentifullyadorned with trinkets, in the handling of which, as he testified, a largeseal ring on a finger of his right hand was ostentatiously displayed.
Yes,--in answer to questions,--he was the lessee of the Bayview Hotel onthe 10th of September last, on which day it was burned to the ground;and, if he did say it, there was no better conducted hotel along theshores of Samoset Bay.
Suggestion by His Honour that he please answer the questions as put, andreserve his own personal opinions and convictions to himself, received bythe colonel with evident surprise and some little loss of dignity.
Then the colonel detailed, so far as he knew them, the events of thenight of the fire; how he was first aroused by the cry of "Fire!" and howthe first persons he encountered--within his very hotel, in fact--werethe accused; how the smoke was even then pouring up from the basementwindows, and that upon investigation he had found the whole basementfloor to be on fire, so that it was already far beyond control.
Then there followed a detailed account of the fire, of the destruction ofthis section and that, and, finally, the utter collapse and ruin of theentire structure, with all that it had contained. The colonel did thescene full justice in his description, making an unmistakable impressionon the minds of the assembled townsfolk.
Asked if he had seen any suspicious characters in or about the hotel onthe day or night of the fire, the colonel said he had not; nor had anystranger who had not been subsequently accounted for come ashore from thesteamers on that day.
Leaving at length the subject of the fire, County Attorney Perkins camedown to the subject of the attempt to serve the warrants upon the boys atthe camp and at the Warren cottage, the failure, the subsequent pursuitof the boys down the bay in the _Nancy Jane_, and the final surrender ofthe yacht _Spray_ in the middle of the bay.
It was clear that this part of the evidence would have great weight withthe court. After the attorney's questions he put several of his own,regarding the escape from Little Reach, and whether it must have beenclear to the boys in the yacht that they were being pursued.
It was this testimony that made Mr. Warren breathe hardest, and put hishand to his head with a troubled look.
Squire Barker's cross-examination was brief, but he made two tellingpoints, which might have their influence. One was, that the boys had beenvery brave on the night of the fire, and had undoubtedly saved manylives. This the colonel reluctantly had to admit. The other, and far moreimportant point, was the bringing out that early on the morning of thefire the colonel had seen that the yacht _Surprise_ was absent from hermoorings, whereas the colonel had seen her lying there the afternoonpreceding.
"Was it not common talk in the village that Harvey and his crew weremissing the very morning after the fire?" inquired Squire Barker.
"It was," answered the colonel.
"And did you not see all of the accused about the village for the entireday following the fire?"
"Yes."
There was a buzz in the court-room, which indicated that this point hadtold.
"And is it not true," continued Squire Barker, "that this Jack Harvey andhis crew have not yet returned, are still missing?"
The colonel said he believed such was the case.
Asked why he had not secured their arrest, he responded that he felt surehe was on the right track, as he would prove by his witness, SquireBrackett.
And Squire Brackett, nothing loath, was the next witness. Having broughtout, what everybody knew, that the squire was a property owner and a manof importance in his own village, the county attorney asked:
"And where were you shortly after midnight on the night of September10th?"
"I was passing the Hotel Bayview on my way to the shore."
"What did you see as you neared the hotel?"
"I saw a light in the billiard-room window, and went to the window andlooked in."
"Did you see any one in there?"
"I did."
"And who were they?"
"These accused," and the squire named in turn each of the six boys andpointed them out in court.
They, feeling the eyes of all turned toward the
m, the awful stillness ofthe court-room for the moment following the squire's declaration, andoppressed more than ever by the hot, choking atmosphere of the stuffylittle court, turned white and red by turns, wished that the floor wouldopen beneath their feet and swallow them, and felt a burning sensation intheir throats as though they were stifling.
"And how soon did you see flames coming up from the location of thehotel?"
"I could not say exactly; it might have been half an hour. I was out inthe bay in my sloop."
"Had you seen any suspicious characters in the village on that day?"
"I had not."
Then the squire also recounted the events of the pursuit of the yacht_Spray_, the escape through Little Reach, and the subsequent surrender ofthe boys.
From Squire Barker it was brought out, as in the testimony of thecolonel, the fact that after Harvey and his crew in the yacht _Surprise_had suddenly set sail on the very morning of the fire, they had not beenseen nor heard of since. This, the squire admitted, was common knowledgethroughout the village.
Then there came to the stand Captain Sam, standing awkwardly, with a hardclutch on the rail in front of him, as if he were afraid of thecourt-house suddenly dipping and rolling on a breaker and spilling himoverboard.
No, he had no objection to removing his tobacco in deference to theCourt, and did so; but forgot that august presence before he had beentestifying long, and took another and a bigger chew.
Did he know the accused?
Reckoned he did, with a haw-haw that shook the court-room.
Had he pursued them in his sloop the _Nancy Jane_, in an endeavour toserve the warrants?
He had, and they worked their boat like sailors, if he did say it.
"And were you assisted in your pursuit by Colonel Witham and SquireBrackett?"
"Assisted!" drawled Captain Sam, and grinning from ear to ear. "Well, Idunno how much assisting you'd be pleased to call it, being as they weresick as a boy that had eaten a peck of green apples, and was sprawlingaround in the bottom of the boat like a couple of halibut just catched."
Which, being pronounced by Captain Sam with the utmost gravity, producedsuch a decided impression on the audience of fisher-people andsailor-folk, that there was a roar throughout the court-room, at whichHis Honour announced that any such further interruption would be followedby the clearing of the room.
The squire and the colonel turned red in the face and looked ratherfoolish, inwardly wishing that Captain Sam was at the bottom of the bay.
Captain Sam, under further questioning, told again the story of thatafternoon's sailing, mentioning casually that the colonel had requestedto be set ashore when the _Nancy Jane_ was out in the middle of the bay,which request, as Captain Sam explained, there being no land near byexcepting that straight down under water, he was unable to grant.
Another titter through the court-room, the colonel and the squireblushing redder than ever.
It was embarrassing enough to Captain Sam to tell how he had put the_Nancy Jane_ aground in Little Reach, for he knew there was scarce a manor boy within the sound of his voice who wouldn't vow to himself that, ifhe had been in Captain Sam's place, he would have known better. It wasreally mortifying.
Squire Barker made the most of this, not because it could help hisclients, but because it served in its way to put one of the people'switnesses in a ridiculous light, and because it gave him a chance to showhow smart a cross-examiner he could be, thereby elevating himself in theeyes and admiration of his townsfolk.
"So you got aground where these young men took their boat through allright, did you?" queried Squire Barker.
"I got aground," snapped Captain Sam, sharply.
"And these young men took their boat through safe and sound?"
"I don't know," roared Captain Sam. "I didn't see them."
"But you saw them just a few minutes before that, didn't you?"
"Guess I did."
"And when you got to the entrance they were nowhere in sight, andtherefore must have sailed through; they couldn't have dragged the_Spray_ over the rocks?"
"Suppose not."
The colonel and the squire were rather enjoying this, and had plucked upspirits enough to titter with the rest at the discomfiture of CaptainSam.
"Then you tried to imitate these young men and go through as they did,but you didn't seem to know the channel, and so got aground?"
"Channel!" roared Captain Sam, bellowing out the word in a rage andshaking a fist at the squire. "Channel, did you say? Haven't I told youthere wasn't enough channel there to wash a sheep in? Didn't I tell thesetwo thick-headed numskulls"--pointing to the colonel and thesquire--"that we'd get aground if we went in there? And didn't they snarlat me like two old women, and accuse me of letting them 'ere boys getaway? Didn't I know we'd get aground in there, and didn't these twoseasick old pussy-cats make me go ahead and do it?"
Captain Sam, beside himself with indignation, roared this out so hisvoice could be heard far out in the street. In vain the court rapped fororder. The whole court-room was convulsed, and, finally, His Honour,overcome with the situation, leaned back in his chair and laughed too.
Only the colonel and the squire, the butt of all the merriment, lookedalternately at the floor and the ceiling, and mopped their faces withhandkerchiefs as red as their cheeks.
At length, when order was restored, Judge Ellis said: "Captain Sam, youare excused. You are in contempt of court. The case will proceed withouttestimony from you."
At which Captain Sam, feeling that he had in a measure vindicated hisname and reputation, got down from the stand in a somewhat better frameof mind.
There followed several of the hotel guests, who had been duly summonsedto tell what they knew of the early stages of the fire, and whether theyhad seen any suspicious characters about the hotel or the village on thatday. They made it very clear, together with the testimony of some of thevillagers, that there had been no strange person seen in the town eitheron that day or the preceding or the following day, all of which argued,of course, that, if the fire was set, it was set by some one in the town,who was more or less known to every one.
On the other hand, it was definitely established by Squire Barker thatHarvey and his crew had set sail in the _Surprise_ while the hotel wasstill blazing furiously, for there were two of the villagers who liveddown the island several miles from the hotel who testified to seeing the_Surprise_ beating down alongshore about daylight.
This was highly important, and yet the one essential thing was lacking,nor could it be supplied by any evidence at hand, that Harvey or any oneof his crew had been seen about the hotel that night.
It was noon now, and time for recess. So His Honour announced anadjournment to half-past two that afternoon, and the crowd swarmedout-of-doors, leaving the flies in undisputed possession of the uncleanwindows.
It was hard for the boys to realize that at last they were underrestraint; that they were not free to follow the crowd of villagers andtheir friends. The seriousness of the situation assumed an even moredepressing aspect.
"Do you think he will hold them?" asked Mr. Warren, anxiously, of SquireBarker, as the little party, under the nominal charge of Captain Sam, satin the anteroom of the court-house, trying to partake of a luncheon whichhad been provided, but for which nobody seemed to have any appetite.
"Well, I can't say," answered the squire, wisely. "But I'm a littleafraid of it. I'm just a little afraid. You see, their getting into thehotel and being there just before the fire can't be denied. And I supposethat His Honour will hold that it was really breaking and entering to getinto the hotel in the night-time in the way they did. And then, eventhough it may have been accidental, the setting the fire, still, as itfollowed and grew out of their unlawful act, they can be held for settingthe hotel on fire."
This sentence, somewhat involved as it was, but delivered with sagenessand an ominous shake of the head, set the boys to breathing hard, andmore than one of them found himself swallowing a lump in his
throat.
"But there isn't the slightest evidence that we set the fire," said youngJoe.
"Yes," answered the squire; "there's what they call circumstantialevidence, and that is, the fact of your being in there just before it wasdiscovered. It may not be enough to convict on, but the question that'sbothering now is, will it be enough to hold you over on, and I'm bound tosay it does look just a little bad. However, we won't give up. We'llfight it out to the last."
But just what there was to fight it out on, not one of them could for thelife of him suggest.
The minutes, which seemed like hours, dragged wearily on, and the air inthe stuffy little court-house seemed to grow denser and more unendurablystifling. One o'clock. Two o'clock. The hum of returning villagers becamemore loud. The hour for the resumption of the session was only thirtyminutes away.
Suddenly there was the sound of light, quick, nervous footsteps along thehallway, the door was pushed open, and in there bounced a little oldlady, whose thin face beamed and flushed with excitement under a bonnet,fashionably but rather youthfully trimmed with bright flowers, dressed ina gown quaintly cut, but giving evidence of the means of the wearer, andbearing on one arm a small basket and in the other hand a chatelaine-bag.
"Why, it's Mrs. Newcome!" exclaimed Mrs. Warren, jumping up excitedly,and glad even of this interruption. "What can have brought you here?"
"Isn't this a wicked shame!" cried the little old lady, paying noattention to Mrs. Warren's question. "It's just the cruellest thing Iever heard of, bringing these boys here. I'll tell the judge that, too,if they'll let me. Where is that old scamp, Colonel Witham, and that oldmischief-maker, Squire Brackett? If I don't give them a piece of my mind!I told Jerry about it all the way over, and you ought to have heard himgrowl. Here he is; just listen how angry he is."
And Mrs. Newcome, unfastening the cover of the basket which she had beencarrying, disclosed to view the aforesaid Jerry, lying within on acushion. The cat, in corroboration of his mistress's declaration,certainly did growl and snarl and then yowl dolorously; but whether as anendorsement of old Mrs. Newcome's indignation, or whether giving vent tohis own at being whisked about in a basket on a boiling hot day, no onebut he could say positively.
"These boys didn't set that fire," snapped the old lady, decisively; "andI just want to do what I can for them. I couldn't leave Jerry behind. Hegets so lonesome without me. So I brought him along. And now, Mr. Warren,I suppose you know I'm not the poorest person that comes down here tospend summers, and I've got some property around these parts, too--someland in this very town. And if there's any what-do-you-call-it to pay--"
"Any bail?" suggested the squire.
"That's it--bail. That's the word. If there's any of that to pay, I'vegot the securities right here," and Mrs. Newcome shook the chatelaine-bagvigorously.
"You are very kind," said Mr. Warren, amused in spite of himself. "ButI'm hoping we shall not have need of bail."
But in the midst of it there came the ringing voice of the crier in thecourt-room adjoining, and the little party all filed into court again,old Mrs. Newcome bringing up the rear, with the basket on her arm, whencethere emerged now and then a stifled wail, in spite of her whisperedadmonitions.
"We have closed our case," said the prosecuting attorney. And the defencewas begun.
"George Warren!" called Squire Barker, and George, paling slightly at theordeal, but doing his best to keep up a stout heart, took the stand.
He told his story with a frankness that was convincing, keeping nothingback; and at the close Squire Barker asked: "And did you, or did you seeanybody else set a fire that night?"
"Certainly not," he answered. And there was no doubt that he had made agood impression.
But there were certain ugly facts that were made to stick out moreembarrassingly on the prosecuting attorney's cross-examination.
"You will admit," he asked, "that you left on the second day followingthe fire, because you did not care to be questioned about it?"
"Yes, because we knew that our being in the hotel that night would looksuspicious, if it were known," answered George Warren.
"Then you were going to conceal that fact, if you could?"
"Yes--I think we were--for awhile, at least."
"And so you ran away?"
"We didn't start out with the idea of running away."
"But you did run from the _Nancy Jane_ when you found she was followingand pursuing you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I really can't tell you," said George Warren. "I realize now it was afoolish thing to do. But it was not because we were guilty."
"But you were all in the basement of the hotel a few moments before thefire started?"
"Yes, we were."
"That is all," said the prosecuting attorney, and George left the stand.
Henry Burns, called next, did the best he could for his comrades.
"If it's anybody's fault, it's mine," he said. "You see, it was mysuggestion that got us in there. I was the first to go inside, and theothers came only after I had urged them."
But Squire Barker knew that this avowal, honest as it was, could not helpthem in the eyes of the law. So, having asked a few perfunctoryquestions, he turned the witness over to the prosecuting attorney. Thelatter brought out about the same points that he had made in thetestimony of George Warren, and that was all.
It was quite clear that Squire Barker was only calling the boys from asense of duty to them, to let them make the best impression they mightupon the mind of the judge. It was the only suit he had to play.
Then followed Arthur and Joe, and at length Tom and Bob.
The squire was at the end of his resources now, as far as evidence couldgo. It remained but for him to do his duty in the minds of his clientsand his townsmen, and he did it--to his own satisfaction, at least, inhis address to the court. He painted the heroism of the boys at the firein colours glowing as the flames. He enlarged upon the probability andthe presumption of innocence. And he paid his respects to the colonel andthe squire in a few stinging sentences that turned the eyes of theassembled audience upon them in indignation.
And when he was all done and the court-room turned with expectancy towardthe prosecuting attorney, the latter simply said:
"Your Honour, the people will submit their case without argument."
And so, with startling abruptness, the case had come to its crisis. Therewas nothing left but for the law to act.
There succeeded a deathlike stillness in the court-room. His Honour satfor some moments, with his eyes cast down upon his desk. He seemed loathto speak. Finally he arose and, with some effort, said, gently:
"In all my experience as attorney and as judge I have never before beenplaced in a position so distasteful to me nor so distressing. The case ofthese young men is most unfortunate. Their stories impress me as honestlytold. Their characters are clearly such as are opposed to any such wantondestruction as is here alleged. And yet the circumstances are such that Ishould be blind to the duty of my office if I failed to hold them fortrial. I hope that when their case shall come to trial this fall thatthey will have gathered evidence that shall show conclusively theirinnocence. In the meantime, deeply as I regret it, it becomes my painfulduty to order that they be held."
Again an utter stillness in the court-room, broken only by the sobbing ofa woman. The entire court-room waited silently for the next move, amazedat the suddenness of the conclusion. Six boys set their teeth hard andtried to look undismayed, but the face of each spoke only too plainly ofhis distress.
Then all at once the patter of feet broke the silence in the court-room,and a slight boyish figure, poorly dressed and unkempt, darted up theaisle, into the august presence of the court, and sought refuge in theseat next to that occupied by Mr. Warren.
A court officer, who had been stationed at the door, lumbered in afterthe boyish figure.
"Officer," cried Squire Ellis, irritably, "how came you to let this ladinto the court-r
oom? What does this mean? Put him out."
"If you please, Your Honour," said the officer, very red in the face, "Idrove him away from the door once, but he dodged in past me again beforeI could stop him."
"Remove him from the room at once," said the court, sharply.
The officer advanced.
But Tim Reardon--for it was he--had in the meantime seized upon Mr.Warren, and, though labouring under an excitement so intense as almost todeprive him wholly of the power of speech, communicated something to himof the greatest importance. Mr. Warren, in turn, having repeated thiscommunication to Squire Barker, the latter hastily arose.
"Your Honour," he began, "this young man brings evidence of the moststartling character, and which will, I am sure, reverse Your Honour'sdecision. He--"
But here a sound from the street outside was borne in upon thecourt-room, which caused the squire to pause for a moment, while he andevery person in the room listened in amazement.
The noise outside increased, and now there came the sound of many voices,men and women and boys and girls shouting out some piece of news, andthen a loud cheering. The tumult rapidly grew, until it seemed as if allin a moment the entire village was marching upon the court-house.
Despite the loud rapping for order of the court officers and the sharporder of the court for silence, many in the court-room rushed to thewindows and looked out. A strange sight met their eyes. A procession wascoming up the street, in the midst of which, his hands bound behind hisback, a man was walking, while, grasping him by either arm as they walkedbeside him, were Jack Harvey and Joe Hinman.
Into the court-room the procession burst like an avalanche. The room hadseemed somewhat crowded before, but now at least fifty or sixty more menwedged themselves in, with Harvey and his crew and the strange man stillin the centre of them. The rest of the crowd that followed, not beingable to force themselves into the court-room, seated themselves on thestairs just outside, and formed a long line out into the street.
His Honour, powerless to stay this astonishing inrush of the townspeople,waited till the crowd had resolved itself into something like order, andthen, rapping for silence, demanded to know the cause of this invasion ofand assault upon the dignity of the court.
There was a moment's silence and delay, and then a broad-shouldered youthpushed his way through the crowd and walked toward the witness-stand.
"Here!" cried His Honour. "Officer, stop that young man. Let the businessof this court proceed in its regular order. Mr. Barker, does the courtunderstand that you ask to have the case reopened on the ground of newlydiscovered evidence?"
"Yes, Your Honour," replied the squire, gravely.
"And this young man, do you wish to make him your witness?"
"I do, Your Honour," answered Squire Barker. "Although I am not certainas to just what he has to testify to, I wish to have him made ourwitness."
"State your name to the court," said Squire Barker, as the youth ascendedthe witness-stand.
"Jack Harvey."
"And am I correctly informed that you have important testimony to givebefore this court in this case?"
"I have the man that set the fire," replied Harvey.
"And can you produce him?"
"He is here in this room," answered Harvey.
And at this moment the crowd parted and allowed to pass a man who walkeddoggedly forward, with eyes downcast, hands firmly bound behind his back,while with him walked the remaining members of Harvey's crew.
"Is this the man whom you say set the fire?" queried Squire Barker.
"Yes," said Harvey.
"And how do you know he set the fire?"
"He's confessed it, because he knew there was no way out of it for him.Haven't you?" demanded Harvey, turning to the man.
The other nodded his head sullenly.
The uproar that greeted this acknowledgment was deafening. It was severalmoments before order could be restored in the court-room, and then thenews borne rapidly to those outside gave rise to a second tumult, whichagain stopped the proceedings of the court.
Then, when order had been finally restored, Harvey narrated theextraordinary events that had followed the meeting of the man in thepasture, down to his capture and confession; a confession that includedthe admission that he was none other than the man Chambers, and that hehad set fire to the hotel for revenge.
There never was anything like the scene that followed in all the historyof court procedure in the county from time out of mind. It did not takethe court long, however, to declare that the youthful prisoners, whom hehad felt it his solemn duty to hold for trial, were honourably cleared,and were free to go at liberty. It did not take long, considering thefact that the prisoner pleaded guilty, to hold him for trial. Nor did ittake long for good-hearted Judge Ellis to descend from the bench andshake hands with the boys, each and every one of them, and congratulatethem upon their complete exoneration.
Once outside the court-room, however, what a storm and tumult ofcongratulation awaited them. The first thing they knew there was a rushfor them, and up on the shoulders of a crowd of excited fishermen theywent, and were borne along, amid cheering. And Harvey, too, though hestruggled against it, was borne aloft, while the news of his bravecapture of the man Chambers was shouted out to all in the town.
In the midst of it all two figures were espied, slinking along toward theboat-landing, anxious to escape notice. A din of yells and catcalls andhisses told them they were discovered, and the colonel and the squire,sorry pictures of dismay and humiliation, quickened their steps and madetheir escape, thankful enough to escape unharmed from the indignantvillagers.
"Harvey," said George Warren, as he stood grasping the other's hand abouttwo hours later, as the boys formed a little group on the deck of thesteamer that was heading for Southport, "you have more than evened thething up. Tom and Bob saved you from drowning; but you have saved us allfrom disgrace, and I'm not sure but what I'd rather drown than go througha disgraceful ordeal like this again."
"No," said Harvey, clasping the hand of the other warmly. "I'm still theone that's in debt. They saved me from more than drowning. They saved mefrom disgrace, too."
"Let's call it even, anyway," said Henry Burns, "and shake hands allaround."
Some weeks later, as Henry Burns and George Warren sat on the veranda ofthe Warren cottage, looking out across the cove, a graceful yacht turnedthe headland and came up into the harbour.
"She looks familiar," said Henry Burns. "Where have we seen her before?Why, it's the _Eagle_, or the _Sprite_, or whatever her real name may be.I wonder what she's doing here. She was seized by the county and herowners advertised for. I wonder if they can have been discovered."
"Let's go down and take a look at her," said George Warren. "She is theprettiest thing that ever came into this harbour."
As they walked down to the shore a boat put off from the yacht and a manpulled in to land.
"Can you tell me where I can find either Henry Burns or Jack Harvey?" heinquired, addressing the two boys.
"I don't know about Harvey," answered Henry Bums, "but I can inform youabout the other person. What do you want of him?"
"Here's a note for you, if you mean that you're Henry Burns," said theman.
"That's funny," said Henry Burns. "It's the first note I've got sinceI've been here. I wonder who can have written it."
Henry Burns deliberately tore open the envelope and unfolded a letter. Heglanced hastily at the contents, stopped short, and gave a cry ofsurprise.
"George," he said, solemnly, "will you hit me once, good and hard, so Ican tell whether I am dreaming or not?"
"I hardly think there's any need of that," answered the other, laughing."You seem to be about as wide-awake as usual."
"Well," said Henry Burns, "if you won't hit me, just read that letter tome aloud, anyway. Perhaps I'll believe it if I hear you read it."
"It seems to be addressed to you and Jack Harvey both," said GeorgeWarren. "Perhaps I need his permission, too,
to read it."
"No you don't. Go ahead," demanded Henry Burns.
The letter read as follows:
"Mayville.
"Henry Burns and Jack Harvey,
"_My dear Young Men:_--You have each of you proved yourselves heroes in the events of the last few weeks. To you, Henry Burns, I am indebted for the rescue of my devoted Jerry, my pet and companion of many years. To you and your companions, I am, indeed, indebted for my own life. To you, Jack Harvey, I am indebted for the saving from disgrace of these young friends of mine. As you may know, the yacht captured from the man Chambers was condemned by the county officials, advertised, and finally put up at auction and sold, her former owner, if there ever was another besides Chambers, not having claimed her. She was, I am informed, a very expensive boat; but as there were few bidders among the fishermen, I was enabled to bid off the boat at a figure easily within my means. This letter is to inform you that I have presented the yacht to you, to be owned equally by you two. The papers will be made out later and sent to your parents or guardians. Hoping that you will enjoy many happy days aboard her, I remain,
"Sincerely yours, "Anna Newcome.
"P. S. Don't upset her and get drowned."
"Henry, old fellow," cried George Warren. "Let me congratulate you. Youare the two luckiest--"
But Henry Burns was running as fast as his legs could carry him in thedirection of Harvey's camp.
THE END.