CHAPTER XVIII
THE REGATTA
The late July morning that broke upon the scene of the last preparationsfor Honotonka regatta promised as fine a day as heart could wish.
There was a good breeze from early morning. This was fine for thecatboat races and for the sailing canoes. Yet the breeze was not toostrong, and there was not much "sea." This latter fact made the paddlingless difficult.
The camps on Gannet Island and at Green Knoll were deserted soon afterbreakfast. The Busters took their canoes aboard the _Happy Day_,while Mr. Lavine's launch, the _Sissy Radcliffe_, carried thegirls' canoes as well as the girls themselves.
They were two merry boatloads, and the boats themselves were strung withbanners and pennants. As they shot up the sunlit lake they sighted manyother craft headed toward Braisely Park, for some contestants had comefrom as far away as the Forge, at the head of the Wintinooski.
Suddenly Wyn, looking through the camp spyglass, recognized the patchedsail of the _Coquette_, the little catboat in which Polly Jarleyhad come to the rescue of the two members of the Go-Ahead Club on thatmemorable day.
"Polly is aboard," she told Frank Cameron, passing the glass to herfriend. "But who is the boy with her?"
"That's no boy!" declared the sharp-eyed Frankie. "Why! he's got amustache."
"It's never Mr. Jarley himself?" exclaimed Wyn, in surprise.
"That's exactly who it is."
"I didn't think they'd both leave the landing at the same time. Do yousuppose they have entered the _Coquette_ in the free-for-allcatboat race?"
"I shouldn't wonder. She's a fast boat if she _is_ old andlubberly-looking. And Dr. Shelton has offered twenty-five dollars forthe winning boat."
"It takes two to work a catboat properly, too. That is theunderstanding," said Wyn, thoughtfully: "a crew of two."
"Hope they win the race!" declared Frank, generously.
"So do I. And they've got Polly's birch canoe aboard. She will enter forthe girls' canoe race, I am sure."
"All right," said Frank. "If you don't win the prize in _that_, mydear, then I hope Polly does."
"Why, I haven't a chance beside Bess, I am sure."
"That's all right. Bess is too erratic. One day she paddles well and thenext she is 'way behind. It's her temperament. She's not a steady oldwarhorse like yourself, Wynnie."
"Thanks," laughed Wyn. "How about Polly? What do you call _her_?"
"I don't know. I admire her vastly," said Frank. "But Polly puzzles me.And I haven't seen her working at the paddle much. I only know that in askiff she can out row any of the Busters."
"I fancy she can paddle some, too. And her canoe is as light as afeather. All those birchbarks are."
"The judges may handicap her, then. But, hullo! what's that Dave Shepardup to?"
Wyn turned to look at her next-door neighbor. Dave was writing upon aslip of paper. Once he looked across at Frank and Wyn and saw that thetwo girls were watching him.
He seemed confused, started as though to tear the paper up, and then hidit under a coil of rope at his feet. But he was very particular to hideevery particle of the paper.
"What you doing there, Dave?" demanded Frank, with plain curiosity.
"Oh, nothing," responded the youth, and rose up, stretching his arms andyawning. It was plain that he did not wish to be questioned.
"What was that paper?" pursued Frank.
"Oh--that--er----It's of no consequence," declared Dave, and walked aftso as not to be further questioned.
"Now, he can't fool me!" cried Frank, under her breath. "It _was_something of consequence. I--I'm going to see."
"I wouldn't," said Wyn.
"Why not?"
"Well--whatever it is, it isn't ours."
"Pooh!"
"And he evidently didn't want us to see it."
"For that very reason I am going to look," declared Frankie. And themoment Dave was out of sight she sprang across the deck and lifted upthe rope enough to pull out the paper.
The moment she scanned it, Wyn saw Frankie's face turn very red. Shelooked angry, and stamped her foot. Then she burst into a giggle, andslid the paper back out of sight again.
She came back to her friend with a mixture of emotions expressed on hercountenance. "What do you suppose?" she demanded.
"Suppose about what?" asked Wyn.
"What do you suppose Dave wrote on that paper?"
"I give it up. Something that didn't concern us, as I told you."
"You're wrong," cried Frank, divided between wrath and amusement. "Andit's just the very _meanest_ thing!"
"Why, you excite my curiosity," admitted Wyn.
"That's what he did it for," declared Frankie.
"_What_ did he write?" cried Wyn. "Out with it."
"He wrote: 'I bet an ice-cream treat all around that your curiosity willnot permit you to leave this alone.' Now! could anything be meaner?"
"Ha, ha!" chuckled Wyn.
"Don't you see? We can't claim the treat without giving ourselves away?I believe I'll join forces with Bess. There _is_ nothing meanerthan a boy."
"Never mind," said Wyn. "I'll find some way of making Master Dave payfor the ice-cream treat, just the same. You see if I don't."
Soon after this the launches were sent to one side so as to leave thecourse clear, and the races began. The men's and boys' canoe races werevery interesting, and Dave Shepard won a sweater, while one of the otherBusters got the second prize of a dollar for quickness in overturningand righting a canoe.
Some "funny stunts" followed in the water, and then came a girls'swimming race. Here the Go-Ahead girls excelled, although there weremore than a score of entries. Wyn Mallory won a two-hundred-yard,straightaway dash, while Frank was second and Grace Hedges third in thesame race. The people who had come up from Denton cheered the girlsenthusiastically. When the parents who had been so afraid for theirdaughters' safety saw how well able the girls were to take care ofthemselves, their anxiety was allayed.
After these swimming contests there was an interval of two hours forrefreshments. A caterer had prepared tables of sandwiches and colddrinks, as well as ice cream and cake, on one of the bigger docksbelonging to Braisely Park. In fact, it was Dr. Shelton's dock.
The catboat races were to follow the intermission and Wyn found that theJarley _Coquette_ had been entered. She ran over to the dock fromwhich the "cats" were to start for the line, and as she approached thespot she heard loud voices and saw a little crowd of excited people.
The _Coquette_ was almost the only catboat left. Dr. Shelton hadbacked Mr. Jarley up against a post on the wharf and, in a loud andangry voice, was telling the unfortunate boatman what he thought of him.
"_You_ have the cheek to be in this race, John Jarley?" cried theangry man. "I don't mind your daughter--I pity her. But I'm hanged ifI'll let a thief take part in this race--and me offering the prize. Getout of here!"
"Hold on, Shelton!" exclaimed one of his friends. "You're going too farwhen you call Jarley a thief."
"Or else you are not going far enough," chimed in another. "If youbelieve Jarley stole those images--and the boat--why don't you go aboutit right? Report it to the county prosecutor and have the man arrested."
"Or, if Jarley is _not_ guilty," added another, "I advise him, as alawyer, to sue you for damages."
"Let him sue and be hanged to him!" cried Dr. Shelton, who was a great,rough man, twice the size of the boatman, and with all the confidence ofhis great wealth, as well as his great muscle, behind him. "But hesha'n't sail in this race."
"We'll go back home, Father----Oh, let's go back!" cried Polly, from thecockpit of the dancing _Coquette_.
But Wyn Mallory knew that the Jarleys must have hoped to win thetwenty-five dollar prize. The _Coquette_ was being mentioned as apossible winner among the knowing ones about the course.
"Dr. Shelton!" she cried, tugging at the angry man's arm. "Do you mindif Polly and I sail the boat instead?"
"Eh? _You_--a girl?" grun
ted the doctor, "Well, why not? I've gotnothing--as I said before--against his daughter. It's the man himselfwho has no business at this end of the lake. I sent him word so a monthand more ago. I ought to have him arrested."
Win thought it would be less cruel to do so, and have the matterthrashed out in the courts. Mr. Jarley was stooping from the wharf,whispering with Polly.
"I can help her," Wyn cried, turning to the abused boatman. "Letme--do!"
"You are very kind, Miss Mallory," said Jarley.
The captain of the Go-Ahead Club leaped lightly down into the_Coquette_.
"What's our number--sixteen?" she cried. "Pay off the sheet, Polly.We're off." Then she added, in a low tone, to the weeping girl in thestern: "Don't you mind the doctor, Polly--mean old thing! We'll win theprize in spite of him--you see if we don't."