A STARTLING EVENT ON THE ROAD.
When the Sylph had secured a position between the Goldwing and the
shore, so that the party on board of the latter could not escape, she
stopped her screw, and backed until she rested motionless on the water.
The appearance of the steamer so near the point created a sensation in
the picnic-party, and the whole crowd on the shore hastened to the
water-side.
Before the steamer lost her headway, her starboard quarter-boat was
dropping into the water. The yacht was not heavily manned, as she was
when the school was in session, and there were not hands enough on board
for any brilliant manœuvres. Captain Gildrock, Bates, the old
quartermaster, Paul Bristol, and Oscar Chester got into the boat, and
pulled to the Goldwing. Dory Dornwood and Mr. Bristol, the acting
engineer, remained on board with the ladies to take charge of the
steamer.
When Tom Topover and his companions saw the boat approaching them, they
abandoned all hope of escape, and gave up in despair. They wished they
were ashore, with those who had been left.
"What are you doing with this sloop?" demanded Captain Gildrock sternly,
when the quarter-boat came alongside of the Goldwing.
"I can't do any thing with her," replied Tom.
"You have stolen her, as you have tried to do before," added the
principal; "and we will make short work with you."
Paul Bristol was directed to take the painter of the sloop on board, and
the Goldwing was towed to the Sylph. The six culprits on board of her
were ordered to the deck, and they knew Captain Gildrock well enough not
to disobey him. The quarter-boat was hoisted up to the davits; and the
yacht came about and stood away from the shore without communicating
with the picnic-party. She headed up the lake, and in a few minutes
disappeared in the river.
Ash Burton and his companions observed the proceedings of the people of
the yacht with almost as much consternation as though they had been
captured with their late associates. They could hardly hope to escape
the consequences of their conduct, for Tom and the rest of the Topovers
would be sure to betray them. They looked upon it as a bad scrape; for
the principal of the Beech Hill Industrial School was one who obeyed the
laws, and went to them for redress when he was injured instead of
administering justice on his own account.
Sam Spottwood was sorry he had not followed his own impulse to do right,
instead of allowing himself to be led into error by his friend. But he
did not reproach Ash, for he felt that he was the victim of his own
weakness. The whole six of them were quite as repentant as the
half-dozen who had been captured in the sloop. No doubt they made big
resolutions, which are good things to make if they are only remembered
in the hour of temptation.
The picnic-party seemed to be very much astonished at the proceedings of
the people on board of the yacht, which was now approaching the river
with the sloop in tow. Ash saw that they wanted some explanation; and
when he saw the gentleman who had paid him the dozen half-dollars, he
felt that he had business elsewhere. He beat a hasty retreat, followed
by his companions. He did not care to appear before his late passengers
as a culprit, and he was not inclined to tell any lies about the matter.
"We are in for it now," said Hop Cabright, as they walked with hasty
steps away from the point, in the direction of the road to Genverres.
"No doubt of that," replied Sam Spottwood. "It is a bad scrape, and the
worst of it is being associated with such fellows as Tom Topover."
"As Captain Gildrock did not catch us in the boat, perhaps he will not
meddle with us," suggested Syl Peckman.
"Those fellows will blow on us, after all that happened this afternoon,"
added Chick Penny.
"Of course they will, and we are just as guilty as they are," added Sam
Spottwood. "You don't catch me having any thing to do with Tom Topover,
and the fellows like him again: they are a hard crowd."
"We never did any thing very bad with them before," said Ash Burton. "I
am sure we have done something towards making them better fellows, for
we have tried to improve their manners and their morals."
"I don't think they are much better, though I know of three or four
instances where we have prevented them from stealing. But we ought to
have prevented them from using the Goldwing, instead of taking part with
them in the wrong," said Sam.
"You know how it happened, and how we were led into it," pleaded Ash.
"We were wrecked, and out in the middle of Beechwater, without any way
to get ashore except in the sloop."
"I understand all about that; but we were weak to get into the boat
again after we got ashore," argued Sam.
"I don't believe I should have done so if it had not been to convince
Tom Topover that the boat could be sailed either way. It is all up with
us now, and we must take the consequences, whatever they may be."
"Do you suppose the captain will prosecute us?" asked Sam.
"Probably he will, though he may let up on us when he finds that we did
not go out to the sloop with the intention of taking her. The Topovers
have tried to steal the boats before, and he may think it is necessary
in order to protect himself from them," replied Ash.
"I hope he won't; for the penalty will be a fine, I suppose, and my
father will have to pay it," added Sam very gloomily. "He is not able to
pay it, for he has not had work half the time this summer. He would have
taken me out of school if he could have found any thing for me to do
that would pay for my board and clothes."
"My father is no better off, for he had been out of work so long over at
Westport that he came over here, hoping to do better; but he has not,
and he finds it hard work to get enough to live on. But what am I to do
with this money? I have six dollars in my pocket, which I intended to
divide among the fellows."
"That would be half a dollar apiece; but the fellows that went off in
the boat without us don't deserve any of it," said Hop Cabright.
"I shall not use any of that money, or touch it," interposed Sam
Spottwood. "It belongs to Dory Dornwood if it belongs to anybody, for he
is the owner of the Goldwing."
"I should like some of the money well enough to give to my father, but I
feel just as though I had stolen it," continued Ash.
"I don't think it belongs to us, at any rate," repeated Sam.
"But I don't want to keep it. I don't like the feeling of it in my
pocket."
By this time they had reached the road; and they were a sorry set, for
all of them had consciences, and such boys always feel worse when they
have done wrong than when they have been without their dinner and
supper. They continued to talk over the subject, trying to agree upon
what they should do. Sam insisted that they should call upon Captain
Gildrock, confess their error, and throw themselves upon his mercy, with
the statement that their fathers were too poor to pay any fines. They
would tender the money to him for Dory Dornwood, and promise never to
take anybody's boat again, and to withdraw entirely from the association
with such boys as Tom Topover.
There was scarcely a house in this part of the town; but they soon came
in sight of a small cottage, which deserved no better name than a hovel.
They had been eating cold ham and sweet cake, and they were quite
thirsty after their long walk; for it was all of two miles from the
point to the town. They could get a drink there, for they saw the
well-curb between the hovel and the road.
Before they could reach it, they heard a succession of screams so shrill
that they seemed to pierce through the drums of their ears. They were
not sounds made by adult persons, but by children, and they were most
agonizing. Ash Burton, without making any remark, broke into a run for
the house, from which the cries appeared to come.
"Pell Sankland lives in that house," said Chick Penny, when they
started. "His mother goes out washing when she can get any work in that
line."
But Ash did not care who lived there, and he continued to run without
making any reply. As they came a little nearer, they saw smoke coming
out of one of the front windows, and it was apparent that the hovel was
on fire. Ash struggled to increase his speed, and was the first to reach
the front door of the house. He attempted to open it and found that it
was locked or otherwise fastened so that he could not get in. Before he
had done trying to effect an entrance, his companions came up.
"The door is locked! Run for the back door! There are children in the
house, and they will be smothered in the smoke if we don't do something
quick," gasped Ash, out of breath with his efforts.
They reached the back door, and that also was fastened. The woodpile,
what there was of it, was close to this entrance. Of the half-dozen
sticks that remained, there was one at least six inches in diameter. Ash
and Sam seized this, and butted with it a few times against the back
door. It was an ill-fitting and poorly constructed affair, like all the
rest of the house, and it readily yielded to the vigorous blows of the
assailants.
Ash rushed into the house, and made his way to the front room, where he
had seen the smoke issuing from the window. There he found a child of
seven, with another not more than four. The older was a girl, and her
dress was on fire, as was the side of the room nearest to the fireplace,
for there was no stove. Sam and the others were close behind him, and
discovered the terrible peril of the child almost as soon as he did.
"Lay her down on the floor!" shouted Ash, as he sprang to the bed in the
room.
He took the comforter from it, for he found no blanket, and rushed to
the child. He was wrapping the girl in it when he saw that the flames
had caught in the cotton which projected from the ragged holes in it. It
began to blaze, and he cast it aside. A piece of old carpet was spread
before the fire, and he hastened to wrap the child in that. It was too
small to cover the sufferer; but Ash and Sam fought the fire with their
hands, and in a moment had extinguished the flame.
Hop Cabright brought a bucket of water he found in the back room, and
the contents were poured over the child. The smaller child's clothes had
not taken fire, and she was not injured. But both of them continued to
scream even after the fire on the older was extinguished.
"Don't cry any more, little girl," said Ash, in a tender tone, as he
proceeded to look at her and see how much she was burned.
"The house is on fire, Ash, and we must put it out!" cried Sam, as he
took the smaller child, and rushed out doors with it.
[Illustration: "'LAY HER DOWN ON THE FLOOR!' SHOUTED ASH."—PAGE 98.]
Ash followed him, with the girl still screaming from pain and terror
both. The well was on the front of the house, and they found no more
water drawn. Each of the six boys seized whatever vessel he could find,
and rushed to the well. They returned to the room where the fire was,
with all the water they could carry. But the whole side of the room was
in a blaze, and the case looked hopeless.