THE FRATERNAL HUG.
The incident which had just occurred gave Frank considerable uneasiness.
Tim was naturally quarrelsome, and his former mode of life had done
nothing to improve his disposition. He had never been taught that
self-restraint is necessary to preserve social harmony. If anything did
not suit him, he was not disposed to argue the matter in a conciliatory
manner, but to right his wrongs, whether real or imaginary, by physical
force. In this manner he had obtained his reputation as a "good
fighter."
Frank began to fear that Tim had come into the club without a proper
understanding of its duties and requirements. Though he had, with an ill
grace, apologized for his conduct, he seemed to feel no compunction on
account of it; but, on the contrary, he every moment grew more
overbearing and insolent. He could not speak to his companions in a
gentlemanly manner, as they had been accustomed to be addressed. He was
course, rude, and vulgar; and the members, who had received him among
them in the best spirit possible, began to feel some repugnance towards
him.
But what could be expected of him in so short a time? They had no reason
to believe that a boy who had always been a desperado would suddenly
become a gentle and kind-hearted person. His nature wanted refining, and
such a work could not be done in a moment. These reflections came to
Frank's relief, when he had become well-nigh discouraged at the idea of
reforming Tim--discouraged more by thinking of the vast chasm that
yawned between what he was and what he ought to be. Like the pendulum in
the story, he was crowding the work of months and years into a single
instant. A little sober thought in the proper direction set him right.
The Butterfly was darting out of "Weston Bay" as they approached.
"Cease--rowing!" said Frank. "Now, my lads, let us give them three
rousing cheers. All up! One!"
"Hurrah!"
"Two."
"Hurrah!"
"Three."
"Hurrah!"
And then the Zephyrs clapped their hands, long and loudly, and this was
the greeting which the old club gave to the new one. The compliment was
heartily returned by the Butterfly, and then the cheers were repeated
again and again. Every member seemed to glow with kindly feeling towards
the others. Even Tim Bunker for the time laid aside his morose look, and
joined in the expression of good will with as much zeal as his
companions.
"Now man your oars, Zephyrs," said Frank.
"What ye going to do now?" asked Tim, as he grasped his oar with the
others.
"You shall know in due time," replied the coxswain.
Here was another thing which Tim had yet to learn--not to ask questions
of the commander. It was a part of the discipline of the club to obey
without stopping to argue the point. Captain Sedley himself had
suggested this idea, and it had been thoroughly carried out on board the
Zephyr. It was an established principle that "the coxswain knew what he
was about," and that he alone was responsible for the guidance and the
safety of the boat.
Tim did not seem to fancy this kind of discipline. He evidently felt
that he had been born to command, and not to obey. But the consciousness
that he was in the minority induced him to yield whatever convictions he
might have had of his own superiority to the will of the "powers that
be," and he followed the example of the others.
"Ready--pull!" continued Frank.
He and Tony had arranged a little system of "fleet maneuvers," to be
carried out when the two boats met.
To the surprise of all on board,--for they were not "posted up" in
regard to these tactics,--Frank put the Zephyr about.
"Cease--rowing!" said he, when the boat was headed in the opposite
direction.
To the further surprise of the Zephyrs, they discovered that the
Butterfly had executed a similar maneuver, and that the two boats lay at
the distance of nearly a quarter of a mile apart, the bow of one
pointing directly east, and the other directly west.
"Ready to back her!" said Frank, and the boys all pulled their oar
handles close to their breasts, ready at the word to take the reverse
stroke.
"Back her!"
The Butterfly did the same thing exactly, and the two boats rapidly
approached each other, stern first. Tony had certainly made the most of
the time which had been allotted to him for drilling his crew, and they
worked together almost as well as the Zephyrs, who were a little
embarrassed at each new movement by the awkwardness of Tim Bunker.
"Steady--slow," continued Frank, as the two boats came nearer together.
"That will do; cease--rowing. Ready--up!" and the twelve oars gleamed in
the sunshine.
The sterns of the two boats came together, and Frank threw Tony a line,
which the latter made fast.
"Ready--down!" said Tony and Frank, almost in the same breath; and the
oars were deposited in their places on the thwarts.
The two clubs were facing each other as they sat in their seats, with
the respective coxswains standing in the stern sheets.
"Mr. Coxswain of the Butterfly," said Frank, as he removed his hat, and
gracefully bowed to Tony, "in behalf of the members of the Zephyr Boat
Club, of which you were so long a cherished member, I welcome you and
your club, and the beautiful craft in which you sail, to these waters.
May the Zephyr and the Butterfly cruise together in entire harmony; may
no hard words or hard thoughts be called forth by either, but may all be
peace and good-will."
This little speech was received with a burst of applause by Tony's
club, and the boats interchanged volleys of cheers.
"Mr. Coxswain of the Zephyr," Tony began, in reply to his friend's
speech, "I am much obliged to you and your companions for the kind words
you have spoken for yourself and for them. I am sure there will never be
any hard feelings between us, and I assure you if any fellow in our club
attempts to make a row, we will turn him out. Won't we, fellows?"
"Ay, ay! That we will," replied the club, with one voice.
"If we get beaten in a race, we will bear our defeat like men. Won't we,
boys?"
"That we will."
Tony wound up by saying he was not much at making speeches, but he was
ready to do everything he could to make things go off right and
pleasantly.
Three cheers more were given on each side, and the crews were ordered
into their seats.
"Starboard oars, ready--up!" said Frank.
"Larboard oars, ready--up!" said Tony.
"Ready--down!" was then given by one, and repeated by the other. And
then, "Ready--pull!" followed, in like manner.
My reader will readily perceive that the effect of this maneuver was to
turn the boats round in opposite directions, so that they came alongside
of each other, after a few strokes of the oars.
The painter of the Butterfly was thrown on board the Zephyr, and made
fast to the bow ring. The boys were now all brought together, and the
discipline of the clubs was relaxed so as to permit the members to
enjoy a few moments of social recreation.
The Butterfly, as we have said in the introduction, was of the same size
and model as the Zephyr, and, except that the former was painted in
gayer colors, to represent the gaudy tints of the butterfly, the two
boats were exact counterparts of each other.
Her crew had already procured their uniform, and wore it on the present
occasion. It was a pair of white pants, made "sailor fashion," with a
short red frock, and a patent-leather belt. These garments, owing to the
coldness of the weather, were worn over their usual clothes. The hat was
a tarpaulin, with the name of the club in gilt letters on the front, and
upon the left breast of the frock was a butterfly, worked in colors.
The Butterfly, like her rival, carried an American flag at the stern,
and a blue silk fly, with the letter "B" on it, at the bow.
"This is glorious, isn't it, Frank?" said Tony, as he took his friend's
hand and warmly pressed it.
"First rate! There is fun before us this season; and if nothing happens
to mar the harmony which now prevails, we shall enjoy ourselves even
more than we did last summer."
"Nothing can happen--can there?" replied Tony, glancing involuntarily at
Tim Bunker, who seemed to be so amazed at the good will that prevailed
around him as to be incapable of saying anything.
"I hope not; but, Tony, what about the race? Has your club voted on the
question of the prize?"
"Yes."
"What did you do?"
"What have you done, Frank?" asked Tony. There was not the slightest
doubt as to his Yankee paternity.
"We voted to accept the offer."
"So did we, though our members were so afraid of doing something wrong,
that George had to come into the meeting and argue the question with
them. We accepted the offer on condition that you did so."
"Then it is all arranged."
"Yes, except the time."
"We shall leave that all to you."
"We are ready now," replied Tony, with a smile.
"Name the day, then."
"Next Wednesday afternoon."
"Very well."
"Who shall be the judges? We have chosen your father for one."
"And we shall choose Uncle Ben for another."
"Let us choose the other together."
"Agreed."
The two clubs were then called to order, and Frank, at Tony's request,
stated the business to them.
"Please to nominate," said he.
"Mr. Hyde, the schoolmaster," exclaimed a dozen voices.
It was a unanimous vote, and the judges were all elected.
"Now, Tony, let us have some fun."
"We will try our fleet tactics a little more, if you like."
"So I say."
"We will go down the lake with the 'fraternal hug.'"
"The what!" exclaimed Charles Hardy.
"We call our present position the 'fraternal hug.'"
"Hurrah for the fraternal hug!" shouted Charles, and all the boys
laughed heartily.
"Nothing bearish about it, I hope," added Fred Harper.
"We have no bears," replied Frank, as he ordered out his starboard oars.
Tony in like manner got out his larboard oars.
"Now, Frank," said he, "as you are a veteran in the service, you shall
be commodore, and command the allied squadron."
A burst of laughter greeted this sally; but Frank was too modest to
accept this double command, and would only do so when a vote had been
passed, making him "commodore."
Fenders--a couple of cushions, which Frank, in anticipation of this
maneuver, had provided--were placed between the two boats to keep them
from injuring each other, and the order was given to pull. As but six
oars were pulled in each boat, their progress was not very rapid. No
one, however, seemed to care for that. The joining of the two boats in
the "fraternal hug" was emblematic of the union that subsisted in the
hearts of their crews, and all the members of each club seemed better
satisfied with this symbolical expression of their feelings than though
they had won a victory over the other.
When they came abreast of the Zephyr's boat-house, they discovered that
Uncle Ben was on board the Sylph, which lay moored at a short distance
from the shore.
Bang! went the cannon which the veteran had again rigged on the bow of
the sail-boat.
And as they passed down the lake, Uncle Ben blazed away in honor of the
fraternal hug between the two clubs.