BACK TO CRUMVILLE
"I think those on board that steam yacht can congratulate themselves
because the fire was no worse," remarked Roger, when the boys had
returned to the _Eaglet_.
"Yes indeed," answered Dave. "Some fires at sea are terrible things, and
cause a great loss of life."
"Seems to me Dave was the hero of the occasion!" burst out Ben. "He did
the really-and-truly rescue act."
"Come now, don't start anything like that!" interrupted Dave, hastily.
"I only did what any of you might have done."
"I know one thing," remarked Phil, closing one eye suggestively. "Dave
made some hit with the young lady he pulled out of the water."
"That's right!" agreed Shadow. "Why, do you know I thought Miss Ford was
going to throw her arms right around his neck."
"Oh, cut it! cut it!" said Dave, growing red in the face. "Shadow, your
imagination will be the death of you."
"Oh, I don't know," replied the former story-teller of Oak Hall, coolly.
"She certainly was smitten, Dave."
"Not at all. She was grateful, that's all."
"Just the same, Dave, if we get to Boston you'll have to call on her,"
remarked Roger, with a grin.
"We can all call if you feel that way about it," answered our hero. "I
rather think some of you were smitten pretty badly." And at this sally
there was a general laugh.
It was some time before the last of the rowboats returned to the
steamer. The first mate brought a report to Captain Bradley and Mr.
Lawrence, to which the boys listened with interest. The mate said that
it was thought on board the steam yacht that the fire had started from a
cigarette thrown away by one of the moving-picture actors, a young man
named Ward Porton, but that this could not be proved. The mate stated
that the captain of the steam yacht was quite upset over the occurrence,
as he considered that the fire was due to carelessness, and nothing
else. He had told the mate privately that it would be a long time before
he would take out another moving-picture company on his vessel.
"He says they are doing all sorts of stunts on the ship, and taking
pictures of 'em," went on the mate. "He says some of the actors and
actresses are pretty good people, but the rest of the bunch act like
wild Indians."
"Ward Porton!" exclaimed Dave, turning to his chums. "Why, that is the
young fellow we hauled out of the water!"
"That's right," returned Phil. "Maybe he got scared when he found out
that his cigarette had started the fire and that was one reason why he
jumped overboard."
"I didn't like the manner of that fellow at all," was Shadow's comment.
"He looked like a pretty loose sort of a character."
"Well, I don't know. I thought he looked like----" began Ben, and then
stopped suddenly, in some confusion.
"Looked like what, Ben?" asked Dave, curiously.
"Oh, it doesn't matter, Dave," answered his Crumville chum. "Just the
same, I can't help but think that--Oh well, never mind, let it go."
"But what did you think he looked like, Ben?" put in Phil. "Come, what
are you so mysterious about?"
"Oh, it doesn't matter, I tell you," answered Ben, and now looked more
confused than ever.
"Hello! Ben is trying to hide some deep and dark mystery," put in
Shadow. "Come now, little boy, unlimber your mind and let us know what
it is."
"Well; if you've got to know, I'll tell you. I was thinking that in some
way that Ward Porton looked something like Dave."
"Say, that's right!" burst out Phil, and then added quickly to our hero:
"No offense, old man, but he did resemble you--only of course he was not
so good-looking."
"Yes, there was some resemblance," said Roger, "but I don't think it was
enough to count; so Dave needn't worry."
"I guess Mr. Ward Porton has a perfect right to his looks," remarked
Dave calmly. "And if he and I resemble each other, that is nobody's
fault. I don't suppose I'll ever see that fellow again." But in this
surmise our hero was very much mistaken; in the weeks to come he was to
see a great deal of Ward Porton.
It was not long after this when the _Eaglet_ resumed her run for
Portland. As the other vessel was headed in the opposite direction, they
soon passed out of sight of the craft. Then Portland Light came into
view, and before long the _Eaglet_ was passing the numerous islands of
Casco Bay.
"This would be a dandy place to pass the rest of the summer," was
Roger's comment, as he and Dave stood by the rail, watching the
beautiful scene as it was unfolded before them. The bay was very calm,
and the numerous islands dotting it in all directions made the spot one
of unsurpassed beauty.
"From all accounts, Roger, I think we'll find the vicinity of Mirror
Lake just as beautiful as this," answered Dave. "I have never been
there, but they tell me the scenery is simply grand."
"We certainly ought to have a good time, scenery or no scenery,"
answered the senator's son, "with such a fine bunch of people as are
going."
"Right you are!" broke in Phil. "We ought to have the best times ever at
the lake."
It had been arranged by Mr. Lawrence that they should stop for three
days at Portland, the owner of the steamer having a number of business
matters to transact. During that time the boys continued to sleep on
board, but spent the days in visiting Old Orchard Beach, Cape Elizabeth,
Peak's Island, Orr's Island, and various other nearby resorts.
"It certainly is a great place," remarked Dave, on the evening of the
second day. "I think a fellow could spend his whole summer here, and
have a dandy time."
It had been a question whether they would stop at Boston on the return
trip, but at the last minute Mr. Lawrence decided to go direct to New
York City, as he had been informed that a cargo was waiting there for
the steamer.
"That cuts Dave out of his visit to Miss Ford," remarked Roger, after
this announcement was made.
"I think it cuts you out just as much as it does me, Roger," returned
our hero, with a smile. "I think, behind it all, you would like
first-rate to call on her."
"I'll tell you what I would like," answered the senator's son. "I'd like
to see how they take moving pictures--I mean the kind indoors."
"We may get a chance at that some day," said Phil. "I know one or two
men who are in that business."
The run to New York City occurred without special incident, and soon the
boys found themselves saying good-bye to Mr. Lawrence and Captain
Bradley. It had been decided that Phil should accompany Dave and Ben to
Crumville, he to remain with our hero at the Wadsworth mansion.
"Take care of my boy," said the shipowner, as he shook hands with Dave.
"Oh, we'll take care of him, Mr. Lawrence, don't fear," answered our
hero. And then, leaving Mr. Lawrence to look after matters concerning
his various vessels, the boys hurried to the Grand Central Terminal,
and were soon on a train which was to take them to their various
destinations.
As my old readers know, Crumville was rather a small town; the only
industry of importance being Mr. Wadsworth's jewelry works. The
Wadsworth mansion stood on the outskirts, a large and well-constructed
building, set among a number of trees and bushes. When Dave, Phil, and
Ben alighted at the railroad depot, they found the Wadsworth touring-car
awaiting them. Dunston Porter, Dave's uncle, was driving the car, and he
had with him Dave's sister Laura, and Jessie Wadsworth.
"Oh, here they are!" cried Laura, and leaped out to embrace her brother
and to shake hands with the others. Then Jessie shook hands, giving Dave
an extra bright smile as she did so.
"Back from the salt, salt sea!" cried Laura, merrily. "I'll wager you
were all dreadfully seasick."
"Nothing doing on that score, Laura," answered her brother. "We didn't
have time to get seasick; we had too much fun."
"And too many adventures," added Phil. "Oh, I can tell you, girls, we
are heroes!" and he stuck his thumbs in the armholes of his vest, and
began to strut around.
"Adventures, eh?" queried Dunston Porter. "What sort of adventures--a
shipwreck?"
"Oh, Mr. Porter, please don't talk about a shipwreck!" pleaded Jessie,
agitatedly. "Why, you don't want anybody to be drowned, do you?"
"They don't look very much as if they had been in a shipwreck,"
responded Dave's uncle, dryly. "I was only fooling."
"We weren't in any shipwreck. But we saw a fire at sea, and we helped to
pull some folks out of the water," said Ben.
"You did!" burst from both of the girls.
"Do tell us all about it," added Laura.
"Was anybody lost?" asked Jessie. And now even Dunston Porter looked
much interested.
"Nobody was lost, and not even hurt, so far as I could find out,"
answered Dave; and then he and the others gave a few details concerning
the conflagration aboard the steam yacht.
"And to think those poor people had to jump overboard!" came from
Jessie, sympathetically. "Oh, Dave, wasn't that dreadful!"
"Jessie, you ought to have seen Dave playing the really-and-truly hero
act!" burst out Ben.
"Now, Ben, quit it!" interrupted Dave.
"Not much, Dave! You deserve some credit, and I want the girls to know
what a real, genuine, dyed-in-the-wool hero you are."
"What did he do, Ben?" asked Laura.
"He jumped into the briny deep, and rescued the beautiful heroine of the
moving-picture company," was the answer. "Oh, you just ought to have
seen it, Jessie. The poor girl was going down for the last time when
Dave, with a do-or-die look on his handsome face, leaped into the flying
spume, and struck out boldly----"
"Ben, will you please stop?" pleaded Dave. "I never heard such foolish
talk before in my life!"
"But he did jump overboard, and he did save the girl," broke in Phil.
"If he hadn't gone after her she might have drowned."
"Who was she?" asked Laura; while Jessie, wide-eyed, showed her
interest.
"The leading lady of the film company--a Miss Della Ford," answered the
shipowner's son. "A mighty nice young lady, too--real stylish--golden-brown
hair, dreamy brown eyes, and all that sort of thing, you know."
"Oh, Dave, that was splendid of you to save her from drowning!" said
Jessie.
"Indeed it was!" added Ben. "And she was mighty grateful, too," he went
on. "She grabbed Dave's hands for all she was worth, and, at one time, I
thought she was going to throw her arms right around his neck."
"Oh, Ben!"
"Well, it seemed that way to me, anyway--and she was a stunning looking
girl, too, I can tell you!"
"She was not going to do anything of the kind, Jessie! Don't pay any
attention to him," broke in Dave, and now his face was decidedly red.
"Come on! Let's get into the auto and get to the house; I'm hungry," and
he started to help the two girls into the tonneau of the automobile.
"We'll have to hear more of this later on," said Dunston Porter, as he
started the car.
"Yes, I'd like to hear more about Miss Ford," added Jessie, in a
somewhat uncertain tone.