OFF FOR BAR HARBOR.
It was nearly midnight when a boat containing four lads pushed out from
Fish Market Wharf and pulled down Camden harbor toward the fleet of
yachts that lay anchored in Dillingham's Cove.
The moon had dropped down into the west, but it still shed its pure
white light on the unrippled water of the harbor, and, despite the
lateness of the hour, several boating parties were out. From away toward
the Spindles came the sound of a song, in which four musical voices
blended harmoniously. Nothing stirs the entire soul with a sense of the
beautiful like the sound of a distant song floating over the silvered
bosom of a peaceful bay or lake on a moonlight night in midsummer. Hodge
and Diamond, who were rowing the boat, rested on their oars, and the
four lads listened a long time.
"Beautiful!" murmured Merriwell, who was sitting in the stern of the
boat, the rudder lines in his hands.
Browning grunted.
"The yelling of the Camden crowd on the Rockland ball ground to-day
sounded better to me," he said.
Quoth Merriwell:
"'The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, strategems and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus:
Let no such man be trusted.'"
"Huah!" said Bruce. "Talk about a 'concord of sweet sounds,' what could
be sweeter than the howls of those baseball rooters when you worked
your double shoot on the Rockland batters and kept them fanning the
breeze? That was what I call music!"
"Fellows," sighed Frank, "this has been a lively day."
"It certainly has," nodded Hodge.
"Things move in a hurry down here at this season of the year," put in
Diamond.
"It's rather too lively for me," confessed Merriwell. "I am stuck on
Camden, but I must get out of it right away."
"Why?" asked the others, in a breath.
"The people here will not give me any rest. If I remain, it will be
impossible for me to refuse to play ball with the Camden team, and I did
not come down here for that. Why, I could have a hundred dollars a week
if I would play with Camden. Money doesn't seem to be of value to the
people here, now that they think I can beat Rockland every time I go
into the box. They are ready to give up anything to beat Rockland. I
haven't any grudge against Rockland. In fact, if what I hear about Wat
Snell's attempt to drug me is true, I have every reason to be grateful
toward Manager French, for he caused Snell's arrest, and it is likely
that Wat is languishing in the Rockland lockup to-night."
"That fellow will land in prison all right," said Diamond. "He is the
most vindictive creature I ever saw."
"If French pushes him, he may be shut up for a while down this way,"
observed Hodge.
"I was going to spend a week up there on the mountain," said Jack,
looking toward the top of Battie, where the lights of the Summit House
were still gleaming, despite the hour. "If we get out of here in a rush,
I'll not get up there again."
"We were there last night," said Frank. "That was a jolly time, and no
one expected it. After dancing on the mountain last night, pitching a
game of ball to-day and then dancing at the Bay View to-night, I am
ready to rest to-morrow."
Browning grunted again.
"I believe you are getting frightened," he yawned.
"Of what?"
"The girl with the roguish eyes."
"Phebe?"
"Sure."
"Why should I be frightened of her?"
"She has hypnotized you with those eyes. Notice how often he danced with
her, fellows? Inza Burrage is down this way, and----"
"She is in Bar Harbor now."
"Well, that's not far. You are counting on getting away from Phebe
before she weaves her spell about you so you can't break away."
"It's wonderful how you read a fellow," laughed Merriwell. "You should
go into the mind-reading business. Anyhow, we'll get up anchor early, if
there is a breeze, and leave Camden behind us."
"For good?" asked Diamond, anxiously.
"Oh, perhaps not for good. We may drop in here on our way back. Can't
tell just what we will feel like doing."
A boat was gliding past them. It came near enough for its occupants to
recognize the lads in the other boat. Somebody said:
"It's Merriwell and his party."
Then a feminine voice called:
"Hello, Frank Merriwell. You are a dandy!"
"Thank you," said Frank, laughing. "There are others."
"Not in your class," was the quick retort. "You are the only one of the
kind."
"Who was that?" asked Diamond, as the boat passed on.
"Couldn't tell you, my boy," answered Frank.
"Why, that's strange! She spoke to you as if she knew you. Familiar for
a stranger!"
"Evidently she is intoxicated--by the moonlight," grunted Browning.
"If we stay down this way long, I fancy we'll find there is considerable
freedom at these summer resorts," said Merry. "People do not always wait
for introductions down here. But the girl in that boat would not have
spoken had it been in the daytime. She knew I could not recognize her,
and that is how she ventured to do it."
"Well, let's get on board," urged Bruce. "I'm tired, and I want to turn
in."
"Pull away," directed Frank, and the boys began rowing again.
They passed other rowboats, and the sound of voices and laughter came
over the moon-burnished bosom of the harbor. On board one of the yachts
not far from the _White Wings_ a jolly party had gathered. Somebody was
picking away at a guitar and softly humming the latest song. Others were
chatting and laughing. The yacht was decorated with Chinese lanterns and
was burning bright lights.
"Those lights would look better if there wasn't any moon," observed
Diamond.
As they approached the _White Wings_ a figure suddenly arose on the deck
and leveled something at the boat, while a voice called:
"Stood still vere I vos und gafe der coundersign! Uf I don'd done dot
you vill oben vire onto me!"
"Here, here, Hans!" exclaimed Merry. "What are you trying to do--shoot
us? Be careful with that gun!"
"Vos dot you, Vrankie?" asked the faithful Dutch boy, lowering the gun.
"Vale, I don'd vant to make no mistook, und so I peen careful not to
led any vellers come apoard uf me vot I don'd vant to seen. I vos glad
you haf camed."
They ran up to the sloop and were soon on board. It was necessary to
tell Hans what had happened that day, but he simply said:
"Oh, I knew how dot vould peen all der dime. Uf course Vrankie blayed
marples mit Rocklandt."
That night they slept well in their berths, for a cool breeze sprang up
about midnight, so the cabin of the yacht was not too warm, and there
was the gentlest of rocking motions to lull their senses.
Frank was astir at daybreak, and it did not take him long to turn the
others out when he discovered there was a land breeze.
"It's just what we want," he said. "We must get away in a hurry,
fellows. We can take our breakfast after we get outside the harbor."
So the anchor was raised, the sails run up in a hurry, and the _White
Wings_, with Frank at the wheel, headed for the Spindles. At sunrise she
was outside the harbor's mouth, with her course set due east. Outside
the harbor there was a strong, steady breeze, and it was not long before
the twin mountains of Camden began to sink into the purple morning
mists.