They left the steamer at Encampment, but were delayed there for a long
time, being unable to hire a skiff. About five o’clock however the Black
Hawk returned from Canada in his own canoe, and lent it to them. Asher
Ferry carefully paddled it four miles northward to the Duckling.
Marvin pointed out the tent, landed his guest below it, and excused
himself. He meant to run up to the house and take the force of Chase
Mahan’s wrath before it did any harm.
He failed to find his father, but he did find his girl. She was in the
kitchen preparing supper, and was so surprised to see him that she
barely escaped kissing him.
Left alone on an uninhabited island, Asher Ferry felt pleasantly wild
and free. He had come in an Indian canoe, was going to sleep on the
ground like an Indian, and was going to discuss the most interesting of
all problems with an authority. So he ran up the path like a boy and
stood looking into the cozy tent.
But there was some one already in it! On the blankets lay a man with
smooth face and grizzled hair, reading. The man glanced up and gave a
start.
“You can’t come in here!”
“Is it your tent?”
“No.”
“But might makes right. You’re a Prussian.”
Ferry turned and walked down to the canoe. But after he had seated
himself and begun to paddle, somehow she wouldn’t start. He turned
around and saw that his swift and silent enemy was holding the stern.
“I was wrong, Ferry. Come ashore.”
Ferry climbed out again, and went up to the tent, where he took
possession.
His enemy now came and stood in the doorway himself.
“Do you admit you are yellow?”
“No.”
“You told young Hogg to be a slacker.”
“You’re a liar. I told him that Wall Street would have him put on the
firing-line and kept there.”
“What has Wall Street to do with it?”
“Wall Street hates me. So do you.”
“You’re a liar. I never hated you. Since I found out that you really did
what you could to win the war, I’ve been waiting to call you Asher and
call you my friend.”
“Chase, if I was a profane man, I’d say I’d be damned. Come and sit down
on these blankets. You are a big bully, but I can’t help liking you.
Always did like you.”
“Asher, what in the name of time brings you here?”
“Your boy brought me. He’s all right. He knows a thing or two that my
chief chemist ain’t onto yet.”
“Asher, it warms the cockles of my heart to hear you praise that cub.”
“Chase, this is great. If I tell you a little secret, I know you’ll keep
your mouth shut. I’m on my way to look over a big piece of land. They
said I could never get control of that land, and they’ll call me a
land-hog when I do get it. But I’m likely to get it pretty soon now, for
about three millions. I’d pay four rather than lose it.”
“You won’t have to.”
“How do you know? These lawyers get rich off me.”
“Mine won’t. I’m going to get rich off you myself.”
“Are you behind this deal?”
“I am. Your Mr. Brinkerhoff failed, but my boy didn’t. I have nearly all
the rest of the stock. When I get a hundred more, I’ll trouble you for
three millions.”
Silence.
“Don’t think I’m out to bleed you, Asher. In ten years you’ll make that
land worth ten millions, and I have a couple of little presents to help
you do it. You’ll be wanting explosives, and I’m going to hand you fifty
thousand pounds of the best. You’ll be wanting a coaling station, and
I’ve got one for you. You may be wanting rock for your electric
furnaces, and I was going to give you this island, but I can’t get it.”
A moccasined step at the door of the tent.
“Supper is ready.”
“Miss Rich, this is Mr. Asher Ferry.”
“Mr. Ferry, I’m glad to see you. But I heard what Mr. Mahan said to you
just now about this island. That was a whopper.”
“Asher, you can’t have it. She refused ten thousand for it.”
“Well, Chase, I’m glad there’s somebody you can’t twist round your
finger.”