FAILURE AND A PROVIDENTIAL RESCUE.
"Dad," said Frank that night at the supper table, "we boys are going
into the transportation business. Got any objection?"
"Into the what?" said Mr. Armstrong, pausing in the act of filling
his healthy son's plate for the second time.
"Transportation, if you please, sir," said Frank, grinning and
reaching for the full dish. "It's like this: Old Captain Silas says
there are lots of people about here who want to take little cruises
around the islands these fine days. That's condition No. 1."
"Condition No. 1," repeated his father, smiling. "Go on."
"And condition No. 2 is, three strong, husky, able-bodied seamen,
Jimmy Turner, Lewis, and your dutiful son, who want to make some
money and keep ourselves busy at the same time."
"What about Old Captain Silas himself?" inquired Mrs. Armstrong.
"Can't he take care of all the excursionists himself? Or does he want
to take you boys into partnership?"
"No, mother, this is going to be a rapid passenger service," and in
a few words he outlined the plan put into his head that afternoon by
the old captain's remark. "The only things we need now are a ship and
a manager."
"Not much, is it?" said Mr. Armstrong, laughing. "Perhaps Colonel
Powers would let you have his yacht."
"Oh, dad, I'm not joking. We are in a fair way to have both. At least
we know where there's a motor boat, and the Codfish was born to be a
manager of the outfit. It is providential. We'll get him here ahead
of time."
"Where's your motor boat?" inquired Mrs. Armstrong, smiling
indulgently at her son's eagerness.
"It is anchored down the shore a ways, belongs to Mr. Simpkins, and
we're going to tackle him to-morrow. I think I can show him," added
Frank, cocking his head on one side, wisely, "that there would be
good money in it for him to rent it. We can charge twenty-five cents
a head for all passengers. Let's see," counting on his fingers,
"we ought to be able to carry half a dozen besides our crew if the
boat's any size,--that'd be a dollar and a half for a trip of an
hour. And we can make four or five trips a day, sure. That'd be seven
dollars and fifty cents a day, and, six days a week, that'd be about
forty-five dollars," triumphantly. "Running expenses ought not to
be more than fifteen dollars, and that would leave thirty dollars
to divvy up between the four of us." Frank's ambitions were running
away with him. "And besides that, we'd have a better time than doing
nothing. Can't we do it, dad?"
"Well, I don't see any very strong objections," returned Mr.
Armstrong, smiling at his wife across the table, "but if you are
figuring on that boat of Mr. Simpkins' I wouldn't build my scheme
too high, for it might tumble. Mr. Simpkins wouldn't probably be
interested in dividends, for he has a pile of money, and, besides
that, he is a pretty crusty old gentleman."
"Crusty or no crusty, we are going down to see him in the morning,
provided you and mother don't say no." It was finally agreed in the
family that there would be no objection.
"They will soon get tired of it, mother," said Mr. Armstrong, "and
it's dollars to pins that Mr. Simpkins will set the dog on them
instead of handing over his motor boat, even though he doesn't use it
himself."
"And only one thing more," cried Frank, in great glee that his
parents threw no obstacle in the way of the Queen's Ferry Company.
"The Codfish is coming down to make us a visit next week. Can't we
have him down right away? We need his head in this big venture."
"Glad to have him come along. We would like to see this wonderful
roommate of yours, wouldn't we, mother?" said Mr. Armstrong.
"Whoop!" shouted Frank, "then we'll telegraph. I'm off to meet the
other officers of the company."
The result of the conference between the captain, the helmsman, and
the skipper was that this telegram was dispatched to the Codfish:
"Big transportation company formed. You are elected manager. No
work, big profits. Come on next train.
"(Signed) FRANK, LEWIS, JIMMY."
About the middle of the next forenoon the boys met at the Armstrong
household and girt up their loins, or, in other words, nerved
themselves for the negotiations with Mr. Simpkins.
"You do the talking, Frank," said Jimmy. "You have the gift of gab.
I'll guard the way and Lewis can protect us from the dog."
"Protect nothing," said Lewis. "I'm too important a member of this
company to fatten any bulldogs in this neighborhood."
"If any one is to be sacrificed on this expedition, it might as
well be you," retorted Jimmy. "Skippers are always the first to be
sacrificed."
Bantering each other, the three boys made their way down the shore
walk, and boldly ascended the path to the big yellow house where
Mr. Simpkins lived in solitary grandeur. They might have retreated
before this point had not they strengthened their drooping spirits
with a hurried inspection of the motor boat moored to the little
pier. A long, racy-looking boat it was, lying close on the water and
with every evidence of speed. The lines swept back from the bow in a
graceful curve to a rather full beam at midships, and then swung in
slightly as they approached the stern, ending abruptly in a square
hull. The motor was covered by a rubber tarpaulin, and so they were
not able to tell much about it. A generous bulk testified, however,
to ample power to drive the craft at high speed. A kind of canvas
awning partially protected the interior woodwork of the boat, but in
spite of this the craft had a forlorn appearance.
"She's a little the worse for weather, but she's a beauty in spite
of it," exclaimed Frank, as he looked her over. "She has _The Foam_
knocked galley-west," he added.
"That's a fact," was Jimmy's only comment. He thought of the poor old
_Foam_ lying at the bottom out in the bay there.
"Well, here goes," said Frank, and he led the way up the wide and
imposing steps of the Simpkins homestead. "Here's where the Queen's
Ferry Transportation Company sees the light or is buried thirty
fathoms under. 'Screw up your courage to the sticking point,' as
Hamlet said, and follow me." The big door opened to their ring and
they stepped within in a huddled group.
Ten minutes later three dejected youths might have been seen making
their way slowly towards Seawall. Disappointment was written deeply
on each countenance. "He's what I call an old skinflint," said Jimmy
savagely. "Didn't want the boat, wouldn't sell it, or lend it, or
rent it," and he kicked an inoffensive shell out of the track.
"A regular dog-in-the-manger," commented Lewis.
"Well, that's settled, anyway," said Frank, taking a long breath.
"We've no ship, and of course we can't sail without a ship."
In their disappointment the boys hunted up Captain Silas Brown,
who was hoisting his mainsail to the breeze and preparing for the
prospective trippers. The old man listened to their story.
"I'll tell you what I'll do," he said. "I need some one to help me
out fer a day or two with this old craft. I've got a touch of the
rheumatiz, and I'm not so smart as I might be."
Together they talked it all over and decided that that very afternoon
the boys were to ship as able-bodied seamen. This somewhat cheered
the officers of the defunct Queen's Ferry Company.
Suddenly Frank sprang up. "Great Scott, fellows, we forgot to
telegraph the Codfish! No use of him coming now. Let's wire him the
disaster. We don't want to get him here under false pretenses."
The three boys hurried off to the telegraph office. Arrived there,
they called for a blank and Frank was just getting the sad
information down in the form of a telegram, when the clerk behind the
counter said: "You're the fellows who sent a message to G. W. Gleason
at Yarmouth this morning?"
"Yes."
"Well, here's an answer. It has just come in, pretty quick work that."
Frank tore the end off the yellow envelope, for it was addressed to
him, and read:
"Don't care for the salary, too much money already, but the job with
no work appeals to me. I'll be at Seawall to-morrow night at six
o'clock if the train stays on the track.
"(Signed) THE CODFISH."
"Well, here's a pickle! But never mind, I know mother and father
won't mind," said Frank. "So let him come." The Codfish was a great
favorite with the three, in spite of his sharp tongue and rather
unusual ways. They were not sorry that he was coming.
That afternoon our trio reported to Captain Silas Brown just as he
was making up his party of voyagers at the end of Seawall pier. It
turned out to be a gallant sailing day. A steady wind blew from the
southwest, making the _Seagull_ dance merrily alongside the float
to which the captain had drawn her to take on his passengers, of
whom there were an unusually large number, attracted probably by
the fair prospects for the afternoon. They were mostly women and
children, and the three new assistants made themselves very useful
at lending a hand as the passengers stepped into the rocking sloop.
Soon all were aboard and the mooring ropes were cast off. The sloop
moved swiftly away down the bay under the guidance of Captain Silas
on what proved to be an eventful voyage. The day was a glorious one,
and the wind strong enough to heel the _Seagull_ over till her bright
green underbody showed well above the water on the windward side.
Every now and then a stronger puff of wind laid the _Seagull_ so far
over that her lee side was buried under the foaming water. But the
passengers had confidence in the steady hand of Captain Silas, and
chatted merrily, for the cockpit was protected from wave tops by a
high wooden edge, and there was apparently no danger. The occasional
dash of spray which came aboard was just enough to add zest to the
outing, and the passengers enjoyed the lively dance of the sloop over
the rolling water.
[Illustration: FRANK TURNED JUST IN TIME TO SEE A FLASH OF WHITE
DISAPPEARING BENEATH THE SURFACE.--_Page 27._]
All of a sudden, when rounding the point off High Island, there
came a violent blast of wind which plucked the hat from the head
of a little girl who had sat all the while very quietly with her
maid on the leeward side of the sloop. She jumped to her feet, made
a desperate grab for the flying head-covering, lost her balance,
and pitched head first into the water. She was lost to sight in an
instant, a big wave breaking over her head as she went down.
At the scream of the maid, Frank, who had been standing on the little
deck forward with one arm around the mast, turned just in time to see
a flash of white disappearing beneath the surface.
"She is drowned! She is drowned!" screamed the maid, jumping to her
feet and wringing her hands wildly. "Oh, she's drowned!" The other
women in the boat began to scream and point to the place where the
little girl had gone down.
With Frank, to think was to act. Without waiting to throw off any
clothes, he made a flying leap for the spot where he had last seen
the white dress; but so great had been the momentum of the boat,
that when he struck the water he was some yards away from the spot.
Hampered as he was with his clothes and hindered by the breaking
waves, he swam desperately, using his most powerful strokes. Before
he could cover the distance he saw a white sleeve and the top
of a head appear above the surface for an instant and disappear
immediately. Half a dozen strokes carried him to the place, but the
drowning girl had gone down for the second time.
For a few moments only, Frank paddled around waiting for the child
to come to the surface. He had heard that a drowning person comes to
the surface three times. "I won't risk it," he said to himself. "She
may never come up again, and the water must be deep here." He stopped
swimming, turned his back to the waves, took a deep breath, and dived
straight for the bottom.
How cold and strange it felt, and how quiet after the tumult he had
left above him! The impulse of his dive soon ended, and yet there was
no bottom, so he began to swim straight downward. His eyes were open
and he could see quite plainly within a radius of ten feet. Straining
his eyes, he looked into the gloomy depths as he swam. What was that
gleam of white far below him? It must be the girl's dress. How his
head cracked with the pressure of the water, but on he went downward,
ever downward. He was below the clear light, but the thought that he
was nearing the drowning child gave him the power of a grown man. He
swam on almost blindly, and with the strength of despair, because he
knew it was the only chance to save a life. In the blackness of the
depths he lost the gleam of white, then recovered it, lost it again,
and after two or three strokes touched something which felt like
seaweed. His hand closed instinctively, although he could see nothing
now, and he realized with a great feeling of joy that it was the
child's hair which had floated upward. He wound his hand securely in
it, and struck madly for the surface with splitting head and bursting
lungs.
It could only have been a few seconds, but to Frank it seemed an
eternity before his head bobbed into the clear sunlight and he was
able to take a great gulping breath. He felt as weak as a baby, but
he had strength enough to pull his burden to the surface and turn on
his back.
"Good boy," said a voice behind him. "Let me take her. Look out for
yourself." Frank turned his head and saw Jimmy at his elbow. He
resigned the little girl, who showed no signs of life, to his friend,
and lay panting on the surface, the water breaking over him every
now and then. He had barely strength left to work his hands fin-like
to keep afloat, while Captain Silas maneuvered the sloop back to
the spot where the two boys were struggling in the water. Soon life
buoys were thrown out to them, and a minute later the sloop, with her
head to the wind and her mainsail snapping and cracking, lay close
alongside.
In a jiffy the unconscious girl, Frank, and Jimmy were pulled aboard
the boat, where Frank lay gasping like a fish out of water. Well
acquainted with and skilled in the methods of resuscitation, the old
captain worked over the little girl, who lay as limp as a rag on the
deck while the maid wept hysterically and several of the other women
cried in sympathy.
"Ding bust it," cried the old man at last, "what ye crying about?
She's not drownded, I tell ye. She's coming to." And the captain was
right. First there was a little quiver of the eyelids, then a faint
sigh from her lips, and finally a soft moan.
"Thank God!" said the captain. "The pore little girl will be all
right in a few minutes. But I say, it was a narrow squeak. Frank
Armstrong, you deserve the Carnegie medal for that same trick."
Frank was on his feet again, and, although white and a little sick,
he was able to help Jimmy with the tiller, while the captain kept up
his ministrations to the little girl, who opened her eyes at last and
looked about her.
"You'll be sound as a dollar in half an hour," said the captain, as
he finally turned her over to the maid, who had by this time quieted
down. Captain Silas went aft and took the tiller from the boys.
"That was a good turn you did for old man Simpkins," he observed.
"That's his little girl you saved from a watery death. Guess he'll
feel different about that motor boat now," and the old captain smiled
grimly.
Before the _Seagull_ reached the dock the participators in what had
nearly been a tragedy were rapidly recovering. Frank was still wobbly
on his legs, but quickly recovered his spirits. "Thank you, old man,"
he said to Jimmy as they disembarked. "If it hadn't been for you,
both of us would have gone down. I didn't have the strength to keep
even myself up and I wouldn't have let her go down alone." The two
friends gave a silent pressure of the hand.
"It was nothing," said Jimmy. "I went after you as quickly as I
could. It seemed to me you were down fully five minutes, and I had
about given you up when your head bobbed through the surface."
"Seemed to me I was down about an hour, and I guess I must have been
fifteen or twenty feet under when I got her. But it's all over now,
and I'm glad."
The gallant rescue was the talk of Seawall that night. Captain Silas
sat at the end of the pier with a group around him, and Frank's
daring deed lost nothing by the captain's telling. But Frank was
silent on the matter himself and denied that he had done anything to
talk about. From him, his father and mother could only get the bare
facts that he had jumped overboard and pulled in a little girl who
had had the bad luck to fall into the water.