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"They told me at your office you had come here, Mr. Howbridge," said
Neale. "And I hurried on as fast as I could."
"Did they send you here to find me?" asked the lawyer.
"Yes, sir."
"With any message?" As Mr. Howbridge asked this Ruth noticed that her
guardian seemed very anxious about something.
"Yes, I have a message," went on Neale. "It's about--"
"The Jackson case?" interrupted the lawyer. "Is there a decision from
the court and--"
"Oh, no, this isn't anything about the Jackson case or any other," Neale
hastened to say. "It's about my father. And--"
Ruth and Agnes could not help gasping in surprise. As for the two
smaller Kenway children all they had eyes for was the houseboat.
"Oh, your father!" repeated Mr. Howbridge. "Have you found him, Neale?"
There was very evident relief in the lawyer's tone.
"No, sir, I haven't found him. But you know you told me to come to you
as soon as I had found that tramp mule driver again, and he's back in
town once more. He just arrived at the lower lock with a grain boat, and
I hurried to tell you."
"Yes, that was right, Neale," said Mr. Howbridge. "Excuse me, Miss
Ruth," he went on, turning to the girl, "but I happen to be this young
man's legal adviser, and while I planned this for a pleasure trip, it
seems that business can not be kept out of it."
"Oh, we don't mind!" exclaimed Ruth, with a smile at Neale. "Of course
we know about this, and we'd be so glad if you could help find Mr.
O'Neil."
"All right then, if the young ladies have no objection," said the
lawyer, "we'll combine business with pleasure. Suppose we go aboard the
_Bluebird_. I want Miss Ruth's opinion of her and--"
"I don't see why in the world you want _my_ opinion about this boat,"
said the puzzled girl. "I'm almost sure there's a joke in it,
somewhere."
"No, Martha, no joke at all, I do assure you," answered her guardian.
"You'll understand presently. Now, Neale, you say this mule driver has
come back?"
"Yes, sir. You know I went to you as soon as he gave me a hint that my
father might have returned from Alaska, and you said to keep my eyes
open for this man."
"I did, Neale, yes. You of course know this story, don't you, Miss
Ruth?" he asked.
"Yes, I believe we were the first Neale told about it."
"Well," went on Mr. Howbridge, while Tess and Dot showed signs of
impatience to get on board the boat, "I told Neale we must find out more
from this Hank Dayton, the mule driver, before we could do anything, or
start to advertise for Mr. O'Neil. And now, it seems, he is here again.
At first, Neale, when I saw you hurrying along, excited, I was afraid I
had lost a very important law case. I am glad you did not bring bad
news."
Ruth stole a glance at her guardian's face. He was more than usually
quiet and anxious, she thought, though he tried to be gay and jolly.
"We'll have a look at this boat," said Mr. Howbridge, as they advanced
toward it. "I'll get Minerva's opinion, and then we'll try to find Hank
Dayton."
"I know where to find him," said Neale. "He's going to bunk down at the
lower lock for a while. I made him promise to stay there until he could
have a talk with you."
"Very good," announced the lawyer. "Now come on, youngsters!" he cried
with a gayer manner, and he caught Dot up in his arms and carried her
aboard the boat, Neale, Ruth and the others following.
It was a typical houseboat. That is, it was a sort of small house built
on what would otherwise have been a scow. The body of the boat was broad
beamed forward and aft, as a sailor would say. That is, it was very
wide, whereas most boats are pointed at the bow, and only a little less
narrow at the stern.
"It's like a small-sized canal boat, isn't it?" remarked Agnes, as they
went down into the cabin.
"But ever so much nicer," said Ruth.
"Oh, look at the cute little cupboards!" cried Dot. "I could keep my
dolls there."
"And here's a sweet place for the cats!" added Tess, raising the cover
of a sort of box in a corner. "It would be a crib."
"That's a locker," explained Mr. Howbridge, with a smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to lock Almira in there!" exclaimed the little
girl. "She might smother, and how could she get out to play with her
kittens?"
"Oh, I don't mean that it can be locked," explained the lawyer. "It is
just called that on a boat. Cupboards on the wall and the window seats
on the floor are generally called lockers on board a ship."
"Is this a ship?" asked Dot.
"Well, enough like one to use some of the same words," replied Mr.
Howbridge. "Now let's look through it."
This they did, and each step brought forth new delights. They had gone
down a flight of steps and first entered a small cabin which was
evidently intended for a living room. Back of that was very plainly the
dining room, for it contained a table and some chairs and on the wall
were two cupboards, or "lockers" as the lawyer said they must be called.
"And they have real dishes in them!" cried Tess, flattening her nose
against one of the glass doors.
"Don't do that, dear," said Ruth in a low voice.
"But I want to see," insisted Tess.
"So do I!" chimed in Dot, and soon the two little sisters, side by side,
with noses pressed flat against the doors, were taking in the sights of
the dishes. Mr. Howbridge silently motioned to Ruth to let them do as
they pleased.
"Oh, what a lovely dolls' party we could have here!" sighed Dot, as she
turned away from the dish locker.
"And couldn't Almira come?" asked Tess, appealing to Agnes. "And bring
one of her kittens?"
"Yes, we'll even allow you two kittens, for fear one would get
lonesome," laughed Mr. Howbridge. "But come on. You haven't seen it all
yet."
There was a small kitchen back of the dining room, and both Ruth and
Agnes were interested to see how conveniently everything was arranged.
"It would be ever so much easier to get meals here than in the Corner
House," was Ruth's opinion.
"Do you think so?" asked the lawyer.
"Yes, everything is so handy. You hardly have to take a step to reach
anything," added Agnes. "You only have to turn from the stove to the
sink, and another turn and you have everything you want, from a toasting
fork to an egg beater," and she indicated the different kitchen utensils
hanging in a rack over the stove.
"I'm glad you like it," said Mr. Howbridge, and Ruth found herself
wondering why he said that.
They passed into the sleeping quarters where small bunks, almost like
those in Pullman cars, were neatly arranged, even to a white counterpane
and pillow shams on each one.
"Oh, how lovely."
"And how clean and neat!"
"It's just like a sleeping car on the railroad."
"Yes, or one of those staterooms on some steamers."
"A person could sleep as soundly here as in a bed at home," was Ruth's
comment.
"Yes, unless the houseboat rocked like a ship," said Agnes.
"I don't think it could rock much on the canal."
"No, but it might on a river, or a lake. I guess a houseboat like this
can go almost anywhere."
There were two sets of sleeping rooms, one on either side of a middle
hall or passageway. Then came a small bathroom. And back of that was
something that made Neale cry out in delight.
"Why, the boat has an engine!" exclaimed the boy. "It runs by motor!"
"Yes, the _Bluebird_ is a motor houseboat," said Mr. Howbridge, with a
smile. "It really belongs on Lake Macopic, but to get it there through
the canal mules will have to be used, as this boat has such a big
propeller that it would wash away the canal banks. It is not allowed to
move it through the canal under its own power."
"That's a dandy engine all right!" exclaimed Neale, and he knew
something about them for one summer he had operated a small motor craft
on the Gentory River, as well as running the Corner House girls'
automobile for them. "I wish I could run this," he went on with a sigh,
"but I don't suppose there's any chance."
"I don't know about that," said the lawyer, musingly. "That is what I
brought Minerva here to talk about. Let's go back to the main cabin and
sit down."
"I'm going to sit on one of the lockers!" cried Tess, darting off ahead
of the others.
"I want to sit on it, too!" exclaimed Dot.
"There are two lockers on the floor--one for each," laughed Mr.
Howbridge.
As the little party moved into the main cabin, Ruth found herself
wondering more and more what Mr. Howbridge wanted her opinion on. She
was not long, however, in learning.
"Here is the situation," began the lawyer, when they were all seated
facing him. His tone reminded Ruth of the time he had come to talk to
them about their inheritance of the Corner House. "This boat, the
_Bluebird_, belongs to an estate. The estate is being settled up, and
the boat is going to be sold. A man living at the upper end of Lake
Macopic has offered to buy it at a fair price if it is delivered to him
in good condition before the end of summer. As the legal adviser of the
estate I have undertaken to get this boat to the purchaser. And what I
brought you here for, to-day, Minerva," he said, smiling at Ruth, "is to
ask your opinion about the best way of getting the boat there."
"Do you really mean that?" asked the girl.
"I certainly do."
"Well, I should say the best plan would be to start it going, and steer
it up the canal to the river, through the river into the lake and up the
lake to the place where it is to be delivered," Ruth answered, smiling.
"But Mr. Howbridge said the boat couldn't be moved by the motor on the
canal," objected Agnes.
"Well, have mules tow it, then," advised Ruth. "That is very simple."
"I am glad you think so," replied the lawyer. "And the next matter on
which I wish your advice is whether to start the boat off alone on her
trip, or just in charge of, say, the mule driver."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to trust a lovely houseboat like this to only a
mule driver!" exclaimed Ruth.
"That's what I thought," went on her guardian, with another smile. "It
needs some one on board to look after it, doesn't it?"
"Well, yes, I should say so."
"Then how would you like to take charge?" came the unexpected question.
"Me?" cried Ruth. "_Me?_"
"You, and all of you!" went on the lawyer. "Listen. Here is the
situation. I have to send this houseboat to Lake Macopic. You dwellers
of the Corner House need a vacation. You always have one every summer,
and I generally advise you where to go. At least you always ask me, and
sometimes you take my advice.
"This time I advise you to take a houseboat trip. And I make this offer.
I will provide the boat and all the needful food and supplies, such as
gasoline and oil when you reach the river and lake. Everything else is
on board, from beds to dishes. I will also hire a mule driver and engage
some mules for the canal trip. Now, how does that suit you?"
"Oh! Oh!" exclaimed Agnes, and it seemed to be all she could say for a
moment. She just looked at Mr. Howbridge with parted lips and sparkling
eyes.
"How wonderful!" murmured Ruth.
"Can we go?" cried Tess.
"The whole family, including Neale," said Mr. Howbridge.
"Oo-ee!" gasped Dot, wide-eyed.
Agnes and Neale stared entranced at each other, Agnes, for once,
speechless.
"Well, now I have made the offer, think it over, and while you are doing
that I'll give a little attention to Neale's case," went on Mr.
Howbridge. "Now, young man, suppose we go and find this mule driver who
seems to know something of your father."
"Oh, wait! Don't go away just yet!" begged Ruth. "Let's talk about the
trip some more! Do you really think we can go?"
"I want you to go. It would be doing me a favor," said the lawyer. "I
must get this boat to Lake Macopic somehow, and I don't know a better
way than to have Martha and her family take it," and he bowed formally
to his ward.
"And did you really mean I may go, too?" asked Neale.
"If you can arrange it, and Miss Ruth agrees."
"Of course I will! But, oh, there will be such a lot to do to get ready.
We'd have to take Mrs. MacCall along, too," she added.
"Of course," assented Mr. Howbridge. "By all means!"
"And would you go too?" asked Ruth.
"Would you like me to?" the lawyer countered.
"Of course. We'd all like it."
"I might manage to make at least part of the trip," was the reply. "Then
you have decided to take my offer?"
"Oh, I think it's perfectly _wonderful_!" burst out Agnes.
As for Tess and Dot, it could be told what they thought by just looking
at them.
"Very well then," said the guardian, "we'll consider it settled. I'll
have to see about mules and a driver for the canal part of the trip
and--"
An exclamation from Neale interrupted him.
"What is it?" asked the lawyer.
"Why couldn't we hire Hank Dayton for a mule driver?" Neale asked. "He's
rough, but I think he's a decent man and honest, and he knows a lot
about the canal and boats and mules."
"It might not be a bad idea," assented Mr. Howbridge. "We'll find him
and ask him, Neale. And it would be killing two birds with one stone. He
could help you in your search for your father. Yes, I think that will be
a good plan. Girls, I'll leave you here to look over the _Bluebird_ at
your leisure while Neale and I go to interview the mule driver."
"And I hope he will be able to tell you how to find your father, Neale,"
said Agnes, in a low voice.
"I hope so, too," added the boy. "You don't know, Aggie, how much I've
wanted to find father."
"Of course I do, Neale. And you'll find him, too!"
Neale went on with Mr. Howbridge, somewhat cheered by Agnes' sympathy.