CLEGGETT ACCOMMODATES THE KING
There was a wedding next day on the deck of the Jasper B. The Rev.
Simeon Calthrop performed the ceremony, and Wilton Barnstable insisted
upon lending his vessel for a bridal cruise. Washington Artillery Lamb,
engineer, janitor, cook and butler of the Annabel Lee, went with the
vessel.
As for the Jasper B., although his wife urged him to keep the ship for
the sake of old associations, Cleggett had the hole in its side built
in and gave it to the Rev. Simeon Calthrop for a gospel ship. George
the Greek, who married Miss Medley, shipped with the preacher in his
cruise around the world, and he and his wife eventually reached Greece,
as he had originally intended. Elmer went with the Rev. Mr. Calthrop to
assist him in his missionary work.
But it was some time before the Jasper B. sailed. Besides the hole
which was the entrance to the tunnel it was discovered that the vessel
rested on a brick foundation. The man who had used her for a saloon
and dancing platform in years past had dug away part of the bank of the
canal to fit the curve of her starboard side and had then jammed her
tight into the land. Even then she would move a trifle at times, so he
had built a dam around her, pumped the water out of the inclosed space,
jacked the hulk up, built the brick foundation, and let her down
solidly on it again.
With the dam removed the water covered this masonry work, and she
looked quite like a real ship. Mr. Goldberg had known about this
foundation, but he had forgotten it, he explained to Cleggett.
The Rev. Mr. Calthrop fitted her out as a floating chapel and filled
her with Bibles printed in all languages, which he distributes in many
lands. When his fatal attractiveness for women threatens to involve
him in trouble he hastily puts to sea. He has never become a really
accomplished sailor, and the Jasper B. is something of a menace to
navigation in the ports and harbors of the world. The suggestion has
frequently been made that she should be set ashore permanently and put
on wheels. But she has her features. She is, possibly, the only ship
extant with a memorial skylight to her cabin. Cleggett wished her to
carry some sort of memorial to the faithful Teddy, the Pomeranian dog,
who perished of a stray shot in the fight at Morris's. And as a
memorial window did not seem feasible a compromise was made on the
memorial skylight. The glass is by Tiffany.
Dopey Eddie and Izzy the Cat, still followed by Reginald Maltravers,
made their way to Brooklyn, where all three were arrested and lodged in
the observation ward of the Kings County Hospital on the suspicion that
they were insane. The two gunmen were able to get free through
political influence, but Maltravers was sent to England. He was
maintained for some time in a private institution through the
generosity of the Cleggetts, but finally went on a hunger strike and
died.
Wilton Barnstable smiles and prospers. He gained great additional fame
for his clever work in the Case of Logan Black.
Cleggett, in 1925, was the father of four boys named D'Artagnan, Athos,
Porthos, and Aramis Cleggett; and the owner of the Claiborne estates.
He is now immensely wealthy. It never would have occurred to him,
perhaps, to attempt to increase his modest fortune of $500,000 by
speculating on the Stock Exchange, had it not been for a fortunate
meeting with a barber in Nassau Street.
This barber, whose Christian name was Walter, was, indeed, a mine of
suggestion and information of all sorts. And being a good-natured
fellow, who wished the world well, Walter delighted to impart his
original ideas and the fruits of his observation to his patrons while
shaving them. Some of these received his remarks coldly, it is true,
but Walter was so charged with a sense of friendliness towards all
mankind that he was never daunted for long by a rebuff.
His interests were wide and varied; Walter found no difficulty in
talking pleasantly upon any subject; he could touch it lightly, or deal
with it in a more serious vein, as the mood of his customer seemed to
require; and he had the art of making deft and rapid transitions from
topic to topic. But there were two things in particular concerning
which Walter had thought deeply: racehorses and the stock market.
It was the settled grief of Walter's life that he had never been able
to persuade any person with money to take his advice concerning the
races, or follow any of the dazzling stock market campaigns which he
was forever outlining.
"They listen to me," said Walter, a little wistfully, but with a brave
smile, "or else they do not listen--but no one has ever yet taken my
advice! Do you wet your hair when you part it, sir?"
"What," said Cleggett, carefully concealing from Walter the fact that
he spoke of himself, "would be your advice to a man with $100,000 who
wished to double it in a few weeks?"
"Double it!" cried Walter. "Why, I could show such a person how to
multiply it by ten inside of two months." And he rapidly outlined to
Cleggett a scheme so audacious and so brilliant that it fairly took our
hero's breath away. Moreover, it stood the test of reflection; it was
sound. Not to descend to the sordid details, in three weeks Cleggett
found himself possessed of a million dollars' gain. Half of this he
gave to the excellent Walter, and in three months ran the other half
million up to twenty millions.
Then he withdrew permanently from business, as Lady Agatha complained
that it took too much of his time; moreover, he shrank from notoriety,
which his stock market operations were beginning to bring upon him.
Giuseppe Jones, who recovered of his wounds, forswore anarchy and
became a newspaper reporter, and grew to be a fast friend of Cleggett,
who discovered that he was a lad of parts. Cleggett eventually made
him president of a college of journalism which he founded. While he
was establishing the institution the man Wharton, his old managing
editor, broken, shattered, out of work, and a hopeless drunkard, came
to him and begged for a position. The man had sunk so low that he was
repeatedly arrested for pretending to be blind on the street corners,
and had debauched an innocent dog to assist in this deception.
Cleggett forgave him the slights of many years and made him an
assistant janitor in the new college of journalism.
The post is a sinecure, and well within even the man Wharton's powers.
Cap'n Abernethy travels with the Cleggetts a great deal, under the
hallucination, which they humor, that he is of service to them. The
children are very fond of him. At Claiborne Castle Cleggett has had a
shallow lake constructed for him. There the Captain, still firm in the
belief that he is a sailor, loves to potter about with catboats and
rafts.
Dr. Farnsworth enjoys a lucrative position as physician to the Cleggett
family, and Kuroki is their butler.
By 1925 the prejudice against militants had abated in certain exalted
circles in England, and Lady Agatha Cleggett and her husband were much
at court.
Cleggett, hating notoriety, had endeavored to conceal the story of his
adventures along the dangerous coasts of Long Island; but concealment
was impossible. After the death of the old Earl of Claiborne, and the
demise of Reginald Maltravers, and Cleggett's purchase of the Claiborne
estate, the King wished Cleggett to take the title of Earl of Claiborne.
His Majesty sent the Premier to sound Cleggett upon the matter.
"No, no," said Cleggett affably. "I couldn't think of it. I am quite
democratic, you know."
The second time the King sent one of the Royal Dukes to see Cleggett.
They were at a house party in Wales, and Cleggett was a little
disturbed that this business affair should be brought up at a gathering
so distinctly social in its nature. He was too tactful to let it be
seen, but secretly he felt that in approaching the matter in that
fashion the Duke had erred in taste.
"But we need men like you in the House of Lords," pleaded the Duke.
"I cannot think of it," said Cleggett. And then, not wishing to hurt
the Englishman's feelings, he said kindly: "But I will promise you
this: if I should change my mind and decide to become a member of any
aristocracy at all, it will be the English aristocracy."
The Duke thanked Cleggett for the compliment; and Cleggett thought he
had heard the end of it.
He was, therefore, surprised, a few weeks later, as he was conversing
with the King at Buckingham Palace, when His Majesty himself, laying
his hand familiarly on Cleggett's shoulder, renewed the petition in
person. It is hard to refuse things continually without seeming
unappreciative. In fact, Cleggett felt trapped; if the truth must be
known, he was a little angry.
"Come, come, Cleggett," said the King, "lay aside your prejudices and
oblige me. After all, it is not the sort of thing I run about offering
to every American in London!"
"Your Majesty," said Cleggett, politely but with a note of firmness and
finality in his voice, "since you mention the word American you force
me to speak plainly. I would not willingly wound your sensibilities in
any particular, but--pardon me if I am direct--you have been very
persistent. I AM an American, your Majesty, and I consider the honor
of being an American citizen far above any that it is within your power
to bestow. If I have not mentioned this before, it was because I did
not wish to hurt you. I hope our friendship will not cease, but I must
tell you flatly that I desire to hear no more of this. You will oblige
me by not mentioning it again, Your Majesty."
The King begged Cleggett's pardon with a becoming sincerity, and was
about to withdraw. Cleggett, who liked him immensely, was sudden
smitten with a regret that it had been so impossible to oblige him.
"Your Majesty," he cried impulsively, "I BEG of you not to get the idea
that there is anything personal in this refusal."
"I respect principle," said the King gravely. But he WAS hurt and
could not help showing it, and he was a little stiff.
"We will compromise," said Cleggett, with a flash of inspiration.
"I will let you have my second son, Athos Cleggett. You may make him
Earl of Claiborne, if you choose. After all, HE is half English!"
"That is like your generosity, Cleggett," said the King, smiling, and
giving Cleggett his hand.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Cruise of the Jasper B., by Don Marquis