CONCLUSION
TOM HALSTEAD started, then, open-mouthed, gaped at Francis Delavan in
sheer amazement.
“You’re joking, sir,” he said, thickly.
“I sometimes _do_ jest,” admitted the Wall Street man, “but this is
not one of the occasions. Did you young men think I would let your
services pass without remembering them in some substantial manner? But
here, I’ll convince you as to whether I’m joking or not. Here comes the
president of your Club. Mr. Prescott, to whom does this boat belong?”
“The deed you handed me declares Thomas Halstead and Joseph Dawson to
be the joint owners,” replied the Boston broker. “The deed also names
me as trustee until the young men become of age, or until they dispose
of the boat with my consent.”
“Tell them the rest, Prescott,” laughed Mr. Delavan, hurrying away to
avoid being thanked. “They take me for a jester.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything like that,” protested the young skipper.
“Only it all seemed so wonderful, so much as though we were dreaming.”
“Tom Halstead, what’s your course?” broke in Joe, rather sharply. “Are
you trying to beach on Bedloe’s Island, or collide with the Statue of
Liberty!”
Truth to tell, Halstead had, for a moment, almost forgotten that he was
handling the boat.
“It’s all true,” Mr. Prescott went on heartily, “and I congratulate
both of you youngsters on your fine piece of property. Of course
Delavan knows you boys haven’t the means to run such a craft as this
for pleasure, but he hopes and believes you can make a fine thing
out of the boat by chartering her to other people and going along
to navigate the boat. Until you become solidly established in this
business you can draw against me for supplies. Delavan has handed me a
small sum for that purpose.”
“But a boat like this costs a fortune,” declared Joe, staggered, for
once.
“She cost something like fourteen thousand dollars to build,” replied
the Boston broker. “The former owner has had her two years, and now
wants a bigger boat, so he put this one up for sale. Delavan heard of
it to-day, and asked me, as a favor, to hurry over to Brooklyn and look
the craft over. On my report he bought the ‘Soudan’ for you two.”
“But this boat is still worth a fortune,” choked Halstead. “It wouldn’t
seem right for us to take such a magnificent present.”
“As a matter of fact,” Mr. Prescott replied, “the boat didn’t cost Mr.
Delavan exactly a fortune. Motor boats are like automobiles, pianos and
a lot of other things. After you’ve used them a while, if you want to
sell, you’ve got to be satisfied with a fraction of the original price.
Delavan secured this boat for three thousand dollars. As to its being
right for you to accept, I tried to decide that for you. I believe
you _have_ a right to such a reward. Without your daring services Mr.
Delavan would have been despoiled of his whole fortune.”
It was some time before the two young owners of the “Soudan” got over
feeling utterly dazed. It was a much longer time before they outlived
the feeling of exultation that this fine piece of property caused them.
“I have the deed to the boat for you, boys,” wound up Mr. Prescott,
displaying a paper. “I’ll file it away for you until it’s needed. Now,
take as good care of your own boat as you have of the boats of other
people.”
Hank Butts, while they were talking, passed them on the run, the cabin
bell having rung. Soon after Mr. Prescott left Tom and Joe, Hank came
out of the cabin, his face a study in amazement.
“I—I have heard about your great luck fellows,” said Hank, eagerly. “So
this fine boat is yours? Oh, I congratulate you.”
“Joe and I have just been talking it over,” replied Halstead. “You have
had as much to do with this cruise, Hank, as we have had, and it seems
to us you should have a third of the boat. So we’re going to ask Mr.
Delavan——”
“Ask him nothing,” advised Hank, promptly. “Mr. Delavan was talking
with me yesterday, though I didn’t know what he was up to. You see, my
father is getting old, and my mother isn’t always well. I’m the only
boy left at home, so I’ve got to be near them every little while. Mr.
Delavan has given me more than I ever thought I’d own. That is, I’m to
have it in a day or two, as soon as Mr. Delavan gets time to go around
with me and look things over.”
“Then you haven’t been forgotten, or overlooked?” queried Halstead.
“Oh, but we’re glad of that, old fellow.”
“Now, I don’t get quite such a fine boat as yours,” Hank went on
quizzically. “Mine is to be a thirty-foot launch, suited for taking out
pleasure parties in and around Shinnecock Bay. But Mr. Delavan is going
to buy me a lot on the bay-front, and build a little pier, so I’ll have
my own water frontage. Fellows, I’ll be fixed for life!”
“As we are,” throbbed Joe Dawson.
“But, geewhillikins, fellows,” remembered Hank, suddenly, “I mustn’t
get my mind so much on my good luck that I forget there’s a dinner to
serve.”
On this first trip with her new owners the “Soudan” behaved splendidly.
In fact, she afterwards proved to be an exceptionally good, strong and
sea-worthy craft.
When the Wall Street party returned to town the following morning,
the battle on ’Change was carried on to a finish. Before the day was
over P. & Y. stock was up where it belonged. Steel and the allied
securities also behaved in a way that netted large profits for the
Delavan-Moddridge combine. Francis Delavan came out of the affair with
more than fifteen million dollars of profits, and Eben Moddridge with
ten million dollars—this in addition to the fortune with which they had
started.
The experience has cured Mr. Delavan of any further desire to plunge
into Wall Street. He feels that he has more money than he can use,
and is now devoting himself solely to advancing the interests of the
railway of which he is president.
Eben Moddridge has invested largely in Government bonds, as a rest for
his nerves. The balance of his great fortune is invested in securities
that do not go up and down on the Wall Street barometer. Mr. Moddridge
spends much of his time in the Western States, notably hunting in the
Rocky Mountains, and his nerves are coming gradually, surely under
control.
Justin Bolton’s end, financially, came with deserved suddenness and
completeness. Unable, with all his millions, to buy in enough P. &
Y. stock to cover his immense range of “short” sales, the worthless
fellow found himself with every dollar gone when that last stern day
of fighting on ’Change ended. Bolton is now clerking—drudging and
scheming, though all in vain.
Ellis and Rexford did not, of course, earn the great sums of money they
had expected. Fearing prosecution for their part in the affair, they
fled to Europe. Lately the news came that they had been arrested in
Paris for swindling American travelers. The pair are now confined in a
French prison.
Francis Delavan, generous and forgiving, refused to try to find
the crews of the racing launch or of the schooner, or to consider
prosecution of these underlings, and they have never been heard of
since.
“Bolton was the arch-scoundrel, and he’s had punishment enough meted
out to him,” declared the good-humored president of the P. & Y. “I
never did feel much like going after small fry, anyway. Besides, having
to go into court as a witness might upset all the good that has been
done to good old Eb’s nerves.”
Jed Prentiss was soon able to report that his mother had recovered. Jed
thereupon took command of Horace Dunstan’s “Meteor” for the balance of
the season.
Hank Butts has the launch and the water frontage which Mr. Delavan
promised him, and is supremely happy. He would rather be a Motor Boat
Club boy than anything else he could imagine.
Mr. Delavan continued to cruise for the balance of August, using his
own boat part of the time and the “Soudan” the rest of the time.
In September——
But the story of the further doings of the Motor Boat Club boys must
now be deferred for narration in the next volume of this series. The
most absorbing and exciting adventures of our young motor navigators
will be made the subject of the fourth volume in the Motor Boat Club
Series. These rousing adventures will be described under the title:
“THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AND THE WIRELESS; OR, THE DOT, DASH AND DARE
CRUISE.”
(THE END.)
* * * * *
Transcriber’s Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 63, “to-morow” changed to “to-morrow” (purpose to-morrow, but)
Page 119, “Moodridge” changed to “Moddridge” (can’t see Mr. Moodridge)
Page 153, “neglige” changed to “negligee” (in negligee attire)
Page 218, “hurired” changed to “hurried” (young man hurried out)