THE MAGNATES JOIN HANDS.
Just as the deck hands were hauling in the plank, Major Toppleton
rushed down and leaped on deck. Probably he was not aware of the fact
that Colonel Wimpleton was on board, or he would not have incurred the
liability of seeing him. I concluded that he was nervous about the
arrangements for the union of the two lines, and wished to see me in
relation to them.
I had nothing to do till the steamer reached the North Shoe, and I
sat down near the door of my state-room. Presently Colonel Wimpleton
appeared on the hurricane deck, closely followed by the landlord of the
hotel.
“Wolf, this little bill has just been handed to me,” said the magnate
of Centreport, giving me the paper.
“What is it, sir?”
“Read it for yourself.”
“Captain Penniman will see that it is all right,” added the landlord,
whose name was Sharp.
I glanced at the bill. It was so absurd that I could not help laughing.
The charges were all for damage done to his house and furniture by the
colonel, during his visit to the hotel. The items were as follows:--
To damage done to bed and bedding, $400
” spilling ink, and spoiling carpet, 300
” damage to bureau and chairs, 200
” keeping still about it, 300
-----
$1200
“What do you mean by this, Mr. Sharp?” I inquired.
“I mean just what it says in that bill,” he replied, with a brazen face.
“Do you expect me to pay that bill?” demanded the colonel, indignantly.
“I will leave that to you, sir; but I think you will pay it, as much
for your own sake as mine.”
“This is the most impudent piece of extortion I ever saw attempted,”
added the magnate.
“Well, sir, if people will dance they must pay the fiddler.”
“Why, all the furniture in the room was not worth a hundred dollars,”
said the indignant colonel.
“I don’t want to say much about the matter, Colonel Wimpleton. If you
are not willing to pay the bill, I don’t care about arguing the matter.
If you don’t pay it up, it won’t be my fault if people don’t know what
took place in that room.”
The great man turned pale. The consequences of his debauch followed him
in such humiliating demands as this bill.
“Why didn’t you put it all down under the last item of ‘keeping still
about it’?” added Colonel Wimpleton; but he was alarmed at the threat
of the landlord, and his speech was very mild.
“It is an outrageous imposition,” I ventured to say, when I found it
quite impossible to keep still.
“That comes very well from you, Captain Penniman, after you have had
your nest feathered,” sneered Sharp.
In my turn, I was abashed at this home thrust, though I could not
believe that it was anything more than a supposition on his part.
“I never attempted to extort money from any person,” I replied. “I was
with Colonel Wimpleton, and I say this bill is a swindle. I hope he
will not think of such a thing as paying even a penny of it.”
“He can do as he thinks best,” the fellow doggedly replied.
“There isn’t a shadow of justice in it,” I added, as the colonel
stepped into the state-room, and seated himself there, evidently to
prevent any one from seeing him.
“He was the drunkest man that ever came into my house,” continued
Sharp; “and, if he wants to keep it out of the newspapers, he had
better pay up.”
“What’s the matter, Sharp?” said Major Toppleton, approaching the spot
at this moment.
“Ah, I didn’t know you were here, sir!” exclaimed the landlord, with a
start.
The major stopped before he came in front of the state-room door, and
he did not see that his old rival was within. With the bill in my
hand,--for I had not yet given it back to the colonel,--I beckoned the
magnate of Middleport away from the dangerous locality.
“What’s the matter, Wolf?” asked he, mystified by my movement.
“Colonel Wimpleton is in that state-room,” I replied, when we had
walked abaft the engine.
“Whew!” whistled he. “I did not know he was on board; but I wanted to
see you about this union of the two lines.”
“He did not see you, sir; and Sharp has moved away from the door, so he
will not tell him you are here.”
“I don’t care about meeting him just now,” laughed the major.
“I thought you would not, and so I beckoned you away. You know Sharp,
the landlord?”
I knew he did, for I was aware that the major owned the hotel in Grass
Springs, and had set Sharp up in his business.
“I know he is not the man I took him to be when I assisted him to his
present position,” replied the major. “He seems to be excited about
something.”
“Read this bill,” I added, handing him the document.
Major Toppleton opened his eyes as he examined the account.
“Is this a joke?” he asked.
“No, sir; Sharp actually demands twelve hundred dollars of Colonel
Wimpleton. The last item is hush-money, but it all comes under that
head.”
“The miserable scoundrel!” exclaimed the major, indignantly. “I am
tempted to kick him.”
“He says the colonel was the drunkest man that ever entered his house,
and, if he does not pay this swindle, everybody shall know it.”
“What if he was drunk? The man that sells him the liquor is not the one
to condemn and expose him. I will give the scoundrel a lesson he will
never forget. Sharp!” said he, as the landlord, who was pacing the deck
rather nervously, passed within hailing distance of him.
“At your service, Major Toppleton,” replied Sharp, in cringing tones.
“What have you been doing? What does this bill mean?”
The wretch started when he saw the account in the hands of his powerful
patron. Knowing the enmity which had so long existed between the two
sides of the lake, and especially between the two great men, he would
have counted upon the assistance rather than the opposition of Major
Toppleton in any movement against his rival.
“Colonel Wimpleton came to my house the drunkest man I ever saw,”
replied he.
“And you are going to swindle him for it!” added the major, severely.
“Sharp, your lease expires in July; it will not be renewed. I will not
tolerate such a scoundrel.”
“If you don’t think it is right--”
“Right! you villain! Is it ever right to swindle a man?”
“But it was Colonel Wimpleton, and--”
“No matter who it was. Colonel Wimpleton is a gentleman, and if he were
a hundred times my enemy, I would stand up for him against any such
miserable trick as this.”
“I won’t say anything more about it, Major Toppleton,” pleaded Sharp.
“But I will. I will go to every man within ten miles of Grass Springs,
and tell him you are a liar, a swindler, and a scoundrel,” continued
the major, much excited, as he shook his fist in the face of the
landlord. “In this matter Colonel Wimpleton is my best friend.”
“Major Toppleton!”
To my surprise, Colonel Wimpleton stepped out from behind the engine,
and walking square up to his old enemy, extended his hand to him.
“I was not aware that you were near,” said the major, rather startled.
“I offer you my hand, Major Toppleton,” said the colonel, his lip
quivering with emotion.
“I accept it,” replied the magnate of Middleport.
[Illustration: THE MAGNATES JOIN HANDS.]
They grasped hands. If there had been any artillery on board the
Ucayga, I should have fired a hundred guns in honor of this auspicious
event. As it was, I called Van Wolter, and asked him to display every
piece of bunting on the steamer. I was so delighted that it seemed to
me I should “go up.” The young peacemakers had been at work for a year
to bring about this result; but both of the great men had hung back.
I did not consider that the reconciliation was actually made on the
deck of the Ucayga. The major had been prepared for it for months, and
the colonel from the time the steamer was hauled off the sands by
the Ruoara. Neither had had the courage to approach the other, and I
regarded the coming of the landlord as a fortunate event.
Sharp hung his head with shame, as he saw the magnates join hands.
He had brought his bill to a bad market. I wondered whether Nick Van
Wolter had not put him up to this trick. The fellow had boldly told me
that my nest had been feathered, and no one but Nick had known about
the check until it was drawn.
“Major Toppleton, probably you understand this matter now,” said the
colonel, still trembling with emotion.
“I know nothing about it, except that this scoundrel was trying to
swindle you. I have already told him his lease would not be renewed,”
replied the major, still holding the hand of his old rival. “Whatever
differences we have had, I know you to be a gentleman and a man of
honor; and I would protect even an enemy from such a swindle as this.”
“I trust we shall no longer be enemies,” added Colonel Wimpleton.
“Not by my choice, certainly,” answered the major. “Our boys and girls
have set us a good example. They have made peace among themselves, and
we ought not to be behind them in this matter.”
I was obliged to go to the wheel, as the steamer was approaching the
North Shoe; but I was so excited by the auspicious event which had just
transpired, that I was afraid I should run the boat aground myself,
as Van Wolter had done. But I had hardly taken my place at the wheel
before both the major and the colonel entered, and continued their
conversation. The unwonted sight of the two great men talking together
on friendly terms had been noticed by the passengers, and they were
gathering on the hurricane deck to witness the strange exhibition. The
two gentlemen were annoyed by the interest manifested in their affairs,
and retreated to the wheel-house to escape observation.
“I must beg you to retire to the captain’s state-room, gentlemen,” I
interposed. “I am so interested in what you say, that I am afraid I
shall run the steamer aground if I listen to it.”
I pointed to the door which opened from the wheel-house into the
state-room, and they were considerate enough to retire.
“The world’s coming to an end,” said Van Wolter, standing opposite me
at the wheel.
“On the contrary, I think it is only just beginning to exist,” I
replied; and it did seem to me that we were all about to enter upon a
new life--a life of peace.
“They have really made up.”
“They have indeed. I wish we had a twenty-four pounder on board,” I
continued. “I would make a noise in honor of the event.”
“I have put out all the bunting we have, and it makes quite a show.”
“Everything will go right now, and the union will certainly be
arranged,” I added.
“What union?” asked Van Wolter, who had had no hint of the negotiations
in progress.
“The union of the two lines. In a short time, this boat will make two
trips a day from Middleport to Hitaca, connecting with the railroad.”
“You don’t say it!” exclaimed Van Wolter.
“The two companies split on only one point. That will be arranged now.”
“I suppose one of the captains of the old boats will take this one,
then,” added he, rather gloomily.
“Not at all. I am to be general agent for both lines, and you will
remain in command of this boat.”
“Is that so?”
“I shall insist upon this arrangement. I never go back on a good
friend.”
“You are a Christian, Captain Penniman.”
“I try to be one. You will have no more trouble about the Horse Shoe
Channel. You must make yourself agreeable to your passengers, and I
have no doubt you will be as popular as you deserve to be.”
As we approached the bend of the channel the conversation was
discontinued; but, when I could leave the helm, I joined the magnates
in the state-room.