THE HAPPY REUNION
A beautiful day had grown out of the dreadful storm.
The sun seemed stronger each time it made its way out from behind a
cloud, just as little girls and boys grow strong in body by exercise,
and strong in character by efforts to do right.
And everybody was so happy.
The _Neptune_--the vessel that had struck on the sand bar--was now
safely anchored near shore, and the sailors came in and out in
row-boats, back and forth to land, just as they wished.
Of course Captain Bingham, Hal's uncle, was at the Bingham cottage,
and the first mate, Nellie's father, was at Minturn's.
But that evening there was a regular party on Minturn's veranda.
Numbers of cottagers called to see the sailors, and all were invited
to remain and hear about the strange voyage of the _Neptune_.
"There is not much to tell," began the captain. "Of course I knew we
were going to have trouble getting that mahogany. Two vessels had
been wrecked trying to get it, so when we got to the West Indies I
decided to try canoes and not risk sails, where the wind always blew
such a gale, it dragged any anchor that could be dropped. Well, it
was a long, slow job to drag those heavy logs around that point, and
just when we were making headway, along comes a storm that drove the
schooner and canoes out of business."
Here Mate McLaughlin told about the big storm and how long it took the
small crew to repair the damage done to the sails.
"Then we had to go back to work at the logs," went on the captain,
"and then one of our crew took a fever. Well, then we were
quarantined. Couldn't get things to eat without a lot of trouble, and
couldn't go on with the carting until the authorities decided the
fever was not serious. That was what delayed us so.
"Finally, we had every log loaded on the schooner and we started off.
But I never could believe any material would be as heavy as that
mahogany; why, we just had to creep along, and the least contrary wind
left us motionless on the sea.
"We counted on getting home last week, when this last storm struck us
and drove us out of our course. But we are not sorry for our delay
now, since we have come back to our own."
"About the value?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, who was down from the city.
"The value," repeated the captain aside, so that the strangers might
not hear. "Well, I'm a rich man now, and so is my mate, McLaughlin,
for that wood was contracted for by the largest and richest piano firm
in this country, and now it is all but delivered to them and the money
in our hands."
"Then it was well worth all your sacrifice?" said Mr. Minturn.
"Yes, indeed. It would have taken us a lifetime to accumulate as much
money as we have earned in this year. Of course, it was hard for the
men who had families, McLaughlin especially; the others were all
working sailors, but he was a landsman and my partner in the
enterprise; but I will make it up to him, and the mahogany hunt will
turn out the best paying piece of work he ever undertook."
"Oh, isn't it perfectly splendid!" declared Nan and Dorothy, hugging
Nellie. "You will never again have to go back to that horrid store
that made you so pale, and your mother will have a lovely time and
nothing to worry about."
"I can hardly believe it all," replied their little friend. "But
having father back is the very best of all."
"But all the same," sighed Dorothy, "I just know you will all be going
home before we leave for the city, and I shall just die of
loneliness."
"But we have to go to school," said Nan, "and we have only a few days
more."
"Of course," continued Dorothy; "and our school will not open for two
weeks yet."
"Maybe Aunt Emily will take you down to the city on her shopping
tour," suggested Nan.
"Indeed I do not like shopping," answered the cousin. "Every time I
go in a store that is crowded with stuff on the counters under
people's elbows, I feel like knocking the things all over. I did a
lot of damage that way once. It was holiday time, and a counter that
stuck out in the middle of the store was full of little statues. My
sleeve touched one, and the whole lot fell down as if a cannon had
struck them. I broke ten and injured more than I wanted to count."
"And Aunt Emily had to pay for them?" said Nan.
"No, she didn't, either," corrected Dorothy. "The manager came up
and said the things should not be put out in people's way. He made
the clerks remove all the truck from the aisles and I guess everybody
was glad the army fell down. I never can forget those pink-and-white
soldiers," and Dorothy straightened herself up in comical "soldier's
arms" fashion, imitating the unfortunate statues.
"I hope you can come to Lakeport for Thanksgiving," said Nan. "We
have done so much visiting this summer, out to Aunt Sarah's and down
here, mamma feels we ought to have a grand reunion at our house next.
If we do, I am going to try to have some of the country girls down and
give them all a jolly good time."
"Oh, I'll come if you make it jolly," answered Dorothy. "If there is
one thing in this world worth while, it is fun," and she tossed her
yellow head about like a buttercup, that has no other way of laughing.
That had been an eventful day at Ocean Cliff, and the happy ending of
it, with a boat and its crew saved, was, as some of the children said,
just like a story in a book, only the pictures were all alive!
The largest hotel at Sunset Beach was thrown open to the sailors that
night, and here Captain Bingham and Mate McLaughlin, together with the
rest of the crew, took up comfortable lodgings.
It was very late, long after the little party had scattered from
Minturn's piazza, that the sailors finished dancing their hornpipe for
the big company assembled to greet them in the hotel.
Never had they danced to such fine music before, for the hotel
orchestra played the familiar tune and the sailors danced it nimbly,
hitching up first one side then the other--crossing first one leg then
the other, and wheeling around in that jolly fashion.
How rugged and handsome the men looked! The rough ocean winds had
tanned them like bronze, and their muscles were as firm and strong
almost as the cables that swing out with the buoys. The wonderful
fresh air that these men lived in, night and day, had brightened their
eyes too, so that even the plainest face, and the most awkward man
among them, was as nimble as an athlete, from his perfect exercise.
"And last night what an awful experience they had!" remarked one of
the spectators. "It is no wonder that they are all so happy
to-night."
"Besides," added someone else, "they are all going to receive extra
good pay, for the captain and mate will be very rich when the cargo is
landed."
So the sailors danced until they were tired, and then after a splendid
meal they went to sleep, in as comfortable beds as might be found in
any hotel on Sunset Beach.