ADIEU TO THE BOOMSBYS.
Mr. Peverell, the bank messenger, called at the saloon on his way back.
Doubtless he was not a little concerned about meeting the officers of
the bank, after the loss of so large a sum of money. By this time they
had heard the news, for it was flying all over the city. He looked very
much troubled, as well he might.
"It seems very strange to me," said Peverell, after he had discussed
the robbery for a while. "Nobody came into the saloon while I was there
but Buckner. I saw him come in, but I took no further notice of him;
and I hadn't the least idea that anything was wrong till I saw Nick
leap over the counter. I can't see how anybody else could have taken
the package; and it is just as hard to tell what became of it."
"I haven't the least doubt but what he threw it into the river," added
Nick Boomsby.
"I don't see how he could have done it without anybody seeing him,"
replied the messenger. "There were plenty of men standing about the
pier."
"There seems to be something the matter here," interposed Peeks, coming
up to me at this moment with the telegraphic despatch in his hand. "I
am sorry to disturb you, Captain Alick."
"It is none of my affairs," I added, hoping the despatch contained no
bad news from home.
"I have a message from Detroit informing me that my father is very
sick," added Peeks, opening the despatch. "My mother wants me to come
home as quick as I can."
"I am sorry your news is so bad, Mr. Peeks; but there is only one thing
for a son to do in such a case," I replied, full of sympathy for our
steward. "I hardly know how I shall get along without you; but I cannot
ask you to remain under such circumstances."
"I am sorry to leave, Captain Alick, especially for such a reason. My
health has been entirely restored by this cruise, and I would not leave
you if I didn't get a cent for my work, though I have been well and
promptly paid. My father has considerable property, and my mother is
old and feeble. I am afraid I shall not be able to join you again, for
if my father dies, as the doctors say he must, I shall have to look out
for his affairs at home. But I have no time to lose, for I must take
the train for the North this afternoon."
I paid him the balance of wages due him, and we parted with a hearty
shake of hands. His going disturbed me not a little, for he was both
skilful and faithful, and his services had been invaluable, when I had
so many passengers on board the Sylvania. He left the saloon, and for
some minutes I forgot the exciting events of the day.
If we were to sail on our next cruise, as had been arranged, the next
morning, I must look up a competent steward. But the Florida season was
over, and I anticipated no trouble in finding one.
By this time there was quite a crowd collected in the saloon, and for
half an hour longer the robbery was talked over. Nothing new was
brought out. Buckner had taken the package from the counter, Nick had
pursued him, and the money was not found. They could not get beyond
these facts, or beyond these apparent facts, for things are not always
as they seem.
Peverell left when he found he could get no further in his
investigation, and then for a time there was a lively business done at
both bars of the saloon. The negroes had come into the front room to
hear what was said, and they could not leave till each of them had
imbibed all the cheap whiskey he could get into one of Captain
Boomsby's thick-bottomed tumblers. Nick was just as busy at the front
bar. I could not help looking at him as he dealt out the dangerous
fluids--doubly dangerous after passing through Captain Boomsby's hands.
I doubted whether he had any ambition to become anything better than a
bartender. He was about my age, but not half so robust, for, being an
only son, his father and mother humored him, and never compelled him to
do anything like hard work, as they had me.
Nick was dressed in rather cheap, but flashy, clothes, and wore an
enormous glass diamond in his shirt front. At the present time he
seemed to be doing his dirty work in a very mechanical manner, as
though he were thinking of something else. He had to ask every customer
twice over what he wanted, and even then gave him the wrong bottle.
But the rush of business was soon over. Captain Boomsby came out of the
negro bar, and Nick joined him in the rear of the front saloon. The
father looked at the son, and the son looked at the father, and then
both of them looked at me, as though they did not care to say anything
in my presence.
"I suppose I shall have to go to court, father," said Nick, "and I
guess I had better go up stairs and slick up a little."
"You look well enough as you be," replied the elder Boomsby.
"If I am going into the court, I want my best clothes on. Besides,
father, you said I might go out this afternoon," replied Nick, who
evidently had other views in his head than the court. "Mother had just
as lief tend bar this afternoon as not."
"I s'pose she had, but I don't want her in the bar when I can help it,"
added the captain, whose marital relations had become decidedly
unpleasant, as I had learned from observation.
"Well, Captain Boomsby, I must say good-bye to you again," I
interposed, not caring to wait for the father and son to settle the
question between them.
I offered my hand and he took it; but I don't think he was inclined to
weep at my departure. I thought that Nick looked at me with more than
usual interest, and when I took him by the hand to say good-bye to him,
he pressed my hand warmly. Before, when I had met him, he was hardly
disposed to speak to me at all. He and his mother kept the old sores
open.
"I have never been on board of your steamer yet, Captain Alick," said
he, with a sort of ghastly grin, which I could not understand. "I
wanted to get out this afternoon to make a visit to her."
"She can be seen by everybody who chooses to visit her, and I shall be
glad to see you on board of her," I replied. "All hands are on shore
now, except Cobbington, who is acting as ship-keeper. He will show you
all over the Sylvania, if I am not on board."
"Where are you going from here in her?" asked Nick.
"We shall run down the coast of Florida, then across the Gulf of
Mexico, and then up the Mississippi," I replied.
"I wish I was going with you," added Nick.
I did not wish he was going with me, and so I said nothing. I had taken
leave of the captain and his son, and was about to depart when Mrs.
Boomsby came into the saloon from the front entry.
"You here, Sandy," said she, bestowing a look of disgust upon me.
"I leave early to-morrow morning, and I dropped in to say good-bye. I
will say the same to you, Mrs. Boomsby," I added, moving towards the
door.
"You needn't trouble yourself to say good-bye to me, for sakes knows I
don't keer whether I ever see you again or not," replied the amiable
lady, with a frown on her countenance which was enough to prevent me
from saying anything more. I bowed and moved towards the door.
"I s'pose you think you are mighty grand, sailin' about in a steam
yacht; but you'll come to a bad end yet," continued Mrs. Boomsby.
That was just what her husband had said to me, and I concluded they had
talked the matter over again. I did not wait to hear any more. I
entered the saloon on a friendly mission; I had forgiven my worst
enemies,--I could conceive of none worse than the Boomsbys,--and I was
not willing to have any words with the most virulent one of the family.
I walked out of the saloon. I heard some further uncomplimentary
allusions to myself as I closed the door behind me; but I believed that
was the last I should ever see of any of the Boomsby family.
I walked up to Colonel Shepard's house, and found all the family, as
well as Owen there. They were evidently engaged in the discussion of
some topic of interest when I entered. I had come up to press their
acceptance of the invitation I had given them to continue the yachting
excursion with me up the Mississippi; but before I had time to say
anything about it, Owen told me the Shepards had concluded to decline
the invitation. I was rather taken aback by this announcement, for the
party were exceedingly pleasant company, and I knew that Margie Tiffany
would enjoy being with her friend, Edith Shepard.
"You have treated us exceedingly well, Captain Alick, on board of the
Sylvania, and we shall all be grateful to you as long as we live, for
all the pleasure you have afforded us," said Colonel Shepard.
"I shall be greatly disappointed, sir, if your family do not go with
us," I answered, wondering at his decision. "We can accommodate you
very well, and the more the merrier, you know."
"You forget that I am the owner of a steam yacht like the Sylvania,"
continued Colonel Shepard, smiling. "I expected to send her to New
York, but I concluded not to do so until we were ready to go
ourselves."
"I knew that the Islander was still here, and she can take you anywhere
you wish to go as comfortably as the Sylvania; but I should be very
glad to have you continue to be our passengers."
"As you have your father with you now, I think you will get along very
well without us," laughed the colonel. "I only wish I had you and your
crew to run the Islander for me."
"Thank you; you are very kind, sir. I am afraid we shall not be able to
leave the Sylvania. But where are you going?"
"It is still an open question whether we proceed directly to New York,
cruise awhile in the vicinity of Florida, or go with you. I am not
quite willing to leave the State until I have pulled in a few more
red-fish, black bass, and other fish such as we caught in Indian
River."
"I suppose you don't propose to take Captain Boomsby with you as
captain of the Islander. You remember that he came to Florida in
command of her," I added.
"I don't propose to take any such person. I retain the captain and crew
I engaged to take the Islander to New York," replied Colonel Shepard.
"Captain Blastblow has seen service in a yacht, and has commanded a
steamer."
"I have no doubt he is entirely competent."
"I think he is, or I would not trust my family to his care. While we
were up the St. Johns, he put the Islander in first-rate condition. He
has had her boiler and machinery overhauled, and declares she has the
best engine he ever saw in a steamer. I went down to see her as soon as
we arrived. He has engaged a steward, waiters, and others, and I think
we shall be ready to sail as soon as you are," continued the colonel.
"We are off early to-morrow morning," I added.
"Captain Blastblow told me at noon he should be ready to sail to-night.
I expect a letter to-day from New York, and that will enable me to
decide where we go."
I soon took my leave, for I had to engage a steward before night. I was
amazed at the decision of Colonel Shepard, and I could not help
thinking he had some motive for his course which did not appear on the
surface. I decided to call upon my father on my way to the wharf, for
he was staying at the Carlton with the Tiffanys. I had gone but a few
steps before Owen caught up with me.
"I want you to understand, Alick, that I am not concerned in this
business," said he, in a deprecatory tone. "I had no idea what the
colonel intended to do until I went to his house this afternoon."
"O, I don't blame you for it, Owen," I replied.
"But I think they would have gone with us if I had held the charter of
the vessel as before," he added.
"I think that need make no difference. I suppose you will go in the
Islander now," I continued, laughing, for I did not think he would be
able to break away from Miss Edith.
"I don't know, Alick. To tell the truth, I have had no invitation to go
in the Islander; and without one I surely shall not go in her."
This seemed to me to be a little odd, and I was thinking of it when we
came to the Carlton, where I found my father on the piazza. We told him
the whole story. To my astonishment, he said he was glad to hear it. I
told him Owen had no invitation to go in the Islander.
"And he will have none," added my father, bluntly. "Owen, if you accept
any such invitation, should one be given, the Sylvania will part
company with the Islander as soon as we get out of the river."
"That is very odd, uncle Bent," answered Owen.
"I have a very great respect for Colonel and Mrs. Shepard; and what he
has done, probably by the counsel of his wife, removes the only doubt I
had of him. Owen, you are a perfect spoon! It is not quite proper that
you and Miss Edith should be spooning all the time, night and day; and
to my mind, Colonel Shepard has decided to go in his own yacht to
prevent this thing, as well as to retain his own self-respect. I dare
say he is no longer willing to be the guests, with his whole family, of
Alick or yourself. That's the whole of it. It is better for you to
visit the young lady occasionally than to spend weeks or months with
her in a little steam-yacht."
I thought my father was rather severe upon my cousin, and I determined
to speak to him about the matter when we were alone. I told my father
that Peeks had been obliged to leave, and that I must look up a steward
at once.
He told me I need not go far to find one, and recommended me to give
the place to Cobbington. I had not thought of such a thing, and I
hastened on board to consider the matter.