THE "EMPRESS" LOSES A PASSENGER
Professor Maximus Sonntagg, a big man with a beard, and his wife, Mrs.
Dr. Ophelia Sonntagg, who was thin and mysterious, had come out of the
East to seek their fortunes in the Golden City about a year before, but
up to this time without any great amount of success. The former was a
professor of almost everything in the shape of ancient and modern art,
languages, history, and a lot of other things, concerning all of which
he wrote articles for the papers, always signing his name to them in
full. The Mrs. Doctor had learned the art of saying little, looking
wise, and shaking her head as she felt the pulse of her patients.
These people had managed to scrape an acquaintance with Amos Todd, whom
the Professor declared to be the only patron of art in San Francisco
worth knowing, and to whom he gave some really valuable advice
concerning the purchase of certain paintings. Thus it happened that when
the busy millionaire, in seeking to provide a safe and congenial
amusement for the son whom he firmly believed to be an invalid,
conceived the idea of sending him around the world by way of China, he
also thought of the Sonntaggs as most suitable travelling companions for
him. Where else could he find such a combination of tutor and physician,
a man of the world to take his place as father, and a cultivated woman
to act as mother to his motherless boy?
When he proposed the plan to the Sonntaggs, they declared that they
would not think of giving up the prosperous business they had
established in San Francisco, even for the sake of obliging their dear
friend Mr. Amos Todd. With this the millionaire made them an offer of
such unheard-of munificence that, with pretended reluctance, they
finally accepted it, and he went on his way rejoicing.
The next evening the Sonntaggs dined at Amos Todd's house for the
purpose of making Alaric's acquaintance. The Professor patted him on the
shoulder, and, in a patronizing manner, hoped they should learn much and
enjoy much together. The Mrs. Doctor surveyed him critically, and held
his hand until the boy wondered if she would ever let it go. Finally she
shook her head, sighed deeply, and, turning to his father, said:
"I understand the dear boy's case thoroughly. What he needs is
intelligent treatment and motherly care. I can give him both, and
unhesitatingly promise to restore him to you at the end of a year, if
nothing occurs to prevent, strong, well, and an ornament to the name of
Todd."
Alaric found no difficulty in forming an opinion of the Sonntaggs, and
wondered if going to France with his father and sister would not be
preferable to travelling in their company. So occupied was he with this
question that he hardly ate a mouthful of the sumptuous dinner served in
honor of the guests--a fact that was noted with significant glances by
all at the table.
It was planned that very evening that the Pacific should be crossed in
one of the superb steamships sailing from Vancouver, in British
Columbia, and a despatch was sent off at once to engage staterooms. The
journey was to be begun two days later, for that was the date on which
Amos Todd and his daughter were to start for France; and though the
_Empress_ would not sail from Vancouver for a week after that, the house
would be closed, and it was thought best for Alaric to travel up the
coast by easy stages.
During those two days of grace the poor lad's mind was in a ferment. He
had no desire to go to China or anywhere else outside of his own
country. Having travelled nearly all his life, he was so tired of it
that travelling now seemed to him one of the most unpleasant things a
boy could be compelled to undertake. He did not want to go to France, of
course, and decided that even China in company with the Sonntaggs would
be better than Europe.
Still, he tried to escape from going away at all, and asked his brother
John to let him stay with him and go to work in the bank; but John Todd
answered that he was too busy a man to have the care of an invalid, and
that their father's plan was by far the best. Then, as a last resort,
Alaric went to the park, hoping to meet Dave Carncross, and determined,
if he did, to lay the whole case before him, and ask his advice. Even
here fate seemed against him; for, from a strange boy of whom he made
inquiry, he learned that Carncross had left the city a day or two
before, though where he had gone the boy did not know.
So preparations for the impending journey went busily forward, and
Alaric, who felt very much like a helpless victim of misfortune, could
find no excuse for delaying them. Even in the preparations being made
for his own comfort he was given no active part. Everything that he was
supposed to need and did not already possess was procured for him. His
father presented him with a superb travelling-bag, fitted with all
possible toilet accessories in silver and cut glass, but the boy would
infinitely have preferred a baseball bat, and a chance to use it.
At length the day for starting arrived, and, with as great reluctance as
he had ever felt in his life, Alaric entered the carriage that was to
convey the Todds to the Oakland ferry. Crossing the bay, they found the
Sonntaggs awaiting them on the other side, where the whole party entered
Amos Todd's palatial private car that was attached to the Overland
Express. In this way they travelled together as far as Sacramento, where
Alaric bade his father and sister good-bye. Then he and his newly
appointed guardians boarded the special car provided for them, and in
which they were to proceed by the famous Shasta route to the far North.
Up to this point the Sonntaggs had proved very attentive, and had
striven by every means to make themselves agreeable to their
fellow-travellers. From here on, however, the Professor spent most of
his time in smoking and sleeping, while his wife devoted herself to
reading novels, a great stack of which had been provided for the
journey. Alaric, thus left to his own devices, gazed drearily from the
car window, rebelling inwardly at the lonely grandeur with which he was
surrounded, and wishing with all his heart that he were poor enough to
be allowed to travel in one of the ordinary coaches, in which were
several boys of his own age, who seemed to be having a tantalizingly
good time. They were clad in flannels, knickerbockers, and heavy
walking-shoes, and Alaric noted with satisfaction that they wore gray
Tam o' Shanter caps, such as he had procured at Esther Dale's
suggestion, and was now wearing for the first time.
They left the train at Sisson, and Alaric, standing on the platform of
his car, gathered from their conversation that they were about to climb
Mount Shasta, the superb rock-ribbed giant that lifted his snow-crowned
head more than fourteen thousand feet in the air a few miles from that
point. What wouldn't he give to be allowed to join the merry party and
make the adventurous trip with them? He had been familiar with mountains
by sight all his life, and had always longed to climb one, but had never
been given the opportunity.
It was small consolation to notice one of the boys draw the attention of
the others to him, and overhear him say: "Look at that chap travelling
in a special car like a young millionaire. I say, fellows, that must be
great fun, and I'd like to try it just for once, wouldn't you?"
The others agreed that they would, and then the group passed out of
hearing, while Alaric said to himself: "I only wish they could try
travelling all alone in a special car, just to find out how little fun
there is in it."
The following morning Portland, Oregon, was reached, and here the car
was side-tracked that its occupants might spend a day or two in the
city. The Sonntaggs seemed to have many acquaintances here, for whom
they held a reception in the car, gave a dinner at the Hotel Portland,
and ordered carriages in which to drive about, all at Amos Todd's
expense. In these diversions Alaric was at liberty to join or not, as he
pleased, and he generally preferred to remain behind or to wander about
by himself.
The same programme was repeated at Tacoma and Seattle, in the State of
Washington, and at Vancouver, in British Columbia. In the last-named
place Alaric's chief amusement lay in watching the lading of the great
white ship that was to bear him away, and the busy life of the port,
with its queer medley of Yankees and Britishers, Indians and Chinamen,
tourists, sailors, and stevedores. The last-named especially excited his
envious admiration--they were such big men, and so strong.
[Illustration: ALARIC MAKES HIS FIRST DECISION]
At length the morning of sailing arrived, and as the mighty steamship
moved majestically out of the harbor, and, leaving the brown waters of
Burrard Inlet behind, swept on into the open blue of the Gulf of
Georgia, the boy was overwhelmed with a great wave of homesickness.
Standing alone at the extreme after end of the promenade-deck, he
watched the fading land with strained eyes, and felt like an outcast and
a wanderer on the face of the earth.
After a while the ship began to thread a bewildering maze of islands, in
which Professor Sonntagg made a slight effort to interest his moody
young charge; but finding this a difficult task, he quickly gave it up,
and joined some acquaintances in the smoking-room.
Alaric had not known that the _Empress_ was to make one stop before
taking her final departure from the coast. So when she was made fast to
the outer wharf at Victoria, on the island of Vancouver, the largest
city in British Columbia, and its capital, he felt like one who receives
an unexpected reprieve from an unpleasant fate.
As it was announced that she would remain here two hours, the Sonntaggs,
according to their custom, at once engaged a carriage to take them to
the most interesting places in the city. This plan had been suggested by
Amos Todd himself, who had bidden them spare no expense or pains to show
his son all that was worth seeing in the various cities they might
visit; and that the boy generally declined to accompany them on these
excursions was surely not their fault--at least, they did not regard it
so.
The truth was that Alaric had taken a dislike to these pretentious
people from the very first, and it had grown so much stronger on closer
acquaintance that now he was willing to do almost anything to avoid
their company. Thus on this occasion he allowed them to drive off
without him, while he strolled alone to the head of the wharf, tossing
his beloved baseball, which he had carefully brought with him on this
journey, from hand to hand as he walked.
"Hello! Give us a catch," shouted a cheery voice; and, looking up,
Alaric saw a merry-faced, squarely built lad of his own age standing in
an expectant attitude a short distance from him. Although he was roughly
dressed, he had a bright, self-reliant look that was particularly
attractive to our young traveller, who without hesitation tossed him the
ball. They passed it back and forth for a minute, and then the stranger
lad, saying, "Good-bye; I must be getting along; wish I could stop and
get better acquainted, though," ran on with a laugh, and disappeared in
the crowd.
An hour later Alaric was nearly half a mile from the wharf, when the
steamer's hoarse whistle sounded a warning note that signified a speedy
departure. He turned and began to walk slowly in that direction, and a
few minutes later a carriage containing the Sonntaggs dashed by without
its occupants noticing him.
At sight of them Alaric paused. A queer look came into his face; it grew
very pale, and then he deliberately sat down on a log by the way-side.
There came another blast of the ship's whistle, and then the tall masts,
which he could just see, began slowly to move. The _Empress_, with the
Sonntaggs on board, had started for China, and one of her passengers was
left behind.