AT THE PINES
The Indian summer days had come,—soft, dreamy days of red and gold,
with veils of silver mist at sunrise, and skeins of purple clouds at
twilight. The air was hazy with the smoke of dull fires smouldering on
the hillside. The stems of the bare birches shone white; wreaths of
scarlet crowned the low stone walls; dead leaves strewed the lawns,
and tall chrysanthemums flamed in the garden-beds. Here and there a
belated summer rose, braving the cold, shivered with close-folded
lips, or hung head down, pierced by the night-frost.
Sanford had shifted his quarters from the little room over Captain
Joe’s kitchen to the big east room at The Pines, opening out upon a
wide balcony, from which he could see with his glass the feathers of
white steam on the Ledge. His apartments in Washington Square had been
closed, and Sam ordered to join his master at Keyport, where he found
himself promoted from the position of man-of-all-work to that of
valet-in-chief, with especial instructions to report daily to Buckles,
who grew more reticent and imposing by reason of the added charge.
And with the dreamy days came Helen and Jack; Smearly with a big
canvas, which he never afterward touched; and the major, with a
nondescript wardrobe, as curious as it was astonishing.
To Helen The Pines was a land of romance and charm. She had been
brought up in the country, and loved its quiet, the rest of its shady
lanes and cool woods, and the life it brought. The city had charmed
her at first. She liked its novelty, its theatres, galleries, and
crowded streets, but long before her visit in town was done, she had
begun to sigh for green fields, and rose gardens, and the freedom of
her young days at home. She had passed the summer with her school
friends, Jack spending his Sundays with her whenever he could manage
an invitation. But the homes of her friends had been simple ones, with
none of the luxury and comfort and the poetry of The Pines.
Mrs. Leroy had begun at once on her arrival to carry out her promise
to give the young Maryland girl one more good time before that
“Bluebeard Jack bound her hand and foot.” She had done this as much
from a sincere interest in Helen, as from a sense of duty to Jack and
Sanford. She had not, as yet, completely won the girl’s confidence.
The talk with Smearly, in which Mrs. Leroy had cried out against the
marriage relation, still lingered in Helen’s mind. Its last impression
wore away only when Kate had taken her out on the lawn, on the second
morning of her visit, to show her a secluded summer-house smothered in
climbing vines and overlooking the water.
“This is for you and Jack,” she had said, with a merry twinkle in her
eye and a depth of tenderness in her tone. “And for nobody else, dear.
Not a soul will be able to find you.” Though Helen had laughed and
said that she and Jack had been engaged too long to need such
retirement, every succeeding morning had found them there, oblivious
to the outside world until aroused by a peculiar shuffling sound on
the gravel, followed by a warning cough.
“Lunch ready, Marse Jack,—so de waiter-man says.”
It was always Sam,—his face as full of smiles as a suddenly disturbed
puddle is of ripples.
But if The Pines was an enchanted realm to Helen and Jack, a
refreshing retreat to Sanford, and a mine of luxury to Smearly, to the
major it was a never ending source of pure delight.
Until that day on which he had stepped within its portals, his
experience of Northern hospitality had been confined to Jack’s and
Sanford’s bachelor apartments, for years ideal realms of elegance and
ease. These now seemed to him both primitive and meagre. Where Jack
had but one room to spare for a friend, and Sanford but two, The Pines
had whole suites opening into corridors terminating in vistas of
entrancing lounging-places, with marvelous fittings and draperies.
Where Sam and Jefferson, in their respective establishments, performed
unaided every household duty, from making a cocktail to making a bed,
The Pines boasted two extra men, who assisted Buckles at the
sideboard, to say nothing of countless maids, gardeners, hostlers,
stable-boys, and lesser dependents.
Moreover, the major had come upon a most capacious carriage-house and
out-buildings, sheltering a wonderful collection of drags, coupés, and
phaetons of patterns never seen by him before,—particularly a most
surprising dog-cart with canary-colored wheels; and a stable full of
satin-skinned horses with incredible pedigrees, together with
countless harnesses mounted in silver, and decorated with monograms.
Last, but by no means least, he had discovered, to his infinite joy, a
spick-and-span perfectly appointed steam yacht, with sailing-master,
engineer, firemen, and crew constantly on board, and all ready, at a
moment’s notice, to steam off to the uttermost parts of the earth in
search of booty or adventure.
The major had found, in fact, all that his wildest flights and his
most mendacious imaginings had pictured. The spacious piazzas, velvet
lawns, and noble parks of which he had so often boasted as being “upon
the estate of a ve’y dear friend of mine up No’th, suh, where I spend
so many happy days;” the wonderful cuisine, fragrant Havanas, crusty
port and old Hennessy,—the property as well of this diaphanous
gentleman,—had at last become actual realities. The women of charming
mien and apparel, so long creations of his brain,—“Dianas, suh,
clothed one hour in yachtin’-jackets, caps, and dainty yellow shoes,
and the next in webs of gossamer, their lovely faces shaded by
ravishin’ pa’asols and crowned by wonderful hats,”—now floated daily
along the very gravel walks that his own feet pressed, or were
attended nightly by gay gallants in immaculate black and white, whose
elbows touched his own.
Of all these luxuries had he dreamed for years, and about all these
luxuries had he lied, descanting on their glories by the hour to that
silent group of thirsty Pocomokians before the village bar, or to the
untraveled neighbors who lightened with their presence the lonely
hours at Crab Island. But never until Mrs. Leroy had opened wide to
him the portals of The Pines had they been real to his sight and
touch.
It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that with the flavor of all
this magnificence steeping his soul a gradual change took place in his
tone and demeanor. Before a week had passed he had somehow persuaded
himself that although the lamp of Aladdin was exclusively the property
of Mrs. Leroy, the privilege of rubbing it was unquestionably his own.
Gradually, and by the same mental process, he had become convinced
that he was not only firmly installed in the Leroy household as High
Rubber-in-Chief, the master of the house being temporarily absent, and
there being no one else to fill his place, but that the office, if not
a life position, at least would last long enough to tide him over
until cold weather set in.
At first Mrs. Leroy looked on in amazement, and then, as the humor of
the situation dawned upon her, gave him free rein to do as he would.
Months ago she had seen through his harmless assumptions, and his
present pretensions amused her immensely.
“My dear madam,” he would say, “I see the lines of care about yo’r
lovely eyes. Let me take you a spin down the shell road in that yaller
cyart. It will bring the roses back to your cheeks.” Or, “Sanford, my
dear fellow, try one of those Reina Victorias; you’ll find them much
lighter. Buckles, open a fresh box.”
It is worthy of note, too, that when once the surprise at the novelty
of the situation had passed away, his hostess soon realized that no
one could have filled the post of major-domo to better satisfaction.
The same qualities that served him at Crab Island, making him the best
of company when off on an outing with the boys, were displayed in even
greater perfection at The Pines. He was courteous, good-humored,
unselfish, watchful of everybody’s comfort, buoyant as a rubber ball,
and ultimately so self-poised that even Buckles began to stand in awe
of him,—a victory, by the way, which so delighted Jack Hardy that he
rolled over on the grass with shouts of laughter when he discussed it
with Sanford and Smearly.
Nor were the greater duties neglected. He was constantly on the
lookout for various devices by which his hostess might be relieved in
the care of her guests. Tennis tournaments, fishing parties, and
tableaux followed in quick succession, each entertainment the result
of his ingenious activity and his untiring efforts at making everybody
happy.
This daily routine of gayety was interrupted by the important
announcement that a committee of engineers, headed by General Barton,
would inspect the work at Shark Ledge.
This visit of the engineers meant to Sanford a possible solution of
his difficulties. Carleton still withheld the certificate, and the
young engineer had had the greatest difficulty in tiding over his
payments. A second and last section of the work was nearly completed,
thanks to the untiring efforts of Captain Joe and his men and to the
stability of the machinery, and there was every probability that now
these two sections would be finished before the snow began to fly.
This had been the main purpose of Sanford’s summer, and the end was in
sight. And yet, with all that had been accomplished, Sanford knew that
a technical ruling of the Board in sustaining Carleton’s unjust report
when rejecting the work might delay his payments for months, and if
prolonged through the winter might eventually ruin him.
The inspection, then, was all the more important at this time; for
while the solidity of the masonry and the care with which it was
constructed would speak for themselves, the details must be seen and
inspected to be appreciated. If the day, therefore, were fine and the
committee able to land on the Ledge, Sanford had no fear of the
outcome,—provided, of course, that Carleton could be made to speak
the truth.
There was no question that parts of the work as they then stood were
in open violation of the plans and specifications of the contract. The
concrete base, or disk, was acknowledged by Sanford to be six inches
out of level. This error was due to the positive orders of Carleton
against the equally positive protest of Sanford and Captain Joe. But
the question still remained, whether the Board would sustain
Carleton’s refusal to give a certificate in view of the error, and
whether Carleton could be made to admit that the error was his own,
and not Sanford’s.
So far as the permanence of the structure was concerned, this six
inches’ rise over so large an area as the base was immaterial. The
point—a vital one—was whether the technical requirements of the
contract would be insisted upon. Its final decision lay with the
Board.
To Mrs. Leroy the occasion was one of more than usual importance. She
sent for the sailing-master, ordered steam up at an early hour, gave
Sam—Buckles had assigned Sam to certain duties aboard the
yacht—particular directions as to luncheon the following day, and
prepared to entertain the whole committee, provided that august body
could be induced to accept the invitation she meant to extend. She had
already selected General Barton as her especial victim, while Helen
was to make herself agreeable to some of the younger members.
The value of linen, glass, cut flowers, dry champagne, and pretty
toilettes in settling any of the affairs of life was part of her
social training, and while she did not propose to say one word in
defense or commendation of Sanford and his work, she fully intended so
to soften the rough edges of the chief engineer and his assistants
that any adverse ruling would be well-nigh impossible.
If Mrs. Leroy lent a cheerful and willing hand, the presiding genius
of the weather was equally considerate. The morning broke clear and
bright. The sun silvered the tall grass of the wide marsh crossed by
the railroad trestle and draw, and illumined the great clouds of white
steam puffed out by the passing trains. The air was balmy and soft,
the sky a turquoise necked with sprays of pearl, the sea a sheet of
silver.
When the maid opened her windows, Mrs. Leroy stepped to the balcony
and drank in the beauty and freshness of the morning. Even the weather
powers, she said to herself, had ceased hostilities, and declared a
truce for the day, restraining their turbulent winds until the council
of war which was to decide Sanford’s fate was over.
As her eye roamed over her perfectly appointed and well-kept lawns,
her attention was drawn to a singular-looking figure crossing the
grass in the direction of the dock where the yacht was moored. It was
that of a man dressed in the jacket and cap of a club commodore. He
bore himself with the dignity of a lord high admiral walking the
quarter-deck. Closer inspection revealed the manly form of no less
distinguished a personage than Major Thomas Slocomb of Pocomoke.
Subsequent inquiries disclosed these facts: Finding in his room the
night before a hitherto unsuspected closet door standing partly open,
the major had, in harmless curiosity, entered the closet and inspected
the contents, and had come upon some attractive garments. That these
clothes had evidently been worn by and were then the sole property of
his host, Morgan Leroy, Commodore N. Y. Y. C., a man whom he had never
seen, only added to the charm of the discovery. Instantly a dozen
thoughts crowded through his head,—each more seductive than the
other. Evidently this open door and this carefully hung jacket and cap
meant something out of the ordinary! It was the first time the door
had been left open! It had been done purposely, of course, that he
might see its contents! Everything in this wonderful palace of luxury
was free,—cigars, brandy, even the stamps on the writing-table before
him,—why not, then, these yachting clothes? To-morrow was the great
day for the yacht, when the inspection of the engineers was to take
place. His age and position naturally made him the absent commodore’s
rightful successor. Had Leroy been at home, he would, undoubtedly,
have worn these clothes himself. The duty of his substitute,
therefore, was too plain to admit of a moment’s hesitation. He must
certainly wear the clothes. One thing, however, touched him
deeply,—the delicacy of his hostess in putting them where he could
find them, and the exquisite tact with which it had all been done.
Even if all other considerations failed, he could not disappoint that
queen among women, that Cleopatra of modern times.
As he squeezed his arms into the jacket—Leroy was two thirds his
size—and caught the glint of the gilt buttons in the mirror, his last
lingering doubt faded.
This, then, was the figure Mrs. Leroy saw from her bedroom window.
When the major boarded the yacht the sailing-master saluted him with
marked deference, remembering the uniform, even if he did not the
wearer, and the sailors holystoning the decks came up to a half
present as he passed them on his way to the saloon to see if Sam had
carried out his instructions about certain brews necessary for the
comfort of the day.
“Where the devil did you get that rig, major?” roared Smearly, when he
and Sanford came down the companionway, half an hour later. “You look
like a cross between Dick Deadeye and Little Lord Fauntleroy. It’s
about two sizes too small for you.”
“Do you think so, gentlemen?” twisting his back to the mirrors to get
a better view. His face was a study. “It’s some time since I wore ’em;
they may be a little tight. I’ve noticed lately that I am gaining
flesh. Will you sit here, gentlemen, or shall I order something
coolin’ on deck?”—not a quaver in his voice. “Here, Sam,” he called,
catching sight of that darky’s face, “take these gentlemen’s orders.”
When Helen and Mrs. Leroy appeared, followed by several ladies with
Hardy as escort, the major sprang forward to greet them with all the
suppressed exuberance of a siphon of Vichy. He greeted Helen first.
“Ah, my dear Helen, you look positively charmin’ this mornin’; you are
like a tea-rose wet with dew; nothing like these Maryland
girls,—unless, my dear madam,” he added, turning to Mrs. Leroy,
bowing as low to his hostess as the grip of his shoulders would
permit, “unless it be yo’r own queenly presence. Sam, put some
cushions behind the ladies’ backs, or shall I order coffee for you on
deck?”
But it was not until the major came up on the return curve of his bow
to a perpendicular that his hostess realized in full the effect of
Morgan Leroy’s nautical outfit. She gave a little gasp, and her face
flushed.
“I hope none of these ladies will recognize Morgan’s clothes, Henry,”
she whispered behind her fan to Sanford. “I must say this is going a
step too far.”
“But didn’t you send them to his room, Kate? He told me this morning
he wore them out of deference to your wishes. He found them hanging in
his closet.” Sanford’s face wore a quizzical smile.
“I send them?” Then the whole thing burst upon her. With the keenest
appreciation of the humor of the situation in every line of her face,
she turned to the major and said, “I must congratulate you, major, on
your new outfit, and I must thank you for wearing it to-day. It was
very good of you to put it on. It is an important occasion, you know,
for Mr. Sanford. Will you give me your arm and take me on deck?”
Helen stared in complete astonishment as she listened to Mrs. Leroy.
This last addition to the major’s constantly increasing wardrobe—he
had a way of borrowing the clothes of any friend with whom he
stayed—had for the moment taken her breath away. It was only when
Jack whispered an explanation to her that she, too, entered into the
spirit of the scene.
Before the yacht had passed through the draw of the railroad trestle
on her way to the Ledge, the several guests had settled themselves in
the many nooks and corners about the deck or on the more luxurious
cushions of the saloon. Mrs. Leroy, now that her guests were happily
placed, sat well forward out of immediate hearing, where she could
talk over the probable outcome of the day with Sanford, and lay her
plans if Carleton’s opposition threatened serious trouble. Helen and
Jack were as far aft as they could get, watching the gulls dive for
scraps thrown from the galley, while Smearly in the saloon below was
the centre of a circle of ladies,—guests from the neighboring
cottages,—who were laughing at his stories, and who had, thus early
in the day, voted him the most entertaining man they had ever met,
although a trifle cynical.
As for the major, he was as restless as a newsboy, and everywhere at
once: in the galley, giving minute directions to the chef regarding
the slicing of the cucumbers and the proper mixing of the salad; up in
the pilot-house interviewing the sailing-master on the weather, on the
tides, on the points of the wind, on the various beacons, shoals, and
currents; and finally down in the pantry, where Sam, in white apron,
immaculate waistcoat and tie, was polishing some pipe-stemmed glasses,
intended receptacles of cooling appetizers composed of some
ingredients of the major’s own selection.
“You lookin’ mighty fine, major, dis mornin’,” said Sam, his mouth
stretched in a broad grin. “Dat ’s de tip-nist, top-nist git-up I done
seen fur a coon’s age,” detecting a certain—to him—cake-walk cut to
the coat and white duck trousers. “Did dat come up on de train las’
night, sah?” he asked, walking round the major, and wiping a glass as
he looked him over admiringly.
“Yes, Sam, and it’s the first time I wore ’em. Little tight in the
sleeves, ain’t they?” the major inquired, holding out his arm.
“Does seem ter pinch leetle mite round de elbows; but you do look
good, fur a fac’.”
These little confidences were not unusual. Indeed, of all the people
about him the major understood Sam the best and enjoyed him the
most,—an understanding, by the way, which was mutual. There never was
any strain upon the Pocomokian’s many resources of high spirits,
willingness to please, and general utility, when he was alone with
Sam. He never had to make an effort to keep his position; that Sam
accorded him. But then, Sam believed in the major.
As the yacht rounded the east end of Crotch Island, Sanford made out
quite plainly over the port bow the lighthouse tender steaming along
from a point in the direction of Little Gull Light.
“There they come,” he said to Mrs. Leroy. “Everything is in our favor
to-day, Kate. I was afraid they might be detained. We’ll steam about
here for a while until the tender lands at the new wharf which we have
just finished at the Ledge. The yacht draws a little too much water to
risk the wharf, and we had better lie outside of the government boat.
It’s as still as a mill-pond at the Ledge to-day, and we can all go
ashore. If you will permit me, Kate, I’ll call to your sailing-master
to slow down until the tender reaches the wharf.”
At this moment the major’s head appeared around the edge of the
pilot-house door. He had overheard Sanford’s remark. “Allow me,
madam,” he said in a voice of great dignity, and with a look at
Sanford, as if somehow that gentleman had infringed upon his own
especial privileges. The next instant the young engineer’s suggestion
to “slow down” was sent bounding up to the sailing-master, who
answered it with a touch of two fingers to his cap, an “Ay, ay, sir,”
and some sharp, quick pulls on the engine-room gong.
Mrs. Leroy smiled at the major’s nautical knowledge and quarter-deck
air, and rose to her feet to see the approaching tender. Under
Sanford’s guiding finger, she followed the course of the long thread
of black smoke lying on the still horizon, unwinding slowly from the
spool of the tender’s funnel.
[Illustration: “Victory is ours!”]
Everybody was now on deck. Helen and the other younger ladies of the
party leaned over the yacht’s rail watching the rapidly nearing
steamer; the older ladies mounted the deck from the cabin, some of
them becoming fully persuaded that the Ledge with its derricks and
shanty—a purple-gray mass under the morning glare—was unquestionably
the expected boat.
Soon the Ledge loomed up in all its proportions, with its huge rim of
circular masonry lying on the water line like a low monitor rigged
with derricks for masts. When the rough shanty for the men, and the
platforms filled with piles of cement barrels, and the hoisting-engine
were distinctly outlined against the sky, everybody crowded forward to
see the place of which they had heard so much.
Mrs. Leroy stood one side, that Sanford might explain without
interruption the several objects as they came into view.
“Why, Henry,” she exclaimed, after everybody had said how wonderful it
all was, “how much work you have really done since I saw it in the
spring! And there is the engine, is it, to which the pump belonged
that nearly drowned Captain Joe and Caleb? And are those the big
derricks you had so much trouble over? They don’t look very big.”
“They are twice the size of your body, Kate,” said Sanford, laughing.
“They may look to you like knitting-needles from this distance, but
that is because everything around them is on so large a scale. You
wouldn’t think that shanty which looks like a coal-bin could
accommodate twenty men and their stores.”
As Sanford ceased speaking, the major turned quickly, entered the
pilot-house, and almost instantly reappeared with the yacht’s
spyglass. This he carefully adjusted, resting the end on the ratlines.
“Victory is ours,” he said slowly, closing the glass. “I haven’t a
doubt about the result.”