BURLINGTON TO ISLE LA MOTTE
On his way home, Mr. Sherwood went to the ferry-house and satisfied
himself that the mortgage on the place had been canceled. Mrs.
Wilford was profuse in the expression of her gratitude to him for his
kindness to the family, and hoped that Lawry and his father would be
able to pay him back the whole sum.
"Mrs. Wilford, so far as gratitude and obligation are concerned, the
balance is still largely against me. Millions of dollars would not
pay the debt I owe to your son."
"Oh, Lawry don't think anything of that, sir!"
"But I do. Madam, if your son had been five minutes later than he
was when the little steamer went down, Miss Fanny Grant would
certainly have been drowned, and my wife would doubtless have shared
her fate. And when I think that this exposure of their precious lives
was my own fault; that my wife and her sister had nearly perished by
my foolish haste and recklessness, I feel like giving every dollar I
have in the world to Lawry. You don't understand this matter as I do,
Mrs. Wilford."
"I didn't think you were in any great danger."
"Miss Fanny would certainly have been drowned; and I don't think it
would have been possible for me to save my wife, for I was nearly
exhausted when Lawry came. Now, Mrs. Wilford, do you suppose I shall
mind one, two, or ten thousand dollars, where my brave deliverer is
concerned? In one word, I will never take a dollar which I have
expended for Lawry or the family. Your son is a manly and independent
boy, and I don't like to hurt his feelings; so I shall not say
anything about this money at present."
"Lawry is a good boy," said Mrs. Wilford proudly.
"He is worth his weight in gold. I am sorry your oldest son is not
more like him."
"I don't know what to think of Benjamin."
"Where is he now?"
"I don't know; I haven't seen him since the steamer left, this
morning."
"Lawry is a good deal troubled about the ferry-boat."
"He needn't be."
"Can you hire a man to run the boat?"
"Yes; I can get a boy who will do it for half a dollar a day, and be
glad of the chance. I will engage one."
"Lawry goes to Burlington to-night to take out a party to-morrow."
"To-night?"
"Yes; he must be there by eight in the morning."
Mrs. Wilford thought her son was having a hard time with the
steamer; but she knew he would be satisfied as long as he was doing
well. Mr. Sherwood, assured that there was nothing at home to detain
the young pilot, left the house. Lawry soon after entered; but he had
not time to tell his mother the particulars of his first trip on the
_Woodville_. He could remain but a few moments, while the hands
were "coaling up," from a cargo of coal deposited on the wharf that
day, by the order of Mr. Sherwood.
At nine o'clock everything was ready for the departure. The fireman
grumbled at being called upon to work at night; but Lawry promised to
get another man to keep watch as soon as he could. It was a long
day's work for all hands. When the young captain had gone to the
wheel-house to start the boat, Mr. Sherwood rushed down the wharf,
and jumped aboard.
"I was afraid I should be too late," said he, as Lawry met him on
the main-deck. "I have been all over the village to find you another
fireman, and I have succeeded in getting you a first-rate one--an old
hand at the business."
"Thank you, sir; you are taking a great deal of trouble for me."
"There's another thing I quite forgot; I didn't pay you for the trip
nor the dinners. Here is the money."
"I can't take it, Mr. Sherwood," protested Captain Lawry.
"But you must take it; if you don't I can't engage the boat again."
"Not from you, sir."
"I am more interested than any other person in your success with the
steamer, and I insist that you take the money."
"I owe you for this cargo of coal, now."
"That was a present from Miss Fanny Grant."
"She is very generous."
"Generous! If she doesn't do more than that for you, I shall be
ashamed of her. By the way, captain, she paid the bill for repairing
the steamer at Port Henry."
"Indeed!" exclaimed Lawry, who had intended to discharge this debt
with the first money he earned. "She is very kind. I don't deserve so
much from her and you."
"More, my boy. We haven't done anything at my house but talk about
you for a week. Now, you must be reasonable. We intended to give you
a good start. Miss Grant wishes to put an upright pianoforte in the
saloon. There is just room for it at the end of the stateroom on the
starboard side. When that is put in, we shall let you alone. Now,
Lawry, take this money; if you don't, I shall be offended."
"I don't like to do so," pleaded Lawry. "It makes me feel mean."
"It need not; take it, Lawry, for you will want money to provision
your boat in the morning."
Captain Lawry took it, though it seemed to burn his fingers.
"Now, my boy, you shall have your own way. I will force nothing more
on you, except what I fairly owe you, and you shall make your fortune
without any help or hindrance from anybody."
"I owe you now---"
"Silence, Lawry!" laughed Mr. Sherwood. "There comes your second
fireman."
As the man came down the gangplank, he handed Mr. Sherwood a long
package, done up in brown paper.
"One thing more, Lawry," said his munificent friend, as he led the
way to the engine-room, which was lighted by a lantern. "Will you let
me put this sign up over the front windows in the wheel-house?"
"Certainly, sir. What is it?"
"It is the motto of the steamer, and fully explains how I lost the
boat," replied Mr. Sherwood, as he unrolled the package.
It was a small sign, about three feet in length, elegantly painted
and gilded, on which was the motto:
HASTE AND WASTE.
"While you were at Port Henry, repairing the boat, I went up to
Burlington, where I ordered this to be done. It came down to-day, and
I want it put up in the wheel-house, where it will be constantly
before your eyes, as the best axiom in the world for a steamboat man.
It will be the history of the _Woodville_ to you, and I hope you
will always act upon it, never running your boat above a safe speed,
nor leave your wharf when it is imprudent to do so."
"I shall be very glad to have those words always before me," replied
Lawry.
"When you are ready to go, captain, we are," said Mr. Sherwood.
"I'm all ready, sir."
Lawry turned, and to his astonishment saw Mrs. Sherwood and Miss
Fanny, who had been looking over his shoulder at the pretty sign.
"We are going with you, Captain Lawry," added Mr. Sherwood; "that
is, if you won't charge us anything for our passage."
"I am very happy to have you as passengers," stammered Lawry.
"We are so much in love with your boat, Lawry, that we could not
stay away from her," added Mrs. Sherwood.
"And her captain," said Miss Fanny.
Lawry was good for nothing at complimentary speeches, and he went
aft to give the girls directions to light up the cabin and the two
staterooms for the accommodation of his unexpected passengers.
"Where's Fanny Jane?" asked Ethan, when Mr. Sherwood had gone to the
wheel-house to put up the motto.
"She is going to keep house for us while we are gone," replied Miss
Fanny mischievously. "You were so unsocial to-day she would not come
with us."
"I had to look out for the engine," pleaded Ethan.
"That was not the reason, Ethan," interposed Mrs. Sherwood. "You
behaved splendidly."
"If you were twenty, instead of sixteen, Ethan, I should say you
were in love with Fanny Jane," laughed Miss Fanny.
"Oh, nonsense!" exclaimed Ethan, blushing beneath his smutty face.
"I like her, and after what we went through out West, I don't think
it is very strange I should."
"You are right, Ethan. She is a good girl, and I hope you will like
her more, rather than less."
"The saloon is ready for you, ladies," said Lawry, interrupting this
pleasant conversation--very pleasant to Ethan, for without entering
into an analysis of the young engineer's feelings, it is quite
certain he thought a great deal of the companion of his wanderings in
Minnesota; but fortunately he is not the hero of this book, and this
interesting suggestion need not be followed out any further.
The little captain conducted the ladies to the saloon, and then
hastened to the wheel-house, where Mr. Sherwood, by the light of a
lantern in the hands of one of the boys, had screwed up the sign.
"Haul in the plank!" shouted Lawry, "Cast off the bow-line."
The _Woodville_ backed till she was dear of the wharf, and then
went ahead. Lawry knew the lake by night as well as by day, and he
was perfectly at home at the wheel, not withstanding the darkness
that lay in the steamer's path. One of the deck-hands was a boy of
sixteen, who had served in a similar capacity on board the lake
steamers, and was a good wheelman, though he knew nothing of the
navigation of the lake, and steered only by the directions given him
from time to time. Captain Lawry called this hand, and gave him the
wheel, with orders to run for a certain headland several miles distant.
The young captain went below with Mr. Sherwood, to make his
arrangements for the night. The second fireman had already been
installed in the fire-room by Ethan, and the first had gone forward.
A portion of the forehold of the steamer had been fitted up for the
accommodation of the crew. It contained four berths, and was well
ventilated by a skylight in the forecastle. In building the boat, Mr.
Sherwood had insisted upon having everything put into her that was to
be found in larger craft; and these quarters for the hands were now
very convenient, if not indispensable.
Lawry gave one of these berths to the first fireman, and
appropriated the other to the use of the second and the two deck-hands.
The second boy was gaping fearfully on the forward deck, and
was quite delighted when the captain told him he might turn in. On
the starboard side of the steamer, forward of the wheels, were two
very cunning little staterooms, the corresponding space on the port
side being occupied by the kitchen and storerooms. One of these was
for the engineer, and the other for the captain. Abaft the wheels, on
each side, was a small stateroom, one of which had been designed for
the captain. Both of these rooms had been appropriated to the cook
and the two waiter girls. Mrs. Light, in the apartment of the
commander, was quite delighted with her accommodations; but Mr.
Sherwood declared that she deserved a princely couch for the good
dinner she had served that day.
The two staterooms to be occupied by the passengers were taken out
of the space that would otherwise have been park of the saloon, and
were entered by doors on each side of the passageway leading to it.
They were beautiful little rooms, though ladies in full crinoline
might have been somewhat perplexed at their contracted dimensions.
They were elegantly furnished, and Miss Fanny declared that her room
made her think of the fairy palaces for little people, of which she
had read in her childhood. There were twelve berths in the lower
cabin, but these were not needed.
Having disposed of his crew for the night, Lawry returned to the
wheel-house, where he was soon joined by his passengers, who spent an
hour with him before they retired. At half-past ten they went to
their rooms, and Lawry was alone. Not a sound was to be heard except
the monotonous clang of the engine, and the lake was as silent in the
gloom as though the shadow of death was upon it. There was a
solemnity in the scene which impressed the young pilot, even
accustomed as he was to the night and the silence. He was worn out by
the labors and the excitement of the day, but he could not resist the
inspiration which came from the quiet waters and the gloomy shores.
The _Woodville_ sped on her way, and at midnight she was
approaching the steamboat wharf at Burlington. Lawry rang to "slow
down," and informed Ethan that the boat was close to the wharf. The
"fires were drawn," and in a few moments more the steamer was made
fast to the wharf. After satisfying himself that everything was
secure on board, the exhausted pilot went to his stateroom, and was
soon fast asleep. Ethan followed him, after instructing the first
fireman to get up steam early in the morning.
Both the pilot and the engineer slept till seven o'clock; but when
they came out of their rooms, blaming themselves for sleeping so
late, they found the decks washed down, the cabins in order, steam
up, and breakfast ready. Those who had "turned in" early had
faithfully performed the duties belonging to them, as they had been
instructed the evening before. Mrs. Light, who was steward as well as
cook, had been to the market, and purchased the supplies for
breakfast and dinner. Mr. Sherwood and the ladies had risen early,
and taken a walk, which gave them a keen appetite for the excellent
breakfast prepared for them. The passengers insisted that Captain
Lawry should sit at the head of the table with them, as this was the
proper place for the commander of the steamer.
During his walk Mr. Sherwood had purchased three blank books, and a
double slate, for which Lawry, agreeably to the arrangement that
nothing more should be forced upon him, paid the cash on the spot, to
the great amusement of the ladies. The memoranda of each trip,
including the time of arrival and departure, and of reaching or
passing the principal points on the lake, were to be entered on the
slate in the wheel-house, and afterward copied into the largest of
the blank books. These were called the log-slate and the log-book.
The second was the engagement-book, and the third an account-book, in
which the receipts and expenses of the steamer were to be kept.
After breakfast Mr. Sherwood assisted his young friend in opening
these books, and explained to him the best method of keeping his
accounts. By this time the party for the day's excursion had begun to
arrive. The ladies and gentlemen were friends of Mr. Sherwood, and he
and his wife and Miss Fanny were to join them. A small band had been
provided for the occasion, consisting of six pieces.
Precisely at eight o'clock the _Woodville_ left the wharf, amid
the inspiring strains of the "Star-spangled Banner," performed by the
band. The scene was in the highest degree exhilarating; and the
little captain was the happiest person on board, where all was
merriment and rejoicing. The boat was to go down the lake as far as
Isle La Motte, where the party would spend a couple of hours on
shore, and return by six o'clock in the afternoon. This program was
carried out to the letter, without any accident, or any nearer
approach to one than a thunder-shower and squall. When the little
captain saw the tempest coming down upon him, he put the boat about
and run her up into the teeth of the squall. The ladies and gentlemen
saw the commotion on the water, and some of them were very much
alarmed; but the _Woodville_, under the good management of
Lawry, did not careen a particle, being headed into the wind.
In three minutes it was over, the steamer returned to her former
course, and the party wondered that she made no more fuss about it.
While the rain continued, the excursionists were compelled to remain
in the saloon; but they were full of glee, after their terror had
subsided, and the shower was hardly regarded as a detriment to the
pleasure of the trip.
At the appointed hour the _Woodville_ was at the wharf in
Burlington. Before the party left the boat, they met in the saloon,
and passed a vote of thanks to the little captain, in which the
dinner, the steamer, and her commander were warmly praised. It was
written out, a copy was given to Lawry, and it was to be published in
the Burlington papers. While the boat was stopping at the wharf, Mr.
Sherwood went up to a printing office, where he had left an order for
a job in the morning, and returned bringing with him a few copies of
the handbill, which was to announce the _Woodville_ more generally
to the public. It was posted in various parts of the steamer, and read
aloud with mischievous delight by Miss Fanny. It was printed in colors,
ornamented with a cut of a steamer, and read as follows:
MOST DELIGHTFUL EXCURSIONS ON THE LAKE!
THE NEW AND SPLENDID MINIATURE STEAMER
_WOODVILLE_,
Captain Lawrence Wilford,
With elegant and luxurious accommodations for thirty passengers, is
now ready to convey pleasure-parties to any part of the lake.
Breakfasts, dinners, and suppers provided on board; and the tables
will be supplied with the best the market affords.
Apply by letter, or otherwise, to
CAPTAIN LAWRENCE WILFORD,
Port Rock, N. Y.
By seven o'clock the _Woodville_ was under way for Port Rock.
Lawry gave the helm to one of the deck-hands, and went below to make
some entries in his account-book. He had been paid, that day, fifty
dollars for the boat, and thirty dollars for dinners. Mrs. Light had
expended twenty-six dollars for provisions and groceries, but he
still had one hundred and twenty-eight dollars. It was a large sum of
money for a boy of fourteen to have, and he counted it with a pride
and pleasure which made him forget the fatigue of his severe labors.
At half-past ten the steamer was moored to her wharf at Port Rock.
Mr. Sherwood and the ladies bade the little captain good-night, and
went home.