UNDER A CLOUD
For a moment the captain stared blankly into his bunk. Then, "The little
rip!" he cried. "I never would have believed it of him. Seemed such a
nice, clean kid, too."
Energetic in all things, the captain began to fire up. His anger
mounted. If he could have laid his hands on Alec just then, he probably
would first have trounced him roundly and explained afterward. But not
having Alec to chastise, he began to swear at him. Presently the captain
cooled off, as he always did, and his better nature came to the top.
"Poor kid," he muttered. "He was just worried sick about his dad's
tombstone. He wouldn't do such a thing under ordinary circumstances.
Don't be too hard on him, Bagley. And remember, he's your old pal's
nephew."
Before long the captain decided he would say nothing about the matter
and pocket his loss. Then that same sense of loyalty to his friends made
him decide that he ought to tell Captain Rumford. It would never do for
the shipper to have a thief around without knowing it. Of course Alec
wouldn't be around, Captain Bagley realized, for he would discharge him
the instant he set eyes on him.
"I'll tell the captain right away," he said to himself. "He'll be home
by this time."
Captain Bagley hurried to the office and let himself in with his key. He
got the shipper on the telephone almost immediately. Despite his fiery
nature, Captain Bagley possessed great discretion. "Cap'n Rumford," he
said, "there's been some crooked work going on down here. I don't want
to talk about it over the 'phone, but I'd like to tell you about it."
"I'll be right down," telephoned the shipper. "I'm almost through
supper, and you can look for me as soon as I can get there."
Captain Bagley sat down to wait for the shipper. The latter lived in a
village only a few miles distant, and his motor-car carried him back to
the office in no time.
"What's wrong, Bagley?" he said anxiously, as he came into the office.
"Nothing to worry about, Cap'n, but something that'll disappoint you. I
notice that you took a great fancy to the new hand."
"Yes. He's a fine lad. He's going to make a good man."
"Well, I am sorry to tell you he's skipped with my week's pay and the
money that was due Hawley."
Captain Rumford's face turned black as a thunder-cloud. "Have you any
notion where he skipped to? We must catch him, even if it costs more
than he took. I try to treat my men right, but I'll be hanged if I'll
let anybody rob me." The shipper was now as angry as his oyster captain
had been a little while previously.
"I haven't any idea where he went."
"How did it happen? How did he get hold of your roll?"
"Why, him and me was the only two aboard the _Bertha B_, and I laid my
money in my bunk while I was changing my clothes. Then I happened to
think about them dredges, and I bolted out to ketch you, without a
thought about the money being there. When I got back both the kid and
the money was gone."
"Looks like a plain enough case," said the shipper. "Do you know of any
reason why he should steal? He looked as honest as sunlight."
"Yes. There was a very particular reason. He's been worrying about money
ever since he got here. Showed me a letter he got about his father's
tombstone. Seems he paid a marble man to put a stone on his father's
grave. Gave him every cent he had, but that was only half the price. The
man agreed to put the stone up and wait for the balance of his money
until the lad could earn it. But he played the kid dirt. Wrote him he
wouldn't put no stone up until he had every cent. The kid seems to have
thought everything of his dad, and it worried him sick. The last thing
I heard him say was that it would take him an awful long time to get
that money earned."
"It's a plain case, I guess. That explains why he didn't give me my
quarter," and the shipper told Captain Bagley of his giving Alec a
dollar to get a meal and of Alec's failure to return the change.
"What are you going to do about it, Cap'n?" inquired Skipper Bagley. "It
ain't fair not to----"
At that instant a footstep was heard on the stairs. The door opened, and
in walked Alec.
"So you thought better of it, did you?" said Captain Bagley.
Alec looked puzzled. "Thought better of what?" he asked.
"Now don't try any bluffs on us," said the shipper tartly. "Be honest
and admit you stole the money and we may overlook it. We understand that
you were in trouble and needed the money badly."
Alec was almost dumb with astonishment. "Admit that I stole the money!"
he cried. "I don't understand what you are talking about. I never stole
a cent from anybody."
"Come, come!" said Captain Rumford sharply. "Don't make the matter worse
by lying about it."
Alec's eyes blazed. "See here," he said angrily. "I don't care if you
are the biggest oyster shipper in Bivalve. You shall not call me a liar.
I didn't take your money or anybody else's. You've got to take that
back. I won't stand it. I'm not a thief and I'm not a liar."
Captain Rumford sat sharp up in his chair and fastened his keenest
glance on Alec's face. His look seemed to bore right through the lad.
But Alec never flinched. He looked straight into the captain's eyes
until the shipper shifted his gaze to Bagley.
"Cap'n," said the oyster shipper, "if that lad's a liar, he's the
nerviest one I ever met with. He's the first man that ever lied to me
and looked me square in the eye afterward."
"See here," said Alec, trembling with anger. "I demand an explanation. I
tell you I am neither a liar nor a thief; and you have no right to call
me one."
"Well, that's a simple matter," said the shipper. "Captain Bagley left
you alone in the cabin of his boat with his pay-roll, or what was left
of it. When he came back, you had gone and the cash had disappeared. The
captain says you had very great need of money and were worrying about
how you could get it, when he left the boat. Have you any explanation to
make?"
"I can explain everything," said Alec. "It's true I need money. Oh, sir,
you don't know how badly I need it! My father did everything in the
world for me, sir, and it will take me weeks and weeks to earn even a
little tombstone to mark his grave with."
Alec paused to try to get command of his voice. Tears were streaming
down his cheeks. "I loved my father with all my heart," he continued.
"Do you think I would disgrace him by being dishonest? He always taught
me to be honest and honorable above all things, sir. Do you think I
would do the one thing that would hurt my father if he were alive?"
Once more Alec wiped his eyes as he paused. Then, choking back a sob, he
continued: "I did not take the money, sir. I never knew until this
minute that it was in the captain's bunk. I was so troubled I couldn't
think of anything but how long it was going to take me to earn that
gravestone. When Captain Bagley ran out, he startled me. I remembered I
owed you a dollar, and I came straight here to pay you, sir. I meant to
give you your change the other day, but you were in the office here when
I got back from the hotel and I had to get right to work. Then I forgot
it until after you went home. Here is the dollar now, sir, and I'm much
obliged to you for the loan."
"Was anybody here when you came to pay me the dollar?" asked the
shipper, again eyeing Alec sharply.
"Yes, sir. Zipp was here."
"Did you say anything to him?"
"Yes, sir. I asked for you, and he said you had just left and that
Captain Bagley had run after you. I didn't want to interrupt any talk
between you and Captain Bagley, so I did not try to overtake you, sir."
The oyster shipper turned in his seat and picked up his telephone. "345
R," he said to the operator.
A moment later he said, "That you, Zipp?" Then, after a pause, "Did the
new deck-hand, Alec Cunningham, come to the office after I left?" Again
there was a pause. "He did, eh? Did he say anything to you?"
Alec held his breath while Zipp answered. "Asked for me, did he?"
repeated the captain. "And you told him I had gone and Captain Bagley
had run after me."
The shipper hung up his receiver and turned to Alec. "Well, that story
is straight enough. Where have you been the rest of the time? And what
did you do?"
"I walked up the shipping platform and looked into several cars that
were being loaded. Then I went to the post-office and asked if there was
a letter for me and got a stamped envelope and a money-order for $8.75
to send to that tombstone man. Then I started back to the _Bertha B_. I
saw the office door was still open, when I passed, and I came up to see
if I could get an old envelope or a piece of paper to write on. Here's
the envelope and the money-order, sir."
"Very good," said the shipper. "But still you have not offered any proof
that you didn't take the money. If you didn't take it, who did? You were
the only person in the boat after Captain Bagley came ashore. How can
you get around that?"
"And you have no proof that I did," replied Alec, his indignation
rising again. "You don't even try to be fair. The _Bertha B_ was at her
pier for more than half an hour without a soul on watch. A dozen men
might have gone into her cabin in that time. You've got to prove that
nobody was aboard of her before you've any right to accuse me of
stealing the money."
"Don't tell me what I've a right to do," said the shipper, a little
nettled. "Leave the room and don't say a word about this to anybody."