TIM’S FATHER
The “Boojum” and the little “Sabrina” dropped anchor in the harbor at
Nantucket Island almost at the same time. They found themselves in the
midst of a fleet of trig catboats, yawls and splendid motor yachts.
Every male in the island is said to have some sort of boat, and the
catboat seemed to be the choice of the majority. There is a stretch of
land-locked water reaching along one side of the island, and here,
every day, are to be seen races between the many catboats.
Boat after boat slid in, found its mooring, and emptied itself of its
gay-sweatered, picnicking crowd. The boats were so packed and wedged
in that the “Boojum’s” people began to wonder how they could pick
their way into shore with the tender.
Suddenly a speed boat shot out from the landing in front of the club
house and with marvelous skill threaded its way among the moored
boats. As it approached the “Boojum,” a tall gray-haired man, who was
standing at the wheel, raised one hand and waved it at the group on
the “Boojum’s” deck.
“Why, he seems to be coming up alongside,” Mr. Wing said in surprise.
“Ahoy on board the ‘Boojum!’” boomed the man’s deep voice.
“Come aboard,” invited Mr. Wing with a cordial smile and a bewildered
voice.
“It’s Tim’s father, of course,” said Frances, springing forward to
greet him. “They look exactly alike. Jane, run down into the saloon
and tell Tim his daddy is here.”
But Mr. Reynolds, with a Tim-like grin that included them all in its
heartiness, said:
“Please, young lady, let me go see my boy. I’ll be up in a second and
thank all of you for your kindness.”
He had disappeared down the companionway before Frances got her
breath, Mr. Wing following and the rest of the crew close on the heels
of their captain.
Some persons think it is an amusing thing to see two men kiss, but no
one would have been amused to see the gray-haired Mr. Reynolds take
his red-haired son in his arms and kiss him first on one cheek, then
on the other. Tim seemed to like it and not to be a bit abashed.
“How’s mother?” he asked as soon as he emerged from the bear’s hug his
father was giving him.
“In an awful stew about you! When you didn’t come home that night, she
threw a few fits and then, when there was no word from you, she threw
a few more. The telegram that finally arrived only assured her you
were as well as might be expected with a broken leg. Now she is having
an awful time because the telegram didn’t say which leg.”
“Poor little Mumsy! It’s the left one, but since I don’t write or
shave with my toes it doesn’t really make much difference.”
Then Tim introduced his father to the captain and the crew and the
elder Reynolds by his heartiness and honest gratitude soon began to
run his son a close race in their admiration and affection. It doesn’t
take many hours on ship board for people to become very well
acquainted and, already, the inmates of the “Boojum” had begun to feel
that Tim Reynolds was a life-long friend.
“And these two slips of girls carried you down that rocky hill all by
themselves? I don’t believe it! Let me feel your muscle!” said Mr.
Reynolds, putting his hand around Frances’ biceps.
“Jimminy crickets! As hard as steel! Now where did you get your
stretcher? Tell me all about it, every detail. My wife is sure to want
to know everything that can be told. You say Tim was unconscious most
of the time?”
“Yes, sir,” answered Frances, who, having been the one to find Tim,
was tacitly understood to be the one to answer for him. “Either
unconscious or light-headed, but his head was the only thing that was
light, I can assure you. He said he hadn’t eaten anything for a day
and a night, but he must have been breathing heavily all the time
because he certainly hadn’t lost any weight.”
Then she had to tell him how she and Jane made a stretcher with their
skirts and the oars. Here he interrupted:
“What kind of skirts? Tell me what kind and what color. The boy’s
mother will worry my soul out of me if I don’t find out what kind and
what color.”
“Just plain khaki, Camp Fire Girls’ skirts!” laughed Frances. “The
kind we are wearing now, but we must change them soon, as we always
dress up a bit when we go ashore.”
“But, my dear young lady, please don’t! I beg of you don’t change your
skirts.”
Mr. Reynolds’ request was such a strange one the girls could not help
laughing. His manner was earnest, but in his eyes there was a regular
Tim twinkle.
“But why not?” insisted Frances.
“It is this way: you see, of course, when you go ashore it must be to
our home, and I can tell you if you don’t wear those skirts out of
which the stretcher was made that carried our Tim, his mother will
never cease bewailing, to say nothing of Cousin Esther. Of course, you
can tie them up in a bundle and let me carry them ashore, but ashore
they must go. Am I not right, Tim?”
“Well, Mother is right fond of detail and as for Cousin Esther--”
confessed Tim. “If you girls don’t mind--”
“Mind! Of course we don’t mind,” put in Jane. “The only thing Frances
and I don’t like about going ashore is having to doll up. We’ll even
carry Tim ashore as we carried him down the hill if that would help
any.”
“Not me!” cried Tim. “I’ll never cease to be grateful to you for
carrying me as you did, but, remember, I am not unconscious now and
my leg has been set. I’m afraid you’ll jiggle it out of place. I bid
for Breck and Jack to do the carrying this time.”
“We certainly will,” said Breck heartily, while Jack gave Tim a
reassuring pat on his shoulder. “I think, Mr. Reynolds,” continued
Breck, “you had better send for a surgeon as soon as you get your son
home. I am little more than an amateur and think an expert should pass
on my manner of setting bones.”
“Certainly, young man, although I am sure you made a good job of it.
What my boy would have done without your skill I tremble to
contemplate. Tell me--I think Mr. Wing said your name was Allen
Breckenridge--are you related to Preston Breckenridge of California?”
“My father, sir!” and Breck’s face flushed.
“Well now, isn’t that too bad? Not that you are related to Preston
Breckenridge, but that you have come into port just too late to see
your father. His yacht has been anchored here for several days, but
they set sail only this morning. I’ve no idea where they were going.
Didn’t know they were going at all. Meant to see them again. Quite a
party. You perhaps know where they are going?”
“No, sir, I do not know,” answered Breck, the flush deepening on his
countenance. “I thought they were still on the Pacific coast.”
“Well, well! California people don’t think a thing of stepping across
the continent,” declared Mr. Reynolds, suddenly realizing that he had
rather put his foot in it and the good looking young man who had been
so nice about setting his son’s leg was evidently not on very good
terms with his family.
While the general bustle was in process incident to going ashore and
getting the broken-boned Tim ready to be carried off, Breck had time
to whisper to Jane:
“You heard what Mr. Reynolds said about my father’s being in these
waters?”
“Yes, I heard. Aren’t you going to try to find out where he is? Do you
think the rest of your family is along? He said a large party.”
“There is no telling. Gee, I’m glad I wasn’t one of them! I’d rather
swab the ‘Boojum’s’ decks, even do galley work with greasy pots and
pans to be scoured, than have to wait on the fool girls my sister,
Lorna, gathers around her.”
“Lorna! What a pretty name! You never told me her name was Lorna. You
always just said ‘my sister.’ I’ve meant to ask you what her name was
time and again, but when we are together there always seems to be so
many things to talk about I can’t get to it.”
“Yes, honey, and there always will be. That’s what is so nice about
you: we never seem to talk out,” and Breck slid his hand along the
rail and covered Jane’s hand. “We don’t get much time alone, though,
do we? I love the old ‘Boojum,’ love her like a sister or a nice
comfortable maiden aunt, but I can’t say she offers a fellow many
chances to tell a girl how much he thinks of her. Ummhum! Just think
of Hurricane Island! I tell you that’s a great place for love making.”
“How about the little tow-headed Grays? It seems to me on one occasion
they were pretty numerous,” laughed Jane.
“Break away! Break away!” called Charlie, as he emerged from below.
“What did I tell you?” grumbled Breck.
“But you never did tell me if you are going to hunt up your family,”
insisted Jane. “Do you intend to do it?”
“Not on your life! In the first place, they have gone. Mr. Reynolds
said they had sailed this morning. I am too happy to row and if the
Governor and I get together we’ll lock horns, as sure as shooting.”
“Yes--but--”
“But what?”
“I can’t fancy being in the same--same--Gulf Stream with my father and
not trying to see him, even if it meant having a small set-to with him
when I did see him. No doubt he and I are to have some argument at our
next meeting, but I am nearly dead to see him all the same,” and
Jane’s black eyes softened to velvet.
“But perhaps your father is different,” said Breck sadly.
“Different in some ways, but all fathers are more or less alike. I
reckon your father loves you just as much as mine does me. He just
doesn’t know you are grown-up, and you see my father had to let me
grow up because my mother died when I was so young. He thinks I’ve got
lots more judgment than Jack just because he can’t get in his head
Jack is a man. If Jack had been a girl, he’d have realized long ago he
was no longer a child. I’m hoping you are going to be friends with
your father, Breck. It is a terrible thing to carry a grouch around,
especially one against some of your own blood.”
“I know it, honey, but you don’t know what a ragging I got the last
time I saw the Governor. Some day, maybe, it will come right and heal
up, but the place is still pretty sore.”
“But how about Lorna?”
“Oh she is such a--such a--well, I think I won’t say anything about
Lorna. I fancy she is what her environment has made her. She hasn’t
had half a chance with everything on God’s green earth hers for the
asking. Everybody spoils her and she has such a bunch of silly friends
around her flattering her to death that it is hard for the true Lorna
to come out. She was a cute kid years ago and I used to be mighty fond
of her--she was of me too--but now--but never mind. She has
changed--changed a lot.”
“Maybe you changed too,” insisted Jane.
“But she seemed to have so little sympathy for my plans and ideals.”
“Did you have any for hers?”
“But hers were so silly and vapid.”
“Perhaps she thought yours were silly, too.”
“Well, we won’t row about it, honey. I guess I was rather superior and
big brotherish when last Lorna and I met,” said Breck somewhat
ruefully.
“Next time, behave better,” admonished Jane.
“All right, but I can’t see a possibility of any next time for years
to come. When you are given to understand by your father that your
room is more desirable than your company, you are not likely to do
much hanging around after that,” and the young man flushed.
“Poor old Breck! You mustn’t think I’m blaming you. I am sure it isn’t
your fault, but I just have such a strong family feeling myself that I
can’t understand when it is lacking. I know you have it too, and so
has your father--and no doubt poor little Lorna has it. You just can’t
get together on it.”
And Jane began to turn over in her mind how she might help her fiancé
to make friends with his family.