EPH SOMERS PLAYS GALLANT
"I don't know when I've enjoyed myself as much," exclaimed Rhinds,
looking round beamingly over the dinner party in one corner of the
dining room.
Lieutenant Danvers was not there, having pleaded another engagement. But
Rhinds and his lieutenant, Radwin, Messrs. Farnum and Pollard and all
three of the submarine boys were around the big table. Radwin had
succeeded in seating himself between Jack and Hal.
The dinner had been a fine one. Only one hitch had occurred; that was
when Mr. Rhinds, at the beginning of the meal, had tried to order several
bottles of wine.
"Just a moment, Mr. Rhinds," Farnum broke in. "None of the wine for us,
thank you."
"Oh, then, some lighter kind of wine," proposed Mr. Rhinds, anxiously.
"Something good, in which we can all pledge one another."
"None of that stuff, according to our way of thinking, is any good,"
replied Farnum, with a good-natured smile.
"Well, perhaps not for the boys," conceded the host of this dinner. "But
for the rest of us, as business men ready to cement a friendship."
"Alcohol isn't cement," replied Mr. Farnum, mildly. "At least, not with
our party. The time was, I admit, Mr. Rhinds, when business men often
tried to cement a business friendship with wine or liquor. But those
times have gone by. Drinking is out of date, nowadays. The keenest and
most dependable business men are those who do not drink. In fact, I may
go a little further, and say that, in our business at Dunhaven, we have
come to the point where we no longer have any dealings with business men
whom we know to drink. You will understand, of course, that this is said
without criticism of whatever views you yourself may entertain."
"Oh, well, then," grunted Rhinds, much taken back by the fairly spoken
words of his rival. "I dare say there was too much drinking in the old
days. Yes, Farnum, I am much inclined to agree with you, and we will do
without the wine."
None the less, it was plain that their host was much annoyed.
"I want to get at the members of the naval board," declared Mr. Farnum,
toward the end of the meal. "I want to find out what is planned in the
tests that are to take place here."
"The members of the board," replied Mr. Rhinds, "are the three men, in
citizen dress, who are at the sixth table down from here. They came into
their dinner about ten minutes ago. As to to-morrow, I can tell you
that, beginning at eleven o'clock, all the submarine boats entered are
to take a straight, out-to-sea speed sail for six hours. The gunboat,
'Chelsea' will start the fleet, and the 'Oakland' will go along with the
racers."
"That's short time for us," muttered Mr. Farnum, uneasily.
"Luckily, sir, we're ready, at a single moment's notice," interposed
Captain Jack Benson.
"As soon as we get through," proposed Mr. Rhinds, easily, "I'll take you
over and present you to Captain Magowan and his associates on the board."
"That is kind of you," nodded Mr. Farnum, gratefully.
Accordingly, a few minutes later, Mr. Rhinds arose, sauntering, cigar in
mouth, over to the table of the officers of the naval board. He spoke
with them a few moments, then returned.
"Mr. Farnum, and Mr Pollard," announced Rhinds, "Captain Magowan and his
associates invite you to come over and sit at their table. Radwin, will
you look after our young friends? See whether you can show them any
courtesies."
A highly significant look passed between the portly rascal and his
secretary. None of the Farnum party, however, noted it.
"Well, what shall we do, boys?" inquired Radwin, genially, as, the four
sauntered down the lobby toward the hotel entrance.
"I reckon taking things easily and restfully will suit us as well as
anything," smiled Jack. "That is, unless you have some plan you
particularly wish to suggest."
"Well," continued Radwin, thoughtfully, "the town is rather full of
sailors, just at present, and they're making the nights lively in some
sections. Do you care to go around with me, and see what the sailors are
doing to drive dull care away?"
"Well, that is a question," said Jack Benson quickly. "We're boys, you
know!"
"Sensible young fellows," cried Fred Radwin, in a tone so full of
approval as to disarm all suspicion. "Then, for a while, what do you say
if we take window seats here near the entrance, and note whatever may be
passing on the street? By that time your employers may be through with
the board members and come out."
"Why not go outside in the air, and walk up and down the block?"
suggested Jack.
"Excellent!" agreed Radwin, readily. He accompanied them outside,
though, a few moments later, he excused himself, saying that he had to go
to the nearest drugstore to write a short letter and post it.
"What do you think of Radwin?" Hal asked.
"Why, I guess he's a good deal the sort of fellow that Rhinds wants,"
Captain Jack answered, slowly.
"Don't you like Rhinds?" demanded Eph.
"Now, would it be just right to say that?" asked Jack, slowly. "Mr.
Rhinds has tried to be very pleasant to us to-night. So has Mr. Radwin.
Probably they're both good fellows, in their own way. Only--"
"Well?" insisted Hal.
"Why, to tell the truth," confessed Captain Benson, "Rhinds impresses me
as being just a bit coarse, and Radwin a little too smooth and slick.
To put it another way, they're not just our kind of people. That is,
they're not at all in the same class with gentlemen like Jake Farnum and
Dave Pollard. Now, that's every word I'm going to say against Rhinds or
Radwin, for they've certainly been agreeable to us to-night."
Chatting thus, as they strolled slowly back and forth, none of the
submarine boys noted how long Radwin was gone. As a matter of fact, that
enterprising, rapidly-moving young man was away for nearly half an
hour--and he was tremendously busy on their account.
The Somerset stood on one of the older, quieter streets of Colfax. At
this time of the night there were not many passers.
"Here comes Radwin," discovered Hal, at last. "I had almost forgotten
that he was coming back to us."
"I thought he had forgotten," laughed Jack.
Then all three turned to greet Mr. Radwin.
"How's this?" he asked. "Haven't Mr. Rhinds and your friends come out
yet?"
"They must be talking, yet, with the officers of the naval board,"
suggested Eph Somers.
"They're sure to be out presently," nodded Radwin, after he had walked
the submarine boys to the next corner. "At least, Mr. Rhinds is, for he
always takes a walk in the evening, after dinner. Now, I've discovered
the place where they serve the finest hot soda--chocolate, at that. I
wanted to invite all hands there. But I'm afraid Rhinds and your
employers may come out and be looking for us. Benson, do you feel like
remaining here, to guide them along, while I take your comrades up to
the place? You can tell the older men where we are, and then Mr Rhinds
will bring you all around. He knows the place. Come along, Somers and
Hastings. Benson, bring the older ones as soon as you see them come out
of the hotel."
"Why, say, Jack, you go along now," urged Eph. "You know I don't care
much about chocolate, and you do. So run along. I'll stay right here
until I see our people."
"Good boy, Eph!" murmured Jack, gratefully. "You know my weakness for
hot chocolate. I feel as if I could punish four or five of 'em right
now."
As he turned away with Jack and Hal, Mr. Radwin looked rather
disappointed. In fact, he was exceedingly disappointed, for he had hoped
to leave Captain Jack Benson at this corner on the block below the hotel.
The street was practically deserted there. Yet barely two minutes had
passed when, about a block away, in the opposite direction from that of
the hotel, Eph heard a quick little feminine scream.
Wheeling about, Somers saw something that aroused his blood.
A girl, or young woman, he could not tell which, at the distance, cowered
back from a short, thick-set young man who had raised his hand to strike
her.
The next instant Eph saw the blow fall. Again the young woman cried out,
though not very loudly. But the brute seemed on the point of once more
striking her.
"Wow!" sputtered Eph, angrily. "We'll see about that."
On the run Somers went down the short block. The bully, hearing him
come, turned for a look, then darted away down the side street.
"I--I beg your pardon," stammered Eph, as the young woman turned,
flashing a look at him through a thin veil. "I--I don't want to
interfere, but--"
"I'm very glad you did, sir," responded the young woman, in a voice
whose sweetness charmed the submarine boy. "That wretch--"
"I wonder if I can overtake him and thrash him," pondered Eph, glancing
down the side street. The bully had disappeared.
"Oh, don't think of that," begged the girl, in a quick, anxious way. "I
don't want to set people's tongues to wagging."
"No; of course not," Eph assented, quickly.
"But, if you will escort me safe home--"
"Gladly, miss," nodded young Somers, again lifting his cap.
"Oh, that will be so kind of you," she murmured. "For I am afraid Tom
might be waiting for me, on the way to my home--"
"If he gets within hailing distance," uttered Eph, valiantly, "I'll plant
a torpedo fist under him!"
"Will you let me take your arm?" begged the girl; for, from her voice and
her slight, trim she appeared to be no more. That she was indeed afraid
was testified to by the way in which her hand trembled on his arm. It
was such a tender little hand, too! Eph was not a flirt. He did not
give much thought to girls, as a rule, but he wasn't going to see one
struck by a street bully.
So he walked along, down the side street, turning, also, at two or three
other corners, talking cheerily to make the girl forget her late fright.
Her face Eph couldn't see very well, on account of the veil, but he
decided that the young woman possessed beautiful, flashing eyes, as he
caught their expression dimly through the veil.
Down another quiet side street they were passing, when they came to the
head of an alley-way. Just as they reached it the girl let go of Eph's
arm, uttering a little scream as she darted away. Eph didn't follow her.
He found himself face to face with the thick set young man, Tom. Just
of that worthy were two other sturdy-looking young hoodlums.
"Now, you an' me have got something to settle, younker," glared Tom.
"All right," retorted Eph, undauntedly. "But fair play--one at a time."
Eph's fists were up, and he sailed in, fighting manfully, sailor-fashion.
Then the other two closed in behind young Somers. He was struck on the
back of the head, and darkness came over him and he fell insensible to
the ground.
When luckless Eph came to his senses he found himself lying, bound hand
and foot, on a pile of rags. The darkness around him was complete.
"Well, this is a puzzle to unravel!" muttered the astounded submarine
boy.
Yet, think and ponder as he would, it never occurred to him to see, in
his misfortune, the guiding hand of Fred Radwin!