by Kirk Munroe
CHAPTER XVII.
THE TRUTH, BUT NOT THE WHOLE TRUTH.
Winn was greatly perturbed by hearing from the _Whatnot's_ engine-roomthe inquiries concerning Sheriff Riley's skiff, and Cap'n Cod'sreplies. He had not meant to steal the boat, of course, but it nowseemed that he was regarded as having done so, and was being hotlypursued by some one interested in its recovery. It was not the Sheriffhimself, for the voice was a strange one; so it was probably one of hismen, who undoubtedly had one or more companions. Winn was too ignorantof the world to know whether escaping from a sheriff who had unjustlyarrested him, and running off with his boat, would be considered aserious offence or not. He only knew that while perfectly conscious ofhis own innocence, he yet felt very much as though he were fleeing fromjustice. He had not even known until that minute that his late captorwas a sheriff, nor could he imagine why he had been arrested. What hedid know was that some one well acquainted with the fact that he hadtaken a skiff not his own was now searching for it and for him. Thiswas sufficient to alarm him and fill his mind with visions of arrest,imprisonment, and fines which his father would be compelled to pay.
Then, too, the Captain of this strange craft on which he had just foundan asylum, but from which he would already be glad to escape, haddeclared himself to be a friend of Sheriff Riley, and well acquaintedwith his boat. Of course, then, he would gladly aid his friend inrecovering his property, and would not hesitate to make a prisoner ofthe person who had run off with it. In that case he would be takenback to Dubuque in disgrace, his father would have to be sent for--andwho knew where he might be by this time?--and there would be a longdelay that he would probably have to endure in prison. In the meantime what would become of the raft lost through his carelessness andself-conceit?
Decidedly all this must be prevented if possible; and though the boywould have scorned to tell a lie even to save his life, he determinedto tell as little of the truth as would be necessary to answer thequestions that he knew would shortly be put to him.
While Winn was puzzling over this situation, and trying to frame aplausible story that would account for his presence on the tow-headwithout overstepping the bounds of truth, the door of the engine-roomopened, and Cap'n Cod stumped in. He brought an armful of dryclothing, and was beaming with the satisfaction that he always feltwhen engaged in helping any one out of trouble.
"Well, my muddy young friend," he exclaimed, good-naturedly, "how areyou getting on? Has Solon taken good care of you? Here are someclothes that, I guess, you will have to make the best of until your owncan be dried. They probably won't come within a mile of fitting, butclothing does not make the man, you know, and we are not very criticalas to appearances aboard the _Whatnot_. By-the-way, my name isFifield--Aleck Fifield. What did you say yours was?"
"I don't think I said," answered the boy, slipping into a woollen shirtmany sizes too large for him; "but it is Winn."
"Winn, eh? Good name. Belong to the Massachusetts Winns?"
"My parents came from there, but I was born in Wisconsin."
"Yes, yes. Just so. But, there! I musn't hinder you. Supper isready, and if you haven't any better place to go to, we should be mosthappy to have you join us."
"Thank you, sir," replied Winn. "I shall be only too glad to do so,for I haven't had any supper, and the raft to which I belong hasprobably gone off down the river without me."
"So you belong to a raft, eh? And what happened? Did you tumbleoverboard from it?"
"No, sir. I came to this island in the skiff, and was trying to make aline fast, when the skiff got away from me."
"And they didn't notice it through the gloom until it was too late todo anything, and so you got left! Yes, yes. I see just how it allhappened! Such accidents are of common occurrence on the river, andyou were very fortunate to find us here. I shall be delighted to haveyou for a guest tonight, and in the morning your friends willundoubtedly return to look for you."
As he thus rattled on in cheery fashion, Cap'n Cod gathered up Winn'swet clothing, preparatory to taking them to the galley to be dried.Not finding either coat or shoes in the water-soaked pile, he inquiredif the boy had left the raft without them.
"No, sir," replied Winn; "but I took them off, and left them in theskiff."
"You did! That's bad; for when your friends find the skiff with yourclothes in it, they will be apt to imagine you are drowned. Thenthey'll search the river below here for your body, instead of comingback to look for you. Never mind, though," he added quickly, mistakingthe expression of relief which this suggestion brought to Winn's facefor one of dismay, "we'll soon relieve their anxiety. We'll get amule, and put him in here as quick as our show earns his price. Thenwe'll go humming down the river faster than any raft that ever drifted.We may be several days in overtaking them, but I shall be only toohappy to have you remain with us for that length of time, and longer,too, if you will. I am greatly in need of an assistant to help me runthe show. So if you are willing to take hold and work with us, theobligation will be wholly on my side."
"Of course I will, sir!" exclaimed Winn, whose spirits were rising asthe difficulties of his situation began to disappear. "I will doanything I can, only I didn't know this was a show-boat, and I'm afraidI am pretty ignorant about shows anyway."
"That will be all right," replied the Captain. "My own experience inthe dramatic line has been so extensive that I shall have no difficultyin posting you. I am surprised, though, that you did not recognizethis boat as having been built by one of the profession, and especiallyadapted to its requirements. There are certain features about the_Whatnot_--which, by the way, I consider a most original and attractivename--that are intended to indicate--"
"Suppah, sah! An' Missy Sabel awaitin'," interrupted Solon, thrustinghis woolly head into the doorway at that moment.
Glad as Winn was of this diversion, and though he was as thankful asonly a famished boy can be that a bountiful meal awaited him, he wouldwillingly have gone hungry a little longer rather than enter thatdining-room just then. Although the engine-room did not afford amirror, he was conscious that he must present about as absurd a figureas can well be conceived. He was bare-footed, and the left leg of histrousers was turned up to keep it from the floor, while the right,owing to the Captain's misfortune, barely reached his ankle. Acheckered woolen shirt hung about him in folds, and over it he wore agarment that Cap'n Cod was pleased to style his "professional coat."It was a blue swallow-tail, with bright brass buttons. As worn by Winnthe tails hung nearly to the floor, the cuffs were turned back over hiswrists, and the collar rubbed against his ears.
"A pretty costume in which to appear before a strange girl," thoughtpoor Winn, who was noted at home for being fastidious concerning hisdress and personal appearance. "I know I must look like a guy, and shecan't help laughing, of course; but if she does, I'll never speak toher as long as I live, and I'll leave this craft the very first chanceI get."
While these thoughts were crowding fast upon one another, the boy wasbeing dragged into the dining-room by Cap'n Cod, and formally presentedas "Mr. Winn, of Massachusetts," to "my grand-niece Sabella, sir."
Winn's introduction to Sabella.]
Winn will never know whether the girl laughed or not, for at thatmoment Don Blossom, who had been seated on the floor daintily nibblinga sweet biscuit, sprang chattering to her shoulder and buried his facein her hair, as he had done upon the boy's first appearance. Thisepisode formed such a seasonable diversion that by the time the girlsucceeded in freeing herself from the clutches of her pet, Winn wasseated at the table with the most conspicuous portion of his absurdcostume concealed beneath its friendly shelter.
During the meal Winn and Sabella exchanged furtive glances, which eachhoped the other would not notice, and the boy, at least, blushedfuriously whenever one of his was detected. Although neither of themsaid much, the meal was by no means a silent one; for the Captainmaintained a steady and cheerful flow of conversation from itsbeginning to
its end. He told Sabella a thrilling tale of Winn'snarrow escape from drowning, and how his friends were at that momentdrifting far away down the river, anxiously speculating as to his fate.Then he told Winn of the painting of the panorama, the building of the_Whatnot_, and of his plans for the future.
When the meal finally came to an end, on account of Winn's inability toeat any more, the boy was surprised to find how much at home he hadbeen made to feel by the unaffected simplicity and unobtrusive kindnessof these strangers.
While Sabella and Solon cleared the table, the Captain lighted alantern and showed him over the boat. Thus the boy discovered thatwhile its after-part was devoted to the engine-room and quarters for ananimated, one-mule-power engine, a galley, and the general living-room,the remainder of the house was arranged as an entertainment hall, witha small curtained stage at one end, and seats for one hundredspectators. Cap'n Cod informed him that this was to be his sleepingapartment so long as he remained with them. The Captain slept in thepilot-house, while Sabella's dainty little room was in the after-houseon the upper deck, and was connected with the living-room by a flightof inside stairs.