The Meadow-Brook Girls by the Sea; Or, The Loss of The Lonesome Bar

by Janet Aldridge

  CHAPTER XVIII

  FIREWORKS FROM THE MASTHEAD

  "Wait for Mrs. Livingston," replied Harriet in answer to the man'squestion. "You are not the captain, are you?"

  He shook his head. Mrs. Livingston came upon the scene. Harrietassisted her into the rowboat. The Chief Guardian directed the otherMeadow-Brook girls to get in, telling the girls who were left on shorethat they would be taken out to the "Sister Sue" as fast as possible,until there was no more room. The others would have their turn soonafterward.

  If the girls had been pleased with the "Sister Sue" from a shore view,they were enthusiastic at what they saw when they got on board. Thedecks were white from scouring, the binnacle that held the compassshone with mirror-like brightness, ropes were neatly coiled andeverywhere was the smell of fresh paint and the faint, salty odor ofthe deep sea.

  The "Sue" was some forty feet in length over all, broad of beam,covered over about half her length amidships by a raised deck cabin, acabin that rises above the deck a few inches with narrow windows onthe two sides. Two doors from the cockpit led into the cabin. Intothis the Meadow-Brook Girls hurried, after one quick look over thetrim craft. They cried out for Mrs. Livingston to join them. Theinterior of the cabin was in white with plush seats on each side, theseats being broad and comfortable, affording lounging space forseveral persons at one time. A tank holding drinking water, at theforward end of the cabin, was the only other furnishing.

  The "Sue" was far from palatial, but the Camp Girls thought they hadnever seen a neater or prettier boat, and as for its ability to sail,they had seen something of that as the sloop came into the bay.

  Mrs. Livingston had remained outside to speak with the skipper.Harriet soon joined them. Captain Billy was a type. His grizzled, redbeard was so near the color of his face that it was not easy todetermine where the beard left off and the face began. Billy had ahabit of avoiding one's eyes when speaking. Either he would beconsulting the deck of the "Sue" or gazing at the sky. He was lookingup at the clouds now.

  "The captain says he can safely carry ten persons without crowding,Harriet," the Chief Guardian informed her. Then turning to thecaptain, "This young lady has been placed in charge of the boat byMr. McCarthy; of course, your judgment as to what is best for allconcerned must prevail."

  Captain Billy's whiskers bristled. He swept the Meadow-Brook Girl witha quick, measuring glance, then permitted his eyes to gaze upwardagain.

  "I was going to suggest, Mrs. Livingston, that we first take you andthe other guardians out for a sail, say to-morrow morning. I don'tthink the captain will wish to go out in the evening," said Harriet.

  He shook his head.

  "Certainly not," declared Mrs. Livingston. "And now, sir, what aboutyour meals--the board for yourself and your man?"

  "Get my own. He goes away early in the morning. Sleep on board, too.You needn't worry about me. Got any gear you want to get aboard?"

  "Gear?" questioned the Chief Guardian blankly.

  "Dunnage?" nodded the skipper. "Anything you want to bring aboard?" heshouted.

  "No, thank you, nothing at present," answered Harriet.

  "Man will fetch it off before he goes away if there is. Don't ask meto do any packing."

  "Our young women are perfectly able to help themselves," replied Mrs.Livingston with dignity. "I suppose, however, that having only onerowboat you will come ashore for us whenever we wish to go out?" sheadded.

  The captain shook his head. He was the most ungracious person theyever had known. But when Harriet said they had better get word to Mr.McCarthy at once, the captain changed his mind quickly. He said hewould come for them whenever they gave him the word. He told them,further, that they would have to bring their own provisions when theywent out for a sail, but that he could show them how to catch somefish if they desired to do so.

  "We shall be ready to go out about ten o'clock to-morrow morning,"Mrs. Livingston told him. "If there is anything you wish us to do, youmight call to the young women who occupy the cabin there on theLonesome Bar. I am very glad you are going to remain aboard your boat,for we are not equipped for putting up strangers. But if there isanything you wish in the way of supplies, do not hesitate to send wordto me. We have quite a quantity. We are obliged to go beyond thehighway for our drinking water, and it is a trifle brackish."

  "Hadn't we better go ashore and give the others a chance to come out?"asked Harriet.

  "You and I will remain here. The others may go," returned Mrs.Livingston.

  Several boatloads of excited girls were put aboard the "Sister Sue."The girls were enthusiastic; they chattered and sang and made merry,Captain Billy growing more taciturn and sour as the moments passed.Finally, Mrs. Livingston said they must put off further visiting ofthe boat until morning; that night was now upon them. They bade goodnight to Captain Billy, and his man put them ashore, Mrs. Livingstonleaving the sloop last.

  "He is a queer character," she declared after joining Harriet on thebeach later on. "What do you make of him?"

  "I suppose he is like many of his calling, gruff and of few words. Butthere is something beyond that which I can't quite make out."

  "What do you mean? Do you think that he is untrustworthy?"

  "I don't know, Mrs. Livingston. I do know that I dislike him. Isn'tthat silly in me?" asked the girl laughingly. "I have no confidence inhim."

  "I think you are in error. Mr. McCarthy would not send us a man whowas not trustworthy in every way. He is supposed to be a skillfulskipper, and from my observation I know he will behave himself, so wedon't care what he is beyond that. Shall you go back to the camp withus, or direct to the cabin?"

  "To camp."

  The girls sat about the campfire, singing the songs of the Camp Girlsuntil ten o'clock that evening, after which the Meadow-Brook partybade good night to their companions and strolled down to the bar,thence out to the cabin. All were keenly alive to the pleasures thatawaited them on the following day, when they were to have their firstsail in the "Sister Sue."

  Harriet made ready for bed with her companions, but she was notsleepy. She lay on her bough bed near the door, where she remainedwide awake, thinking over the occurrences of the past few days. Asound out on the bay, as if something had dropped to the deck of thesloop, attracted her attention. The girl crawled from her bed and outto the front of the cabin on all fours. She then sat up, leaning herback against the cabin; shading her eyes, she gazed off at the boatriding easily in the bay.

  The "Sue" was faintly outlined in the dim light of the night, but thenight was too dark to enable the girl to make out anything in detail,nor was there a sound on board to indicate that any one was awake.

  "It may be that the captain is putting his man ashore, or else hasjust returned from doing so. Still, this seems to me a pretty latehour to be sending any one ashore." Harriet thought she could now makeout the small boat floating astern of the "Sue," where it wasordinarily kept, though she could not be certain of this. "Ah! Thereis something going on over there."

  The faint creak of block and tackle reached her listening ears, whichshe strained and strained, even closing her eyes that she mightconcentrate wholly on the sense of hearing. The creaking continued fora couple of minutes, then ceased altogether.

  "I wonder if the captain can be making sail to go out?" Harriet askedherself, opening wide her eyes and gazing toward the sloop. But thelatter was riding lazily on the gentle swell as before, the girl beingunable to make out anything that looked like the sail. She thought shesurely would be able to see the sail, had it been hoisted.

  Something was dropped on the deck, making a great clatter, then forseveral minutes all was silent on board the "Sister Sue." Harrietcould not imagine what was going on there. After a time there werefurther evidences of activity on board; noises, faint, it is true,which indicated that something out of the ordinary was taking place onthe boat. Harriet wondered if she had not better call Miss Elting andhave her listen, too. Upon second thought, however, she decided notto do so. In t
he first place she could see and hear fully as much ascould the guardian, besides which, were she to awaken the guardian,the other girls undoubtedly would be disturbed. They might make anoise that would prevent her learning what was being done on board thesloop.

  Harriet shivered, for she was in her kimono, while the breeze blowingin from the sea was fresh and penetrating. She felt a sneeze coming.The girl made heroic efforts to repress the sneeze, then, finding shecould not, stuffed an end of her kimono into her mouth and covered hernose with both hands.

  It was a long, shuddering sneeze that Harriet Burrell uttered. Shefeared it had not only attracted the attention of the man or men onboard the sloop, but awakened her companions as well. The faint noiseson deck continued as before. No sound came from the cabin.

  "Thank goodness, no one heard me," she muttered. "Why is it that onehas to sneeze when she doesn't want to, I wonder? I--" She started atsound of a low voice close at hand speaking her name.

  "Harriet, ith that you?"

  "Tommy, what a start you gave me! When did you wake up? What are youdoing here?" questioned Harriet in a whisper.

  "That ith what I wath going to athk you. What ith it?"

  "Sh-h-h! You will waken the others."

  "If you didn't wake them up with that thneeze nothing but a club willwake them." Tommy crept close to her companion. "You thee thomething,don't you?"

  "Not much. The night is too dark. I can see the outlines of the 'Sue'over there, but that is about all."

  "Ith anything the matter with her?"

  "I think not."

  "Then why are you watching her tho clothely?"

  "You are altogether too observant, Tommy. But don't speak so loudly,please. There is nothing of any importance over there. Please go backto bed. You will complain about having to get up for breakfast in themorning."

  "Did you ever hear me complain about having to eat?"

  "I can't say that I ever did," smiled Harriet. "But you will catchcold out here."

  "Tho will you. You will catch cold firtht becauthe you have been outhere longer than I have. Anything elthe?"

  "No, except that I am not going to waste my breath giving you advice.When you become cold enough I presume you will go back to bed."

  "Yeth, when I find out what ith going on out here. I won't catch cold,but maybe if I thtay out here long enough I'll catch a fithh. There! Iknow what you are watching. You are watching that 'Thilly Thue.'"

  "Sh-h-h!"

  The creaking on board had begun again. It continued at intervals forseveral moments, both girls listening almost breathlessly.

  "Wha--at are they doing?" whispered Tommy.

  "I don't know. That is what I am trying to find out."

  "My grathiouth! Maybe the captain is going to run away with the'Thilly Thue'."

  "No. Come to think of it, I believe he must be getting the boat readyfor our sail to-morrow."

  "Not without a light. There ith thomething else going on. Oh, look!"

  Following a period of silence, blue sparks began sputtering from themasthead of the "Sister Sue." The girls could hear the sparks crackleand snap spitefully.

  "Oh, look at the fireworkth!" cried Tommy out loud. "The thhip ith onfire!"

  Harriet laid a firm hand on her arm. "Keep still!"

  A faint squealing sound was now distinguishable, while the sparkingat the masthead continued with almost rhythmic regularity.

  "I know! I know what it is!" gasped Harriet excitedly. "Listen, Tommy,listen. Don't you know?"