CHAPTER XXIV--IN MORTONVILLE AGAIN
The next few days were ones of great enjoyment for the young canoeists.Their fondest dreams of life among the Thousand Islands were realized;for bathing, boating, fishing, and occasionally some scrub games ofbaseball, with access to the really fine library of the lodge, served tooccupy their time.
Hoki still acted in the capacity of cook, preferring to serve the boysin this way as long as they should remain at the lodge. The matter ofMr. Gray's double identity had been explained to the Jap, and he had atlast reversed his opinion of his former master; he now stood in fear ofhim no longer. Mr. Gray's deception of Hoki had only been a part of hiswell-devised plan to lose his real identity completely.
One day in the early part of August Stanwood Gray arrived in hismotor-boat, his face wreathed in smiles. He had succeeded in winding upthe case of the smugglers, he said, and the matter was now at rest untiltheir trial came up at the fall term of court.
"I am going to put in three weeks of solid rest," he said, "before goingto another part of the country to look into an affair of an entirelydifferent nature. I have been a long time on the case of the smugglers,but the final result entirely justified my judgment in the matter. Youboys were of great assistance, and I am glad to be able to present youeach with a little token of the government's appreciation."
He handed each of the boys a personal letter from the chief of theUnited States secret service, thanking them warmly for the part they hadplayed in the breaking up of the smugglers. To say the boys weredelighted would be expressing it mildly indeed.
A few days after Mr. Gray's arrival the boys took their leave, campingone night on the island to the south, and sleeping in the open, thenpaddling on to the New York shore.
At Clayton they took a train for their homes, Bert Creighton going backto Lake George, the Comrades to Mortonville, and Truem and Pod toBayville, where they would spend the few remaining days of theirvacation. Hoki, of course went with the Comrades. All of the boys lookedeagerly forward to another meeting at Winton in September.
This was the first time the Comrades had seen their folks since going toStockdale Preparatory School the previous fall, and the welcome giventhem, not only by relatives, but friends, as well, was a royal one.Hoki's reception was also a warm one, and during his stay he wasconsiderable of a curiosity to the villagers.
Tom's mother, since the death of his father, was living at the house ofa relative, and here Tom took his meals, making his headquarters atother times in the old home where he had an attic fitted up in a similarfashion to those of Chot and Fleet. The house had been rented by one ofMr. Duncan's employes, who generously accorded Tom full privilege to doas he pleased. The attic had remained practically undisturbed, and Tomfound great pleasure in rummaging among his books and mechanicalcontrivances.
The Comrades' trunks had been sent home before they left Winton,together with Tom's phonograph and Chot's miniature windmill, on both ofwhich inventions the boys expected to eventually realize great returns.Considerable remained on each to put them in shape for a first classmarketable commodity, and during the days they were idling away theirtime they undertook to perfect them.
Tom was working faithfully one day when the private telephone whichconnected his attic with those of Chot and Fleet, rang loudly.
"Hello!" cried Tom, taking down the receiver.
"This is Chot."
"Oh, hello, Chot!"
"Hello! Hello!" Fleet broke in at this instant.
"Hello, yourself," returned Chot. "Listen fellows, I want you to comeover here immediately. I want your advice on something of greatimportance."
"Look for us," said both Tom and Fleet, and hanging up their receivers,both boys hurried in the direction of the Duncan home.
"What is it?" cried Fleet, out of breath, he being the first to arrive.
"Curb your impatience till Tom gets here," Chot replied.
Tom arrived about a minute after Fleet, his face plainly expressing hiscuriosity.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"That's what I want to find out," said Chot. "I have just received aletter from Luther Pendleton."
"Well, what does he want this time?" growled Tom.
"More money, of course. Listen to what he says:
"'Dear Chot:
No doubt you will be surprised to hear from me after this long silence, but I assure you that the reason I have not written is because I have had no good news for you regarding the mine. The money you advanced me at Stockdale was not sufficient to accomplish the result we desired, and unless more funds can be raised for the same purpose, I can do nothing. I dislike to ask another favor, but you will understand the situation thoroughly. I haven't been able to interest capital in the proposition, as yet, but I still have great hopes if I can have funds to carry out my plans. It will take another thousand dollars at least--perhaps more--but I will try and make out with that sum.
Trusting you will give this your immediate attention, I am your friend, etc!'
"Now what do you think of that, fellows?"
"I think what I've always thought," said Tom. "Luther Pendleton is arascal, and he's going to get his just deserts some of these fine days."
"Admitting that to be true," said Chot, "the most important question is,should we let go of the proposition entirely, and figure that the moneyalready given Pendleton is just so much lost, or shall we trust him alittle farther, and if he still fails, take other means of looking afterour interests in the property?"
"I should be in favor," said Tom, "of letting it go by the board."
"Of course, I haven't the thousand dollars," said Chot, "and the onlyway I should be willing to take hold of the matter again would be tofirst explain to my father what the other money was used for, and askhis advice in the matter."
"I think that's a good plan," said Fleet, "and I will further suggestthat we talk the matter over with my father, also; I believe he mightadvance me the money to get in on the deal."
"Well, of course," said Tom, "I am in only through the kindness of Chotand his father. I own a fifth share, but it has not cost me one cent,except that I have obligated myself to pay for it, as well as for themoney Mr. Duncan is advancing to send me to Winton, after I leave schooland branch out into business for myself."
"Your invention will realize more than enough to pay your debts," saidChot, "so there's no need to worry over that. However, I should hate togo farther into this proposition without your consent, Tom."
"Oh, I'll agree to anything you think best after you have talked thematter with your fathers," said Tom.
It was decided to lay the matter before Mr. Duncan and Mr. Kenby thatnight, and the boys immediately arranged for a conference. Mr. Duncanhad often wondered, he said, what Chot had done with the money asked forso mysteriously while at Winton, but had never sought to question him,knowing that Chot would tell him in good time.
The conference was held in Chot's attic room, and the matter of the minelaid before Mr. Duncan and Mr. Kenby in detail. Chot told of LutherPendleton's visit to Stockdale, how he had sent for him and made theproposition, and how for Lucy's sake, more than anything else, Chot hadwired Mr. Duncan for the money.
"You and Tom, then, own a fifth share each?" Mr. Duncan asked.
"Yes, and another fifth is held by Lucy. Pendleton kept two-fifths ashis share for working the proposition."
"Well there's nothing unfair about that, but if matters ever came to acrisis, it would depend on Lucy entirely as to which way the stock wouldgo. Do you understand what I mean? If Lucy leaned toward her father hewould have the controlling interest. If she leaned toward you, theadvantage would be on your side."
The boys nodded to signify that they understood.
"Pendleton is a shrewd fellow," said Mr. Kenby, "and while we may notlike him personally, I do not believe he would bother with a miningproposition at all if he did not see money in it."
"That's true," said Mr. Duncan
. "Like yourself I have some confidence inthe actual value of the property. What I am afraid of is that Pendletonis seeking a way to eventually crowd the boys out of the propositionaltogether. There is only one way to remedy such a thing--that isthrough a controlling interest in the mine, and that the boys have notgot."
"Then let me suggest that we induce Lucy to part with her share toFleet," said Mr. Kenby. "That will give the boys a three-fifthsinterest, and will overcome the difficulty you mention."
"A good idea," said Mr. Duncan. "Chot shall write to Lucy at once. Sheis in Stockdale with her aunt--or, at least, she said that was where shewas going when she left here a few weeks since."
"I'll write to her to-night," said Chot, which called forth a wink fromFleet. Chot understood the wink but paid no attention to it, and Fleetsubsided.
"Be careful how you word the letter," said Mr. Duncan. "It is a delicatesubject for her, and there is no use to offend her or prejudice heragainst her father."
"Leave that to me," said Chot. "I had a perfect understanding with herat the time the papers were signed. She loves her father, I think, butknows he does not always deal squarely."
"An awful position for a girl to be in," said Mr. Kenby, with a graveshake of the head. "It's lucky that Lucy has an aunt to stay with."
"It is," said Chot. "Mrs. Dashworth does not like Mr. Pendleton, andwill always look after Lucy's welfare."
"Well, if she does not, there are others who will," said Chot's father,in a grim tone that sent a thrill through each of the boys.
"I'll tell you, fellows," said Chot, when Mr. Duncan and Mr. Kenby hadgone down into the library for a smoke before retiring, "this mine isgoing to cause us trouble. I can feel it in die air. That is, unless werelinquish all claim to it, and that I'm sure none of us are inclined todo."
"No; not in the face of facts made clear to-night," said Tom. "Somethinghas always told me that Luther Pendleton was a rascal of the firstwater. I cannot say what has made me believe this--instinct,perhaps--but ever since that day at the brass works, after my fatherdied, when he told me of the obligation we would have to pay, I havemistrusted him."
"Pendleton may know more of your father's accounts than he cares toadmit," said Fleet.
"I have often thought that, and am waiting such a time as I can confronthim with something substantial in the way of proof to that effect," saidTom.
"It has always seemed to me," said Chot, "that Luther Pendleton was notthe sort of man to be the father of a fine girl like Lucy. I heartilywish he was not her father, for you must realize that regard for herwould hold us back in this matter, when otherwise we would be inclinedto see Pendleton severely punished."
"It is for Lucy's sake that I have never quite expressed my sentimentswith regard to her father," said Tom.
The boys finally separated for the night, Fleet going home with hisfather, and Tom to his attic den where he had a comfortable bed.
Chot sat up late, writing first to Commandant Cullum about Hoki, andthen to Lucy. He went into considerable detail in the latter, askingLucy if she would transfer the stock to Fleet for a sum to be agreedupon.
He mailed the letters in the morning.
Comrades on River and Lake Page 24