Cupid of Campion

by Francis J. Finn

  CHAPTER II

  _In which the Steamer St. Paul and a tramp lend their aid to the Bright-eyed Goddess._

  “I say,” observed Abe presently, “you can row some!”

  “What do you think I’ve been going to school for?” retorted the daintyyoungster, as with even and strong stroke he sent the boat flying downthe current.

  “What are you giving us? There ain’t no rowing-schools.”

  “It may be, fair sir,” answered Clarence, “that there be no schools withthat precise name; at the same time, I don’t mind telling you that forthe past three years I’ve been attending Clermont Academy in New YorkState, a young gentleman’s boarding school, as the prospectus says,where for the trifling sum of nine hundred dollars a year, cash inadvance semi-annually, I have learned to play handball, baseball,football, lawn tennis, basket-ball, hurdling, shot-throwing, swimming,skating, and a few other little things like that.”

  “You call that a school?” exclaimed Abe, his large nose curling indisdain.

  “Everybody calls it a school,” answered Clarence, blithely, “even thebabes in their mothers’ arms.”

  “What about readin’, ’ritin’ and ’rithmetic?” continued the increduloussteersman.

  “Oh, we’ve got all that, too; if we want that sort of thing. We can’t berunning and jumping all day, you know.”

  “That’s a measly school,” continued Abe.

  “Awful sorry you don’t like it. Of course, you don’t have to come.”

  “No school for me,” said Abe emphatically. “Say, why ain’t you at schoolnow?”

  “Because my ma and my pa are over here visiting. They’re going West asfar as the coast, and my pa’s taking me along so’s he’ll know me nexttime he sees me. And my ma says she’s real anxious to make myacquaintance.”

  “You don’t mean to say you don’t know your own pa and your own ma?”cried the scandalized Abe.

  “Well, I haven’t seen ’em ever since I was eleven. A boy changes a gooddeal in three years. My ma didn’t change so much. But she says she’dhardly know me. I say, this river looks fine! How is it for swimming?”

  “Mighty bad,” answered Abe, his power of invention beginning to stir.“If you don’t know this river, you’re just as like as not to getdrownded. It looks all right,” continued the young vagabond, warming upto his theme; “but it’s full of sink-holes and places that suck youdown. Don’t you ever go in this river unless you know some one who canshow you a safe spot. You see that little house there, with the redroof?”

  “It appears to me I do.”

  “Well, the other day, three guys who didn’t know nothing about thisriver went in swimming just in front of it. All three went down, andthey never come up no more.”

  “What!” cried Clarence, resting on his oars and losing something of hiscolor.

  “Yes, sir,” Abe affirmed, regretting now that he hadn’t made it six orseven boys. “And their fathers all came here to see what could be done,and one of them went in and he was drownded too. It’s a mighty dangerousriver in these parts.”

  “That settles it,” said Clarence, resuming his rowing with a sigh. “I’llnot take the swim today that I promised myself.”

  “Oh, I can fix that,” said Abe, “I know a place right down by PicturedRocks where a hen wouldn’t mind swimming; it’s so safe. Oh, look!” hecontinued, “here comes the St. Paul.”

  “What? Where?” cried Clarence, once more relinquishing the oars andcraning his neck. “By George! That’s worth seeing. Where is it from?”

  “From St. Louis. It’s a passenging boat and is going to St. Paul.”

  The approaching steamboat, just turned a bend, was quite near them.

  “Aha!” cried Clarence, picking up the oars and becoming melodramatic.“There she is! I can see her. Somewhere, Master Abe, in that boat is thebright-eyed goddess of adventure, and I’m going to meet her.” As hespoke he set vigorously to rowing out towards mid-stream.

  “Say, you boob,” roared Abe, dropping his paddle in dismay: “You’regoing to get run down. Do you want to get drownded?”

  “Not at all. Now just sit tight, don’t rock the boat, and let me do itall by myself. We’re going to shoot right across her bow. You just leaveit to me. We can do it easily.”

  They were now quite near the steamer and it looked to Abe, as it lookedto the captain of the boat, as though the little craft were almostcertain of being run down. Abe fell back, his cheeks grew white, histeeth chattered; he turned his face from the approaching vessel.Meantime, there was a whistle, a clanging of bells, and hurriedmovements on the St. Paul. As the forward deck filled with excitedpassengers, the steamboat came almost to a full stop; observing whichMister Clarence, who had been rowing with all his might and main,lessened his efforts most perceptibly, and gazed enquiringly at the bigboat.

  “Say, do you know, Abe, I believe that boat’s in trouble? Maybe theywant our help.”

  Abe sat up and once more took notice.

  “You young jackass!” roared the captain leaning as far as it was safeover the deck.

  “Which one of us do you mean, sir?” asked Clarence.

  “_You_, gosh blame you! _You_, drat your hide! If there were more idiotson this river like you, I’d give it up and take to farming. I’ve stoppedmy boat on your account.”

  “Go right ahead, sir. I didn’t want you to stop.”

  Clarence beamed kindly on the captain, smiled upon the passengers, anddoffed his cap. There came a cheer from the deck, Clarence hummed“Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay,” and presently the two adventurers had the riverto themselves.

  “He said you were a young jackass,” said Abe presently.

  “Yes, I noticed.”

  “Well, you are.”

  “Why, I could have made that easily. There was no danger at all. He hadno business to stop that old boat of his. I didn’t ask him to. And thenhe goes and calls me names.”

  “He said you were an idiot,” pursued Abe.

  “That’s nothing. I’ve heard that before. Nearly all my friends saythings like that to me.”

  “I’ll not go rowing with you again, you big boob.”

  “You’ll not get the chance. I’m off for the Coast at noon-time.”

  “Here we are,” cried Abe presently, steering towards the shore. “This isthe place that leads up to Pictured Rocks.”

  “Hurrah for Pictured Rocks!” shouted Clarence, bringing with a few swiftstrokes the boat well up on the beach. “And what are Pictured Rocksanyhow?”

  “The folks round here,” answered Abe, as he took the oars from the boatand carefully hid them in the undergrowth near the shore, “calls ’emPictured Rocks, because the rocks up this here hill instead of beingwhite like other rocks is in layers of red and orange and blue and allsorts of colors between, and they says that the Injuns used to come hereand use the stuff of the rocks for war-paint.”

  “Well,” said Clarence, blithely turning a few cartwheels on reaching thebank, “I’m ready for your Pictured Rocks. Do you think I’ll find thebright-eyed goddess of adventure amongst them?”

  “I dunno. Come right along; we can get up there in about fifteenminutes.”

  But the bright-eyed goddess of adventure was nearer than Clarencefancied. She took, on this occasion, the guise of a tramp, who, makinghis way along the railroad ties of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paultowards McGregor and chancing to see a youth in a white sailor-suit,thought it worth his while to pause upon his weary journey.

  Abe led the way. He passed the tracks unnoticed by the road adventurer.Clarence, pausing at every other step to take in the view, presentlyfollowed.

  “Say, young feller, could I say a word to you?”

  “Make it a dozen, while you’re about it,” answered Clarence, gazing atthe long-haired, unshorn, shabby, middle-aged man before him.

  “I ain’t had nothing to eat since last night. Could you spare me adime?”

  “With pleasure,” responded
the youth, taking out as he spoke a handfulof coin, selecting a quarter and handing it over to the hungry one.

  The sight of money brings a strange light into certain eyes. The tramp’swere of that kind.

  “You’re carrying too much money for a kid. Give me some more,” he said.

  “Skiddoo! Hump yourself!” yelled Abe from a safe distance.

  Clarence was looking hard at his new acquaintance. There was nomistaking the glint in the fellow’s eye. The beggar had developed intothe highwayman.

  “Excuse me!” said Clarence, and turning tail he dashed down the track.

  The tramp had a good pair of legs in excellent condition from muchtravel. He was quick to the pursuit.

  “Run faster!” roared Abe, content to give advice. “He’s catching up.”

  Clarence had a start of nearly ten yards; but before he had gone far, itgrew clear to him that his pursuer was no mean runner. Nearer and nearerdrew the tramp. The race could not last much longer.

  Suddenly Clarence stopped, whirled around, and before his pursuer couldrealize the turn of events, plunged through the air, landing with botharms about the astounded man’s knees. The tramp went down with asuddenness to which few men are accustomed, and, assisted by a quickshove from the boy’s agile arm, started rolling from the tracks down anincline of some fifteen feet. By the time he had arisen to a sittingposture below and passed his hand over the several bruises on his head,the boy was back with Abe and lustily making his way up the hillside.

  The tramp saw him, no more; but as he rose to resume his weariedjourney, he heard a blithe voice far up the hillside carolling forth:

  “Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay, Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay, Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay, Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay!”