Summer Days
Page 6
spirited thing to runaway as he had thought. At all events he said to himself, as he squeezedhis mamma’s hand, he would never
do anything to break his mamma’s heart, no never, never.
Andrew did not have time to tell any more of his experience then, forjust at that moment the boat came alongside of their pier. In a minutemore it was fast and they were ashore and at their own summer homeagain.
Tom and Dolly were wild with joy. They rushed about the house, into allthe rooms and out again. Then they went to the tool-house, and findinghere the sand-shovels that they had left behind the summer before, theyseized them and rushed off to the beach, where they were soon hard atwork building a sand castle that the next wave would surely knock down.They found this such fun that long before they had dreamed of its beingdinner time, they were called to come in and make ready for thenoon-tide meal. And such hungry little people as they were! They passedtheir plates twice for everything, and papa said that if they kept onat that rate they would eat him out of house and home.
In the afternoon they planned to walk along the beach at low tide to thepoint of rocks that I told you of, and visit a cave that they had foundthe year before, where they had often been. But this they could not do,for when they rose from the table and went out on the piazza they sawthat a storm was brewing. Great heavy black clouds were piled up in thewest, and a stormy wind was beginning to blow. The fishing boats in theopen sea were making all speed to get into the quiet waters of the baybefore the squall burst upon them.
Mr. Brooks brought out his glass, and through it the children could makeout quite
plainly the figures of the men in the flying boats. The clouds wererising so fast that the sun was soon hidden. Far out at sea, where thesun was still shining, a great ocean steamer was ploughing its way alongas if squalls and storms were something that it had no concern with;but inside the harbor, all the little boats were making great haste toget to their piers before the storm broke. But few of them succeeded,though, for while the children watched down came the rain in a blindingflood that shut out everything from their view, and they were glad toescape from it into the house.
At first they were inclined to feel very much aggrieved that they couldnot get their walk and had to stay indoors, and Hal was a little bitcross, I am afraid. But mamma said that she was very glad of the rain,for it gave her time to see to the unpacking of the trunks, and she saidthat if they would be very good they might both help her. At this allHal’s crossness disappeared, for there was nothing they both liked to domore than to help mamma. They emptied trunk after trunk, bringingarmfuls of clothing to her to put away in drawers, and so
much engaged were they that they did not notice that the clouds hadbroken away, until a broad gleam of sunshine came boldly in at thewestern windows and lay in a yellow band across the floor. Yes, theshower was over, and the clouds were fast disappearing. That night themoon came as brightly in Dolly’s window as it had ever done, for noteven a baby cloud was there to dim its splendor.
The long June days went by one after another and soon July was at hand.July was fast going where June had gone before it. Many a day had Haland Dolly spent on the sands, sometimes alone sometimes with papa andmamma, watching the great waves come rolling in and break into greatclouds of foam.
The beach was not now as quiet and deserted as it had been when theyfirst came, for now people were flocking down from the heated towns togain health and strength from the cool sea air. The farmers’ houses allalong back of the beach were full of them, and Hal and Dolly in theirwalks often met parties climbing over the rocks, or wading out into theshallow water to gather shells or seaweed that the tide had washed in.
They were not always pleasant people, but one day they came suddenlyupon two children not far from their own age.
They were a boy and girl. The girl was younger than Dolly and lookedvery thin and pale. Her face brightened up so when she saw Dolly thatshe went up and spoke to her, and
gave her a whole apronful of bright shells that she had picked up.
The little girl was very much pleased with the shells, and soon all fourwere talking busily. The boy told them that his name was Will Thornton,and that his sister’s name was Ellen. Ellen had been very ill, Willsaid, and that was the reason that her cheeks were so pale; but now shewas going to get well at once. His papa had taken a house high up on acliff that rose above the ocean. It was more than two miles away fromwhere they now where, and Will told Hal that they had been left on thebeach by their papa and mamma, who had gone to make a call and wouldsoon come back for them in a carriage and take them home. Hal and Dollyliked their new friends very much, and were very sorry that they livedso far away; but Will said that he would ask his papa sometime when theywere out driving
to leave them at their house, so that they could spend the whole morningtogether.
And playing on the sands was not the only way Hal and Dolly had ofpassing their days; sometimes their papa took them in the Speedwellacross the bay to Oldport. When he had business to transact he wouldleave them in charge of old Andrew, but when he was not very busy hewould take them with him. They never failed to stop and see Lassie, andHal was always much disappointed that no news from her family had come.Hal enjoyed these trips to Oldport more than anything else. It was suchfun to see the sailors on the ships that lay idly at the piers.Sometimes they would be lying on a coil of rope spinning yarns, and Halwished that he could go and listen, for he was sure that he should enjoytheir stories.
Sometimes a man-of-war lay in the harbor, and Hal was wildly envious ofthe midshipmen
whom he saw away up in the rigging, looking as much at home in thatlofty situation as if they had been born there. When he grew old enoughhe meant to be a sailor; that was, at least, if mamma would let him. Forhe had
made up his mind that he could not go unless she said yes. He wouldnever break his mamma’s heart, as old Andrew had done, of that he wasdetermined, sailor or no sailor.
And if there were no man-of-war in port and he grew tired of watchingthe men at work on the wharves, why there were the fishing boats drawnup on the beach for him to look at.
There they lay, with their sails idly flapping about the mast and withno one aboard. The men had been in too much haste to get their fishpromptly to market to take down the sails, and, besides, they knew thatno harm could come to their boats in that sheltered spot. Hal wouldwonder what kind of fish they had caught, how many, and how much moneythey got for them, and what they did with their money; and in fact, whenhe began wondering he never knew exactly where to stop.
One rainy day, when there was no going to the beach, Hal and Dolly foundtheir way out to the tool-house. Old Andrew was there putting a greatpatch on a corner of the Speedwell’s sail where it had been torn. Thelittle people sat beside him and begged for a story. “Did you never getshipwrecked?” asked Hal.
“Yes,” said Andrew. “I was wrecked, and a close shave I had of it for mylife.”
“Oh do tell us all about it,” cried they both.
So old Andrew began his story. “I shipped in the Raven,” he said. “Shewas bound for Norway. A fine vessel she was and a fast one, and I lookedforward to a pleasant voyage, for it was in the summer. And when I gotto Norway I meant to go ashore a bit and see the land. But I never sawit, for the first night out it came on to blow, and such a gale! Whendaylight broke all our sails were gone, and the ship was drifting on arocky shore. Do our
best there was no way to help matters. By and by she struck on a ledge.Snap went her mast and there she was a helpless wreck. The wild wavescame leaping over her, battering at her with all their might, andsweeping us off into the raging sea. Many was the strong man thatperished that day.”
“And were you drowned?” asked Dolly very much interested.
“Hardly,” laughed Andrew; “or I should not have been here.”
“Of course not,” said Dolly. “How stupid I was! you must have got safelyashore; tell us how you did it.”
“Well,” said An
drew, “I was swept off with the others, and at first Ithought it was all up with me, and that I should never breathe again,for I was buried deep by the furious waves; but at last I came to thetop; and there close by me was a spar, dashing about. I seized and clungto it, and the wind drove us slowly shore-ward.
“There were a crowd of men on the beach and they soon spied me. The surfwas very heavy, so that no boat could be launched, but
two or three men stood ready with ropes tied around them, asnd when Icame near they dashed in and seized me, and we were dragged out by therope.”
“Dear me!” said Hal; “that sounds pretty dreadful, I don’t much think Iwill be a sailor after all.”
Andrew smiled. “It is not a pleasant life at all; at least I never foundit so.”
By and by the days began to grow shorter, and papa and mamma began tothrow out hints about