by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XII.
FIRST OF MAY.
May day came--warm, bright, and beautiful. At six o'clock in the morningthe Zephyr and the Butterfly were manned, and the boys went over to theisland to trim the May-pole with evergreen and flowers. The Sylph wasdegraded for the time into a "freighting vessel," and under command ofUncle Ben conveyed to the island chairs and settees for the use of theguests, tables for the feast, music stands for the band, and otherarticles required for the occasion.
About nine o'clock the guests began to arrive, and were conveyed to theisland by the two club boats--the Sylph having gone down to Rippletonafter the band. The Sedleys, the Westons, Mr. Hyde, the parents of allthe members of the clubs who could attend, all the boys and girls of theschool, and a few gentlemen and ladies from the village who hadmanifested a warm interest in the welfare of the two associations,composed the party; and before ten they were all conveyed to the sceneof the festival.
"Have you got them all, Frank?" asked Captain Sedley, as the coxswainwas ordering his crew ashore.
"All but the Munroes, and the Butterflies are going for them by and by."
"Tom is hoisting the signal," added Captain Sedley, pointing to a blueflag on the shore, which the gardener had been directed to hoist whenanyone wished to go to the Island.
"We will go, Frank," said Tony; and away dashed the boat towards themain shore.
"Ah, my Butterflies," said a voice, as they approached the landing.
"Mr. Walker!" exclaimed Tony. "Ready--up! Now let us give him threecheers. I was afraid he would not come."
The salute was given, and acknowledged by Mr. Walker.
"I am glad to see you again, my brave boy," said the gentleman, as hegrasped Tony's hand.
"I was afraid you would not deem our invitation worth accepting."
"I would not have missed of coming for the world, my young friend. Hereis Mrs. Walker; you know her."
Tony shook hands with the lady, and she said a great many very prettythings to him, which made the gallant little hero blush like a rose inJune, and stammer so that he could hardly make them understand him.
"Shall I help you into the boat, Mrs. Walker?" said Tony.
"You shall, my little gallant; though I shall not be so glad to get intoit as I was the other day."
The boat put off again, and Mr. and Mrs. Walker were filled withadmiration of the excellent discipline of the rowers. They were warmlygreeted by the party at the island, and lustily cheered by the crew ofthe Zephyr, which was again manned for the purpose of giving theirliberal friend this complimentary salute.
"Off again, my lads?" asked Mr. Walker, as the Butterflies prepared togo for the Munroe family.
Captain Sedley explained to him the nature of their present errand; and,of course, the warm-hearted gentleman found renewed occasion to applaudthe nobleness of Tony and his companions. He could hardly find termssufficiently strong to express his sense of admiration, especially whenhe learned the sacrifice which they had made.
"A fleet of boats!" exclaimed he. "If it would raise up such boys asthese, it ought to be procured at the public expense. Thank God! I amrich."
"I understand you, Mr. Walker," replied Captain Sedley; "but I beg youwill not let your generosity do anything more for the boys."
"Captain Sedley, I _love_ those boys! They are good boys, and good boysare a scarcity nowadays. There is nothing too good for them."
"You are enthusiastic."
"But I tell you, sir, there are no such boys as those in the world!"exclaimed Mr. Walker, with a gesture of earnestness.
"O, yes, sir; I presume, under the same discipline, other boys would bethe same."
"Then let them have the same discipline."
"It would cost a fortune. It is a very extravagant recreation, thisboating."
"But it makes men of them. I read the constitution of the clubs, andTony tells me it is carried out to the fullest extent."
"No doubt of it. There are boys among them, who, under othercircumstances, would be bad boys. I am satisfied the club keeps themtrue to themselves and their duty."
"That's just my idea; and these noble-hearted little fellows havebestowed the money I gave them in such a commendable manner, I mean togive them as much more."
"That was my own feeling about the matter; but I do not think it is agood plan to make good all they sacrifice. This fleet scheme was acherished project, and it was noble in them to give it up that theymight do a good deed."
"Noble! It was heroic--I was just going to use a stronger word."
"It is good for them to practise self-denial. That is all that makes thedeed a worthy one."
"Exactly so."
"Therefore, my friend, we will not say anything more about the fleet atpresent."
"But if they bear it well, if they don't repent what they have done,why, I should not value one or two thousand dollars. Besides, it mightbe the means of bringing a large number of boys within the pale of goodinfluences."
"That is my own view; and by and by we will talk more of the matter."
Captain Sedley then introduced Mr. Walker to the company, and thebenevolent gentleman took a great deal of pains to inform himself inrelation to the influence of the boat clubs upon the boys. He asked agreat many questions of their parents, and of Mr. Hyde, the teacher.They all agreed that the young men were the better for the associations;that the discipline was very useful, and the physical exercise veryhealthy; but some of them were afraid their sons would acquire such ataste for the water as to create a desire to follow the seas. But few ofthem considered boating, under the discipline of the clubs, a dangerousrecreation; so that the only real objection was the tendency to producelongings for
"A life on the ocean wave, A home on the rolling deep."
Mr. Walker tried to make the sceptical ones believe that Wood Lake wasso entirely different from the "rolling deep" as scarcely to suggest theidea of a ship, or of the ocean. But the disadvantages were trivialcompared with the benefits which all acknowledged to have derived fromthe associations, even independently of the libraries, the lectures, andthe debating societies at the halls.
Tony and his companions soon returned with the Munroe family, who werecordially received by the guests. Captain Sedley expressed his sympathyfor the poor man, regretting that he had not known his situation before.
"I would have bought your place myself rather than have had yousacrifice your property to the cupidity of such a man," said he.
"You are very good, sir," replied Mr. Munroe; "but I had not the courageto state my circumstances to anybody. 'Squire Chase is a very hard man;even when I paid him the money, which the kindness of the boys enabledme to do, he was so angry that he could scarcely contain himself. Heswore at me, and vowed he would have vengeance."
"He must be a very disagreeable neighbor."
"He is, indeed."
"On with the dance!" shouted Frank, in the most exuberant spirits; andthe rich and the poor man dropped the subject.
The boys and girls had formed a line round the May-pole, and the bandcommenced playing a very lively air. As the inspiring notes struck theirears, they began to jump and caper about, taking all sorts of fantasticsteps, which it would have puzzled a French dancing master to define andclassify. Most of the boys and girls knew nothing of dancing, as an art;but I venture to say they enjoyed themselves quite as much as thoughthey had been perfectly proficient in all the fashionable waltzes,polkas, and redowas. Their hearts danced with gladness, and their stepswere altogether _impromptu_.
Then came the ceremony of crowning the Queen of May, in the person ofMary Weston, which was performed in the most gallant style by FrankSedley. Another dance succeeded, and then came the feast. A great manygood things were eaten, a great many fine things said, and a great manypatriotic and complimentary toasts were drank. The band played "HailColumbia," "Yankee Doodle," and many other spirited tunes, and Mr.Walker was very much astonished, as well as amused, to hear some of theboys make speeches, flowery an
d fine, which had evidently been preparedfor the occasion, when they were "called up" by the toasts.
After the feast was over, the party divided itself into little knots forsocial recreation. Frank and Mary Weston took a walk on the beach, andthe rest of the boys and girls climbed over the rocks, amusedthemselves in the swing which Uncle Ben had put up, or wandered in thegrove. Boys and girls always enjoy themselves at such seasons, and myyoung readers need not be told that they all had a "first-rate time."
I do not mean all; for two members of the Zephyr Club had wandered awayfrom the rest of the party to the north side of the island. They wereconcealed from view by a large rock; but if any one had observed them,he could not have failed to see that they were exceptions to the generalrule--that they were not happy. The two boys were Charles Hardy and TimBunker. Frank had been pained to notice that an unnatural intimacy hadbeen growing up between them for several days; and he had already begunto fear that it was in the heart of Tim to lead his weak-mindedassociate astray.
"Now, let's see how much there is in it," said Tim.
"I am afraid to open it," replied Charles, as he glanced nervously overthe rocks.
"Git out!"
"I am doing wrong, Tim; I feel it here." And Charles placed his handupon his heart.
"Humph!" sneered Tim. "Give it to me, and I will open it."
"We ought not to open it," replied Charles, putting his hand into hispocket, and again glancing over the top of the rocks. "Besides, Tim, youpromised to be a good boy when we let you into the club."
"I mean to have a good time. We might have had if you fellows hadn'tgiven away all that money."
"I didn't do it."
"I know you didn't, but the rest on 'em did; so it's all the same. Theyare a set of canting pups, and for my part I'm tired on 'em. FrankSedley don't lord it over me much longer, you better believe! And youare a fool if you let him snub you as he does every day."
"I don't mean to," answered Charles. "I believe the fellows all hate me,or they would have made me coxswain before this time."
"Of course they would. They hate you, Charley: I heard Frank Sedley sayas much as that the other day."
"He did?"
"Of course he did."
"I wouldn't have thought that of him," said Charles, his eye kindlingwith anger.
"Let's have the purse, Charley."
Charles hesitated; but the struggle was soon over in his bosom, and hetook from his pocket a silken purse and handed it to Tim.
"We are doing wrong, Tim," said he, as a twinge of conscience brought tohis mind a realizing sense of his position. "Give me back the purse, andI will try to find the owner."
"No, you don't!" replied Tim, as he opened one end of the purse and tooktherefrom a roll of bank bills, which he proceeded to count.
"Do give it back to me! I am sure the owner has missed it by this time."
"No matter if he has; he won't get it again in a hurry," answered theBunker, coolly. "Sixty dollars in bills! Good!"
"Give it to me, or I will go to Captain Sedley and tell him you haveit."
"Will you?"
"I will."
"If you do, I'll smash your head," said Tim, looking fiercely at him."Don't be a fool! With this money we can have a first-rate time, andnobody will be any the wiser for it."
"I am afraid we shall be found out."
Probably Charles was more afraid of that than of the wicked act which hehad permitted himself to think of doing. He had found the purse on thebeach a little while before. When he had told Tim of it, the recklessfellow, still the same person as before, notwithstanding his promisesand his altered demeanor, had led him over to this retired spot in orderto get possession of the purse.
"Nonsense! Nobody will suspect you," replied Tim, as he poured out thesilver and gold in the other end of the purse.
"I never did such a thing in my life."
"No matter; there must be a beginning to everything."
"What would my mother say?"
"She will say you are a clever fellow if you don't get found out. Elevendollars and a quarter in specie! That makes seventy-onetwenty-five--don't it?"
"Yes."
"All right! We will just dig a little hole here, and put the purse intoit," continued Tim, as he scooped out a hole in the sand, and droppedthe ill-gotten treasure into it.
Filling up the hole, he placed a large flat stone upon the spot, whichfurther secured the purse, and concealed the fact that the sand had beendisturbed.
"I am sure we shall get found out," said Charles, trembling withapprehension.
"Nonsense! Keep a stiff upper lip; don't stop to think, and all will gowell. But, my hearty, if you peach on me, I give you my word, I willtake your life before you are one month older--do you hear?" And Tim'sfierce looks gave force to his words. "Now, we will go back to the reston 'em before they miss us. Mind you don't say anything, nor lookanything."
Charles followed Tim back to the other side of the island, and both ofthem joined the sports of the day. The afternoon passed away, andnothing was said of the purse. The owner had not missed it, and Timcongratulated himself on the circumstance. Charles tried to be joyous,and though he did not feel so, he acted it so well that no one suspectedhim of harboring so vile a sin within his bosom.
"All aboard!" said Frank, and the band commenced playing "Home, SweetHome."
In due time the party were all transported to the shore, and everybodywent home highly delighted with the day's amusements. The Zephyr washoused, and the crew dismissed, but not a word was said about the purse.