by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER V.
A BOAT WITH A BAD REPUTATION.
People looked at the boy as he continued to bid on the Goldwing. Theauctioneer asked him some questions touching his ability to pay for theboat if she should be knocked off to him. Dory declared he would pay forthe Goldwing on the spot if she was sold to him, and his bid wasaccepted.
There was only one other bidder, and he looked daggers at Dory everytime he increased upon his bid. This man evidently expected to buy theboat for fifteen or twenty dollars, and that there would be no one tobid against him. When the figures reached thirty dollars, the otherbidder protested that he was bidding against nothing, for no onesupposed that a mere boy could pay for the boat. Until this time Doryhad not seen the other person who wanted the Goldwing.
"If he don't pay, Mr. Hawlinshed," said the auctioneer, "we will put itup again, and then you can get the boat at your own price; for theredon't appear to be anybody else that wants the craft."
When Dory heard the name of the other bidder, he turned, and saw that itwas Pearl Hawlinshed. He was greatly surprised, and in his confusion hecame very near letting the auctioneer knock off the boat to his rival inthe contest for the Goldwing. But he put in another bid; and Pearlfollowed him up sharply until forty dollars was reached, when hedeclared that he would not give any more for the boat. Then it wasknocked off to Dory at forty-two dollars.
Pearl Hawlinshed looked at the purchaser very savagely, as though he haddone him an ill turn in bidding for the boat. But there was still a hopethat he could not pay for it. Dory went into the cabin of the Goldwing,and counted out the money; for he did not care to show all he had in hiswallet. He was out of sight but a moment; for his money was all inten-dollar bills, except the five which he had changed to pay for hisbreakfast.
"Here is the money," said Dory, tendering the amount to the auctioneer."Please to give me a receipt."
"You have lost the boat, Hawlinshed," said the auctioneer, as he tookthe money. "If you will come into the steamer office, I will give you areceipt, young man. What is the name?"
"Theodore Dornwood."
"Do you live in Plattsburgh?"
"No, sir: in Burlington."
"Are you buying the boat for yourself?"
"You may make the receipt out to me," replied Dory.
"He is buying her for some other person," said Pearl Hawlinshed. "Ishould like to know who it is."
The auctioneer did not ask any more questions, but led the way into thesteamboat office, where he gave the required receipt. Dory felt that hewas now the owner of the Goldwing. If he had owned one of the Champlainsteamers, he would not have felt any better. He was anxious to get onboard of her, and start her on the way to Burlington. As he went out ofthe office, he found Pearl Hawlinshed at the door.
"Are you not the boy that brought me a letter this morning?" asked he,looking at the new owner of the Goldwing with a scowl.
"I carried a letter to you this morning," replied Dory, not particularlypleased with the manner of Pearl.
"Where did you get that letter?" demanded Pearl in a very lordly andoverbearing tone.
"A man gave it to me; and I promised to give it to you myself," answeredDory. "That is the whole of it, and nothing more need be said about thematter."
"You said you were buying this boat for another man," continued Pearl.
"I didn't say so. I have not said any thing about who I was buying herfor," replied Dory, moving towards the side of the wharf where theGoldwing lay.
"Yes, you did! Don't lie about it," said Pearl in a very offensive way.
"I said nothing of the kind," added Dory.
"Didn't he say he was buying the Goldwing for another man, Mr. Green?"continued Pearl, appealing to the auctioneer.
"No, he did not, Hawlinshed," answered the auctioneer. "I asked him ifhe was buying the boat for himself, and he said I might make out thereceipt to him. That was all that was said about it."
"Well, it is all the same thing: he gave the inference that he wasacting for somebody else. I should like to know who you bought her for,"persisted Pearl.
"I have bought the boat, and paid for her; and I have nothing more tosay about the matter," replied Dory sharply, as he walked towards theboat.
"This is a matter that concerns me, and I want to know about it," addedPearl, following the new owner of the Goldwing to the boat. "You broughtme a letter this morning; and now you have bought this boat, when I wasthe only man in this vicinity that thought of such a thing as buying theGoldwing."
"What has the boat to do with the letter?" asked Dory, who thought itwas a little strange that he had come in contact with the son of his newfriend in connection with the Goldwing.
"That is what I want to know," answered Pearl gruffly. "You see, I don'tbelieve that a boy like you--for you don't look like the son of agentleman--came over here from Burlington to buy that boat. If anybodyover there had wanted her, he wouldn't have sent a boy over here to buyher for him."
"You can believe any thing you like about it," added Dory, as he steppedinto the standing-room of the Goldwing.
"I want to know who gave you that letter," said Pearl, pushing thematter.
"I suppose the man that wrote it gave it to me. You got the letter, andyou ought to know more about it than I do."
"I know all about him."
"Then I can't tell you any thing."
"But I want to connect that man with this boat."
"You can connect them if you like. Was there any thing about theGoldwing in the letter?" asked Dory, who was quite as much puzzled asPearl appeared to be.
"None of your business whether there was or not?" exclaimed Pearlsavagely; and the letter was evidently not a pleasant topic to him. "Iam not here to answer questions."
"Nor I either; and here we are equal," replied Dory, as he took thetiller of the sailboat from the forward cuddy, and inserted it in therudder-head.
"The man that gave you that letter got you to buy this boat for him,"said Pearl. "He knew I wanted her, if you did not."
"The man that wrote that letter never said a word to me about this boat,or any other; and I did not buy her for him," replied Dory, startled bythe statement of the waspish young man.
Dory was afraid the events of the day might connect him with the elderMr. Hawlinshed, who had taken the steamer for the south while he wasabsent in delivering the letter. He had come to the conclusion thatPearl Hawlinshed was a "hard case," as he must be, or he could not haveassaulted his father in the woods. There was plainly a quarrel betweenfather and son, and he did not wish to know any thing more about it. Allhe cared about the matter was to keep the secret inviolate.
"I suppose if you did it you would lie about it," added Pearl.
"You should not judge me by yourself," added Dory quietly.
"Don't give me any of your impudence, or there will be a broken headround here somewhere," snarled Pearl.
Dory did not want a broken head, and he did not want to give the son ofhis friend a broken head; and he did not want to quarrel with thewaspish fellow. He concluded that it would be the wisest policy to sayno more, and he went on with his preparations for getting the boat underway. The wind was blowing very fresh from the north-west.
The Goldwing had a bad reputation in Plattsburgh, and he had his doubtsabout going across the lake in her. He could see the white-caps downCumberland Bay, and he decided to put a reef in the mainsail. PearlHawlinshed was not disposed to leave. He had obtained no satisfactionfrom the purchaser of the Goldwing, and he evidently believed there wassome trickery by which he had been prevented from purchasing the boat athis own price.
"That boat will drown you if you go out in her to-day," said Pearl; andhe seemed to realize some satisfaction from the prospect.
"I may not go out in her to-day," replied Dory, glancing at thewhite-caps down the bay.
"You were a fool to buy her," added Pearl.
"Am I a greater fool than you would have been if you had bought her?"asked Dory.
"So do I."
Just then a small steamer was seen coming up the bay. She was laboringheavily in the rough waves, and both of them gave their attention toher. She was evidently in the hands of a skipper who did not know how tomanage her. The wind had breezed up within an hour, and she had beencaught out in the lake. She was within half a mile of the wharf; butPearl Hawlinshed declared that she would go to the bottom before shereached the pier.
He was quite excited about the steamer, and left the Goldwing to walkdown to the end of the wharf, where he could get a better view of thestruggling craft. Dory was glad to see him move off. He was as glad toget rid of him as Sindbad was of the Old Man of the Sea. He did not likePearl: in fact, from what he knew of him, he hated him.
Dory had already hoisted his reefed mainsail. It was shaking andpounding with tremendous energy, as he sat in the standing-room, waitingto decide whether or not he should put out into the lake. But he wantedto get rid of Pearl, and he hoped he should never see him again. Whilehis disagreeable companion was walking down the wharf, he cast off thebow line which held the Goldwing to the pier, and hoisted the jib.
The sails caught the breeze, and the Goldwing darted off from the wharfas though she had been shot from a gun; but she did not exhibit anytendency to go over under her present sail. He ran her outside of thebreakwater; and, when he had the boat in a sheltered place, he let gothe anchor.
He had got rid of Pearl Hawlinshed, and he was entirely satisfied withhimself on this account. He had the Goldwing by himself now, and heimmediately proceeded to make another examination of the boat and herfurnishings. He got at the ballast, and arranged it to his mind. Thefault in the rig he could not correct, but he thought he could overcomethe difficulty in this direction in carrying sail.
"Hallo, Dory Dornwood!"
It was the voice of Corny Minkfield; and it came from the littlesteamer, which had now passed out of danger under the breakwater.