Lion Ben of Elm Island

by Elijah Kellogg

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  THE BRIDAL CALL.

  Parents and friends of the new-married pair had watched with no smallanxiety their progress through the squall. During the height of it,they could see the canoe when it rose upon the top of a wave; asit disappeared in a trough of the sea, the widow clasped her handsconvulsively, and gave them up for lost.

  “They are safe,” cried Captain Rhines, drawing a long breath; “they’vegot under the lee of the island. John, run to the house and get myspy-glass.”

  With the aid of the glass he saw them land, and Ben carry Sally to thehouse in his arms.

  “She’s fainted with fright, poor thing; it’s a rough beginning forher,” said the widow.

  “He only wants to get her to the fire; there’s nothing the matter withher but a good soaking.”

  ’Twas now the Indian summer, with calm moonlight nights.

  “Wife,” said Captain Rhines, “I expect Sally’s mother is dying to knowhow she got on the island that morning. If we don’t go now, we shan’tbe able to go this winter; it’ll be too rough by and by. John, run overthere, and ask her if she would like to go and see Sally.”

  “Can I go, too, father?”

  “Yes, I want you to help row; so do your chores, tie up the cattle, andbear a hand about it.”

  Sally had washed her supper dishes, and Ben was pulling off his boots,when the door was opened, and in walked the party. It was a most joyfulsurprise to the new-married couple.

  “Why, mother!” exclaimed Sally, kissing her again and again; “I wasthinking the other day whether you would ever venture to come on tothis island; and now you’re here so soon, and in the fall of the year,too!”

  “Indeed, Sally, you know I never lacked for courage, only for strength.You must needs think I had a strong motive.”

  But, of all the group, none seemed more delighted than John. He staredat the log walls, looked up the chimney, capered round the room withSailor, and finally getting up in Ben’s lap, put both arms round hisneck, and fairly cried for joy.

  “How should you like to live on here, Johnnie?” said Ben.

  “O, shouldn’t I like it! you’d better believe.”

  “I shot two seals the other day, on the White Bull; and within a weekI’ve killed fifty birds, of all kinds.”

  “Won’t you ask father to let me come on and stay a little while, and gogunning? O, I do miss you so!”

  “I shouldn’t wonder if there were ducks now feeding on the flats; takemy gun; she’s all loaded.”

  The moment Sailor saw the gun taken down, he was all ready: soperfectly was he trained, that when it was not desirable he shouldplay, he would lie still till the gun was fired, and then bring in thegame.

  “How I should like to be on here in the daytime!” said John. “Do youknow, Ben, I was never here in all my life before?”

  “Why, Sally,” said her mother, “how did you get over in that dreadfulsquall? We were all watching you, and felt so worried! Wasn’t youfrightened almost to death?”

  “No, mother, I wasn’t much frightened; but I was terrible cold, andwet all through. I never saw anything look so good, in all my life, asthis great fireplace did, for Ben made a roaring fire in it; and I’mjust as happy and contented as I can be.”

  In the midst of this conversation the door opened, and in walked UncleIsaac.

  “It was such a pleasant night,” said he, addressing the captain, “Itold Hannah we’d take a run down to your house; and when I found you’dcome over here, I thought I’d take your gunning float and follow suit.”

  “Why didn’t you bring Hannah with you?” inquired Sally.

  “Well, I wanted to; but she ain’t much of a water-fowl, and was afraidto come in a tittlish gunning float, and said she’d stay and visitCaptain Rhines’s girls; but she sends her love to you, and says ifshe’d known I was coming, she’d sent you over a bag of apples.”

  “How this does carry a body back!” said the widow; “it don’t seem butt’other day since I was living in a log house; and how much I’ve beenthrough since then!”

  They then went all over the house, and down cellar.

  “Well, Isaac,” said Captain Rhines, “you’ve done yourself credit inbuilding this house; I knew you would. ’Tisn’t much like the houseI was born in; that wasn’t tighter than a wharf, except while it wasstuffed with moss and clay; and some of that was always falling out.I’ve gone to bed many a night, and waked up in a snow drift, becausethe wind had blown the clay out, and the snow in; but I thought,when I was coming up from the shore, and saw it standing here in themoonlight, that it was as much like the one father built, after hisboys got big enough to be of some help to him, as two peas in a pod:just as many windows, just as high, and with a bark roof; but it ain’tmuch like it other-ways; for the timber wan’t hewed--only the barkand knots taken off where it came together; but this is as tight as achurn. And then that fireplace; I wouldn’t believed it possible.”

  “Well,” said Uncle Isaac, “I did the best I could; but I think Sam beatthe whole of us. I should be glad to swap my fireplace and chimney forthat, and give a yoke of oxen to boot.”

  “Do you know, Isaac, there’s nothing carries me back to my boy dayslike that old chamber? It’s the very image of ours; it seems to meas if I was setting there now, on a rainy day, astraddle of a tub,shelling corn on the handle of mother’s frying-pan, with my thoughtsrunning all over the world, longing to go to sea, and contriving how Ishould get father’s consent.”

  A loud mewing was now heard in the corner of the room.

  “I declare to man,” said the widow, “I’ve been so taken up with oldtimes, I forgot. See here, Sally,”--opening her basket and taking outa kitten,--“I thought she’d be company for you. You know them speckledchickens, Sally, that the old top-knot hen hatched out.”

  “Yes, mother.”

  “Well, the hawks carried off three of ’em; and I meant to brought therest over to you, but Sam said they wouldn’t lay much this winter;you’d have to buy corn, and you’d better have ’em in the spring. ButI’ve brought you over a pillow-case full of flax.”

  “I,” said Mrs. Rhines, “brought you over some wool.”

  “And I,” said Captain Rhines, “a barrel of cider and some vegetables,to go with your coots and salt beef.”

  “While I,” said Uncle Isaac, “am all the one that’s come empty-handed;but I know what I’ll do; I’ll give you a pig, and Ben can get him nexttime he comes off.”

  John now came in, bringing five ducks, that he had shot.

  “He’s just like the rest of us, Ben,” said his father: “I believe itruns in the breed of us to shoot.”

  “Let him come over here, and stay a day or two, and gun with me.”

  “He’s too good a boy,”--patting him fondly on the head;--“I couldn’tget along without him.”

  “That is just the reason,” said his mother, “that he ought to begratified once in a while. It’s a great deal better he should be herewith Ben, than with some of the boys he goes with; I should feel mucheasier about him than I do when he’s with them in boats, and gunning.I’m always afraid they’ll shoot one another, or be drowned.”

  “Well, it’s just as his mother says; I’m at home so little, I don’tinterfere with her concerns; she’s cap’n; I’m only passenger.”

  “But you’re going to be at home all the time now; and I should like togive up my authority.”

  “By the way, Ben, I’ve had a letter from Mr. Welch; he says large,handsome masts, bowsprits, and spars are in great demand; that he canfind a market in Boston and Salem, in the spring, for all you can sendhim.”

  “I’m going to cut small spars directly, father; but I want snow to fallthe large ones on, else I shall have to bed them with brush, for fearof breaking them.”

  “He says that the war in Europe is throwing all the carrying trade intothe hands of neutrals; that now we’ve got our government going, it’llbe snapping times; and that while they’re all fighting lik
e dogs over abone, we can run off with the bone; and if I want to try a voyage, hehas a vessel for me.”

  “Well, you’re not going,” said his wife; “you’ve been enough, andyou’ve done enough. If Ben could afford to give up going to sea, in theprime of life, for the sake of Sally, I’m sure you can, in your oldage, for the sake of Betsey; and you belong to me for the rest of yourlife.”

  “Old!” said the captain, dancing over the room; “I don’t feel a bitold. I should like a little cash, just to fix up the buildings alittle, buy that timber lot that joins the rye field; and then”--witha comical look at his wife--“I should like to do a little more for theminister. I should be so thankful, sometimes, if somebody would comein that could talk about anything else than some old horse, or cow, orsheep that’s got the mulligrubs!”

  “Father,” said John, as they were preparing to go, “why can’t I staynow?”

  “Because, child, I want you to help me row.”

  “Let him stay,” said Uncle Isaac, who, from instinct, always took thepart of the boys; “I’ll go over with you.”

  “But there’s my float over here, and I want to go gunning to-morrow.”

  “We’ll take her in tow,” said Uncle Isaac.

  With mutual good wishes they now separated, leaving John in high gleeat the result, with Ben, for a visit.