Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville

by L. Frank Baum

  CHAPTER XVII.

  JOE TELLS OF "THE GREAT TROUBLE."

  "As a young man, my father was a successful sea captain," said the boy,"and, before he was thirty, owned a considerable interest in the ship hesailed. Thomas Hucks was his boatswain,--an honest and able seaman inwhom my father became much interested. Hucks was married, and his wifewas an attendant in the employ of Hugh Carter, a wealthy ship chandlerof Edmunton, the port from which my fathers ship sailed. Thomas had somedifficulty in enjoying his wife's society when on shore, because oldCarter did not want him hanging around the house; so Captain Wegggood-naturedly offered to intercede for him.

  "Carter was a gruff and disagreeable man, and, although my father hadbeen a good customer, he refused his request and threatened to dischargeNora, which he did. This made Captain Wegg angry, and he called uponMary Carter, whose especial attendant Nora had been, to ask her to takethe girl back. Mary was a mild young lady, who dared not oppose herfather; but the result of the interview was that the sea captain andMary Carter fell mutually in love. During the next two or three years,whenever the ship was in port, the lovers frequently met by stealth atthe cottage of Mrs. Hucks, a little place Thomas had rented. Here myfather and mother were finally married.

  "Meantime Nora had a son, a fine young chap, I've heard; and presentlymy mother, who had a little fortune of her own, plucked up enoughcourage to leave her father's roof, and took up her abode in a prettyvilla on the edge of a bluff overlooking the sea. Nora came to live withher again, bringing her child, and the two women were company for oneanother while their husbands were at sea.

  "In course of time my mother had two children, a girl and a boy, andbecause the Hucks boy was considerably older than they, he took care ofthem, to a great extent, and the three youngsters were always together.Their favorite playground was on the beach, at the foot of the bluff,and before young Tom was ten years old he could swim like a duck, andmanage a boat remarkably well. The Wegg children, having something oftheir mother's timid nature, perhaps, were not so adventurous, but theyseldom hesitated to go wherever Tom led them.

  "One day, while my mother was slightly ill and Nora was attending toher, Tom disobeyed the commands that had been given him, and took hisyounger companions out on the ocean for a ride in his boat. No one knowshow far they went, or exactly what happened to them; but a sudden squallsprang up, and the children being missed, my mother insisted, ill as shewas, in running down to the shore to search for her darlings. Bravingthe wind and drenched by rain, the two mothers stood side by side,peering into the gloom, while brave men dared the waves to search forthe missing ones. The body of the girl was first washed ashore, and mymother rocked the lifeless form in her arms until her dead son was laidbeside her. Then young Tom's body was recovered, and the horrorwas complete.

  "When my father arrived, three days later, he not only found himselfbereaved of the two children he had loved so tenderly, but his youngwife was raving with brain fever, and likely to follow her babies to thegrave. During that terrible time, Nora, who could not forget that it washer own adventurous son who had led all three children to their death,went suddenly blind--from grief, the doctors said.

  "My father pulled his wife back to life by dint of careful nursing; butwhenever she looked at the sea she would scream with horror; so itbecame necessary to take her where the cruel sound of the breakers couldnever reach her ears. I think the grief of Thomas and Nora was scarcelyless than that of my own parents, and both men had suffered so severelythat they were willing to abandon the sea and devote their lives tocomforting their poor wives. Captain Wegg sold all his interests and hiswife's villa, and brought the money here, where he established a homeamid entirely different surroundings. He was devoted to my mother, Ihave heard, and when she died, soon after my birth, the Captain seemedto lose all further interest in life, and grew morose and unsociablewith all his fellow-creatures.

  "That, young ladies, is the story of what Thomas and Nora call their'great trouble'; and I think it is rightly named, because it destroyedthe happiness of two families. I was born long after the tragedy, butits shadow has saddened even my own life."

  When the boy had finished, his voice trembling with emotion as heuttered the last words, his auditors were much affected by the sad tale.Patsy was positively weeping, and the Major blew his nose vigorously andadvised his daughter to "dry up an' be sinsible." Beth's great eyesstared compassionately at the young fellow, and even Louise for themoment allowed her sympathy to outweigh the disappointment and chagrinof seeing her carefully constructed theory of crime topple over like thehouse of cards it was. There was now no avenger to be discovered,because there had been nothing to avenge. The simple yet pathetic storyaccounted for all the mystery that, in her imagination, enveloped thelife and death of Captain Wegg. But--stay!

  "How did your father die?" she asked, softly.

  "Through a heart trouble, from which he had suffered for years, andwhich had obliged him to lead a very quiet life," was the reply. "Thatwas one of the things which, after my mother's death, helped to sour hisdisposition. He could not return to the sea again, because he was toldthat any sudden excitement was likely to carry him off; and, indeed,that was exactly what happened."

  "How is that, sir?" asked the Major.

  "It is more difficult to explain than the first of the story," repliedthe boy, thoughtfully gazing through the window; "perhaps because I donot understand it so well. Our simple life here never made much of aninroad into my father's modest fortune; for our wants were few; butCaptain Wegg was a poor man of business, having been a sailor during allhis active life. His only intimate friend--an honest, bluff old farmernamed Will Thompson--was as childish regarding money matters as myfather, but had a passion for investments, and induced my father to joinsome of his schemes. Mr. Thompson's mind was somewhat erratic at times,but keen in some ways, nevertheless. Fearing to trust his judgmententirely, my father chose to lean upon the wisdom and experience of ashrewd merchant of Millville, named Robert West."

  "The hardware dealer?" asked Louise, impulsively.

  "Yes; I see you have met him," replied Joseph Wegg, with a smile at theeager, pretty face of his visitor. "Bob West was a prosperous man andvery careful about his own investments; so he became a sort of businessadviser to my father and Mr. Thompson, and arbitrated any differences ofopinion they might have. For several years, due to West's good offices,the two oddly mated friends were successful in their ventures, and addedto their capital. Finally West came to them himself with a proposition.He had discovered a chance to make a good deal of money by purchasing anextensive pine forest near Almaquo, just across the border in Canada.West had taken an option on the property, when he found by accident thatthe Pierce-Lane Lumber Company was anxious to get hold of the tract andcut the timber on a royalty that would enable the owners to double theirinvestment."

  "Howld on a jiffy!" cried the Major, excitedly. "Did I understand you tosay the Pierce-Lane Lumber Company?"

  "That was the firm, sir. I used to overhear my father and Will Thompsontalking about this matter; but I must admit my knowledge is somewhatimperfect, because I never was allowed to ask questions. I rememberlearning the fact that West had not enough money to swing his option,and so urged his friends to join him. Relying upon West's judgment, theyput all their little fortunes into the deal, although Thompson grumbledat doing so, because he claimed he had another investment that wasbetter, and this matter of West's would prevent him from undertaking it.The Almaquo tract was purchased, and a contract made with the lumbercompany to cut the timber and pay them a royalty of so much a thousandfeet. Yet, although the prospects for profit seemed so good, I know thatfor some reason both my father and Thompson were dissatisfied with thedeal, and this may be accounted for by the fact that every penny oftheir money was tied up in one investment. West used to come to thehouse and argue with them that the property was safe as the Bank ofEngland, and then old Will would tell him how much more he could havemade out of another investment he had in mi
nd; so that a coolness grewup between West and the others that gradually led to their estrangement.

  "I can well remember the evening when Bob West's pretty financial bubbleburst. Thompson and my father were sitting together in the right wing,smoking solemnly, and exchanging a few words, as was their custom, whenWest arrived with a while face, and a newspaper under his arm. I was inthe next room, lying half asleep upon the sofa, when I heard West crydespairingly: 'Ruined--ruined--ruined!' I crept to the half-openeddoor, then, and looked in. Both men were staring, open-mouthed andhalf-dazed, at West, who was explaining in a trembling voice that aterrible forest fire had swept through the Almaquo section and wiped outevery tree upon the property. He had the full account in the newspaper,and had begun reading it, when my father uttered a low moan and tumbledoff his chair to the floor.

  "Will Thompson gave a wild cry and knelt beside him.

  "'My God! he's dead, Bob,--he's dead!--and you've killed him with yourgood news!' he screamed, already raving; and then Old Hucks ran in justin time to prevent the madman from throttling West, for his fingers wereeven then twined around Bob's throat. There was a desperate struggle,and I remember that, scared as I was, I joined Thomas in trying to pullThompson off his prey. But suddenly old Will threw up his arms andtoppled backward, still raving like a demon, but unable to move his bodyfrom the waist downward. West helped us to put him in bed, and said hewas paralyzed, which afterward proved to be the truth. Also, his mindwas forever gone; and I think it was father's death that did that,rather than the loss of his money."

  They were all staring, white-faced, at the speaker. Most of the mysterywas being cleared away; indeed, there was now little of mysteryremaining at all.

  "West hurried after a doctor," continued Joe, who was almost as muchabsorbed in his story as were his listeners, and spoke in a reflective,musing way, "and he succeeded in finding one who was stopping for a fewdays at the hotel. Poor Bob was very kind to us in our trouble, and Inever heard him mention a word about his own losses, which must havebeen severe. After the funeral was over, and I found I had nothing toinherit but the farm, I decided to go to the city and make my way there,as I had long wished to do. West gave me a little money to start me onmy way, and the rest of my story is not very interesting to anybody.Major Doyle knows something of it, after the time when I got through mytechnical school by working as a servant to pay for my instruction. I'ma failure in life, so far, young ladies; but if you'll not bear thatagainst me I'll try to do better in the future."

  "Good!" cried the Major, approvingly, as he took the boy's left hand inboth his own and pressed it. "You're developing the right spirit,Joseph, me lad, and we'll think no more about the sadness of the past,but look forward to the joy of your future."

  "Of course," said Patsy, nodding gravely; "Joe Wegg is bound to be agreat man, some day."