Andy Grant's Pluck 7
"All right."
They were perhaps thirty rods from the pond when they met Jimmy Morris,
coming from it. He seemed excited. He had been running and was
breathless.
"What's the matter, Jimmy?" asked John Larkin.
Jimmy looked toward Conrad, who naturally guessed the cause of his
excitement.
"Oh, Conrad," he said. "It is such a pity! I am so sorry for you!"
"Why are you sorry for me?" demanded Conrad, sharply.
"Because your boat is ruined. It is all hacked up, and has been set on
fire."
"My boat! You mean Andy Grant's?"
"No, I don't. Come and see for yourself."
CHAPTER XI.
CONRAD'S DISAPPOINTMENT.
With his mind in a whirl, and still believing that it was Andy's boat
which had been injured instead of his own, Conrad pushed on rapidly
toward the pond. Yet he had an instinctive fear that his informant might
be correct.
When he reached the point where his boat had been moored, he used his
eyes eagerly.
It was all true! His boat--his beautiful boat--with which he had been
perfectly satisfied till Andy received a better, was scorched and hacked
up till it was clear he could never use it again, and Andy's boat was
not visible anywhere. Tears of rage filled Conrad's eyes.
"It is a terrible mistake!" he ejaculated.
"Mistake! What do you mean?" asked John Larkin.
Conrad reflected that his words were betraying him.
"I don't know what I am saying," he replied, vaguely. "Yes, I do. I
believe Andy Grant did this."
"Andy Grant!" repeated Jimmy Morris. "Why should he injure your boat?"
"Because he hates me."
"Andy isn't that kind of a boy. Besides, he has a newer and much
handsomer boat himself."
There it was! That was what stung Conrad. His boat was second to Andy's.
As the three boys stood on the bank, a small boy, named Peter Hill, came
up. He lived in the house nearest the boats.
"Did you see any one near the boat, Peter?" asked John Larkin.
"Yes, I seed a big tramp in de boat. He set it on fire."
"That explains it, Conrad!" exclaimed Jimmy Morris. "I saw the tramp
myself in the village."
"Pooh!" said Conrad. "I don't believe it."
"But I seed him burnin' de boat!" persisted little Peter.
"Then why didn't you tell somebody?"
"All de folks was away and I didn't dare to go near it. He had a
hatchet, too."
"I say, Conrad, let us hunt for the tramp, and, if we find him, have him
arrested."
For obvious reasons this proposal of John Larkin did not meet Conrad's
approval. He was afraid of what the tramp would tell.
"I'll ask my father what to do," he replied, evasively. "The mischief is
done and there is no help for it."
Conrad was already looking more cheerful. An idea had come to him.
Now that the boat was destroyed, his father might be willing to buy him
another, and, if so, he might be persuaded to buy one as good as Andy's,
perhaps better. He turned to go home, and let the boys know that he did
not care for company.
On the way, not far from his own house, he encountered the tramp. At the
sight of this man, whose stupid blunder had cost him his boat, his eyes
blazed with anger.
But this the tramp did not see. He slouched up to his young employer,
saying, with a cunning grin:
"Well, did you see it?"
"Did I see it?" repeated Conrad, boiling over with fury. "Yes, I did."
"I did it pretty well, didn't I? I guess the boat isn't good for much
now."
"You stupid fool!" blazed out Conrad. "It is my boat that you ruined. I
have a great mind to have you arrested!"
"Your boat? It was the boat you pointed out to me."
"No, it wasn't. It was my own boat."
"Then where was the other boat? I didn't see but one."
"I don't know, but you might have had sense enough to know that you'd
got the wrong boat."
The tramp's hopes fell. He had intended to ask for another dollar from
Conrad, but he saw now that there was no chance whatever of his
obtaining it.
"You'd better get out of town as soon as you can," said Conrad, roughly.
"Why should I?" demanded the tramp, sullenly.
"Because you were seen destroying the boat."
"Who saw me?"
"A small boy who lives at the next house. You might be arrested."
"If I am, I'll tell the truth. I'll tell who put me up to it."
"And I'll deny it. Do you think any one would believe your word against
mine, especially as it was my boat that was ruined?"
The tramp saw the logic of this remark and walked away. He was seen no
more in the village.
"Now I'll tackle father," thought Conrad.
He directed his steps homeward and informed the squire of what had
happened.
His father frowned and looked displeased.
"If you are not smart enough to take care of your boat," he said,
coldly, "you will have to suffer the consequences."
"But I don't see how I am to blame?"
"Have you any idea who did the mischief?"
"Perhaps Andy Grant did--he doesn't like me."
"I don't think that very probable. You can charge him with it if you
think best. But I thought you told me he had a new boat of his own?"
"So he has--a perfect beauty! It is ever so much better than mine. I
wish--"
"Well, what do you wish?"
"That you would buy me one like his."
"Well, I like that. After losing your boat through your own
carelessness, you want me to invest a large sum in another."
"Must I go without one, then?" asked Conrad, in dismay.
"It looks that way."
Conrad resorted to earnest entreaties. He was willing, now, to accept
any sort of boat, for he was fond of rowing; but Squire Carter had just
heard unfavorable reports from his broker about a speculation he had
entered into, and he was inflexible.
"What a fool I was!" reflected Conrad, bitterly. "My boat was a good
one, even if it wasn't as fine as Andy's, and now I have none. I shall
have to borrow his or Valentine's when I want to go out rowing."
Later in the day he met Andy.
Andy had heard of Conrad's loss and was full of sympathy.
"Conrad," he said, "it's a shame about your boat being destroyed."
"Yes, it is pretty hard."
"The boys say a tramp did the mischief."
"I think it very likely. There was a tramp about town yesterday. I saw
him myself."
"What could have been his object? Ruining the boat would not benefit
him."
"It might have been out of revenge. He asked me for a quarter and I
wouldn't give it to him."
This explanation occurred to Conrad on the spur of the moment.
"Can't you have him arrested?"
"He is probably out of town by this time."
"I suppose you will have a new boat?"
"Yes, after a while."
"I will lend you mine any time you wish."
"Thank you," said Conrad, but he spoke coldly and ungraciously.
It seemed to him humiliating to receive any favors from a poor boy like
Andy Grant.
Two weeks later, when Andy went over to the hotel, as usual, to meet his
employer and pupil, Mr. Gale said:
"I have some news for you."
"I hope it is good news."
"I don't know that you will consider it so. I shall have to leave you
for a time."
Andy's face fell. This certainly was bad news.
"I have received a letter this morning," continued Walter Gale, "from
an uncle living in the interior of Pennsylvania. He is not an old man--I
don't think he is much over fifty--but he writes me that he is near his
end. The doctor says he may live three months, certainly not over six.
He has always been a bachelor, and I believe owns coal mines of
considerable value. I was always a favorite of his, and now that he is
so sick he wants me to go out and be with him in the closing weeks of
his life."
"I suppose you will go?" said Andy, and he looked very sober.
"I think it is my duty--don't you?"
"Yes, I suppose it is your duty."
Andy began to think what he should do. He had had an easy and profitable
engagement with Mr. Gale, but this would now be over, and he would have
to go back to farm work, or try to get a place in the village store.
The latter would yield him only two dollars and a half a week, which
seemed to him very small compared with what he now received.
"I shall miss you very much, Mr. Gale," he said.
"I hope you will. I shall certainly miss you."
"It will seem very dull going to work on the farm after my pleasant days
with you."
"You won't need to go to work on the farm, unless you choose to do so."
"But I must earn something; I cannot be idle."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you what arrangements I propose to make for you."
Andy looked up eagerly.
CHAPTER XII.
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.
"Our separation will only be temporary," continued Mr. Gale, "but I do
not wish to leave you unprovided for during my absence, I shall allow
you five dollars a week while I am away."
Andy brightened up.
"How kind you are, Mr. Gale!" he said. "I don't think you ought to do
this."
Walter Gale smiled.
"I can very well afford it," he said; "so we will regard the matter as
settled."
"How soon must you go?"
"I shall start to-morrow--my preparations will be easily made. How would
you like to go to New York to see me off?"
"I should be delighted," answered Andy. "I have only been to New York
twice in my life."
"Then you will enjoy the day. You can take the afternoon train home."
At the farm, Mr. and Mrs. Grant heard with regret of Mr. Gale's
departure, but they were pleased to hear that Andy would be in receipt
of an income.
"How will you fill up your time, Andy?" asked his father.
"I have my books, and will keep up my Latin and Greek. I will pay you
four dollars a week, and you can hire a boy for that to help you. I
think I can spend my time more profitably in studying."
"Do you think Mr. Gale will return?"
"He has promised to do so. I am to see him off to-morrow."
"Are you going to trust that boy alone in New York?" asked his Aunt
Jane, with asperity.
"Why, what could happen to me?" asked Andy, indignantly.
"You might get run over."
"I am not a little boy, Aunt Jane. I can take care of myself."
"You may meet with an accident for all your smartness."
"I think Andy is old enough to take care of himself," said his father,
mildly.
"Oh, well! have it your own way. You can't say but I've warned you," and
she sniffed severely.
"I wonder what makes Aunt Jane so disagreeable," thought Andy.
"Perhaps you'd like to go and take care of him," suggested Mr. Grant,
with a smile. "You are old enough to take care of yourself."
"You needn't twit me with my age, Sterling," said Jane, with an injured
sniff.
"I don't. Old age is honorable."
This made matters worse.
"You talk as if I was seventy-five. I don't consider myself an old
person."
In spite of the melancholy presentiment of Aunt Jane, Andy set out for
New York with Mr. Gale. An hour and a half brought them to the
metropolis.
"I should like to show you something of the city, Andy," said his
companion, "but I shall have to spend the time in shopping."
"I shall see something of the city if I go about with you."
"That is true."
At one o'clock they went to the Sinclair House, on Broadway, to dine.
They selected a table where there was but one other guest, who seemed
known to Walter Gale.
"Good-morning, Mr. Flint," said the young man.
"Ah, it's you, Walter, is it?" returned the other, a stout man, whose
hair was beginning to grow gray.
"Yes."
"I haven't seen you for a long time. Where have you been?"
"Rusticating in a Connecticut town."
"Is the young man with you a brother? But, no; I remember that you have
no brother."
"He isn't related to me, but I think as much of him as if he were. His
name is Andrew Grant."
"A good name. Is he attending school?"
"He has recently left school."
"If he were seeking a position I could find a place for him."
"In your own employ?"
"Yes. I have a boy, but I don't find him reliable or faithful. He will
leave me on Saturday night."
"Andy," said his friend, "how would you like to enter Mr. Flint's
employ?"
"Very much," answered Andy, eagerly.
At the same time he wondered what was the nature of Mr. Flint's
business.
"Then after dinner we will walk together to Mr. Flint's store in Union Square."
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기