Four Afloat Part 35

"That's so," agreed Dan. "And maybe there'll be another show at the theater."

During the night a heavy gale from the southwest had sprung up and now the rain was beating fiercely against the cabin sides and playing a tattoo on the roof. There was a stiff wind behind it and the waves were running high. Under the double a.s.sault the _Vagabond_ was heaving at her lines and grinding dismally against the pier. Nelson, pulled on his oilskins and hurried out to see that the fenders were in place. In a minute he was back, wet and glistening.

"It's a peach of a storm, all right," he said, shedding his oilskins.

"The old sailors along the Cape used to tell us that a storm from the southeast was good for three days and one from the southwest was soon over. But it doesn't look like it now."

It was so dark in the cabin that when Bob brought the breakfast to the table it was necessary to light the lamps in order to distinguish the scrambled eggs from the hashed brown potatoes. But it was very jolly to sit there with the fragrant steam from the coffee cup curling up past their noses and hear the rain rattle and sweep against the boat and see it go trickling down the port lights. Barry sat on the edge of a bunk and stared solicitously at Dan every time the latter raised his fork to his mouth. Dan would never feed him at table, but all of the others did so whenever they thought they would be undetected. Bob believed he saw a chance to transfer a half a slice of bread and b.u.t.ter from his plate to Barry's mouth, but Dan interposed a quick hand and the bread went flying across the cabin to land face downward on Tom's pillow.

"If Tommy was here," laughed Nelson, "I know what he'd say."

"'Hope you ch-ch-ch-choke!'" mimicked Nelson. "Barry can have it now, can't he, Dan?" he continued, as he rescued the bread and wiped the worst of the grease from the pillowcase with his napkin.

"After we're through," said Dan inexorably.

"Hard-hearted brute!" said Bob. "Why don't you change masters, Barry?

I'd be dre'ful good to you!"

"Wonder if Tommy's getting any breakfast," observed Nelson thoughtfully.

"Of course he is," answered Dan, b.u.t.tering another piece of bread. "Why, look at the time! He's had two or three breakfasts by this!"

"It's funny, though, that he doesn't turn up," said Bob. "If we don't find him to-day I think we ought to do something."

"What?" asked Dan disconcertingly.

"Advertise in the Lost and Found column of the local paper," suggested Nelson.

"We ought to go back and look for him," said Bob.

"But we did look," Nelson expostulated. "If he wasn't there last night it isn't likely he'd be there to-day."

"He might have gone somewhere and spent the day," said Bob. "Then maybe he'd expect us to come back to the cove for him this morning."

"Well, he isn't likely to wait for us long in this storm," commented Dan. "And we couldn't get down there very well, anyhow. I hope he's keeping dry and warm, wherever he is, but I do think he was a silly a.s.s to get lost again. This is the third time since we got together."

"Second," said Bob.

"Third. Don't you remember how we lost him in Boston the day we bought things for the boat? And found him sitting in the c.o.c.kpit eating caramels when we reached the wharf?"

"That's so," laughed Nelson. "If we were detectives all we'd have to do would be to go to the candy stores and describe him."

"Wherever he is," said Bob, "I suppose he doesn't know whether we've returned to New London or gone on to New Haven or somewhere else."

"All he has to do is to go back to the place we left him," said Dan.

"And if he ever does come back I vote we forbid him to leave the boat alone. We'll never get anywhere if we have to stop all along the way and look for him."

"Well," said Nelson, "we'll go up to the hotel again after a while and leave word for him in case he comes there to inquire."

"It would be just like him to jump a train and go home to Chicago,"

observed Dan.

"Don't believe he has money enough," Nelson replied.

"He probably didn't have any with him," said Bob. "He had his ducks on, didn't he?"

"No, he wore that old gray suit of his," Dan answered. "But I guess you're right about the money. I doubt if he had a cent."

"Well, he'll manage all right," said Nelson cheerfully. "He has plenty of cheek, you know. If he doesn't show up by afternoon we'd better go and have a look for him just as soon as the weather will let us. We'll run back to the cove and go ash.o.r.e. He's probably in some farm-house around there."

Just before noon they wandered up the wharf and across the tracks to the station, for want of anything more exciting to do, and stood on the platform for a while watching the trains come and go. Finally Bob said:

"Come on, fellows; if I stay here any longer I'll just have to get on a train and go somewhere!"

"That's what I'm going to do," said Dan resolutely. "I'm going to New York."

"What?" exclaimed the others.

"I might as well. We can't get out of here before to-morrow and I can be at home by three, spend the night and get back here by nine or ten to-morrow. Do you fellows mind?"

"Of course not," answered Nelson.

"You see, I haven't seen the folks since the Spring recess," said Dan.

"And I'm only three hours from New York, and--"

"Guess I'll take a run up to Portland," said Bob with a smile.

"And I'll go with you as far as Boston," said Nelson.

"If you really rather I wouldn't go-" began Dan.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Nelson. "We don't mind. Go ahead. It's a good scheme. But mind you don't forget to come back!"

"Not likely! I'll be here to-morrow forenoon. Come on over to the boat and help me put some things in a bag. There's a train in about twelve minutes."

A quarter of an hour later only Bob and Barry and Nelson remained. They had seen Dan off on the Bay State Limited and were on their way to the hotel for luncheon, the skirts of their oilskins wrapping around their legs and impeding progress at every gust of the wind that tore up the street. They weren't particularly hungry, but the hotel promised more excitement than the launch on a day like this. After luncheon they went to the writing room and wrote letters to everyone they could think of, Bob supplementing the letters with a number of souvenir post cards. They killed three hours quite easily and went back to the _Vagabond_ at four o'clock. The rain had slackened considerably, but the wind still blew hard and gustily. The dark, leaden clouds which closed down upon the world showed no signs of breaking. They spent the rest of the afternoon as best they might, each rather dispirited and decidedly bored. At half-past five Bob went out and bought supplies for the larder and cooked dinner aboard when he returned. Neither he nor Nelson was very hungry and the meal was rather a silent one. After the things were cleared up they tried to read, but even that didn't satisfy their restlessness, and when, at a little before nine, Bob wandered out to look at the weather and came back with the information that the moon was almost through the clouds and that the rain had ceased entirely and to the proposal that they take a walk Nelson a.s.sented eagerly. They got back into their oilskins and thick shoes, locked the door behind them and started out.

"Gee," said Nelson, "I feel as though I could walk a hundred miles!"

"So do I," answered Bob. "My legs feel positively rusty. Let's have a good long tramp. I'm not the least bit sleepy."

"Nor am I. Which way shall we go?"

"It doesn't matter. Let's turn down here. It's no more muddy than any other street, I guess." So they left the main street behind, turning to the left onto a dimly lighted road which led southward. Overhead the moon gleamed fitfully from between ma.s.ses of somber clouds. The rain had ceased and the air felt warmer than it had all day. They struck out l.u.s.tily, splas.h.i.+ng through unseen puddles and leaving the town behind them in a jiffy.

"This is something like," grunted Bob, as he recovered himself from a stumble over a tree root.

"Yes," Nelson laughed. "If you don't break your neck, there's nothing like walking, after all. Remember the dandy times we had last summer."