My Brave and Gallant Gentleman Part 49

"What is on your mind, Jake?" I asked.

"Write them as well, George. Tell them to send up a man who can draw up a will. I ain't dead yet,--not by a d.a.m.n' sight,--but some day I'll be as dead as a smelt, and what's the good o' havin' dough if you ain't got n.o.body to leave it to?"

"Good boy!" I cried, and I wrote out letter number two, asking the lawyers, if possible, to send their representative along with the Commercial Bank men, so that we could get the whole business fixed up and off-hand at the one time.

Next morning when I awoke, although it was still early, I found Jake already dressed. Not only that, but he was at the whisky-keg in the corner, filling up a cup.

"My G.o.d! Jake,--you don't mean to tell me you are back to that stuff?"

"Yep! I ain't preachin' tee-total any more after this."

My heart sank within me. This,--after all his fighting.

I remonstrated with him all I could.

"But, man alive!" I said, "this is the early morning. Are you crazy?

You never drank in the mornings before. Wait till night time. Give yourself a chance to get pulled together. You'll be feeling different after a while.

"Think! What will Rita say? What will Miss Grant think? How will you be able to face Mr. Auld? They all know of the good fight you have been putting up.

"Jake,--Jake,--for shame! Throw the stuff out at the door."

Jake only shook his head more firmly.

"It ain't no good preachin', George, or gettin' sore,--for I've quit tryin'.

"What'n the h.e.l.l's the good, anyway. The more you fight, the rawer a deal you get in the finish. Forget it! I'm drinkin' now whenever I'm good and ready; any old time at all and as much as I want,--and more."

I could do no more for him. It was Jake for it.

I stopped the southbound _Cloochman_ that afternoon and put Jake's letters aboard. Two days later, two clerks from the Commercial Bank and a young lawyer from Dow, Cross & Sneddon's came into Golden Crescent in a launch. I took them over to Jake Meaghan's. I introduced them, then busied myself outside while the necessary formalities were gone through, for I did not wish to be in any way connected with Jake's settlements. At last, however, the old fellow came to the door.

"George,--I guess you'd better take care o' them for me. That's my bank receipt. That's my death warrant," he grinned, "I mean my will.

You're better'n me at lookin' after papers."

We carried the bra.s.s-bound trunk to the launch and waved it a fond farewell, without tears or regrets.

For two weeks, morning, noon and night, Jake indulged in a horror of a drinking bout.

The very thought of that orgy still sets my blood running cold.

We pleaded, we threatened; but of no avail. The minister even closeted himself with Jake for a whole afternoon without making the slightest impression on him.

It was always the same old remark:

"I've boozed for ten years and it ain't hurt me, so I guess I can booze some more."

And the strange feature of it was that the more he drank the more sober he seemed to become. He did his work as well as ever. His eyes retained their same innocent, baby-blue expression and his brain was as clear as a summer sky.

One Sunday forenoon, I was busy in the yard taking down my Sat.u.r.day's was.h.i.+ng from the clothes line, when Jake's dog, Mike, came tearing along the back path, making straight for me. That, in itself, was an unusual thing, for Mike never showed any violent affection for any one but Jake and he was more or less inclined to shun me altogether.

Now, he stood in front of me and barked. I kept on with my work. He followed every step I took and kept on barking and yelping excitedly, looking up into my face.

"What the d.i.c.kens is the matter, old man?" I asked.

When he saw me interested in him, he turned and ran down toward the beach. I did not follow.

He came back and went through the same performance. Then he got angry and caught me by the foot of the overalls, trying to pull me in the direction he wanted.

It struck me then that an old stager, like Mike was, would not misbehave himself as he was doing for the mere fun of it. I left my newly dried clothes and followed him. He ran on ahead and into my boat, getting up on the side and barking toward Jake's place.

I became anxious. I pushed off hurriedly and rowed as hard as I could up the Bay in the direction of the cove.

As I was turning in at Jake's landing, Mike grew excited again, running to the right side of the stern and whining.

"What on earth can the dog mean?" I soliloquised, making up my mind to call in at the shack first, at any rate, and investigate.

But Mike jumped out of the boat and swam off further up, turning back to me every few yards and yelping.

The dog evidently knew more than I did, so I followed him.

He led me to Jake's favourite clam-hunting ground.

As soon as I turned into that little cove, I saw my old helper lying on his back on the beach. I pulled in and hurried over to him.

The dog was there before me, his tongue out and his tail wagging as if to say:

"It is all right now."

The old man's eyes were wide open and glazed. He was blowing stentoriously through his closed mouth and a white ooze was on the corners of his lips. His body was tense and rigid, as if it had been frozen solid in the Arctic snows.

Poor old Jake! I knew what had seized him. I had seen something of the trouble before.

I lifted him gently and carried him into the boat, pus.h.i.+ng off and rowing as quickly as possible for his home.

I got him into bed, but it was an hour before he showed any signs of consciousness, for I could do nothing for him,--only sit and watch.

At last he recognised me and tried to talk, but his speech was thick and nothing but a jabber of sounds.

He cast his eyes down his right side as if to draw my attention to something. His eyes, somehow, seemed the only real live part of him.

I examined him carefully and saw what he meant.

Poor fellow! Tears ran down my cheeks in pity for him.

His right side was numb and paralysed.

I hurried over to Mary's. She and Mrs. Malmsbury returned with me and attended him, hand and foot, until the minister came in late that afternoon.