CHAPTER XXV
UNCLE ARAD MAKES AN ANNOUNCEMENT
IF Caleb Wetherbee passed as sleepless a night as did his young friend, Brandon, he showed no signs of it when he appeared the next morning. They were a very jolly party indeed at the breakfast table, for the old sailor had recovered, to some extent at least, his equanimity when in the presence of Miss Frances.
“Now, Caleb, have you decided to accept my offer of last evening?” Adoniram inquired, as they arose after the meal.
“Let’s see the steamer,” returned the sailor, noncommittally; so the merchant and his two guests went down to the docks at once.
To a person who has never seen a whaleback steamer, the first view of one is certainly a most surprising sight. He is at once reminded of Jules Verne’s great story of the Nautilus, the wonderful steel ship which could sail equally well below and upon the surface of the ocean.
Number Three was more than two hundred feet in length, and was shaped like a huge cigar, the blunt end, oddly enough, being the bow. This blunt “nose” is what suggested the term “pig,” as applied to the whalebacks when first they appeared on the Great Lakes.
At the forward end of the steamer a turret arose from the curved deck, furnished with one of the American Ship Windlass Co.’s steam windlasses (with the capstan above), and with hand steering gear, the shaft and hub of the wheel being of brass to avoid affecting the compass.
The cabin aft, which was fifteen feet above the deck, and therefore presented a most astonishing appearance, was supported by two turrets, and several strong ventilating pipes, the latter connecting with the engine room, fire hold, and cargo hold.
A low rail ran from bow to stern of the steamer, on either side, inclosing the turrets within its shelter, thus making it possible for the crew to go from the aft to the forward turrets.
The deck, however, was so curved that the feat would not be easy to perform in rough weather, if the whaleback did roll as do other vessels.
“Ye call that a steamer, do ye?” demanded Caleb, in disgust, when he first caught sight of Number Three; but after he had gone aboard, and seen and understood the advantages the whaleback possessed over the other seagoing craft, he no longer scoffed.
Adoniram first led them to the officers’ quarters. These were finished in oak, and furnished almost as sumptuously as the cabin of a fancy yacht. The suite contained a dining room of comfortable size, and a chart room and offices on the port side of the cabin.
Below deck were the quarters of the crew, forward and aft, and they were as comfortable as those on a palatial ocean steamship.
“It’s a wonderful boat,” Brandon declared, as they examined the engine.
“It is that,” the ship owner assented. “I paid a pretty penny for her, but she’s worth it—every cent. She’ll outride any gale that ever blew, as long as you keep her in deep water. ’Twould be hard to sink her.
“In the matter of ballast,” he continued, “there are arrangements for carrying eight hundred ton of water—water is used altogether for ballast in these whalebacks. Then the engines are of the newest build, too, you see.
“The steam is generated from these two steel boilers, each eleven and a half feet in diameter by the same in length, possessing a working pressure of one hundred and twenty-five pounds. If the engine goes back on you, you will have to get out the oars and row ashore, for there is no chance for raising a sail,” and the jolly ship owner laughed good naturedly.
“Well, I’ve been to sea on a good many craft—most anything that would float, in fact, from a torpedo boat to a Chinese junk—but this takes the bun,” Caleb declared as they stepped upon the dock again.
“Then I take it you’ll try your hand at this?” Adoniram asked slily.
“Oh, yes, I s’ppose so, Pepperpod—and the boy, too. By the way, does Lawrence Coffin know anything about this craft?”
“He went to West Superior (where she was built) and came down in her,” declared the merchant.
“It’s all right, then. He’ll know what to do if we get to sea and the blamed thing should roll over.”
But despite the fact that he scoffed at the vessel, Caleb set to work with his customary energy to make ready for the voyage.
The ship owner gave him carte blanche to provision the whaleback and secure the crew. The engineers and firemen were already engaged and the work of making ready for sea went on rapidly.
Caleb being a worker himself, expected a good deal of everybody about him and Brandon found himself with plenty to do during the next two days. He ran errands, and bought provisions under the old sailor’s directions, and saw to the storing away of the articles purchased.
On the morning of the third day, however, came an interruption, and one which promised to be most serious.
In these times of hurried preparation Caleb and his young second mate made the Water Street office of Adoniram Pepper & Co. their headquarters. They were in and out of the place a score of times a day to the satisfaction of Adoniram, but, if the truth were told, to the great annoyance of the solemn faced young man whom Mr. Marks had sent up from the other office to take the place of the departed Weeks.
About ten o’clock on this forenoon Brandon ran in to see if he could find Caleb, as that individual was not at the dock where lay the whaleback, and where the boy had expected to meet him.
“Where do you suppose he has gone?” Don asked of Mr. Pepper, who, good soul, seemed to have no other business on hand but the getting ready of the steamer.
“I don’t know, I’m sure. You’d better sit down, my boy, and wait for him,” advised Adoniram kindly. “He’s sure to turn up here, first or last.”
So Brandon sat down, striving to stifle his impatience. He had not waited ten minutes, however, when the door of the outer office was opened, and somebody entered.
“Here he is now,” exclaimed the youth, thinking he heard Caleb’s voice.
He threw open the door between the two offices, gave one glance into the apartment beyond, and staggered to the nearest chair in utter amazement.
“Great Peter! it’s Uncle Arad!” he gasped, in answer to Adoniram’s questioning exclamation, and the next instant Uncle Arad himself appeared at the open portal of the private office.
“Thar ye air, ye young reskil!” exclaimed the old man, shaking his bony forefinger at the youth.
Behind him was another man—a clean shaven, foxy looking fellow, who, when old Arad had pointed the boy out, stepped quickly into the room.
“Well, well!” exclaimed Brandon, recovering in part from his surprise. “Who’d have thought of seeing you here, Uncle Arad!”
“Not yeou, I warrant!” cackled the old man shrilly. “I s’pose ye thought ye c’d git off scott free with yer ill gotten gains, didn’t ye?”
“What?”
Brandon’s face flamed up redly, and he sprang to his feet in rage.
“What do you mean?” he demanded.
“Don’t ye let him escape, officer!” the farmer exclaimed, shrinking back. “He’s quick’s a cat.”
But here Adoniram took a hand in the proceedings.
“I should like to know, sir, what you mean by this?” he said, his gray eyes flashing behind the tip tilted eye glasses. “Brandon is under my care, sir, and I will not allow such remarks to be addressed to him.”
No one would have believed that it was the jolly Adoniram, to see his face now. The habitual smile had disappeared entirely.
“I dunno who yeou be,” Arad replied defiantly; “but I kin tell ye who I be, purty quick. I’m Arad Tarr; this young reskil here is my nevvy; an’ I’m his nateral an’ lawful guardeen.”
“Ah!” said Mr. Pepper, with quiet sarcasm. “So you are his guardian, are you? How long since?”
“How long since?” repeated the old man, in a rage. “I’ll show ye! I’ve allus been his guardeen—leastways, since his pa died.”
“Which occurred a little over two months ago,” said Adoniram briefly. “Now, Mr. Tarr, for I suppose that is your name, where are your papers making you this lad’s guardian? Who appointed you?”
“I’m his nateral guardeen now,” old Arad declared slowly; “but I’m goin’ to be ’p’inted by the court.”
“What court?”
“The Court o’ Probate, o’ Scituate, R. I.,” responded the farmer pompously.
“Well, I think not,” said Adoniram, who was probably never more angry in his life than at that moment. “You have made a slight mistake, Mr. Tarr.”
“Hey?” returned the farmer, growing red in the face, and looking daggers at the little merchant.
“I say you have made a slight mistake. You will not be appointed guardian of Brandon, by any court in the land. Did it ever occur to you that Captain Horace Tarr might have made a will?”
“A will?” gasped the old man.
“Yes, sir, a will.”
“But he didn’t hev nothin’ ter will, ’ceptin——”
“Well, excepting what?” Mr. Pepper demanded, as the other hesitated.
“Nothin’.”
“Well, he did have something to will, and he appointed me joint guardian, with another gentleman, and you, Mr. Tarr, are not the party named to assist me. We have already made application in the New York courts to have the appointment allowed and the will has been presented for probate.”
“I—I don’t believe it!” shouted Arad.
“You’re not obliged to. But that doesn’t affect the facts of the case, just the same.”
For a moment the farmer was quite nonplussed: but then he looked at the man he had brought with him again, and his faith revived.
“Ye can’t escape me this way, ye young varmint!” he exclaimed, turning upon Brandon as though he were some way at fault for the wrecking of his plans. “Mebbe I hain’t your guardeen, but I’ve power ’nough right here ter lug ye back ter Scituate an’ put yer through fur stealin’ that money.”
“What money?” demanded Brandon, white with rage. “To what do you refer?”
“That fifty dollars ye stole f’om me—that’s what I mean,” old Arad declared. “Th’ money ye stoled f’om my beury droor. I gotter warrant right here fur ye, ’n’ this officer ter serve it!”