"What are you proposing to use those papers for?"
"To make you pirates turn back the Vose line property and pay damages.
As to the rest of your combination, the critters that"s in it can skin their own skunks. I guess the whole thing will take care of itself after we get the Vose line back."
"You are asking for an impossibility. The matter cannot be arranged."
"Then we"ll see how far Uncle Sam can go in unscrambling that particular nestful of eggs. I"ll give the papers to the government."
"Haven"t you any influence with this man?" Marston asked the astounded Mayo.
"No, he hasn"t--not a mite in this case," returned Captain Wa.s.s. "He needs a guardeen in some things, and I"m serving as one just now."
"You must get them from him--you must, Captain Mayo," cried the girl. "I did not understand what I was doing."
"I will get them."
"I"d like to see you do it, son!"
He turned on the Wall Street man. "I"m only asking for what is rightfully due my own people. I"m a man of few words and just now I"m sticking close to schedule. Until eleven o"clock to-night you"ll find Vose, myself, and our lawyers at the Nicholas Hotel. After eleven o"clock we shall be in bed because we"ve got to get an early start for the wreck out on Razee. We"re going to finance that job. And in case we don"t come to terms with you tonight we shall use our club to keep you out of our business after this. You know what the club is."
Marston was too busily engaged with Captain Wa.s.s to pay heed to his daughter. She went close to Mayo and whispered.
"You must quit them, Boyd. It"s for my sake. You must help my father.
They are wretches. Think of what it will mean to you if you can help us!
You will do it. Promise me!"
He did not reply.
"Do you dare to hesitate for one moment--when I ask you--for my sake?"
"That"s my last word," bawled Captain Wa.s.s. "There"s no blackmail about it--we"re only taking back what"s our own."
"Are you one of those--creatures?" she asked, indignantly.
If she had shown one spark of sympathy or real understanding in that crisis of their affairs, if she had not been so much, in that moment, the daughter of Julius Marston, counseling selfishness, he might have fatuously continued to coddle his romance, in spite of all that had preceded. But her eyes were hard. Her voice had the money-c.h.i.n.k in it.
He started, like a man awakened. His old cap had fallen on the carpet.
He picked it up.
"Good-by!" he said. "I have found out where I belong in this world."
And in that unheroic fashion ended something which, so he then realized, should never have been begun. He followed Captain Wa.s.s across the saloon.
"Better advise your buckos to be careful how they handle them grate-bars," shouted Captain Wa.s.s. "I"m loaded, and if I"m joggled I"m liable to explode."
They were not molested when they left the yacht. The doryman who had brought Captain Wa.s.s rowed them to the wharf.
"Those papers--" Mayo had ventured, soon after they left the yacht"s side.
"Not one word about "em!" yelped the old skipper. "It"s my business--entire! When the time comes right I"ll show you that it"s my private business. I never allow anybody to interfere in that."
That night, after the conference at the hotel, and after Julius Marston, growling profanity, had put his name to certain papers, drawn by careful lawyers, Captain Wa.s.s explained why the matter of the sealed packet was his private business. He took Marston apart from the others for the purpose of explaining.
"I haven"t said one word to Vose or his a.s.sociates about this business of the doc.u.ments. They think you have come because you wanted to straighten out a low-down trick worked by an understrapper. So this has put you in mighty well with the Vose crowd, sir."
Marston grunted.
"It ought to be kind of pleasing to have a few men think you are on the square," pursued Captain Wa.s.s.
"That"s enough of this pillyc.o.c.k conversation. Hand over those papers!"
"Just one moment!" He signaled to Captain Mayo, who came to them. "I"m going to tell Mr. Marston why those doc.u.ments were my especial business to-day, and why you couldn"t control me in the matter. I may as well explain to the two of you at once. It was my own business for this reason: I don"t know anything about any papers. I never saw any. I never opened that package. I handed it along just as it was given to me.
That"s true, on my sacred word, Mr. Marston; and I haven"t any reason for lying to you--not after you have signed those agreements."
"Come outside," urged the financier. "I want to tell you what I think of you."
"No," said the old skipper, mildly. "And I"d lower your voice, sir, if I were you. These men here have a pretty good idea of you just now, and I don"t want you to spoil it."
"You"re a lying renegade!"
"Oh no! I have only showed you that all the good bluffers are not confined to Wall Street. There"s one still loose there. Your man Bradish probably had reasons for wanting to bluff your daughter--and save his own skin. He"ll probably hand your papers to you!"
Marston swore and departed.
"I laid out that course whilst I was down on my knees in his cabin, sort of praying for a good lie in a time of desp"rit need," Captain Wa.s.s confided to Mayo. "It wasn"t bad, considering the way it has worked out."
x.x.xII - A GIRL"S DEAR "BECAUSE!"
Cheer up, Jack, bright smiles await you From the fairest of the fair, And her loving eyes will greet you With kind welcomes everywhere.
Rolling home, rolling home, Rolling home across the sea.
Rolling home to dear old England, Rolling home, dear land, to thee!
--Rolling Home.
There was no n.i.g.g.ardliness in the trade the Vose folks made with Captain Mayo. They contracted to co-operate with him and his men in floating the steamship, repairing her in dry dock, and refitting her for her route. She would be appraised as she stood after refitting, as a going proposition, and Mayo was to receive stock to the amount of her value--stock in the newly organized Vose line.
"Furthermore," stated old man Vose, "we shall need a chap of just about your gauge as manager. You have shown that you are able to do things."
He was up on the _Conomo"s_ deck after a long inspection of the work which had been done under difficulties.
"You would have had this steamer off with your own efforts if your money had lasted. Your next job is the _Montana_; but you"ll simply manage that, Captain Mayo--use your head and save your muscle."
"I"ll get her off, seeing that I put her on."
"We all know just how she was put on--and Marston will pay for it in his hard coin."
Under these circ.u.mstances Razee Reef was no longer a mourners" bench!