"There comes Mr. Sherwood, with the ladies," said Lawry, as he glanced up the road.
"I congratulate you, boys," said Mr. Sherwood, as he grasped Lawry"s hand. "We gave three cheers for you on the hill, when we saw that you had raised the _Woodville_."
"Thank you, sir. We worked pretty hard, but we were successful."
"You have done bravely," said Mrs. Sherwood. "We thought, from what your brother said last night, that you would fail."
"Ethan and I didn"t think so."
"I suppose you wouldn"t sell very cheap to-night, Lawry," added Mr.
Sherwood.
"No, sir; the _Woodville_ is a gift, and I should not be willing to sell her at any price."
"Well, Lawry, I am as glad as you are at your success. Do you want any help yet?"
"No, sir; we are just going on board of her to stay overnight, for we are afraid the heavy wind will do mischief."
"I wouldn"t do that. You must rest to-night."
"I"m afraid something will happen if we don"t look out for her."
"Are you going to pump her out to-night?"
"We may begin pretty early in the morning," said Lawry, with a smile.
"Haste and waste, my boy. If you stay on board of her to-night, and get sick, you will not make anything by your labor."
"If the wind goes down, we shall sleep ash.o.r.e as usual. I don"t think it blows quite so hard as it did."
"I don"t," added Ethan.
"Boys, you mustn"t overdo this thing," added Mr. Sherwood seriously.
His wife whispered to him just then.
"Yes, Bertha," he continued. "I"ll tell you what I"m going to do, Lawry. I have four men at work for me. I can spare them one day, and they shall pump out the _Woodville_ for you."
"You needn"t object," interposed Mrs. Sherwood.
"Indeed you must not, Lawry," added Miss f.a.n.n.y. "I am afraid you will both be sick if you work so hard."
"We can easily pump her out ourselves," said Ethan.
"You needn"t say a word, Ethan," added f.a.n.n.y Jane.
"I suppose we shall have to submit," replied Lawry, laughing. "We can"t oppose the ladies."
"Just as you say, Lawry," said Ethan.
"You shall have the men to-morrow, boys. Now you must go to bed, and not think of the steamer till morning," continued Mr. Sherwood.
As the wind seemed to be subsiding, the boys went into the house; and though it was not quite dark, they "turned in," tired enough to sleep without rocking. Ben was at his supper, in no pleasant frame of mind. He was dissatisfied with himself, and with his brother, who had succeeded in his undertaking contrary to his prophecy. He was envious and jealous of Lawry. Now that his father was away, he thought he ought to be the chief person about the house, being the oldest boy.
"I"m not going to stay at home, and be a n.o.body," said he angrily.
"We don"t wish you to be a n.o.body," replied his mother.
"Yes, you do; Lawry is everybody, and I"m n.o.body."
"You"ve been drinking, Benjamin."
"What if I have! I"m not going to stay here, and play second fiddle to a little boy."
"What are you talking about, Benjamin? Lawry has not interfered with you. He will treat you kindly and respectfully, as he treats everybody."
"He don"t mind any more what I say than he does the grunting of the pigs."
"What do you want him to do?"
"I want him to pay some attention to what I say," snarled Ben. "I suppose he thinks that steamboat belongs to him."
"Certainly he does," replied Mrs. Wilford.
"I don"t."
"Don"t you? Whom does it belong to, then?"
"I"m not a fool, mother; I know a thing or two as well as some others. Lawry is not of age."
"Neither are you."
"I know that, but I"m older than he is."
"You are old enough to behave better."
"How do you expect me to be anybody here, when I have to knock under to my younger brother? I say the steamer don"t belong to Lawry any more than she does to me. I have just as much right in her as he has."
"What do you mean by talking so, Benjamin? You know that Mr.
Sherwood gave the steamer to Lawry, and the bill of sale is in Lawry"s name."
"I don"t care for that! she"s just as much mine as she is his, and he"ll find that out when she gets to running. Lawry"s a minor, and can"t hold any property; you know that just as well as I do."
"What if he is? I think he will be permitted to hold the steamboat, and run her."
"I don"t think so. I was talking with Taylor, who holds the mortgage on this place, and he don"t think so," added Ben, in a tone of triumph.
"What did he say?"