"Bet your life," was chorused as the three tousled heads vanished.
The average midshipman"s "shift" requires as a rule, about two minutes, and pa.s.sed-middies are no exception. Before it seemed possible three bath-robed figures joined the girls, who had put their raincoats over their bathing suits, and all slipped down to the little beach in front of the cottage and struck out for the float anch.o.r.ed about fifty feet off sh.o.r.e.
What a sight the bay and river presented that morning. Hundreds of beautiful yachts, foregathered from every part of the world, for New London makes a wonderful showing Regatta week, and flying the flags of innumerable yacht clubs, were crowding the roadstead. A more inspiring sight it would be difficult to imagine. Just beyond the float, and lying between the Olympia and Navy Bungalow, the pretty little naptha launch on which Captain Stewart"s party were to be Captain Boynton"s guests, rode lightly at anchor, her bright work reflecting the sunlight, her awning a-flutter, her signal pennant waving bravely.
"I"ve GOT to play I"m a porpoise. I"ve simply GOT to. Come on, Wheedles, nothing else will work off my pent-up excitement," cried Polly, diving off the float to tumble and turn over and over in the water very like the fish she named, for Polly"s training with Captain Pennell during the winter had made her almost as much at home in the water as on land and Peggy swam equally well.
While the young people were splashing about Mrs. Harold and Mrs. Howland came out on the piazza to enjoy the sight.
For half an hour the five splashed, dove, and gamboled as carefree as five young seals, and with as much freedom, then all hurried into the bathhouses where Mammy and Jerome had already antic.i.p.ated their needs by hurrying down with a supply of necessary wearing apparel; a trifling matter quite overlooked by the bathers themselves.
A gayer, heartier, more glowing group of young people than those gathered at the breakfast table could not have been found in New London or anywhere else; certainly not at the Griswold where the majority of them were either satiated society girls whose winters had been spent in a mad social whirl, or the blase city youths who at nineteen had already found life "such a beastly bore."
"Gad," cried Neil Stewart, slapping Shortie"s broad shoulders, "but it"s refreshing to find fellows of your age who can still show up such a glow in their cheeks, and such a light in their eyes, and an enthusiasm so infectious that it sets a-tingle every drop of blood in an old kerfoozalem like me. Hang fast to it like grim death, for you"ll never get it back if you once lose it. That old school down there turns out chaps who can get more out of the simple life than any bunch I know of.
It may be the simple life in some respects, but it"s got a confounded lot of hard work in it all the same, and when you"ve finished that you"re ready to take your fun, and you take it just as hard as you take your work, and I don"t want to see a better bunch of men than that system shows. I was over at the hotel last night, talking with four or five chaps, younger than you fellows here, and I swear it made me sick: Bored to extinction doing nothing. I"d like to take "em on board for just about one month and if they didn"t find something doing in a watch or two I"d know why. Keep right on having your fun, you and the girls-- yes, GIRLS, not a lot of kids playing at being nerve-racked society women."
"Hear! Hear!" cried Glenn Harold. "What"s stirred you up, old man?"
"That bunch over yonder. Keep a little girl as long as you can Peggy, and you, Polly, hold your present course. Who ever charted it for you knew navigation all right."
"I guess mother began it and then turned the job over to Aunt Janet, sir," answered Polly.
"Well, she knew her business all right. I"m mighty sorry she can"t be here today to see the race, but when she comes back from Northampton she"ll bring that other girl I"m so anxious to know too. By George, the Rowland crowd puts up a good showing, and they seem to know how to choose their messmates too, if I can judge by Hunter."
"Isn"t he the dearest brother a girl ever had?" asked Polly enthusiastically, for her love for her brother-in-law was a subject of pleasurable comment to all who knew her.
"One of the best ever, as I hear on all sides," was Captain Stewart"s satisfactory answer. "But here comes Boynton. Ahoy! Olympia Ahoy!" he shouted, hurrying out upon the piazza as a launch from the Olympia came boiling "four bells" toward Navy Bungalow"s dock, the white clad Jackies looking particularly festive and Captain Boynton of the Olympia with Commander Star of the Chicago sitting aft. They waved their caps gaily and shouted in return.
"Glorious day! Great, isn"t it?" as the launch ran alongside the dock and friends hurried down to meet friends.
"We came over to see how early you could be ready. We must get up the course in good season this afternoon in order to secure a vantage point.
Mrs. Boynton wants you all--yes--the whole bunch, to come over to the Griswold for an early luncheon. Mrs. Star will be with her and we"ll shove off right afterward. Now NO protests," as Captain Stewart seemed inclined to demur.
"All right. Your word goes. "We"ll report for duty. What"s the hour?"
"Twelve sharp. There"s going to be an all-fired jam in that hotel but Mrs. B. has a private dining-room ready for us and has bribed the head waiter to a degree that has nearly proved my ruin. But never mind. We can"t see the Yale-Harvard race every day, and a month hence we"ll be up in Maine with all this fun behind us."
That luncheon was a jolly one. Captain Boynton had a daughter a little younger than Peggy and Mr. Star a little girl of eight.
Promptly at two the party went down to the Griswold dock, gay with excitement and a holiday crowd embarking in every sort of craft, all bound for the course up the river. The naptha launch had been run alongside the long Griswold pier and it did not take long for Captain Boynton"s party to scramble aboard. Captain Boynton, Captain Stewart and the girls went forward, some of the boys making for the bow where the outlook was enough to stir older and far more staid souls than any the Frolic carried that day.
They cast off, and soon were making their fussy way in and out among the hundreds of launches, yachts and craft of every known description.
The crew of the Frolic was a picked one, the c.o.xswain, an experienced hand, as was certainly required THAT day. The pretty launch was dressed in all her bunting, and flying the flag of her club.
Through the ma.s.s of festive shipping the launch worked her way, guided by the steady hand of the man at her wheel, his gray eyes alert for every move on port or starboard.
Peggy and Polly were close beside him. Captain Stewart and Captain Boynton stood a little behind watching the girls, whose eager eyes noted every turn of the wheel. An odd light came into Captain Boynton"s eyes as he watched them. Presently he asked Peggy:
"Do you think you could handle a launch, little girl?"
"Why--perhaps I could--a little," answered Peggy modestly.
"Why, Peggy Stewart, there isn"t a girl in Annapolis who can handle a launch or a sailboat as YOU do," cried Polly, aroused to emphatic protest.
Peggy blushed, and laughingly replied: "Only Polly Howland, the Annapolis Co-Ed."
"Eh? What"s that?" asked Captain Boynton.
"Oh, Polly has had a regular course in seamanship, Captain Boynton, and knows just everything."
"Any more than YOU do, miss?" demanded Polly.
"Yes, lots," insisted Peggy.
"Well, I"ll wager anything you could take this launch up the river as easily as the c.o.xswain is doing it," was Polly"s excited statement.
"How"s that, Stewart? Have you been teaching your girl navigation?"
"I hadn"t a thing to do with it. It"s all due to the good friends who have been looking after her while I"VE been shooting up targets. But Polly"s right. She CAN handle a craft and so can this little redhead,"
laughed Captain Stewart, pulling a lock of Polly"s hair which the frolicsome wind had loosened.
"By Jove, let"s test it. Not many girls can do that trick. c.o.xswain, turn over the wheel to this young lady, but stand by in case you"re needed."
The c.o.xswain looked a little doubtful, but answered: "Aye, aye, sir."
"Oh, ought I?" asked Peggy.
"Get busy, messmate," said Captain Boynton.
The next second the girl was transformed. Tossing her big hat aside and giving her hair a quick brush, she laid firm hold upon the wheel and instantly forgot all else. Her eyes narrowed to a focus which nothing escaped, and Stewart gave a little nod of gratified pride and stepped back a trifle to watch her. Captain Boynton"s face showed his appreciation and Polly"s was radiant. The old c.o.xswain muttered: "Well, well, you get on to the trick of that, la.s.sie. You might have served on a man-o-war."
They were now well out in the river and making straight for the railway bridge. Peggy alert and absorbed was watching the current as it swirled beneath the arches. "How does the tide set in that middle arch, c.o.xswain?" she asked.
"Keep well to starboard, miss," he answered.
Peggy nodded, and gave an impatient little gesture as a lumbering power boat, outward bound seemed inclined to cut across her course. "What ails that blunderbuss? I have the right of way. Why doesn"t he head insh.o.r.e?"
and she signalled sharply on her siren to the landlubber evidently bent upon running down everything in sight, and wrecking the tub he was navigating. Then with a quick motion she flicked over her wheel and rushed by, making as pretty a circle around him as the c.o.xswain himself could have made. "Holy smoke, but ye have given him the go-by in better shape than I could myself. Whoever taught ye?"
"A navy captain down at Annapolis," answered Peggy, as she shot the launch beneath the bridge.
"Well, he did the job all right, all right, and I may as well go back and sit down. Faith, I thought we were as good as stove in when I handed over the wheel to ye, but I"m thinking I can learn a fancy touch or two myself."
"Oh, no, don"t go. I don"t know the river, you know, though I want to do my best just to make Daddy proud of me," answered Peggy modestly.
"Well then he should be a-yellin" like them crazy loons yonder on the observation train--that"s what he should," nodded the c.o.xswain.
Neil Stewart was not yelling, but he wasn"t missing a thing, and presently Peggy ran the launch into a clear bit of water near the three- mile flag.