by Kirk Munroe
CHAPTER IV.
BILLY BRACKETT STARTS DOWN THE RIVER.
It needed but a glance at Major Caspar's face, as, dripping and weary,he entered the house, to show that his search for the raft had beenfruitless. His wife's mother-instinct translated his expression atonce, and the quick tears started to her eyes as she exclaimed,
"My boy! What has happened to him?"
"Nothing serious, you may rest assured, my dear," replied the Major."I have not seen him; but I have heard of the raft, and there is noquestion as to its safety. We reached the mouth of the creek withoutdiscovering a trace of it. Then we went down the river as far as theElbow, where we waited in the slack-water to hail up-bound steamboats.The first had seen nothing of the raft; but the second, one of the'Diamond Jo' boats, reported that they had seen such a raft--one withthree shanties on it--at daybreak, in the 'Slant Crossing,' ten milesbelow. If I could have got a down-river boat I should have boarded herand gone in pursuit, sending the men back to tell you what I had done.As we were unable to hail the only one that passed, I gave it up andcame back to report progress."
"Oh, I am so glad you did!" cried Mrs. Caspar.
"So am I," said the young stranger, speaking for the first time sincethe Major's entrance. The latter had glanced curiously at him once ortwice while talking to his wife, but without a gleam of recognition.Now, as he looked inquiringly at him again, Mrs. Caspar exclaimed:
"Why, John, don't you know him? It's William--my own brother William,just come from California."
"So it is," replied the Major, giving the young man a heartyhand-shake--"so it is, William Brackett himself. But, my dear fellow,I must confess I was so far from recognizing you that I thought yourname was--"
"'Mud' I reckon," interrupted the other, laughing; "and so it will bebefore long, if I don't get a chance to clean up. But, Major, by thetime both of us are wrung out and dried, and sister has looked up somedinner, I'll be ready to unfold a plan that will make things look asbright for you and Winn and the rest of us as the sun that's breakingaway the clouds is going to make the sky directly."
Mrs. Caspar's brother William, "Billy Brackett," as all his friendscalled him, was a young civil engineer of more than usual ability. Hehad already gained a larger stock of experience and seen more of hisown country than most men of his age, which was about twenty-six. Fromgovernment work in the East and on the lower Mississippi he had gone tothe Kansas Pacific Railway, been detailed to accompany an exploringparty across the plains, and, after spending some time on the Pacificcoast, had just returned to the Mississippi Valley--out of a job, to besure, but with the certainty of obtaining one whenever he should wantit. From the moment of leaving San Francisco he had intended makingthe Caspars a visit, and had directed his journey towards their home.In Chicago he had run across an engineering friend named Hobart, whowas at that moment regretting the pressure of business that forbade histrying for what promised to be a most profitable contract. It was onefor furnishing all the bridge timber to be used in the construction ofa new railway through Wisconsin. The bids were to be opened in Madisontwo days later. Acting upon the impulse of the moment, Billy Bracketthastened to that city and tendered a bid for the contract, which, tohis surprise, was accepted.
In doing this the young engineer had counted upon the assistance of hisbrother-in-law, from whose mill he expected to obtain the timber he hadthus contracted to furnish. As the work must be begun immediately, hehurried on to the Major's house with an offer of partnership in thispromising undertaking, and arrived as we have seen.
"It's a big thing Major," the young man said in conclusion, afterexplaining these details at the dinner-table; "and it's not only a bigthing in itself, but it will lead to other contracts equally good."
"I should like nothing better than to join you in such an enterpriseBilly," replied the Major; "but I don't see how I can go into it justnow, with this affair of Winn and the raft on my hands. You say thework must be begun at once?"
"Yes. It really should be started this very day, and it can, if you'llagree to the rest of my plan. You see, I've only told you the half Ithought out before getting here. Since then I have added as much more,which is something like this: Suppose you and I change places. Youtake my horse and go to Madison in the interests of the contract, whileBim and I will take your skiff and start down the river in theinterests of Winn and the raft. You know a heap more about getting outbridge timber than I do, while I expect I know more about river raftingthan you do. Not that I'm anything of a raftsman," he added, modestly,"but I picked up a good bit of knowledge concerning the river while onthat government job down in Arkansas. If you'll only give me thechance, I'll guarantee to find the raft and navigate it to any port youmay choose to name--Dubuque, St. Louis, Cairo, New Orleans, or evenacross the briny--with such a chap as I know your Winn must be for amate. When we reach our destination we can telegraph for you, and youcan arrange the sale of the ship and cargo yourself. As for me, I'vehad so much of dry land lately that I'm just longing for a home on therolling deep, the life of a sailor free, and all that sort of thing.What do you say? Isn't my scheme a good one?"
"I declare I believe it is!" exclaimed the Major, who had caught ashare of his young kinsman's enthusiasm, and whose face had visiblybrightened during the unfolding of his plans. "Not only that, but Ibelieve your companionship with Winn on this river trip, and yourexample, will be infinitely better for him than mine. I have noticedthat young people are much more apt to be influenced by those only afew years older than themselves than they are by persons whose ideasthey may regard as antiquated or old-fogyish."
"Oh, papa, how can you say so?" cried Elta, springing up and throwingher arms about his neck. "How can you say that you could ever be anold fogy?"
"Perhaps I'm not, dear, to you," answered the Major, smiling at hisdaughter's impetuosity; "but to young fellows mingling with the worldfor the first time nothing pertaining to the past seems of any value ascompared with the present or immediate future. Consequently acompanion who is near enough of an age to sympathize with the pursuitsand feelings of such a one can influence him more strongly than aperson whose thoughts are oftener with the past than with the future."
"I can't bear to hear you talk so, husband," said Mrs. Caspar. "As ifour Winn wouldn't be more readily influenced by his own father andmother than by any one else in the world! At the same time, I thinkWilliam's plan well worth considering, for I have hated the idea ofthat raft trip for you. I have dreaded being left alone here with onlyElta, too, though I wouldn't say so when I thought there wasn'tanything else to be done."
With this unanimous acceptance of the young engineer's plan, it tookbut a short time to arrange its details, and before dark everything wassettled. The Major was to leave for Madison the next morning, whileBilly Brackett was to start down the creek that very evening, so as tobe ready at daylight to begin his search for the missing raft at thepoint where it had been last reported. By his own desire he was to goalone in the skiff, except for the companionship of his trusty Bim, whomade a point of accompanying his master everywhere. The young man wasprovided with an open letter from Major Caspar, giving him fullauthority to take charge of the raft and do with it as he saw fit.
Both Mrs. Caspar and Elta wrote notes to Winn, and gave them to BillyBrackett to deliver. The major also wrote a line of introduction to anold soldier who had been his most devoted follower during the war. Hewas now living with a married niece near Dubuque, Iowa, and mightpossibly prove of assistance during the search for the raft.
Thus equipped, provided with a stock of provisions, and a minutedescription of both the raft and of Winn, whom he did not hope torecognize, the young engineer and his four-footed companion set forthsoon after supper on their search for the missing boy. An hour laterthey too were being swept southward by the resistless current of thegreat river.
