Roy Blakeley: His Story

by Percy Keese Fitzhugh

  I didn't know what I would say to him, because I thought probably he'dcome to give me my two dollars and say he was sorry and must have beencrazy or in a hurry. Jiminy, any excuse would be good enough for me, aslong as he told me straight out about it, like he did in the ditch. Andmaybe things would get to be all right after a while. But I couldn'tunderstand how he could come up the lawn whistling and jollying Don andfeeling so good. I don't mean because he was hurt, because I knew thatwasn't so bad, but I didn't set how he could be feeling so happy.

  Pretty soon he came in and Don was jumping up all around him and wagginghis tail. "I'm glad you're well enough to come out," I said.

  "You should worry about me," he said; "I just have to limp a little,that's all. I'm a swell looking Silver Fox, hey?" And then he gave mea push and rumpled my hair all up and said, "You won't be ashamed of meon account of my honorable wounds, will you? I was a punk scout to goand do that."

  Gee, I didn't know what to think, because it wasn't anything to belaughing at, that's sure.

  "Do what?" I said.

  "Run right into that ditch."

  "Is that what you meant you did--when you told me?" I said, kind ofdisappointed.

  "Sure it is," he said, "I'm a swell scout, hey? Going headlong into aditch!"

  I just listened to him and I felt pretty bad, because now I saw that waswhat he meant.

  Then he gave me another shove and he said all happy like, "But I'm thechampion boy sleuth all right. Look at this--here's your two bucks andSkinny never took it at all"?

  "I--I know he didn't," I said.

  "How did you know," he shot right at me.

  "Because," I started to say and then he rumpled my hair up some moreand began talking and never gave me a chance.

  "Because it was right in that copy of Treasure Island that's layingthere," he shouted, "and I'm one big gump, that's what I am! I got thatcopy of Treasure Island out of the library this morning, because youwere telling me about it, and right there in the middle of it was yourplaguy old two buckarinos!"

  Just for a minute I looked at him and I knew it was just like he said,because he was laughing--he was so blamed happy about it.

  Oh, boy, didn't I feel good!

  "How in the dickens did it get there?" he said.

  "That's one puzzle," I answered him.

  "Anyway, you've got your two bucks back."

  "A lot I care about that," I said; "jiminy, I've got something betterthan two dollars, and that's friends, you can bet."

  Then I showed him the stain on the page of the book and we both satthere gaping at it and thinking.

  "I'm hanged if I know," Westy said; "it would take Tom Slade to dopethat out."

  "Maybe Skinny was looking at the book and shut it with the two dollarbill inside," I said.

  "How about the stain?" Westy asked me.

  "Jingoes, it's a puzzle," I said.

  All of a sudden he laid the book down open and laid the bill on it andthen he laid the oar-lock on the bill. Then he just sat there like asif he was studying. Pretty soon he said, "We have to get a new copy forthe library, anyway. Do you mind if I make another stain on this one?I've got a sort of an idea."

  "Go ahead," I said.

  So now I'll tell you just what he did and you'll see how it solved thepuzzle. And, believe me, you'll have to admit that Westy's a prettysmart fellow. If you have an old book you don't care anything about, youcan even try it and you don't even need an oar-lock. Westy turned to anew place in the book and then he laid the bill down on the right handpage. Then he laid the oar-lock on the bill. "That's just exactly whatyou did when you laid the bill down in such a hurry that night you werefixing Skinny up. You laid it on the open book just like that--see?"

  "Maybe I did." I said, "but what's the big idea, kind sir?"

  "Well, then," he said, "I came up here to get your two bucks for you,didn't I? And you remember I told you there was a breeze blowing? Nowwhat did I do--in the dark?"

  "Search me," I said.

  "Why, you big galook, I felt around in the dark and lifted the oar-lockoff the bill and then felt there for it, but the breeze was too quickfor me. It blew the page over and I slapped my hand down on--what?"

  "Another page," I said; "good night!"

  "Good-bye two dollar bill," he said, "it was between those two otherpages. That's why there was a stain on the right page in the book.There was a stain on the bill made by the oar-lock and when the pageand the bill blew over, the fresh oil on the bill kind of stampeditself on the left hand page. You didn't damage the book. You onlydamaged the bill. It was the breeze that damaged the book--see?"

  "Believe me! I'll be responsible," I told him.

  "That breeze was a thief," he said.

  "It'll come to grief some day," I told him. Then we both began to laugh.

  "And it's lucky I got that book out of the library," he said. "Therewas your two bucks tucked away all nice and neat between the pages.It was just where Jim Hawkins was starting awake on the ship."

  "Narrow escape," I said, "hey? If you hadn't taken the book out justwhen you did, good night, the ship might have started and good-bye tomy two dollars."

  "You crazy Indian," he said.

  "And all the time I was saying Jim Hawking was honest and a good friendand all that, and all the time he had my two bucks."

  "Believe me I wouldn't trust that fellow with a postage stamp," Westysaid.

  Laugh! Oh, boy, I thought I'd die laughing--and Westy, too.

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  JOLLYING PEE-WEE

  That's the reason I'll never trust a gentle breeze. In books you findall kinds of nice things about gentle breezes, but look out for them,that's what I say. Whenever I leave my bathing suit on the grass to dry,I lay a good big rock on it, you can bet. I'd trust Skinny with ahundred dollars, I would, and Westy too, but gentle breezes--Nix. They'reso plaguy sly and sneaky like.

  Westy and I went and bought a dandy copy of Treasure Island for thelibrary. It cost us a quarter more than my two dollars, but we shouldworry.

  Now I have to tell you one other thing that happened before we gotstarted on our cruise, especially because it has a lot to do with ourcruise.

  The next morning we all went back to Northside Woods to tie up thesaplings and drag them over to the river. Then we were going to usea rowboat and tow them down and maybe float some of them down. I toldyou about our old launch, but it's too shallow to use a launch up asfar as Northside Woods.

  Illustration #4

  "We towed the saplings and started down stream"

  All the fellows were there except Skinny, because the doctor made himstay home on account of being all played out. I bet that doctor had somescrap with him. One thing sure, Westy and I stuck together. By noontimewe had all the stuff hauled over to the river and some odds and ends ofkindling wood besides, to take in the house-boat. We filled the rowboatwith the small stuff and towed the saplings and started downstream thatway. The tide was running up and it was almost full and we had some jobbucking it. Some of the fellows wanted to wait till it turned and comedown with it. But I said that would be an hour maybe and that if thetide didn't want to turn and go with us, we should worry.

  Now that there wasn't anything left to do, but tow the stuff down, allthe fellows except Westy and I and Pee-wee started to hike it home. Wesaid we'd take him with us in the boat so that he could bail, becausethat boat is built like a sieve.

  "If it keeps on leaking like that," I said, "there won't be any waterleft in the river-it'll all be in the boat."

  "It's pretty hard bucking the tide," Westy said.

  "And we're going up hill besides, too," I told him; "remember that."

  Well, you should have seen Pee-wee. "What are you talking about-uphill!" he shouted. "When we begin going down hill," I said, all thewhile winking at Westy, "she'll go easier, thank goodness."

  "We'll have to put on the brakes," Westy said.

  "Do you know why they talk about towing lumber?" I asked Pee-wee;"be
cause it's measured by the foot."

  "You're crazy!" he shouted.

  "Just the same as when they use it for back fences, it's measured by theyard," Westy said, all sober like.

  "Sure--back--yard," I said.

  "You think you can jolly me, don't you?" Pee-wee shouted.

  "You just keep on bailing," I said, "and don't stop. When the tide beginsturning you won't have to bail so fast."

  Jiminy, Pee-wee didn't know what to think--whether I was kidding him ornot. "Why won't I?" he wanted to know.

  "Because it will be going the other way," I said, "see? It'll be flowingaway from the boat."

  Oh, boy! Pee-wee just emptied the bailing can down my neck.

  And that's the way it was all the way down. Cracky, but we had Pee-weeso crazy that he'd bail up a can of water out of one end of the boatand empty it in the other end.

  "What's the difference whether it's inside or outside?" Westy said, "aslong as it's there. I bet there's a lot of canned salmon in this river."

  "Canned what? Pee-wee shouted.

  "Keep on bailing," I said; "canned salmon is what he said, but I thinkthere are more pickled herrings. There's lots of pickled herrings inthe Hudson, I know that."

  "You mean smoked herring," Westy said, all the while rowing and lookingaround very sober like at me.

  Oh, boy, didn't Pee-wee open his eyes and stare! He didn't know whetherto take it for a joke or not--we were so serious.

  "I suppose it's on account of the smoke from the big Hudson Riverboats," I said, "just the same as Oyster Bay."

  "What about Oyster Bay?" Pee-wee shouted.

  "When the water gets all stewed up in rough weather, they get stewedoysters."

  "Not always," Westy said.

  "No, but most of the time," I said.

  "Oh, sure," Westy said, "but I've seen lots of red lobsters that didn'tcome from Red Bank--"

  "It's boiling makes them red; you big galook!" Pee-wee yelled.

  "Oh, sure," I said, not paying any attention to him, but all the whilerowing hard and looking around very sober like at Westy, "because Iknow there are lots of bluefish caught near Greenland and you'd thinkby rights they ought to be green."

  "Sure," Westy said, "just the same as the fish caught in AmericanRiver out west, are red, white and blue."

  "And stars," I said.

  "Sure the river's full of starfish and striped mackerel--stars andstripes. That's why you have to stand up in the boat if you'rerowing on that river ."

  "Oh, sure," Westy said, "that's why so many boats get upset."

  Good night! you should have seen Pee-wee.

  "Keep on bailing, kiddo," I said, "keep plenty of water in the river."

  "Maybe it would be better to let a little more come into the boat," Westysaid, "so as to lower the water in the river, so we can get under thebridge."

  "The both of you make me tired!" Pee-wee yelled; "do you think I believeall that stuff?"

  Good night, some circus! It's always that way when Westy and I get outwith Pee-wee.

  Pretty soon we 'heard a loud whistling and we wondered what it was,because it didn't sound like a train and it sure wasn't on a motor-boat.

  Then Westy began asking what we were going to do about power after wegot our stanchions and bumper-sticks and all that fixed. I said we'dhave to get Jake Holden to tow us down around into the Hudson and thenget somebody to tow us up. Westy said Mr. Ellsworth thought it would becheaper to take our little three horse power engine out of our launchand install it in the houseboat.

  I said, "That would be all right, only it would kick us along so slowthat we'd spend all our vacation on the trip and wouldn't have any timeat camp." Cracky; I didn't want to start back as soon as we got there.

  "Well, then, there's only one thing to do," Westy said, "and that's forus to get towed and that costs a lot of money."

  All the while the whistling kept up and it was awful loud and shrill,sort of, as if it was mad--YOU know how I mean.

  "I know what it is," I said; "it's somebody waiting for the bridge to beopened."

  "Good night, they stand a tall chance," Westy said.

  "It's a tug, that's what it is," Pee-wee said; "I can see the smoke. It'sgoing up in a big column."

  "It's more than a column, its a whole volume," Westy said, looking around."There must be books on that boat; the smoke is coming out in volumes."

  All the while we were getting nearer to the bridge and it was easierrowing, because the tide was on the turn.

  Now maybe if you fellows that read this don't live in the country wherethere's a river, you won't understand about tides and bridges and allthat. So I'll tell you how it is, because, gee, we're used to all that,us fellows.

  Jimmy Van Dorian, he lives right near the bridge in a little shanty andhe's lame and he's a bridge tender. You don't get much for being a bridgetender and mostly old veterans are bridge tenders. Anyway, they don't getmuch out our way, because big boats don't come up and they don't have toopen the bridge often.

  When we got down to the bridge we saw that the tide was right up so weeven had to duck our heads to get under, and right on the other side ofthe bridge was a tugboat standing facing upstream and its whistle wasscreeching and screeching just like a dog stands and barks when he's mad.It seemed awful funny because it was a small tug and it made so muchnoise.

  "It ought to be named the Pee-wee," Westy said.

  "Nobody's paying much attention to it," I told him.

  Just as we came under the bridge we could see a big fat man, oh,Christopher, wasn't he fat, standing up in the pilot house pullingand pulling the whistle rope, for the bridge to open. Sometimes he'dpull it very fast, just like you do with the receiver on the telephonewhen you're good and mad because Central don't answer. And it waspretty near as bad as the telephone, too, because he went on tootingand tooting and tooting and nobody paid any attention to him.

  CHAPTER XXIX

  JIMMY, THE BRIDGE-TENDER

  Pretty soon the big fat man stuck his head out of the window and heshouted, "What's the matter, is everybody deaf around here? Here, youboys, where's the bridgeman?" Honest, you'd think I had the bridgemanin my pocket. I told him I didn't know where the bridgeman was. Oh, buthe looked mad. He had an awful red face and white whiskers and I guesshe must have been used to ordering people around--anyway, he looked thatway.

  He said, "Here I am on the down tide, the water going out every minuteand got to run up to North Bridgeboro yet. It's a--" he said what kindof an outrage it was, but I wouldn't tell you. Oh, he was hopping mad."I'll get stuck hard and fast in the consarned mud," he said, "if Iain't back and past this here Sleepy Hollow in forty minutes--that'swhat I will!"

  I hollered up to him that I'd row across to Jimmy's house and see if hewas asleep.

  "Asleep!" that's just the way he shouted. "Do bridgeman sleep on fulltide up this way? Don't he know the harbor and waterway laws? I'll makeit hot for 'im--I will." And then he began pulling the whistle fasterand faster.

  "Somebody must have been feeding him meat," Westy whispered to me.

  "He's good and mad, that's sure," I said. Even while we rowed across toJimmy's shanty I could hear him shouting between the whistlings andsaying he'd have the bridgeman up for deserting on flood tide and puttinghim in the mud. And jiminy, I have to admit that he was up against it,because the tide was running down and by the time he got up to NorthBridgeboro and back, it would maybe be too low in the channel. One thing,Jimmy had a right to be there, especially at flood tide, I knew that. ButI guess the reason he wasn't was because nothing but little motor boatsever came up our river and they can always crawl under.

  Jimmy lives all by himself on account of being old and his people are alldead. I said to Westy that maybe he was just asleep, so we knocked andknocked, but nobody came to the door. Then I knew he wasn't there at allor else maybe he was dead.

  "Anyway, we'd better find out," I said, "because it's mighty funny himnot being there, seeing that he never goes away
anywhere."

  All the time we could hear that old grouch shouting about Bridgeboro andour river and saying it was Sleepy Hollow and Dopeville, and the riverwas a mud hole. But it isn't and don't you believe it.

  "Anyway, I'm going to climb in through the shed window," I said, "andsee if maybe Jimmy is sick or dead." I could see that Pee-wee was notexactly scared but sort of anxious, and I was too, I have to admit it.

  Westy and I got the shed window open, all right, because Jimmy wasn'tcareful about it, on account of not having anything worth stealing, Isuppose. I was kind of shaky when we went into the first room, becausethat was where he slept and I thought maybe he'd be lying there dead.

  But he wasn't there at all. Just the same we stood there looking at eachother, and we were both kind of nervous, because Jimmy's clothes werelying all around on the bed and on the floor, and a chair was knockedover, and it looked just as if somebody had been rummaging in the roomin a big hurry. The door into the other room was closed and, I have toadmit, I didn't feel like opening it.

  "I bet somebody's robbed him and killed him," Westy said, kind of low.

  "That's just what I'm thinking," I said, "and when we open that doorwe'll see him lying on the floor dead, hey?"

  "Anyway, we have to open it," he said.

  "I'll open it if you don't want to," I told him.

  But, anyway, neither of us opened it. We just stood there and I feltawful funny. It was all still and spooky and you could hear the clockticking, and I counted the ticks. It sounded spooky, going tick, tick,tick.