Terry's Trials and Triumphs

by J. Macdonald Oxley

  CHAPTER III.

  UNEVEN GOING.

  It was with a queer jumble of feelings palpitating in his young bosomthat Terry, attired as never before in his life, set out for Long Wharfon Monday morning. Blind Alley seemed to swarm with women andchildren, who first gazed in wild-eyed astonishment at his appearance,and then proceeded to give vent to their admiration or envy in remarksthat would have sorely tried the composure of a stump orator hardenedby many campaigns.

  "_Terry, attired as never before, set out for LongWharf._"]

  "The blessed saints presarve us! Did ye ever see the loike?" gaspedMrs. O'Rafferty, with a side glance at the gutter, where her own Phelimwas hunting for a lost marble, and looking more like a mud-turtle thana bit of humanity.

  "Get on to the hat, will you?" shouted Tim Doolin, his fingers itchingto throw a handful of mud at it, but his head telling him that to do sowould insure a tremendous thrashing, for Terry's prowess with his fistswas not to be gainsaid.

  "Sure he's got a place in front of Clayton's, and has to stand thereall day on exhibition," sneered sly Tony Butler, pretending that hethought Terry was to play the part of a living advertisement for awell-known ready-made clothing firm.

  Through this ordeal Terry hastened with a deprecating smile, as thoughto say, "Really, you're making an absurd fuss about a most triflingmatter;" and wisely refraining from any retort, he drew a deep breathof relief when he reached Water Street, and became merged in the crowdof well-dressed clerks hurrying to their offices.

  On arriving at Long Wharf, he could not resist the impulse to take onelook over his beloved playground before reporting himself at Drummondand Brown's. He clearly realized that if he would take full advantageof the opportunity now open to him, the dock would know him no more asin the past; and besides that, he did want to let his playmates, whowould have his company no longer, see his fine feathers in theirpristine freshness.

  The chorus of praise they elicited would have contented a much moreexacting heart than Terry's, and in answering the questions showeredupon him he ran the risk of not being "bright and early," as Mr.Drummond had enjoined upon him. Happily, however, the boom of themarket clock reminded him in time, and darting back up the wharf heentered the big warehouse, the front part of whose ground floor wasgiven up to a suite of offices, in which many of the clerks had alreadyassembled for the day's work.

  Terry's impulse carried him as far as inside the door, and then itdeserted him, leaving him completely stranded. Now that he was in theoffice, he had not the slightest idea what to do with himself. Theclerks were busy getting their books out, and chaffing one another asto the doings of the night before. No one seemed to notice him, andfeeling acutely uncomfortable he shrank into a corner, a longing to runoff again coming over him with great force. He could see nothing ofMr. Hobart, and in his utter strangeness his heart sank in chilldespair. How remote seemed the possibility of his ever taking hisplace among that group of dashing young fellows, who had so much totell each other of enjoyments and exploits in spheres of society farbeyond his ken!

  A movement that he made in his agitation at length attracted theattention of a young lad about his own age, who, looking sharply athim, asked in a rude tone,--

  "Well, sonny, what is it you want?"

  For a moment Terry was nonplussed for a reply. How could he explainhis position to this saucy-looking inquirer? Then by a happyinspiration, it occurred to him to ask for his friend of Saturdayafternoon, and in a low, hesitating voice he said,--

  "I want to see Mr. Hobart, please."

  "Say, there, Walter!" shouted the clerk, in the direction of an inneroffice, "there's a young kid asking for you here. Did you forget topay your washer-woman on Saturday night?"

  Mr. Hobart appeared quickly, and the moment his eyes fell upon Terry(who even in the midst of his discomposure had his wits sufficientlyabout him to take in the meaning of the clerk's impertinence, and hiseyes were brimming in consequence) he sprang towards the speaker, andseizing him by the collar, gave him a vigorous shaking, sayingmeanwhile in indignant tones,--

  "See here, Morley: if you don't keep your sauce to yourself, you'll getsomething worse than a shaking. Do you know who that is? It's the boywho saved Miss Drummond's life, and he's got the makings of a betterman in him than you have, or I'm much mistaken." Then turning to Terryhe continued, as he released his hold on Morley, "Come right insidehere, Terry, and I'll introduce you to the boys."

  The appearance of his friend, and the warmth with which he took up hiscause, worked a complete revolution in Terry's feelings. The tearsvanished from his eyes, and with a broad smile lighting up hiscountenance he obeyed Mr. Hobart's bidding; while Morley, looking verymuch crestfallen, and displaying a malignant scowl that boded no goodto the new-comer, went sullenly back to his desk.

  Mr. Hobart introduced Terry to each of the clerks, and they all shookhands with him cordially. His gallant rescue of their employer'sdaughter prepared them to like him, and his honest, good-humoured facedisarmed, for the time at least, any feelings of opposition to hisentry into their ranks. There were nearly a dozen of them altogether,from the senior book-keeper, gray-bearded and spectacled, down to TomMorley, whose work it was to look after collecting the wharfage. Mr.Hobart held the responsible post of finance-clerk. He attended to allthe banking; paid the labourers on Friday evenings and made out thesalary cheques at the end of the month; and by virtue of the importanceof his duties, and the evident favour in which he was held by the firm,stood next to the book-keeper in the estimation of his associates.Terry was very fortunate in having his support at the start,particularly as he had taken a decided liking to the boy, and was quitewilling to act as his patron, and to pilot him through the difficultiesof his new surroundings.

  The Civil War in the United States was then at its height, and Halifax,as a neutral port, open to the vessels of both contestants forsupremacy, occupied a peculiarly advantageous position. Never beforein the history of the city had business been brisker or money moreplentiful. Hardly a day passed without its quota of steamships orsailing-vessels pressing into the splendid harbour, and willing to payalmost any price in good gold for immediate attention.

  Nor were these profitable customers of the harmless merchant classonly. From time to time there appeared grim men-of-war, lookingterribly business-like with their rows of black-muzzled guns; and nowand then the whole city was thrown into excitement by the sudden adventof one of the far-famed Confederate cruisers, which did such fearfuldamage to Federal commerce--as, for instance, the renowned_Tallahassee_, whose trim black form came dashing through the whitecaps one fine summer morning, while far out in the offing a keen eyecould discern the dark shapes of her disappointed pursuers.

  But most interesting of all such visitors were the blockade-runners,the _Colonel Lamb_, the _Robert E. Lee_, and the like. Marvels ofbeauty and speed they were, their low, graceful hulls painted a softgray tint, so as to make them invisible at sea when only a few milesdistant; and in the eyes of the Halifax boys every man on board was ahero, and the object of profound admiration.

  This feeling, moreover, was by no means confined to the boys. If atany time during the war a poll of the Haligonians had been taken, themajority in favour of the South would certainly have been very large.Self-interest, no doubt, had much to do with this state of affairs;and, besides that, there was current the belief that the South wasfighting for freedom rather than for the maintenance of slavery.

  The firm of Drummond and Brown having had extensive businessconnections with the Southern States for many years before the war, itwas but natural that Long Wharf should be the favoured resort of theConfederate vessels. The blockade-runners, without exception, dockedthere; and, as a matter of course, from the heads of the firm down tothe humblest toiler on the wharf, everybody belonging to theestablishment was Confederate to the core.

  As for Terry Ahearn, so fervent was his sympathy with the South, thatup to the time of his being taken into the office, had he ev
er receivedany encouragement, he would have unhesitatingly joined himself to thecrew of a blockade-runner in any capacity they would have for him.Happily for him they had no use for boys on board these vessels, andhis desires remained unrealized, until the opening up of a new life tohim through his being taken into Mr. Drummond's employment diverted histhoughts into an altogether different channel.

  Certainly he had much to think about during the first period of hisclerkship. It was a big change for a boy to make in a day--fromcareless, idle play in ragged clothes about a dock, varied by anoccasional trip coastward, when he could persuade the captain of one ofthe many packet schooners to take him along as an extra hand, tosteady-going service in an office, with the accompanying requirementsof always being neat, well-dressed, and respectful in demeanour tothose about him.

  And greatly as Terry rejoiced in the sudden advance, he would have beenmore than mortal if he had not found his new environment bristling withdifficulties which neither the favour of Mr. Drummond nor the friendlyoffices of Mr. Hobart could materially help him to overcome. He didnot fail to feel keenly the marked contrast between his own speech andmanners and those of Tom Morley, for instance; nor was he blind to thefact that his educational equipment was deplorably deficient. Howbitterly he regretted that he had not taken more advantage of hisopportunities at school, and how fervently he vowed to do his best tomake up lost ground so far as might be possible!

  It was no slight addition to his embarrassments that all unwittingly hehad at the very start incurred the enmity of Tom Morley, whothenceforward did everything that he dared to annoy him. Tom was aclever boy himself, and had enjoyed many advantages in his bringing up.He took to business as naturally as a duck to water, and but forcertain characteristics, would have been held in high esteem in theoffice.

  Unhappily, however, he had a sly, jealous, selfish nature, that soonrevealed itself, because, forsooth, he made little attempt to concealit, and this effectually barred his way to popularity.

  Even without the _contretemps_, for which he alone was responsible, onthe morning Terry first came to the office, Morley would have taken adislike to Terry simply because of his good fortune. Now that therewas double cause for such a feeling, he let it have full play, and ifpoor Terry had done him some mortal injury he could not have shown amore vicious spirit towards him. He mimicked his brogue for theamusement of his fellow-clerks; he made sneering remarks about hisclothes; he played practical jokes upon him to raise a laugh at hisexpense; in fact, he behaved so abominably towards him, that there weretimes when only the restraining influence of his surroundings keptTerry back from rushing upon him with clenched fists. Being thusbeset, Terry found his lot far harder than he had conceived, and neededall the help that came to him from his mother's sympathy, Mr.Drummond's kindly interest, and Mr. Hobart's good-humoured helpfulness,in order to keep up his courage. It was, therefore, a welcomeinspiration to him when, on the Saturday following the rescue, MissDrummond appeared at the office, quite recovered from her startlingexperience, and as soon as she arrived asked for her rescuer.

  In some trepidation Terry went into Mr. Drummond's sanctum, where hewas warmly welcomed by the young lady.

  "Why, Terry, how well you look!" she exclaimed, beaming radiantly uponhim. "I'm so glad you're in my father's office. I know you're goingto make a capital clerk."

  Terry could find nothing to say; so Miss Drummond went on,--

  "I believe, Terry, that an important thing in a clerk is to be alwaysin time, and as I want you to have no difficulty on that score, I gotthis little timekeeper for you, and am going to ask you to wear it inmemory of to-day week, so that you won't forget the service that yourendered me then."

  While thus speaking she took from her reticule a small watch in asilver case, with a neat silver charm attached, and opening the caseshowed Terry where his name in full was engraved inside, and underneathit the words, "In recognition of rescue," with the proper date appended.

  Drawing Terry towards her, she secured the watch in his vest, while hedid his best to stammer out his gratitude.

  "Never mind about thanks, Terry," said Miss Drummond. "You mayconsider it your medal for life-saving, you know. And never forget,Terry, that in business a good watch is the next best thing to a goodconscience."

  Terry went back to his place in a tumult of joy and pride. Naturallyenough, the first thing he did was to show his new treasure to Mr.Hobart and the others. They all admired it, and congratulated him;except Morley, who, professing to be very much engrossed in his work,bent a scowling face over his desk. Terry's good fortune had affectedhim in the same way that Joseph's rather indiscreet relation of hisdreams affected his elder brethren, so that without any other cause ofoffence he came to "hate him, and could not speak peaceably unto him."

  As may be easily understood, Terry gave him many chances to vent hisbaseless spite. Everything about the office was utterly new to him.The days were full of blunders, and whenever these were explained therewas Morley enjoying the poor boy's discomfiture, and, if Mr. Hobart didnot happen to be at hand, letting fall cutting remarks that made Terrywince as though they were strokes of a whip.

  Although none of the other clerks showed the same spirit as Morley,still they did not attempt to interfere, partly because they thoughtthat Terry needed to be "licked into shape," and partly because theydid not approve of his advent quite as cordially as Mr. Hobart. He wasof a different class from them, and they could not sympathize with himin the same degree as if he were one of themselves.

  Thus the new way that had been opened up to Terry proved to be setthick with difficulties, which would severely test his qualities ofself-control and determination in order to their overcoming; and whenthe boy's previous life and surroundings were taken into account, thechances could hardly be said to be in his favour.

  Mr. Hobart, it is true, showed every disposition to befriend him; buthe was a very busy man, the hardest worker on the whole staff, andthere were days when a kind, encouraging smile as he bustled about hiswork was all the communication Terry had with him.

  It soon became clear to Terry that he must fight his own battles--that,as Mr. Drummond had said, he must make his own way--and it was withmany misgivings as to the result that he set himself to the undertaking.