The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore

by Laura Lee Hope

  CHAPTER XX

  THE HAPPY REUNION

  A beautiful day had grown out of the dreadful storm.

  The sun seemed stronger each time it made its way out from behind acloud, just as little girls and boys grow strong in body by exercise,and strong in character by efforts to do right.

  And everybody was so happy.

  The _Neptune_--the vessel that had struck on the sand bar--was nowsafely anchored near shore, and the sailors came in and out inrow-boats, back and forth to land, just as they wished.

  Of course Captain Bingham, Hal's uncle, was at the Bingham cottage,and the first mate, Nellie's father, was at Minturn's.

  But that evening there was a regular party on Minturn's veranda.Numbers of cottagers called to see the sailors, and all were invitedto remain and hear about the strange voyage of the _Neptune_.

  "There is not much to tell," began the captain. "Of course I knew wewere going to have trouble getting that mahogany. Two vessels hadbeen wrecked trying to get it, so when we got to the West Indies Idecided to try canoes and not risk sails, where the wind always blewsuch a gale, it dragged any anchor that could be dropped. Well, itwas a long, slow job to drag those heavy logs around that point, andjust when we were making headway, along comes a storm that drove theschooner and canoes out of business."

  Here Mate McLaughlin told about the big storm and how long it took thesmall crew to repair the damage done to the sails.

  "Then we had to go back to work at the logs," went on the captain,"and then one of our crew took a fever. Well, then we werequarantined. Couldn't get things to eat without a lot of trouble, andcouldn't go on with the carting until the authorities decided thefever was not serious. That was what delayed us so.

  "Finally, we had every log loaded on the schooner and we started off.But I never could believe any material would be as heavy as thatmahogany; why, we just had to creep along, and the least contrary windleft us motionless on the sea.

  "We counted on getting home last week, when this last storm struck usand drove us out of our course. But we are not sorry for our delaynow, since we have come back to our own."

  "About the value?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, who was down from the city.

  "The value," repeated the captain aside, so that the strangers mightnot hear. "Well, I'm a rich man now, and so is my mate, McLaughlin,for that wood was contracted for by the largest and richest piano firmin this country, and now it is all but delivered to them and the moneyin our hands."

  "Then it was well worth all your sacrifice?" said Mr. Minturn.

  "Yes, indeed. It would have taken us a lifetime to accumulate as muchmoney as we have earned in this year. Of course, it was hard for themen who had families, McLaughlin especially; the others were allworking sailors, but he was a landsman and my partner in theenterprise; but I will make it up to him, and the mahogany hunt willturn out the best paying piece of work he ever undertook."

  "Oh, isn't it perfectly splendid!" declared Nan and Dorothy, huggingNellie. "You will never again have to go back to that horrid storethat made you so pale, and your mother will have a lovely time andnothing to worry about."

  "I can hardly believe it all," replied their little friend. "Buthaving father back is the very best of all."

  "But all the same," sighed Dorothy, "I just know you will all be goinghome before we leave for the city, and I shall just die ofloneliness."

  "But we have to go to school," said Nan, "and we have only a few daysmore."

  "Of course," continued Dorothy; "and our school will not open for twoweeks yet."

  "Maybe Aunt Emily will take you down to the city on her shoppingtour," suggested Nan.

  "Indeed I do not like shopping," answered the cousin. "Every time Igo in a store that is crowded with stuff on the counters underpeople's elbows, I feel like knocking the things all over. I did alot of damage that way once. It was holiday time, and a counter thatstuck out in the middle of the store was full of little statues. Mysleeve touched one, and the whole lot fell down as if a cannon hadstruck them. I broke ten and injured more than I wanted to count."

  "And Aunt Emily had to pay for them?" said Nan.

  "No, she didn't, either," corrected Dorothy. "The manager came upand said the things should not be put out in people's way. He madethe clerks remove all the truck from the aisles and I guess everybodywas glad the army fell down. I never can forget those pink-and-whitesoldiers," and Dorothy straightened herself up in comical "soldier'sarms" fashion, imitating the unfortunate statues.

  "I hope you can come to Lakeport for Thanksgiving," said Nan. "Wehave done so much visiting this summer, out to Aunt Sarah's and downhere, mamma feels we ought to have a grand reunion at our house next.If we do, I am going to try to have some of the country girls down andgive them all a jolly good time."

  "Oh, I'll come if you make it jolly," answered Dorothy. "If there isone thing in this world worth while, it is fun," and she tossed heryellow head about like a buttercup, that has no other way of laughing.

  That had been an eventful day at Ocean Cliff, and the happy ending ofit, with a boat and its crew saved, was, as some of the children said,just like a story in a book, only the pictures were all alive!

  The largest hotel at Sunset Beach was thrown open to the sailors thatnight, and here Captain Bingham and Mate McLaughlin, together with therest of the crew, took up comfortable lodgings.

  It was very late, long after the little party had scattered fromMinturn's piazza, that the sailors finished dancing their hornpipe forthe big company assembled to greet them in the hotel.

  Never had they danced to such fine music before, for the hotelorchestra played the familiar tune and the sailors danced it nimbly,hitching up first one side then the other--crossing first one leg thenthe other, and wheeling around in that jolly fashion.

  How rugged and handsome the men looked! The rough ocean winds hadtanned them like bronze, and their muscles were as firm and strongalmost as the cables that swing out with the buoys. The wonderfulfresh air that these men lived in, night and day, had brightened theireyes too, so that even the plainest face, and the most awkward manamong them, was as nimble as an athlete, from his perfect exercise.

  "And last night what an awful experience they had!" remarked one ofthe spectators. "It is no wonder that they are all so happyto-night."

  "Besides," added someone else, "they are all going to receive extragood pay, for the captain and mate will be very rich when the cargo islanded."

  So the sailors danced until they were tired, and then after a splendidmeal they went to sleep, in as comfortable beds as might be found inany hotel on Sunset Beach.