Dorothy's Travels Part 6

Take plenty. There's no stinting on Captain Murray's good ship though a lot of cast-iron rules that one must never break. Hark! There's Melvin's toot again! There must be a great crowd on board, if all haven't come to get their seats here yet. Now we'll interview our women folk and see how they're faring."

Munching their crackers and cheese the girls hurried to "Number Thirteen," the only stateroom on the promenade deck which Miss Rhinelander had been able to secure for her cousin Isobel and Dorothy; and though she had held her peace concerning it Miss Greatorex had inwardly revolted against this "unlucky" number.

But it was in fact among the very best on that small steamship. It's door opening directly upon the deck so that after retiring one could lie and watch the stars and breathe the pure air of the sea. Also, her short sojourn in it was to do her much good physically. Even now, when Molly and Dorothy peeped in they saw her sitting upright, drinking a cup of tea and chatting with the stewardess as calmly as usual.

At sight of Dorothy, however, she promptly dismissed the attendant and bade the girl enter and explain everything that had happened after her disappearance from the "Mary Powell."

Molly made a grimace, and Dolly sighed. Repet.i.tion of unpleasant things made them doubly disagreeable, and she now longed to enter into the Judge's spirit and feel that this was happy holiday. She cut the tale as short as she could; listened meekly to Miss Isobel's reproofs; waited upon that fidgetty person with admirable patience; and with equal patience received all the many instructions as to "suitable conduct"

during their whole journey. When the final word had been said, and she had been told that no other "allowance" could be hers until "advices"

had been received from Miss Rhinelander, and that she must report every cent expended, she ventured to cut the "lecture" also short, by kneeling in the little aisle between their berths and kissing her guardian's hand with the pet.i.tion:

"Please forgive me, dear Miss Greatorex, for all the worry I gave you. I will be good. I will be 'prudent,' I will remember--everything--if only you'll say you'll love me just the same again!"

Miss Isobel was touched. In her heart she was very fond of Dorothy and grateful to her, on account of her bravery that night of the fire. But she felt it beneath her dignity to show this fondness openly, and answered more coldly than she felt:

"Certainly, it would be unworthy in me to harbor ill will against anybody. But I trust you will give me no further annoyance. Rise, please; and there is Molly. Thank you, Miss Breckenridge, I am much better. It was but a momentary weakness to which I yielded. Please make my regards to your father for his courteous messages of regret. Yes, Dorothy, you may go with your friend for a walk on the deck. I will join you very soon."

"Hope she won't, mean old thing!" grumbled Molly, under her breath.

"She's one of the plans that didn't go right. Instead of darling Miss Penelope with her sweet mother-ways to have the 'Grater' forced on us this way is too bad. I know Papa and Auntie Lu aren't pleased with her either, though they're too polite to say so."

"O, Molly, don't! I was bad, I can't deny it and I deserve to have her stiff and cross with me. I don't believe she's half so vexed as she seems but she doesn't think it's 'proper' to let me know how thankful she is I wasn't really lost. Folks can't help being themselves, anyway; else I'd be a perfectly angelic sort of a girl, and be it quick! Hark!

Those bells!"

"Yes, honey, let me tell you! Papa just told me. That's four o'clock, 'eight bells.' In half an hour it'll strike once. At five will strike twice. Every half hour one more stroke till at the end of four hours it'll be eight bells again. That's the beginning and the end of a 'watch.' A 'watch' is four hours long and the sailors change off then, one lot comes from 'duty' and another lot 'stand' theirs. Isn't it odd and interesting? Oh! I think being on shipboard is just too lovely for words! And aren't we going to have a glorious time after all?"

"Oh! Molly, I hope so. Course I think it's splendidly interesting, too, if I could get over feeling so ashamed of myself and my foolishness. I don't like to go near your father for he must think I have been horrid.

I don't know how I can ever pay him back the money he spent hiring folks to hunt for me, and the trouble I gave him--oh! dear! Why didn't I let that old 'shiny man' go and not try to follow him!"

"Give it up Dolly Doodles. Reckon you happened to value that five dollars more than you did us, just about then. And you might as well have 'let him go' since he went anyhow and our precious purses with him.

Now, honey, you quit. Don't you say another single word of what _has_ happened but let's just think of all the nice things that _are going_ to happen. Ah! Hold up your head, put on all your 'style,' make yourself as pretty as you can, for here comes that adorable young bugler and he's perfectly enchanting! Oh! I do so love boys! Don't you?"

"Molly Breckenridge, stop making me giggle. He'll think we're laughing at him and I don't like to hurt anybody's feelings."

"My dear innocent! You couldn't hurt his. Why, Papa says that all the pa.s.sengers try to make a pet of that sweet youth, so he knows he's all right no matter who laughs. The trouble is he'll never speak to anybody if he can help it and unless it happens to be his duty. Sailors are great for 'duty,' you know. But did you ever see such funny clothes?"

The girls continued their walk around the deck, the bugler pa.s.sed them by, unseeing--apparently; and quoth mischievous Molly:

"I'm going to get acquainted with that Melvin before we leave this ship, see if I don't! I believe he has a lot of fun in him, if he wasn't afraid of his 'duty.' Papa said he was the only son of his mother and their home is at Yarmouth. Papa met her last summer when he stopped there for a few weeks' fishing. I'll make him understand I'm my father's daughter; you see!"

"Molly Breckenridge, you'll do nothing to disgrace that father, understand me too. Here comes 'Number Eight.' Isn't he funny?"

To their unaccustomed eyes the sailor's clothing did look odd. The Judge had explained to Molly that these "numbered" officials were recognized by their numbers only. That they acted in various capacities; as table-waiters, and especially as "chamber maids." Each "number" had his own section of staterooms to attend, each one his especial table to serve in the dining saloon.

In a natural reaction from their anxiety of the earlier day the spirits of both girls had risen proportionately. They were ready to see humor in everything and poor Number Eight came in for his share of absurd comment, when he had pa.s.sed out of hearing.

"He's such a big, red-faced, red-haired man, and his jacket is so little. Looks as if his arms and shoulders had just been squeezed into it by some machine. Did you notice his monstrous trousers? Enough in them to piece out the jacket, I should think, and never be missed. All these Numbers are dressed alike; little bit o' coaties, divided skirts for panties, and such dudish little caps! Who wouldn't be a sailor on the bright blue sea, if he could wear clothes cut that fashion? 'A life on the ocean wave,'" she quoted. "'A home on the rolling deep--'"

"'Where the scattered waters rave. And the winds their revels keep. The wi-i-inds their r-r-r-ev-el-s-s k-e-e-e-ep!'" A rich voice had caught the burden of Molly's song and finished it with an absurd flourish.

"Now, Papa!" cried the girl, facing suddenly about. So suddenly, indeed, that she collided with an unseen somebody, slipped on the freshly washed boards, and fell at her victim's feet. A bugle shot out from under his arm and banged against the deck-rail; but before he recovered that Melvin had stooped, said "Allow me!" and helped Molly up again. Then he lifted his cap, picked up his bugle, and proceeded on his way without so much as another word.

Molly stared after him, blushing and mortified, shaking her tiny fist toward his blue-uniformed back, and remarking:

"Huh! Master Melvin! I'd just declared I'd get acquainted with you but I didn't mean to do it in quite that way!"

Maybe, too, her chagrin would have been deeper could she have seen the amused expression of the young bugler's face; and again she observed--to Dorothy as she supposed:

"Anyhow, if you'd been a gentleman, a real gentleman-boy, you'd have stopped to ask if I was hurt. Huh! you're terribly 'sot up' and top-lofty, just because you wear a uniform and toot-ti-ti-toot on little tin-horn kind of a thing that I could play myself, if I wanted to. Don't you think so, Papa and Dolly? Wasn't it horrid of him to trip me up that way and make me look so silly? Why don't you answer, one of you?"

She turned the better to see "why," and found herself gazing into the stern countenance of Captain Murray. That strict gentleman had recently been annoyed by the "skylarking" of girlish pa.s.sengers who had tried "flirting" with his "boys" and was bent upon preventing any further annoyance of that sort.

"Your father has gone forward to meet your ailing friend and the little girl is with him. I would advise you to join them."

That was all the reproof he administered, but it was sufficient to make Molly Breckenridge flush scarlet again, and this time with anger against the skipper. She hurried to "join" the others who had met Miss Greatorex and exclaimed with great heat:

"I just detest that horrid stiff Captain! He looked--he believed I tumbled against that precious bugler of his just on purpose! I wish I need never see either one of them again or hear that wretched thing toot!"

She could not then foresee how important a part in her own life that "toot" was yet to play; nor was the laughter with which her outburst was received very comforting.

CHAPTER V

MOONLIGHT AND MIST ON THE SEA

However and despite her declaration to the contrary it was a most welcome "toot" which sounded along the deck and announced to the hungry voyagers that dinner was served; and Molly was among the first to spring up and hurry her father tableward.

"Seems as if I'd never had anything to eat in all my life!" she exclaimed. "Come on, Dolly Doodles, _you_ must be actually famished."

"I am pretty hungry," admitted Dorothy; but mindful now of her recent resolve to do everything as Miss Greatorex would have her, she waited until that lady rose from her steamer chair, gathered her wraps about her, and anxiously inquired of Mrs. Hungerford:

"Will it be safe to leave my rug behind? or should I carry it with me to table?"

"Oh! leave it, by all means. There's none too much room below and I never worry about my things. Lay it on your chair and that will prove to anybody who comes along that your especial seat is 'reserved.' I'm leaving mine, you see;" answered the more experienced traveler, wondering if Miss Isobel's nervousness would not prove a most unpleasant factor in their vacation fun. Also thinking that she had too readily given consent to Molly's written plea: that Dorothy and a teacher should be invited to join them on this trip.

Because there had been some question as to where the girl should pa.s.s the long vacation. Deerhurst would not be open, even if Mrs. Calvert had expressed any desire for a visit from Dorothy, which she had not. The old gentlewoman was to spend that season at the White Sulphur Springs, whither she had been in the habit of going during many years; and where among other old aristocrats she queened it at their own exclusive hotel.

The mountain cottage would, of course, be in the hands of the Martin family, and Mother Martha had not approved Dorothy's coming to Baltimore and pa.s.sing the heated term there with herself. Indeed, deep in the little woman's heart was a resentment against the unknown benefactor who was now supporting her adopted child and sending her to such an expensive school. As she complained to the aged relative with whom she now lived:

"I feel, Aunt Chloe, that I've been meanly treated. I've had all the care of Dorothy through her growing up and having the measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, and all the other children's diseases. I've sewed for her, and washed and ironed for her, and taught her all the useful things she knows; yet now, just as she is big enough to be some company and comfort--off she's s.n.a.t.c.hed and I not even told by whom. I doubt if John knows, either, though he won't say one way or other, except that 'it's all right and he knows it.' So I say I shan't worry; and I wouldn't think it right, anyway, for her to come down south if only this far after being north for so long."

Seth Winters had not come back to his beloved mountain, so that she could not go to him; and the only thing that was left was to go to her father at his Sanitorium or remain with Miss Rhinelander.

Neither of these plans was satisfactory. Father John did not want her to pa.s.s her holidays in an atmosphere of illness; and Miss Rhinelander craved freedom and rest for herself. There were still extensive repairs to be made to the Academy and she wished to superintend them.

Finally, Molly Breckenridge had taken the matter in hand with the result related; and with the one unlooked for feature, the presence of Miss Greatorex where Miss Penelope had been desired.