Molly Brown of Kentucky Part 14

It turned out that a Swedish vessel, the _Signy_, had been sighted thirteen miles off the Spanish port of Camarinas. She was signaled and ordered to take aboard the Kentuckians and land them. Explicit commands were given the captain of the _Signy_ that she was to land the young men immediately.

Kent and Jim were too glad to get off the submarine to care where they were being landed. They only hoped it was not in South America.

"Gug o o dud bub yack!" shouted Jim to the grinning crew of the German vessel.

The young lieutenant of the inquisitive mind made another note in his little book as the life boat from the Swedish ship bore the young men away.

They were very cordially received on board the _Signy_ but not allowed to stay a moment longer than was necessary. The ship steamed to within a few miles of the Spanish port, all the time being followed up by the submarine, then the boats were lowered again and Kent and Jim rowed to sh.o.r.e. They were given a good meal in the interim, however, one that they were most pleased to get, too, as black bread and canned stew had begun to pall on these favored sons of Kentucky.

"Where in the thunder is Camarinas?" queried Kent. "I know it is Spain, but is it north, south, east or west?"

"Well, I reckon it isn't east and that's about all I know."

It proved to be in the northwest corner and after some mix-ups, a person was found who could speak English. The American Consul was tracked, cablegrams were sent to Kentucky apprising their families of their safety, and at last our friends were on the train en route for Paris.

It was a long and circuitous journey, over and under and around mountains. They would have enjoyed it at any other time, but Kent was too uneasy about Judy to enjoy anything, and Jim was too eager to get in line to swat the Prussians, as he expressed it, to be interested in Spanish scenery. They traveled third cla.s.s as they had no intention of drawing too recklessly on their h.o.a.rded gold.

After many hours of travel by day and night, they finally arrived in Paris. It was eleven at night and our young men were weary, indeed. The hard benches of the third cla.s.s coaches had made their impression and they longed for sheets and made-up beds.

"A shave! A shave! My kingdom for a shave!" exclaimed Kent, as they stretched their stiffened limbs after tumbling out of the coach in the Gare de Sud.

"Don't forget I am a stranger in a strange land, so put me wise," begged Jim.

"I know a terribly cheap little hotel on Montparna.s.se and Raspail where we can put up, without even the comforts of a b.u.m home, but we can make out there and it is cheap. The _Haute Loire_ is its high sounding name, but it is not high, I can tell you."

"Well, let's do it. I hope there is some kind of a bath there."

"I trust so, but if there isn't, we can go to a public bath."

The Kentuckians were a very much dishevelled pair. They had purchased the necessary toilet articles at Camarinas, but sleeping for nights in suits in which they had already had quite a lengthy swim did not improve their appearance. The submariners had pressed their clothes after their ducking, but Jim's trousers had shrunk lengthways until he said he felt like Buster Brown, and Kent's had dried up the other way, so that in walking two splits had arrived across his knees.

"We look like tramps, but the _Haute Loire_ is used to our type. I don't believe we could get into a good hotel."

"Are you going to look up your girl--excuse me, I mean Miss Kean, before you replenish your wardrobe?"

"Why, yes, I must not wait a minute. I would like to do it to-night."

"To-night! Man, you are crazy! Get that alfalfa off your face first. One night can't get her into much trouble."

"Perhaps you are right. I am worn out, too, and a night's rest and a shave will do wonders for both of us."

Paris looked very changed to Kent. The streets were so dark and everything looked so sad, very different from the gay city he had left only a few weeks before. The _Haute Loire_ had not changed, though. It was the same little hospitable fifth cla.s.s joint. The madame received the exceedingly doubtful looking guests with as much cordiality as she would had they been the President of the Republic and General Joffre.

There were no baths that night, but tumbling into bed, our Kentuckians were lost to the world until the next day. What if the Prussians did fly over the city, dropping bombs on helpless noncombatants? Two young men who had been torpedoed; had floated around indefinitely in the Atlantic Ocean; had been finally picked up by the submarine that had done the damage; had remained in durance vile for several weeks on the submarine, resorting to Tutno to have any private conversation at all; and at last been transferred to a Swedish vessel and dumped by them on the northwest coast of Spain--those young men cared little whether school kept or not.

The bombs that dropped that night were nothing more than pop crackers to them. The excitement in the streets did not reach their tired ears.

Kent dreamed of Chatsworth and of taking Judy down to Aunt Mary's cabin so the old woman could see "that Judy gal" once more. Jim Castleman dreamed he swatted ten thousand Prussians, which was a sweet and peaceful dream to one who considered swatting the Prussians a privilege.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE CABLEGRAM.

"Tingaling, aling, aling! Phome a ringin' agin! I bet that's Mr. Paul,"

declared Caroline, the present queen of the Chatsworth kitchen. "I kin tell his ring ev'y time. I'm a goin' ter answer it, Miss Molly."

Molly, who was ironing the baby's cap strings and bibs (work she never trusted any one to do), smiled. It was one of Caroline's notions that each person had a particular way of ringing the telephone. She was always on the alert to answer the "phome," and would stop anything she was doing and tear to be first to take down the receiver, although it always meant that some member of the family must come and receive the message which usually was perfectly unintelligible to the willing girl.

The telephone was in the great old dining room, because, as Mrs. Brown said, every one would call up at meal time and if you were there, you were there. Molly followed Caroline to the dining room, knowing full well that she would be needed when once the preliminaries were over. She gathered the cap strings and bibs, now neatly ironed and ready for the trip to Wellington that she would sooner or later have to take.

Still no news from the _Hirondelle de Mer_, that is, no news from Kent.

The last boat load of sailors and pa.s.sengers had been taken up, but none of them could say for sure whether the two Kentuckians had been saved or not. One man insisted he had seen the submarine stop and take something or some one on board, but when closely questioned he was quite hazy as to his announcement. Jimmy Lufton had kept the cables hot trying to find out something. The Browns and Jim Castleman's sister had communicated with each other on the subject of the shipwrecked boys.

"'Low!" she heard Caroline mutter with that peculiarly m.u.f.fled tone that members of her race always seem to think they must a.s.sume when speaking through the telephone. "This here is Mrs. Brown's res-i-d-e-n-c-e!

Yessir! This here is Ca'line at the phome. Yessir! Miss Molly done made yo' maw eat her breakfus' in the baid. No, sir, not to say sick in the baid--yessir, kinder sick on the baid. Yessir! Miss Molly is a launderin' of the cap ties fer the baby. We is all well, sir, yessir.

I'll call Miss Molly."

Of course she hung up the receiver before Molly could drop her cap strings and reach the telephone.

"Oh, Caroline, why did you hang it up? Was it Mr. Paul?"

"Ya.s.sum! It were him. I done tole you I could tell his ring. I hung up the reception cause I didn't know you was so handy, an' I thought if I kep it down, it might was'e the phome somehow, while I went out to fetch you."

Molly couldn't help laughing, although it was very irritating for Caroline to be so intensely stupid about telephoning. Paul, knowing Caroline's ways, rang up again in a moment and Molly was there ready to get the message herself.

"Molly, honey, are you well? Is Mother well? How is the baby?"

"All well, Paul! Any news?"

"Good news, Molly!" Molly dropped all the freshly ironed finery and leaned against the wall for support. "A cablegram from Spain! Kent was landed there by the German submarine."

"Kent! Are you sure?"

"As sure as shootin'! Let me read it to you--'Safe--well, Kent.' Tell Mother as soon as you can, Molly, but go easy with it. Good news might knock her out as much as bad news. I'll be out with John as fast as his tin Lizzie can buzz us."

"Safe! Kent alive and well!"

Molly's knees were trembling so she could hardly get to her mother's room, where that good lady had been pretending to eat her breakfast in bed. Old Shep, standing by her bedside, had a suspiciously greasy expression around his mouth and was very busy licking his lips, which imparted the information to the knowing Molly that her mother's dainty breakfast had disappeared to a spot to which it was not destined by the two anxious cooks, Molly and Caroline.

"Molly, what is it? I heard the 'phone ring. Was it Paul?"

"Yes, Mother! Good news!"

Mrs. Brown closed her eyes and lay back on her pillows, looking so pale that Molly was scared. How fragile the good lady was! Her profile was more cameo-like than ever. These few weeks of waiting, in spite of the brave front she had shown to the world, had told on her. Could she stand good news any better than she could bad?