The Girl Scouts at Sea Crest Part 23

Along the gra.s.sy edge of Glimmer Lake it was only a short run to the life saving station and, just as they hoped, the genial captain sat outside, in his big, strong chair, smoking the faithful pipe.

"You can never guess where we have been, Captain?" Cleo began quickly, as the girls were able to flock about.

"Oh, yes I can," he replied to their surprise. "You been over to the island."

They were astonished. Who had told him in so short a time?

"How did you know?" asked Grace.

"Little bird," mumbled the captain. He did seem a trifle serious for him.

"Not the carrier pigeon?" asked Louise. "And you don't mind, do you Captain Dave?"

"We had no idea of going," Helen hurried to say, before the seaman could answer.

"So you got stranded?" he asked, as usual bringing his helpless pipe into play.

Then followed an account of the accident that ended in the precipitous visit to Luna Land.

"But who told you about it, Captain?" asked Grace once more.

"Kitty," he replied simply.

"Kitty saw us!" Margaret gasped. The surprise intended for Captain Dave had been diverted, it appeared.

"Yes, Kitty was there; but she saw what happened, as she explained it to me, and she knew you wouldn't stay long," explained the old sailor.

"But why didn't she speak to us?" pouted Cleo.

"Guess she thought it was safer to let you get off quietly as you got on," replied the Captain, and his deep set eyes wandered out over that familiar sea, although his audience wondered what ever he could see there to hold his attention after so many years of watching.

"I think she might have trusted us," said Helen, showing something like resentment.

"It likely was not that," the captain a.s.sured the girls. "She'd trust you, I'm sure, but she might not trust others," he finished mysteriously.

They seemed further than ever now from their purpose. The captain was rather reticent, though usually so genial, in fact, for the first time the scouts felt as if their visit might not be entirely welcome.

Could he be displeased with them? The language of their glances asked that question plainly.

"But we did have the awfulest time," Louise broke the awkward silence.

"Captain, it's lovely to sail, and our Blowell was like a sea queen, until we struck that sand bar, then she stuck like--like the Brooklyn Bridge, not a thing could move her. We did break a couple of oars trying to pry ourselves loose, but a sand bar is a mighty power when you hit it wrong side up," finished Louise, proud of her attempt to interest the rather silent captain.

"Anything wrong, Captain?" Grace asked, with her usual directness. "You look worried."

"Maybe I am a bit," he admitted. "But nothing very serious," and he made his pipe serve to emphasize the fact.

"Could we help you?" inquired Helen simply.

The old sea man smiled and reached over to pat her shoulders. She was sitting on the steps, and he sat just above in the hickory arm chair.

"I've been tryin' to figure out who might help me," he replied finally, "and I've about concluded you little girls would be as safe as anybody.

And queer thing, too--" he went on. "You're the first--who ever offered to help old Dave, though many a one _he_ has pulled out of that briny."

The girls moved closer to the hickory chair. Not one felt she could break that spell by speaking.

"But it will be quite a story," continued the captain, "and it is nigh on to eight bells now. Suppose you come around here this afternoon after your swim--no, best after dinner," he corrected himself. "The men have to eat on the stroke of twelve, then we have drill, and some government messages to explain--make it two-thirty," he said finally, "and we'll see what we can do."

CHAPTER XVII

A RELIC FROM THE ALAMEDA

EAGER for the captain's story every scout was on hand promptly at two-thirty. The captain dusted off the wooden settee, and pulled out all his chairs, for the True Treds were meeting as if in council.

"It's about Kitty," he began. "Of course, you have guessed that. But what set me on this course was the way you have made friends with that heedless one. Seems to me you would stick by her in a pinch."

"We surely would, Captain," spoke up Grace, and her voice had in it the ring of the familiar "Aye, aye, sir."

"Well, you see," went on the captain, "she's so queer, no one makes friends with her. But from the furst I was a'watchin' you 'uns, as they say at Old Point, and I was curious to see if she was going to scare you off, as she had done to all the others."

"I guess she tried," Louise could not refrain from interrupting, for the memory of Kitty's throw of the paste board box was still vivid.

"Yes, she tried, and she has told me how she plagued you, but accordin'

to Kitty you wouldn't quit."

"Not exactly quitters," ventured Cleo.

From his smile of approval it was plain the captain agreed with every interruption, and they seemed to whet his interest in the story he had undertaken to tell. He continued:

"Just noticin' and watchin' I says to myself, there is the very thing Kitty has always needed; girls, real live, jolly girls; and she ain't never had none."

He expressed himself more pathetically when he fell into the vernacular.

"No sir, she ain't never had none," he repeated. "Then along you come, just for the summer, and she tried every bl.u.s.terin' trick she could make use of to scare you off, to sort of bamboozle you, but you stick, and so, she's sort of givin' in. Especially since you befriended old Pete.

That won her sure."

"She told us that she appreciated that," said Cleo. "But it was only fun to drive him to the landing. Of course, he wouldn't hear of us driving around to the Point, from where he could more easily have gone across to the island."

"Now then, thinking all those things over, and puttin' two and two together, as you might say, I've sort of concluded to ask you to do something more. And I almost feel I know your answer," pursued the well-trained narrator.

"You surely must know it, Captain," Cleo a.s.sured him. "I am acting captain of this troop--the True Tred. I am really only troop leader for the summer, but the girls call me captain, and I can speak for every one here, I know, when I say, we will do our utmost to help you, or to fulfill any trust you may offer."

At this the True Treds arose, and quite seriously gave their salute. So impressed was old Captain Dave, that he also tilted himself out of his tip chair, and likewise saluted. No one smiled--they were now engaged in serious work as True Treds.

"That's fine," he said heartily. "I tell you my boys can't beat that at drillin'. I just wish I could get a girl's team working some day," he complimented. "Wouldn't wonder if you could do as well as some boys.