The Coming Wave; Or, The Hidden Treasure of High Rock by Oliver Optic (books to improve english txt) 📖

boats had brought ashore after landing the passengers, was conveyed by the wagon to the hotel. In less than an hour, the guests were all comfortable and happy.[Pg 233]

Mr. Bennington was on the jump all the time, and so was Leopold. The landlady, who was also the cook, was "spreading herself" to the utmost upon the dinner. They all knew that the success of the house depended in a very great measure upon the satisfaction given to these wealthy and influential guests. The landlord, however, knew better than to waste his strength upon mere "style," for he could not expect to equal that to which his present patrons were all accustomed at home. He wanted the best of meats and vegetables, well cooked, and served hot. He knew very well that a teaspoonful of string beans, mashed potato, stewed tomato, or green peas, in a miniature dish, placed before a guest after it had been standing half an hour on the pantry table, was not eatable; and he governed himself accordingly.

At dinner the guests appeared modestly dressed, and it would have been difficult to identify in them the bundles of water-proofs, shawls, and overcoats which had landed at the wharf. Leopold had put on a "biled shirt," as he called it, and dressed himself in his best clothes. To[Pg 234] him was assigned the duty of waiting upon Mr. Hamilton and his family. In his "store clothes" Leopold was a good-looking fellow, and he was remarkably attentive to the wants of Miss Rosabel.

The dinner proceeded satisfactorily to the new guests, as to the old ones. Dr. Heilenwinder declared that the soup was marvellously good; and when he learned that Mrs. Bennington, who made it was a German by birth, its excellence was explained to him.

The fog and rain continued for three days, and the ladies of the party hardly ventured out of the house. The bowling alleys and billiard tables were in constant use, and every evening, in the large hall connected with the hotel, there was a dance, to which Mr. Hamilton invited many of the town's people. It was fun and frolic from morning till midnight; and no party weather-bound in a hotel ever enjoyed themselves more.

The fourth day was bright and pleasant.

[Pg 235]

CHAPTER XIII. THE EXCURSION TO HIGH ROCK.

The yacht party which had come to Rockhaven in the Orion, in spite of the fog and the rain, appeared to be very happy. If they were aristocratic in the metropolis, they were not so in their summer resort. Though the party was large enough to enable them to "have a good time" without any assistance from outside of the hotel, they invited many of the people of Rockhaven to join them in their indoor amusements. As Mr. Hamilton was a native of the town, he was quite at home there, though he had been absent from his boyhood. In addition to the dancing, the billiards, and the bowling, one of the gentlemen of the party was an elocutionist, and gave several "readings" in the parlor. A celebrated writing-master, who was a guest at the hotel, gave an exhibition of[Pg 236] his sleight of hand tricks, in which he was almost as skillful as in the use of his pen. At the end of the third day it was voted that, in spite of the weather, the party had enjoyed themselves to the utmost. Mr. Bennington and Leopold were unremitting in their efforts to make the guests comfortable and happy.

But in spite of the enjoyment within doors, the New Yorkers were glad to see the sun shine again. For the first time since their arrival they were permitted to gaze upon the rugged and beautiful scenery of the island. They were delighted with the cliffs, and with the views from them. Most of the party spent the day in rambling about the town and in climbing the rocks; but the younger members of it insisted upon something more exciting. When Leopold carried their coffee to Rosabel and her friend Isabel Peterson, at the breakfast table, he found them very much excited. They were talking together with a furious enthusiasm, though there was to be no wedding, or even a grand ball.

"We want to go to High Rock right off after breakfast," said Rosabel; and it appeared that[Pg 237] the high spirits of the young ladies were produced simply by the anticipation of this excursion.

"In the Rosabel?" asked Leopold.

"Yes, certainly," answered Miss Hamilton.

"I will be ready for you," added the skipper.

"High Rock is such a delightful place!" exclaimed Rosabel, turning to Isabel again. "I went there twice last summer; and I never enjoyed myself so much as I did in climbing the rocks, and looking out upon the ocean. I want you to see the place at once, Belle."

"I shall be delighted to go, especially if we are to sail in the Rosabel," replied Miss Peterson. "Isn't it a nice thing to have a boat named after you!"

"Of course it is a very great honor," laughed Rosabel, as she shook back the affluence of wavy auburn locks which fell upon her shoulders. "Leopold is a real good fellow."

"He is a very good-looking fellow, too," added Isabel, in a lower tone. "His face is handsome, and if he were only dressed in good style, he would be magnificent."[Pg 238]

"I think he is nice now," said Rosabel, candidly, and without a blush, for the little beauty was conscious of nothing but a kindly regard for the landlord's son.

"He doesn't talk a bit country, and isn't clumsy and awkward, like many young fellows away from the city."

"His manners are as pleasant as those of any young man I ever met. Do you know, Belle, he speaks German?"

"What, Leopold!"

"He knows how to speak it a great deal better than I do, though he never studied it in school, as I have for two years."

Leopold had left the dining-room for a moment, so that he did not hear any of this conversation, and therefore had no idea how well he stood in the estimation of these young ladies. Of course they did not intend that he should know; and the next remark of Isabel, to the effect that she wished he was not a "waiter," would certainly have hurt his feelings. Leopold had gone into the office, where he found a boy waiting for a chance to set up pins in the bowling alley, whom he sent for Stumpy, with[Pg 239] directions for him to have the Rosabel ready immediately for the excursion to High Rock. Stumpy often went with him, and, as he intended to wear his good clothes on the trip, he wanted his help on this occasion.

As soon as breakfast was finished, Leopold was ready. His passengers were to be Rosabel, Isabel, and Charley Redmond, a young man of seventeen, and the son of one of the New Yorkers in the party. The sloop was all ready when they reached the river. Stumpy had hoisted the mainsail, and hauled her up where the passengers could embark without difficulty.

"Why, she is a real nice boat!" exclaimed Isabel, as she seated herself in the standing-room.

"I told you she was," replied Rosabel.

"Quite nobby," added Charley Redmond, with a patronizing tone, as he adjusted his eye-glasses, for he was either near-sighted, or fancied that the glasses added to his dignity and importance. "I dare say this rustic is quite a boatman."

"He may be a rustic, but he is not so green as you are, Charley Redmond," added Isabel, indignantly; but she spoke for her friend rather than for herself.[Pg 240]

The "rustic" did not hear any of these remarks, for after helping the girls to their seats, he had gone to cast off the cable which Stumpy was hauling in. But Leopold did not like Charley Redmond, for the young gentleman was a person of ten times as much importance, in his own estimation, as his father. He was supercilious, and, unlike the rest of the party, looked down upon the boatman, and everybody else in the town.

"Of course you couldn't expect much of a fellow down here," added Charley.

"He knows twice as much as you do," retorted Isabel, as the skipper took his place at the helm, thus putting an end to the conversation.

"Now shove her off, Stumpy," said Leopold.

"Stumpy!" ejaculated Charley, with a laugh. "That's a romantic name."

"His name is Stumpfield Wormbury," Leopold explained. "He is a first-rate fellow."

"No doubt of it," sneered the New Yorker, who was not a good specimen of his genus, and could not appreciate such a "good fellow," with his brown face and coarse clothes.[Pg 241]

"He don't like his nickname very well, and when he objected to it, years ago, the fellows began to call him 'Wormy.' He couldn't stand that, and is satisfied now to be called 'Stumpy.'"

"Stumpy is better than Wormy," added Charley Redmond.

"Hoist the jib," said Leopold.

The Rosabel went off with a brisk breeze, at a speed which immediately rekindled the enthusiasm of the girls; and, to prolong the sail, Leopold stood off into the bay, going around a small rocky island, a mile from the light-house.

"It's rather rough out here," said Charley Redmond, when the sloop began to dance and leap on the waves thrown up by the fresh north-west wind.

"It's delightful!" exclaimed Isabel; "isn't it, Rose?"

"I think so, Belle; I enjoy it above all things."

"But the boat is rather small," suggested Charley, as a cloud of spray dashed over the bow.

"So much the better," added Rosabel.

When the sloop was a mile from the shore,[Pg 242] where the water was not sheltered by the high cliffs, the white caps lighted up the bay, and it was very lively sailing. The Rosabel, close-hauled, pitched smartly, and the spray soon drenched Stumpy, who, presuming not to intrude himself into the presence of the New Yorkers in the standing-room, remained upon the half-deck. Mr. Redmond was not willing to own it, but he was actually frightened, as Leopold could see by the way he started when the boat pitched, and by the energy with which he held on to the washboard.

"I don't know that I like this very well," said he, at last, with a sort of shudder.

"It's perfectly splendid," exclaimed Belle.

"Elegant," added Rosabel.

"I will come about whenever you wish, Miss Hamilton," said Leopold.

"O, no, not yet," protested Isabel.

"I think it is about time," put in Charley. "It is cold and wet."

The skipper enjoyed the starts and squirmings of the young gentleman. He had the boat perfectly in hand, though by this time she had all the wind she could stagger under. He knew very[Pg 243] well that the most exciting part of the sail was yet to come, for he would have the wind free as soon as he came about. If the girls had not been on board, he would have let the boat over far enough to take in a few buckets of water, for the especial benefit of Mr. Redmond. He knew just how much she would bear, and he could do it with entire safety; but he did not care to alarm his fair passengers. Having weathered the island, he let off the sheets a little. The Rosabel heeled over, and promptly increased her speed. The wind came in gusts, and now every flaw carried her down to the washboard. Mr. Redmond was more uneasy than ever, but the girls only shouted in the exuberance of their delight.

"I don't believe in this thing," said Charley, at last, when his nervousness overcame him.

"Are you afraid, Charley?" laughed Belle.

"Of course I'm not afraid—ugh!" he muttered, as the sloop heeled over till the waves threatened to invade the standing-room.

"You are afraid Charley."

"I'm not afraid; but I don't think it is safe. I've been in boats enough to know that this[Pg 244] isn't the way to do the thing. Why don't you lower one of the sails, Leopold?"

"What for?" asked the skipper quietly.

"You will upset the boat!" gasped Charley.

"No danger of that."

"But I know there is: I have been in boats before," protested Charley.

"If the ladies wish me to reef the mainsail, I will do so," said Leopold.

"O, no; don't, don't, Leopold!" cried Belle. "I think this is just lovely."

"Fun alive—isn't it?" chimed in Rosabel. "It would spoil it all to reef."

"If we only had a man with us, it would be another thing," groaned Mr. Redmond, with a shudder, as the boat went down to her washboard again.

"I think I am strong enough to handle her," suggested Leopold.

"But you don't understand it," exclaimed the New Yorker, desperately.

"If you think you understand it