Captain of the Crew

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  TREVOR IS COMFORTED

  It was an hour short of sunset when Trevor awoke. The room wasdarkened, but now and then the curtain at the open window was stirredby the languorous breeze and admitted a broad bar of sunlight whichlengthened across the floor and was gone again as the curtain fell backinto place. The hotel was almost silent, though at intervals the hum ofvoices came subduedly to the boy in the bed, and at times he caught theclatter of dishes.

  For many minutes he lay quiet. Everything was very peaceful andsoothing, and he closed his eyes once more, but only to reopen them ashis mind took up his work again. Where was he and how came he there?It wasn’t his room at Hillton; this wasn’t his narrow iron bed; thewall-paper was all wrong; the carpet was different, and the windowwas entirely out of place. And then, too, it was much too big, thishigh-ceilinged, square apartment. He raised himself on his elbow andexamined his surroundings. He was quite alone, but on a small tablebeside him were two tumblers half full of something, a pitcher, twosilver spoons, and a watch.

  He reached forth and drew the latter toward him. It was his own, andits hands indicated twenty after six. His gaze roamed about the roomand fell upon a pair of canvas rowing shoes. Then memory returned,and he sank back upon the pillow with a groan, closing his eyes andmoving his head restlessly from side to side as his thoughts went backover the day’s events. He remembered the awful period in the boat; itseemed now as he looked back upon it as though it must have been hoursand hours, though he knew that from the time of starting until he hadplunged into the river but five or six minutes could have elapsed; heremembered a world of green, silent water about him, a brief glare ofblue sky and flashing sunlight, many faces bending above him, and then,but very indistinctly, a man with gray mustaches who raised him up andmade him swallow something.

  He was rather tired and listless now, but his headache was gone andhis fever had passed away, and--yes, he felt pretty well. Perhaps hehad best get up and dress himself; it would soon be time to return toHillton. If only some one would come and tell him. But of course no onecared much about him now; how could they? It was natural that he shouldbe left alone, he who had lost the race for Hillton. He sighed andclenched his hands above the white spread. What must they think of him?His cheeks reddened at the thought of facing Dick and Kirk and all theothers. Of course, Dick would make light of it, and he was sure thatKirk would carefully abstain from saying anything to hurt his feelings;and perhaps the other fellows would be very decent about it. But intheir hearts they must hate him; it was only natural. He was glad thatthe school year was almost over; perhaps next year it would be partlyforgotten; perhaps he needn’t return to Hillton at all!

  Suddenly, from a little distance, came a sound of noisy laughter. Hefrowned. How could any one laugh, he wondered indignantly. The thoughtcame to him that maybe some one down there had spoken his name, and hefelt his face burning hotly with shame. He turned over and laid hishead on his arm and closed his eyes wearily. He wished Muggins wasthere. It was very still again. A long tremor shook him and he felt atiny scorching tear roll down his cheek. He brushed it away quickly,but another took its place, and still another, and presently, while thesunlight moved from the western window, he fell asleep again.

  When next he woke the room was in twilight darkness, although thecurtain had been rolled away from the open window. There were twofigures by the little table, and he heard low voices:

  “Is he awake?”

  “I guess not. It’s time for his medicine, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, shall I wake him?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s wait a minute or two.”

  The figures moved across the room and darkened the square of thecasement. Trevor laid very still; perhaps they would go away again ifhe feigned sleep. He could hear them conversing softly, but couldn’tdistinguish their words because--because there was such a noiseoutside! What was it? He could hear shouting and sometimes the blareof a band. It must be at the front of the hotel. St. Eustace wascelebrating her victory probably, and Hillton’s defeat! He groaned andtossed an arm despairingly. One of the figures turned and walked towardhim.

  “Awake, Trevor?”

  It was Dick’s voice. For a moment Trevor was silent; then he answeredwith a sigh:

  “Yes.”

  The second figure came and leaned over him and he saw that it was Kirk.

  “How are you feeling now, chum?” asked Dick, with all the old affectionin his voice. Trevor felt his eyes growing moist, and he had to gulptwice before he could answer.

  “All right, Dick; I think I can get up now.”

  “Get up! Indeed, you’ll not. You’re to stay here to-night, and I’mgoing to stay with you. The others are getting ready to go back now;can you hear them?”

  “Let’s see what the boy looks like,” said Kirk. “I’ll light the gas andgive him his medicine.”

  “Don’t, please don’t!” cried Trevor. It was all so much easier in thedarkness.

  “All right,” Kirk answered cheerfully. “I dare say it would hurt youreyes. But here’s the stuff. Open your mouth.”

  Trevor obeyed, and after several misadventures the medicine wasadministered. Dick had seated himself on the side of the bed and hadtaken one of the other lad’s hands in his own.

  “Trevor.”

  “Yes?”

  “A length and a third, old chap!”

  Trevor sighed, and then, “I--I suppose it might have been worse, Dick?”

  “Worse?” cried Dick. “What are you talking about? Why, we’re awfullyproud of it, every one of us! Aren’t we, Mr. Kirk?”

  “Yes, and we have good cause, I think. It was magnificent!”

  “And, Trevor,” went on Dick in tones so full of happiness that Trevorwondered, “all the fellows want you to hurry up and get well; and weall cheered you at dinner till the plaster nearly fell on us!”

  “Cheered me!” whispered Trevor. “Cheered me, Dick? Do you mean--do youmean that they--that you all forgive me?”

  “Forgive you? What for? Because you were the pluckiest of any of us anddid the brainiest sort of thing when you jumped overboard?”

  “Because--oh, Dick, don’t you see? If I hadn’t been so bull-headed itwouldn’t have happened; if I’d owned up that I wasn’t feeling wellyou could have put another fellow in. But I heard Mr. Kirk tellingabout some fellow who had the fever and how it left him at noon; andI thought mine would, too; and so I went ahead, and--and it didn’tgo away, but got worse every minute; I was all silly in my head.And--don’t you see, Dick, if I’d done right we wouldn’t have beenbeaten?”

  There was a moment’s silence. Then--

  “He doesn’t know!” said Kirk softly.

  “By Jove!” whispered Dick. “Of course he doesn’t; how could he?Thunder, how stupid of me!” He laughed softly, happily. “Trevor, oldchap, we weren’t beaten! Don’t you understand? We won!”

  There was a second brief silence. Then--

  “Won!” breathed Trevor, incredulously.

  “Yes, by a length and a third. I told you, don’t you remember? But youdidn’t understand.”

  “You--you’re just saying it to--to make me feel better,” doubted Trevor.

  “No, honestly, chum; we won. Mr. Kirk will tell you.”

  “Yes, Nesbitt, we won finely; there’s no doubt about that. Listen.”

  From below, through the open window, came the martial strains of aband; Trevor recognized the tune; it was “Hilltonians.” And then,faintly but distinctly, came a hoarse voice:

  “Now, fellows! Once more! Three times three for Hillton!”

  The music was blotted out by a mighty cheer that arose to the starlitsky in a roar of triumph. Trevor was glad of the darkness, for therewere tears in his eyes that threatened every moment to overflow; butthey were tears of happiness, and somehow those didn’t count.

  “And--and they don’t mind that I--that I did what I did?” whisperedTrevor. “They don’t hate me for it, Dick?”

&
nbsp; “Hate you!” cried Dick. “Hark!”

  Through the casement, a gray rectangle of twilight, the strained voiceof the leader again floated:

  “Now, fellows! Fellows! Once more for Nesbitt, and all together!One--two----”

  And while the hoarse, joyful cheers responded, and the bass-drumthumped triumphantly, Trevor, with his hand tightly clasped in Dick’s,laid his head back very contentedly upon the pillow.

  THE END