CHAPTER XXIII--"EVERY INCH A MAN"
"She's a-goner!" shouted Bill, at the wheel.
"Steady!" cried Tom, at the lever.
The sounds of excitement and alarm among the passengers still aboard the_Olivia_ and her crew told of a state of new distress and terror. Thelaunch, now at a safe distance from either tug or steamer, was instantlyput about.
"She can't hold many more," declared Bill.
"We can't see those people drown," responded Tom, and shut off thepower, while Bill tried to hold the launch steady.
Tom got a boathook and stood braced against the cabin, ready to giveassistance to any of three or four men he had seen leap overboardimmediately after the _Olivia_ had scuttled. His services were required,however, only in the case of one who was driven by a wave directly up tothe launch. The others managed to swim to the steam tug, and were liftedaboard readily by the crew over its low sides.
The captain of the _Olivia_ shouted out some quick orders. A cable camewhirling across the deck of the tug. It was caught fast at both ends, apulleyed davit was rigged, and the remaining passengers of the steamerslid along this. When the captain came last, Tom knew that the steamerhad been abandoned to her fate.
"It's all right," he called to Bill.
"Nobody lost?"
"I think not."
"Then it's Brookville for us."
"Yes, quick as you can make it, Bill."
The storm had somewhat subsided. The _Beulah_ struck a straight courseshorewards. Tom, glancing through the cabin window, observed that thelady passengers grouped there seemed quieted down and coherent.
The bulky man passenger with the life preservers had crawled to theshelter of the stern platform, and, wedging himself in between two rods,only occasionally shouted out some mad threat of a suit against thesteamship company.
The dock at Brookville was crowded by residents of the little town asthe _Beulah_ drove into comparatively smooth water in the coaling slip.Men with lanterns, and some women too, had braved the rain and wind,alarmed, and anxious to be helpful when the rumor had spread that asteamer was aground on Garvey Rocks.
Tom expressed a great sigh of relief as willing hands caught the cablehe threw to the dock. He shut off the power, and as he passed Bill, grimand business-like at his post of duty, he bestowed a hearty smackbetween the shoulders.
"Good boy!" he cried exuberantly.
Bill chuckled.
"Mean that?" he propounded.
"I certainly do."
"Some good, then, ain't I?"
"Bill Barber," cried Tom with genuine feeling, "you're pure gold allthrough, and every inch a man!"
The Barber boy thrust out his rough paw of a hand to grasp that of hiscomrade in a hearty grip.
"Tom Barnes," he said, choking up, and yet with the echo of a glad cheerin his tones, "I'd rather hear you say that than--than--yes, than evenget that eleven dollars and seventy-five cents Bert Aldrich owes me."
The door of the cabin opened, and Grace Morgan stood on its threshold.
"Have we landed, Tom?" she asked.
"Yes, Grace, safe and sound."
"Oh, how glad Aunt Bertha will be! What are we to do now, Tom?"
"You are to be taken in charge by a lot of kind people, it looks to me,"responded Tom.
"I will find out their plans, and let you know at once. Tell the ladiesthere is no need of their coming out in the rain until arrangements aremade for their comfort."
Tom clambered up to the dock. He had to answer a dozen questions in onebreath for as many excited persons eager for news.
Tom allayed the general suspense by expressing the conviction that allhands had been saved from the wreck. Then he gave full attention to abig man in a raincoat who seemed to be the spokesman of the community.
"Get the ladies to shelter," this individual ordered those at his side."We can find room for a couple of them up at our house."
"I'll go and get the covered 'bus," suggested one of his assistants.
"A good idea."
In two minutes' time the proffers of shelter exceeded the demand of theoccasion.
A fog whistle in the distance out at sea came floating in on the strongbreeze.
"That is the steam tug with the other passengers aboard," said the bigman.
"Yes, sir," responded Tom.
"How many, do you think?"
"Perhaps fifteen or twenty."
"They must be provided for," said the man. "There's the hotel. It's oldand rickety and don't accommodate half a dozen comfortably; but it'llgive them a roof, some kind of a shakedown, and a warm meal to bracethem up."
"How much the cost?" broke in a sudden voice, and the fat man with thelife preservers trundled into view.
"How much for what?" demanded the other, staring in astonishment at theodd figure the stout passenger made with his armor of cork lifepreservers.
"For lodging and meals. I won't pay much. Look at my clothes! Allsoaked,--and what of my baggage back on that pesky steamer? I won't berobbed! I'll sue everybody! I shan't pay a cent!"
"You won't have to," assured the man. "The hospitality of this towncomes free, gratis, for nothing, on such an occasion as this."
Tom told Bill of the arrangements in order, and then reported to Grace.He had never admired the little lady as much as now, as he noted herkindly soothing treatment of her nervously-unstrung aunt, her prettyobliging ways in seeing to the care of an old lady with a crutch and ayoung woman with a frightened child in her arms, as the 'bus drove up.
"Aunt Bertha is dreadfully nervous," she said to Tom. "She says she willabandon the trip entirely now, will never venture on the water again,and wants to get to Fernwood right away, for she knows she is going tobe ill."
"It is quite a trip to your home from here, Grace," explained Tom. "Imight get a vehicle somewhere, but the roads must be almost impassablein places, and the storm isn't over yet. If I were you, I would try andinduce your aunt to remain at Brookville till morning. I know you willboth be taken care of by these good people."
"I will try and console her to your opinion," responded Grace. She gavehim a bright look. "Oh, Tom," she cried, bursting girl-like into tearsof mingled pride and joy, "you have acted just--splendid!"
She seized both his hands in her own and smiled in grateful friendshipat him, as he helped her into the 'bus. Just then those on the dockbroke out into ringing cheers.
"The steam tug!" said Tom, noticing the craft approach.
There was the excitement of a new landing, eager questioning, rapidexplanations; and Bill, who had left the launch and mingled with thecrowd, approached Tom, smiling with good nature, his hands in hispockets, a certain element of pride and exaltation in his stride.
"Not a person lost," he reported in glad tones.
"The captain of the _Olivia_ is looking for you, and----"
"That's the lad," sounded the voice of the tug captain, and the man withhim who wore a cap with an official band of gold braid around it, seizedTom as if he feared he might run away from him.
"I want you," he said, his hearty grip catching Tom's arm. "Hey, where'sthat hotel you're going to stow us in?" he hailed to a villager.
"I'll pilot you there," was the prompt reply, and passengers and crew ofthe _Olivia_ followed the speaker from the dock over to an olddilapidated building that had been in its palmy days the hotel of theplace.
It was well lighted up, and warmed by two red hot iron stoves. It had animmense dining room, and into this the crowd was ushered, and gatheredshiveringly about the great heater in the center of the room. Adjoiningit was a small apartment which at one time had been an office. It had alight on a table and some chairs.
"Sit down," said the steamer captain. "My friend," he added, taking outa memorandum book and a pencil, "do you realize what you have done formy passengers and crew to-night?"
"How about my comrade, plucky Bill Barber?" inquired Tom, trying toevade the direct compliment.
"We'll come to him in the final settleme
nt, don't fret about that,"observed the captain definitely. "You got the message, you started thegrand old ball rolling that saved twenty lives!" exclaimed the excitedcaptain. "So the tug officer tells me. Now, then, a few questions.Name?"
Tom gave it, and replied in detail to other inquiries of his companion.In fact, before the captain had concluded the inquisition he hadgathered from Tom and jotted down the main facts of a prettycircumstantial account of the start and finish of the rescue.
"I shall telegraph the outlines of the case at once to headquarters,"said the steamer captain. "I shall follow it up with the written reportof your share in the affair. You will hear from the company in a verysubstantial way, count on that, young man. Wait here a few minutes."
The speaker left Tom and went into the big room beyond where the rescuedmale passengers and crew of the _Olivia_ were gathered. He closed thedoor after him, but Tom caught the echo of many voices in animateddiscussion. He even made out the cackling, complaining tones of the manwith the life preservers.
When the captain came out he placed in Tom's hands a roll of banknotes.
"Hold on----" began Tom.
"No, you do the holding on, young man," interrupted the captaincheerfully. "That's a little heart-to-heart acknowledgment from thecrowd in there, who wanted to cheer you, but they might scare thenatives. Oh, by the way--I came near cheating you. Here's a part of thecontribution."
The speaker burst into a rollicking roar of laughter as he placed inTom's hand a nickel. Tom smiled inquiringly.
"From the old fat fellow with the life preservers," explained thecaptain.
"Oh," said Tom, amused, "I understand."
"Good-by, Barnes," said the captain, grasping Tom's hand till he winced."I wish I had a boy like you."
"You will thank those gentlemen for their kindness?" asked Tom.
"Oh, they're the grateful ones," declared the captain of the _Olivia_."I say, Barnes," he shouted, after waving adieu to Tom from the door ofthe hotel, "look out for that nickel. It may be real."
Tom hurried to the dock. He found Bill getting the launch ready for thereturn trip. The storm had almost passed over by this time.
"Is it home, Tom?" inquired Bill.
"Right away," assented the young wireless operator, "and the sooner thebetter. I have some work at the tower before me."
"They are going to start back with the tug for Garvey rocks, I heardthem say," remarked Bill, as the _Beulah_ got under way. "They may beable to do something with her, at least save something."
Tom did not talk much on the journey back to the pier. His mind and hisheart were both full. He had so much to commend his loyal comrade for,that he did not wish to spoil it by not choosing just the right time,and saying just the right words to impress Bill with a sense of hisunaffected worthiness.
Bill insisted on taking him clear down to Sandy Point. When Tom landed,he remarked:
"If you're not going home, Bill, I'd like to see you at the station fora little while."
"Oh, I'm not going home," responded the Barber boy. "There's that elevendollars and seventy-five cents to get from that measly cad, BertAldrich, you know; and I'm going to stick till I catch him."
"Forget that, Bill," advised Tom. "We have about taken out that elevendollars and seventy-five cents in use of the _Beulah_. You come down tothe tower, as I say. I've got something better than eleven dollars andseventy-five cents to interest you in."
"Have?" propounded Bill, in his rough blunt way. "What is it, now?"
"You come and see."
"All right."
"That fellow has a grand streak in him," ruminated Tom, as the _Beulah_sped on its course and he made for the station. "He doesn't seem to havethe least conception of his heroic bravery, and never thinks of reward.I'll give him a surprise."
Tom set at work the minute he reached the tower. He sent messages to thelife-saving station, briefly detailing the event of the night, and aroutine report to headquarters. Then he took out the roll of bills thecaptain of the _Olivia_ had given him.
"One hundred and ninety dollars," counted Tom,--"and five cents. There,that's Bill's share," and he set aside one hundred dollars. "The nickelwe'll nail up on the wall."
"Why, what's all that money?" inquired the Barber boy, when he came intothe tower an hour later.
"This little heap," replied Tom, placing in Bill's lap a pile ofbanknotes, "is yours."
"Mine?" exclaimed Bill in a gasp, staring at the money in wonder.
"Yours--one hundred dollars! It is your share of a testimonial given usby the passengers and crew of the _Olivia_," and Tom explained theincident of his interview with the steamer captain at the Brookvillehotel.
A pathetic look came into Bill Barber's eyes. He looked at the money andgasped. He glanced up at Tom and his lips twitched.
"One hundred dollars!" he said slowly, impressively; "a whole onehundred dollars, and mine! I can get a new suit--why, Tom, I can buy abulldog now, a real bulldog. Oh, crackey!"
Bill looked again at Tom. His tone changed, a queer longing expressioncame into his face. His voice broke.
"Tom Barnes," he said huskily, "it's a heap of a fortune to me, but,more than the money is what you said to-night--that I was pure gold,that I was--was every inch a man! Tom, it's too much--oh, it, it's allcome on me like a burst of glory!"
And Bill Barber broke down utterly, and bawled like a baby.