"Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks

une to meet a woman broken down, half mad, who dreamed day and night of her son drowning in the gray seas. He had surrounded her with doctors, trained nurses, massage-

sband watched to guard lest she should make the experiment. Of his own sorrow he spoke little - hardly realize

would instantly become his companion, partner, and ally, and there would follow splendid years of great works carried out together - the old head backing the young fire. Now his boy was dead - lost at sea, as it might have been a Swede sailor from one of Cheyne

riter, who was also a telegraphist, toiled along wearily from day to day. There was a war of rates among four Western railroads in which he was supposed to be interested; a deva

e sat limply, his soft black hat pushed forward on to his nose, his big body shrunk inside his loose clothes, staring at hi

self royal annuities, and between one of his places in Colorado and a little society (that would do the wife good), sa

ped; the girl was looking at the

telegram repeated

times on Banks fishing all well waiting Gloucester Mass care Disko Troop

p of the shut desk, and breathed heavily. The secretary ran

possible? Is there any meaning to it?

l." He thought of the struggling New York practice he had dropped a

d tell her? 'M

ctor, coolly. "Detection's too c

y, as an indispensable one who

ou must come at once.

uzanne; and a thin, high voice on the upper landing of the great w

ang through the echoing house a moment la

typewriter. "About the only medical statement in novels

irect of speech; and as her fancy leaned towards the secretary, she divined there was

ar - straight through - Boston. Fix the conn

ought

ringly, doubtful of his resources. He signed to her to move to the Morse as a general brings brigades into action. Then he swept his hand m

'Constance' is at Los Angel

between clicks as the secr

or special to leave here Sunday in time to connect with Ne

k! "Couldn't y

e with Lake Shore and Michigan Southern to take 'Constance' on New York Central and Hudson River Buffalo to Albany, and B. and A. the same Albany to

ded, and the se

ta Fe at Sixteenth Street next Tuesday p. m. on N. Y. Limited through to Buffalo and deliver N. Y. C. for Albany.- Ever bin

rk, but I know that!"

to Boston. Leave three-five P. M. (you needn't wire that); arrive nine-five P. M. W

look of admiration. This was the kind

ave lost thirty hours and spent a week working out the run, instea

uncey Depew himself couldn't hitch his car to h

Chauncey. It's Cheyne

ter wire the boy. You've

ll

ur, he found Miss Kinzey laughing over the keys. Then Milsom laughed too, for the frantic clicks

hese words: "If crime of century is maturing please wa

erein Topeka was concerned even Milsom could not

he warpath. Tell 'em we don't feel like fighting just now, Milsom. Tell 'em what we're going for. I guess you and Miss K

h of variously manipulated railroad interests breathed more freely. Cheyne was flying to meet the only son, so miraculously restored to him. The bear was seeking his cub, not the bulls. Hard men who had their knives drawn to fight

n-car with crew, and the great and gilded "Constance" private car were to be "expedited" over those two thousand three hundred and fifty miles. The train would take precedence of one hundred and seventy-seven others meeting and passing; despatchers and crews of every one of those said trains must be notified. Sixteen locomotives, sixteen engineers, and sixteen firemen would be needed - each and every one the best available. Two and one ha

ma, just as fast as ever we can; but I really don't think there's any good of your putting on your bonnet and g

Only - taking off my bonnet makes m

Mama, and we'll be in

n, Father. Tell

owards Flagstaff, where the forests and quarries are, under the dry, remote skies. The needle of the speed-indicator flicked and wagged to and fro; the cinders rattled on the roof, and a whirl of dust sucked after the whirling wheels. The crew of the combination sat on their bunks, panting in their shirtsleeves, and Cheyne found himself among them shouting old, old stories of the railroad that every t

a little and begged her husband to bid them "hurry." And so they dropped the dry sands and moon-struck rocks of Arizona behind them, an

swung her over the great lift from Albuquerque to Glorietta and beyond Springer, up and up to the Raton Tunnel on the State line, whence they dropped rocking i

watching the surge and ripple of the ties crowded back behind them, and, it is believed, making notes of the scenery. Cheyne moved nervously between his own extravagant gorgeou

palace of all the luxuries, and they fared sumptuously,

the solid crash of coal shot into the tender; and now a beating back of noises as they flew past a waiting train. Now they looked out into great abysses, a trestle purring beneath their tread, or up to

Boston. The joyful journalese revealed that it was beyond question their boy, and it soothed Mrs. Cheyne for a while. Her one word "hurry" was conveyed by the crews to the engineers at Nickerso

, and my eyes ache so

's no sense in getting in before t

feel we're moving. Sit do

anged its long steamer-like roll, moving through the heat with the hum of a giant bee. Yet the speed was not enough for Mrs. Cheyne; and

d his fellows on equal terms for evermore. He paid his obligations to engineers and firemen as he believed they deserved, and only his bank knows what he gave the crews who had sympathized w

hing of an autocrat, and he does not approve of being told how to back up to a car. None the less he handled the "Consta

heyne's wife, she were sick back, an' we didn't want to jounce her. 'Come to think of it, our runnin' time from San Dieg

the New York Central and Hudson River (illustrious magnates with white whiskers and gold charms on their watch-chains boarded her here to talk a little business to Cheyne), who slid her gracefully into Alba

in and out around them. Harvey ate, drank, and enlarged on his adventures all in one breath, and when he had a hand free his mother fondled it. His voice was thickened with liv

ho took delight in "calling down the old man," and reducing his mother to tears - such a person as adds to the gaiety of public rooms and hotel piazzas, where the ingenuous young of the wealthy play with or revile the bell-boys. But this well set-up fisher-youth did

"Now Constance would never have allowed that. Do

who you were?" the mother repeated, when H

man that ever walked a deck.

u ashore? You know Papa would have

I'm afraid I called him a thief because

he flagstaff that - that

said I wouldn't work - on a Banker, too - and of course

They must have abu

ell, after that

to be a boy after his own hungry heart. He had never

attled in a fog - much; and I can take my trick in light winds - that's steering, dear - and I can 'most bait up a trawl, and I know my ropes, of course; and I can pitch fish till the cows come home, and I'm gre

ht and a half, my

ou never to

you about it some day, if you car

l fed, though. But mug on the Banks. Disko fed us first-class. He's a great man. And Dan - that's his son - Dan's my partner. And there's Uncle Salters and h

y life. I'm sorry he's a Portuguee. He can't talk much, but he's an everla

ystem isn't completely w

e a horse and I ate like a ho

s of a corpse rocking on the salty seas. She went to her stateroom,

ing I can for the crowd, Harve. They

t of it, and I'm not quite sure Dan believes. I want to paralyze 'em tomorrow. Say, can't they run the 'Constance' over to Gloucester? Mama don't look fit to be moved, anyway, and we're bound to

l have to work

oked at the greasy notebook with an air of importance that made his father choke.

uggested Cheyne, to se

er. Troop says I've a better head for fig

ove the 'Constance' to-n

clock, which marked

ch the four o'clock freight. They let us

the 'Constance' around about as soon as y

electrics. Cheyne sat watching the young face under the shadow of the arm thrown over the forehead, and am

e been worse than drowning; but I don't think it has - I don't think it has. If

s, the "Constance" was side-tracked among freight-car

d again and be drowned,"

a rope in case. You've never seen him w

e! As if any

hired him did. He'

rs in the glorious morning light. Disko stood by the main hatch superintending Manuel, Penn, and Uncle Salters at the tackle. Dan was swinging the loaded baskets inboard

said Manuel. "Here!" said Dan, swinging the basket. Then the

the string-piece six feet to a ratline, as the shortest way to han

total, Harve

undred and seventy-six dollars and a qu

deserved it, Harve. Don't you want to slip up

l used to all manner of questions from th

up struck adrift on the Banks. Fell overboard from a liner, he

worth h

ve's worth his keep. Say, would you like t

won't hurt you, Mama, and you'l

week ago scrambled down the ladder, and

interested in Ha

l, y

on, I guess, 'r else his head had hit somethin', when we hauled him aboard. He's all over that naow. Yes, this is the cabin. 'Tain

eyne, sitting on a yellow locker

hookin' fried pies an muggin' up when they ought to ha' been

"He hung my boots on the main-truck, and he ain't over an' above respectful to suc

n deck. "Tom, Tom!" he whispered down the hatch. "His folks has come, an' Dad hain't caught on yet, an'

d with salt and fish-skin. "D'ye belave his tale a

id Dan. "Come an' see Dad

hear Cheyne say: "I'm glad he has a g

that he heard the click of it,- and he s

San Diego four days a

r?" said Dan. "H

ate car, o

ther with a hurrican

four little ponies in a rig av his own

said Cheyne.

en we were in Toledo, I

"Oh, Disko!" said

as though the words were being windlassed out of him. "I don't mind ownin' to you,

e tol

e I pounded him once." This with a s

ld say it probably did him more go

t ha' done it. I don't want you to thin

ink you do,

of agricultural hair; Penn's bewildered simplicity; Manuel's quiet smile; Long Jack's grin of delight, and Tom Platt's scar.

she, half sobbing. "I want to than

me a hunder time

ld have done no better, and Mrs. Cheyne babbled incoherently. She nearly threw

do you yourself if you find him so? Eh, wha-at? We are in on

er the foc'sle, at which she wept again, and must needs go down to see Harvey's identical bunk, and there she found the nigger cook cleaning up the stove, and he nodded as though she were some one he had expected

er this?" said Long Jack to Tom Platt. "I f

his bally-hoo o' blazes. If we only hed some decency an' order an' side-boys when she goes o

ot mad," said Penn

the big millionaire replie

child, I do not know anything more terrible. But y

looking down upon them

sko, swiftly, holding up a hand. "I wuz mistoo

re o' that," said D

oin' off nao

of my wages, 'less you want to

ou contracted to do, Harve; and you done it 'baout's well as if you'd been brought up -"

vate car?" sugges

ll show her to y

t the invasion; and Harvey laid the glories of the "Constance" before them without a word. They took them in in equal silence - stamped l

old you." This was his crowning

have curiously neat and finished manners; but Mrs. Cheyne, who did not know this, was surprised. She longed to have Manuel for a butler; so silently and easily did he comport himself among the frail glassware an

w well enough when he dealt with a man to whom he could not offer money; equally well he knew th

make him work a piece an' learn him how to handle the hog-y

ed casually, "what d'you ca

ain boy, an' he don't allow me to do any of his thinkin'. He'll hev this able little

been West,

oads. No more hez Dan. Salt water's good enough fer the Troop

lt water he's likely to ne

der railroad king. Harve told me so w

own a line of tea-clippers - San Francisco to Yokohama - six of

' listened to that, instid o' his truc

idn't

ke that slipped h

ghters - Morgan and McQuade's old line - this summ

his very town six year back - no, seven - an' he's mate on the San Jose - now - twenty-six days was her time out

ne n

ked the 'We're Here' back to p

ldn't have been s

'd ha' understood! I'll never stand on my own jedgments again

e now. What I was getting at is to know whether you'd lend me Dan for a year or tw

sk taking

an who did

od. I know Bank ways ain't clipper ways, but he hain't much to learn. Steer he can - no boy better, if I

can put him in the way of doing better. Suppose you take him in hand this winter,

n' dead, are all around the

ime you think you'd like to see him, tell me, and I'll

talk this to my woman. I've bin so crazy mistook in all my

t yard and a shuttered parlour which was a museum of oversea plunder. There sat a large woman, silent and grave, with the dim ey

n; and I've come so's to hate the sea as if 'twuz alive an' listenin'. God never made it fer huma

nd I give a bonus for record passage

' I had hopes he might follow that up. But soon's he cou

lt an' well found. Remember what Phil's s

enturesome (like most of 'em that use the sea). If

plained, "an' I- I dunno haow to act po

y second sister's man," she said, dropping her head on h

put into words. Indeed, the offer meant a plain and sure road to all desirable things; b

a girl. Otherwise -"How shall I take money when I make so easy my eats and smokes? You will giva some if I like or no? Eh, wha-at? Then you shall giva me money, but not that way. You shall giva all you can think." He introduce

y. "That letta me out," said he. "I have now ver' good absolutions for six months"; and he stroll

isit inland relatives till the coast was clear. "Never you be adopted by rich folk, Penn," he said in the cars, "or I'll take 'n' break this checker-board over your head. Ef you forgit your name agin - whi