Linda Carlton's Island Adventure Page 18

  CHAPTER XVIII

  _Luck for Ted and Louise_

  Linda and Dot stood still on the deck of the old boat, grasping therail with their hands, and looking intently at their rescuer. He wasa typical old seaman, with tanned, roughened face, a gray beard, andkindly blue eyes.

  "That was a narrow escape," he remarked. "What do you girls mean bygoing out on a rough sea like this, in a shell like you had?"

  "We couldn't help it," Linda replied. "And we thought the boat wassafe. We didn't know it was going to spring a leak.... Would it takevery long to run us to the coast, Mr.--Captain----?"

  "Smallweed," supplied the man. "And everybody calls me 'Cap'n'."

  "Well, would it, Captain Smallweed?" repeated Linda, amused at thename. He ought to be at home on the island they had just come from, shethought--there were so many "small weeds" growing there!

  "Too long fer me to stop," he replied, to the girls' dismay. "I got toget back to my family, in Havana." His blue eyes twinkled. "Why? Whathave you girls got in that bag, that's so important to deliver in ahurry?"

  "You think we're boot-leggers!" laughed Dot. "Don't you, Captain?"

  "I wouldn't be surprised at anything," he answered, smiling. "I've seenjust as nice lookin' girls as you----"

  "I'm afraid we're not very nice looking," sighed Linda, surveying theirdrenched, bedraggled clothing. "But we're really not boot-leggers....We want to get back so that we can telephone to our families. Theyprobably think that storm was the end of us."

  "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't go off my course. Like to, if I had thetime----"

  "Well, if you can't, you can't--that's all there is to it," said Linda,philosophically. "We're glad to be alive at all, and I don't suppose acouple of days will make any difference."

  "How long do you think it will take you to get to Cuba?" put in Dotanxiously. There was no use fussing, of course, but she could notforget that her mother and father would be frantic by this time.

  "I'm reckonin' on dockin' at Havana the fourth of July. This is onlythe first, but these are stormy seas, and we have to expect delays....Now come on inside, out o' this drizzle. You girls are drenched--I'llhave to give you the only cabin I got. To get yourselves dry in."

  Stooping over, he picked up Linda's tool-box, and finding it heavy,eyed it suspiciously.

  "You girls gangsters?" he asked, unexpectedly. "Got any guns on you?"

  Both girls felt themselves growing red at this accusation, yet theycould not deny it wholly.

  "That box has the tools in it which I used to fix up the engine of themotor-boat," Linda finally explained. "And you can take our word thatwe're not gangsters."

  But they were exceedingly nervous as they followed the Captain to thecabin where there were two bunks, one on top of the other. Suppose heshould decide to search them--and find not only the two revolvers, butall that money besides! He would never believe their story!

  "When you get dry, I'll take you over the whole boat," he said. "Icarry tobacco up the coast every couple of months. Used to have asail-boat--that was the real thing! But this little lady's speedy--andbetter in a storm like we just had."

  "How can we ever thank you enough, Captain Smallweed?" cried Dot,suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude for their safety. "Ourfathers will send you a handsome reward when we get back home."

  "Never mind that," smiled the man. "I've got a girl of my own--she'smarried now--but she's still a kid to me, and I know how I'd want hertreated.... Now, you can bolt this door if you want to, so there won'tbe any danger of either of the two other fellows aboard coming inaccidentally--and you can get yourselves dry."

  "There's--there's just one thing, Captain," stammered Linda. "We'redreadfully hungry. Could we have a piece of bread, or anything to eat?"

  "You poor kids!" he exclaimed, in a fatherly tone. "Come on down to thekitchen, and you can help yourselves."

  Though the food he provided was not the steak dinner they had beendreaming about on the island, it tasted good to those two starvedgirls. Captain Smallweed made tea for them, and brought out bread andsmoked sausages, and Linda and Dot ate every crumb of the repast.

  "We were marooned on an island during that storm," Linda explained."And we have had nothing but a couple of oranges and a few crackers fortwo days."

  "Well, you'll get a good supper," the Captain promised them. "That'swhy I'm not givin' you more now. I'll knock on your door about eighto'clock, if you ain't awake before then. That's when we usually eat."

  When the girls were finally alone in their cabin, they gazed first attheir bag of money, then at each other, and suddenly started to laugh.It was such a ridiculous situation. During those lonely days of exileon the island they had pictured their return so differently. It wouldbe a grand occasion, with exciting telephone calls to their families,a marvelous dinner at a hotel, perhaps a radio broadcast of their safelanding! Instead of all that, here they were, stowed away in a shabbyboat, suspected of crime, and feasting on stale bread and hot dogs fortheir banquet! Worst of all there would be three weary days of waitingbefore informing the world of their safety! Yet they were thankfulindeed that they had been rescued at all, and by a man as kind-heartedas the old sea captain.

  "I don't really think he'll bother any more about that bag," saidLinda, as she took off her wet shoes. "If only we can get it back toJacksonville safely, from Cuba! If we only had the Ladybug!"

  "It's a mystery where she could have vanished to," observed Dot. "But Isuppose that is a small thing, compared to saving our lives."

  "You'll never go anywhere with me again," sighed Linda. "Dot!" sheexclaimed abruptly, "I'd forgotten all about my job!"

  "I hadn't forgotten I was to start back North today," remarked theother girl. "Jim Valier was going to motor over and meet me at thestation when my train came in."

  "Poor Jim!" sighed Linda, little thinking that the young man had nointention of doing that. "He'll have a good wait. But Jim can alwayssleep, on any occasion."

  "I guess he won't expect me.... We must be reported as missing bynow--in all the newspapers."

  "Of course. I'd forgotten...."

  The girls wrapped themselves in blankets and slept the rest of theafternoon, to waken in time to see the sun, which had appeared atlast, just setting over the sea. Their clothing was still damp anddisheveled, but they put it on and went up on deck to hunt theirbenefactor.

  "We want you to let us cook," announced Dot, as she spied him. "Weinsist on making ourselves useful."

  The man smiled pleasantly.

  "All right," he agreed. "You can--tomorrow. But supper's ready now.Come on down."

  They followed the Captain into the kitchen, where another man wasplacing a dish of potatoes on the wooden table, which did not boast ofa cover.

  "Meet Steve, ladies," her said--"my friend the pilot."

  The girls nodded, and Dot asked, with anxiety, "But who's guiding theboat now, while Mr. Steve eats his supper?"

  Both men laughed at her concern.

  "There's another one besides us. He takes his turn, and so do I. Wenever all three eat or sleep at the same time."

  It was a merry meal, though an exceedingly greasy one of fried potatoesand underdone bacon. The coffee, too, was none too good--for it wasweak and muddy-looking. Nevertheless, both girls praised the supperextravagantly, for it tasted good to them, but they inwardly resolvedto show the men the next day how food ought to be cooked.

  The next two days passed pleasantly enough, for the girls were ableto busy themselves with the meals, and the men's appreciation wasplenty of reward for their efforts. In their off hours they relaxedby watching the ocean and scanning the sky for airplanes, the make ofwhich Linda could often guess. Sometimes they played checkers witheach other, or with Captain Smallweed, to the latter's delight. Butnever again was the suspicious-looking tool-box mentioned, until Lindaherself handed it over to Steve, saying that she did not want to botherto take it to Havana.

  By the time July third arrived, their boat was well
out of the range ofthe yacht that was cruising in search of them, and on July fourth--theday that Jim Valier spotted the overturned motor-boat early in themorning--Captain Smallweed docked safely at Cuba.

  "Where do you girls want to go now?" asked the Captain, as the partystepped ashore. "Want to come along home with me, and meet the wife?She can rig you up in some decent clothes."

  "Thank you very much," replied Linda, "but we want to get to atelephone as soon as possible, so that we can get in touch with ourfamilies. So if you would just get us a taxi, and send us to the besthotel in Havana----"

  "In those rigs?" inquired the other, in amazement. "Everybody willstare at you! They dress well in Cuba, you know."

  "Oh, we're past caring about appearances," laughed Linda. "So stop thattaxi for us, will you please, Captain?... And thank you a thousandtimes for all you have done for us."

  "You'll hear from our fathers soon," added Dot, as she too shook handswith the old man.

  Cautiously protecting the bag, into which Linda had stuffed therevolvers under the money, the girls taxied to the best hotel in thecity. The driver eyed them suspiciously, and the clerk at the deskstared at them as if they were hoboes. But he condescended to assignthem a room when they showed evidence of paying in advance.

  "We want a long-distance wire first of all," announced Linda. "We'dlike to telephone from our rooms----"

  She stopped abruptly, for two slender arms were suddenly thrust abouther neck, and kisses were being pressed violently upon her lips andcheeks. Louise Mackay stood behind them! Louise, with her husband, bothin flyers' suits.

  Try as she could, the girl could not utter a word. The tears ran downher cheeks, and she continued to kiss first Linda and then Dot in thewildest ecstasy.

  "I can't believe it!" she said at last. "Is it really, truly you, Lindadarling?"

  "What's left of us," replied Linda, laughing. "Did you ever see twosuch sights as we are?"

  "I never saw anyone or anything in my life that looked half so good tome!" returned Louise, fervently. She stepped back and laid her handon her husband's arm, for so far Ted had not had a chance to sayanything, or be included in the welcome. "Tell me it's true, Ted--thatI'm not dreaming!" she urged. "I simply can't believe it."

  "It's the best, the truest thing in the world," the young man assuredher.

  "We were positive you were dead," Louise explained. "We had so muchevidence to prove it--the empty island where you were marooned, theoverturned motor-boat that Jim Valier spotted early this morning----"

  "Jim Valier!" repeated Dot, in amazement. "Where would Jim see our oldboat?"

  "Jim and Ralph and your two fathers are on a yacht, searching for you.They broadcast by radio any news they get. And Ted and I have flown toevery island anywhere near the coast. We finished searching them all,so we landed here this morning, just for a rest."

  "Then you have a plane!" cried Linda, in delight. "You can take us backto Florida! I'd so hate to get into another boat--I simply loathe thesight of them."

  "Do tell us what happened to you," urged Ted. "I don't understand howwe missed you everywhere."

  "It's a pretty long story," replied Dot. "I think we better phone ourfamilies first. They must be almost crazy."

  "They are," agreed Ted. "You go up in your room and phone them while Igo to a radio station and broadcast the news."

  "And I'll tell you what I'll do in the meanwhile," offered Louise."I'll go out and buy you some decent clothing!"