The three rooms in Captain Eli’s cottage were devoted5 to hospital purposes and Jack6 and Ray and Mr. Warner shared the bunk-house with the rest of the crew for the time. Old Mitchell, the lobsterman, and Captain Eli took turns as physician and nurse to the unfortunate swordfishermen and worked diligently7 to restore them to normal health. Daily Jack and[233] either Mr. Warner or Big O’Brien visited the cottage to learn how the patients fared, and on several occasions they entered the sickrooms and tried to cheer up the men. But Ray, for reasons of his own, would not accompany them.
Indeed, since the day he saved his uncle from drowning Ray had been acting8 very peculiarly. He seemed undetermined what to do and Jack and Mr. Warner could not help sympathizing with him. Somehow, seeing his uncle close to the point of death, had made the lad forgive him for his past brutality9. In truth, his heart had softened10 to the point where he would have been quite willing to do anything he could for the old swordfisherman. But though his intentions were good, he was quite timid in carrying them out, for, as he explained to Jack, he was not sure how his kinsman12 would receive him. For that reason he refrained from going near his uncle’s bedside or communicating with him in any way. He satisfied himself by visiting the cottage occasionally and inquiring from Mitchell or Captain Eli as to the state of his uncle’s health.
The lightkeeper and the fisherman proved efficient physicians, however, for they rallied[234] the men gradually and by the end of the week had them so that they could hobble downstairs and sit out in front of the cottage in the sunshine. Duncan and Beck seemed to regain13 their strength faster than Ray’s uncle, and in a short time after their first appearance downstairs they were going about the camp as hale and hearty14 as ever. Vance Carroll, however, did not find his strength as rapidly as the younger men, and for many a day he went hobbling about with the assistance of a cane15 which Captain Eli loaned him.
As soon as the storm had subsided16 the camp turned its attention to repairing the damage that the breakers had done out there on Cobra Head. The steel tower of the cableway needed repairing, new derricks had to be erected17, new tool boxes constructed, and tremendous quantities of kelp and rockweed cleared away before the men could begin their building where they had left off before the storm. Of course, with these added tasks to be accomplished18, Jack and Ray found that their duties increased in proportion. They, too, were very hard at work carrying out little details that Mr. Warner entrusted19 to them.
[235]
By the end of the second week following the storm, however, things were in excellent shape to resume work on the lighthouse structure, and after that there came a brief breathing spell for Mr. Warner and his two young assistants.
This was just what Ray had hoped for. He had been waiting all this time to show Mr. Warner his precious lifeboat model which he had brought through the storm from Mitchell’s house that day the Fish Hawk struck. Before taking part in the rescue he had shoved the two-foot tin model between the big blocks of granite20 on the top of the promontory21 and left it there until he found time to get it out and look it over. A few days after the storm he had brought it to the office shanty22, but he had made no effort to show it to the engineer until he was certain that the man had time enough to go into every detail with him.
The first day that the rush of work let up and Ray found Mr. Warner strolling through the camp enjoying his early morning pipe, the boy asked him if he would not spare a few moments in the office with him.
Jack was already there doing some work that[236] he had left undone23 the day before, but when Ray brought Mr. Warner in, and a few moments later unearthed24 the lifeboat model from beneath a dozen rolls of discarded blue prints that had been tossed in one corner of the room, the lad from Drueryville put his work aside and stopped to listen.
Mr. Warner examined the curious little craft from all angles and paid strict attention while Ray explained the details of the idea. And after he had ceased talking the engineer was silent for some time while he scrutinized25 the metal boat more closely. Then finally he put the model on the table and exclaimed:
“By George, Ray, you’re a clever chap. I believe you have a corking26 scheme here, too. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll help you get patents on it and then I’ll see that it gets into the hands of a friend of mine who is in the metallic27 boat building business. I’ve an idea he might be able to do something with it.”
“Say, will you?” cried Ray enthusiastically, “Great! Perhaps I’ll be able to go to school after all. It—ah—”
“Tut, tut, son. Don’t get too excited about[237] the prospects28. Remember, I didn’t say that you would get rich. It may not be a success, or—oh, a dozen things may happen to spoil the possibility of your getting any money out of it. Mighty29 few inventors ever get rich anyway. It is even possible that you can’t get a patent on it, for some one may have thought of the idea long ago. You’ll find when you get older that it is not an easy matter to get a device through the patent office. Many a man has spent a fortune and valuable time on an idea only to have it knocked on the head by some little detail.
“There’s the man who invented the periscope30 of the submarine, for instance. He worked out the contrivance and tried to have it patented only to find, after two years of hard work, that the Government would not allow a patent on it because some Frenchman, a long time before, had written a visionary story in which a device, similar to the one he had invented, had been suggested. The Frenchman had never tried to build his instrument, but, nevertheless, the Patent Office in Washington would not allow a patent on the practical appliance[238] on the ground that it had been exploited before, and the inventor died a poor man, when he should have been wealthy.”
“That was hard luck,” said Ray; “but anyway, I’m mighty glad to find some one who will take enough interest in my work to try and help me. I have always—”
At this point came a violent thump-thump-thumping in the front room of the office, indicating that some one with a wooden appendage31 was approaching. All three looked up, expecting Old Mitchell to come through the door. They were not mistaken. The old lobsterman hobbled into the room, a broad grin wrinkling his face. But following immediately behind him was Ray’s Uncle Vance!
For a moment every one was silent! The situation was tense, for this was the first time that Ray and his kinsman had come face to face since the day, months before, when Big O’Brien had administered a liberal trouncing to the swordfisherman. Ray turned white and became very nervous, and Jack, for the moment, was breathless. But before either of the lads could speak Vance Carroll strode[239] across the room and held out a big horny hand toward his nephew.
“Ray,” he said in a rough voice, “Mitchell here tells me you saved my life. Thank ye, lad, thank ye. I don’t know as it was wo’th savin’, but thank ye. Also I want to—ah—er—apologize fer ah—” (the gruff voice faltered32 for a moment)—“aw, shucks, I guess I wasn’t all that an’ uncle an’ on’y kin11 should hev been to ye, Ray, and I ax yer parding, Ray.”
“Pshaw, don’t mention it, Uncle Vance,” said Ray, tears starting to his eyes. “I guess I wasn’t such a very good boy either. I—”
“Oh, yes, you were. But I didn’t realize it until Mitchell here opened my eyes. We got a lot to thank him for, lad. He showed me what kind of a boy you are; he nursed me back on my feet again; and he tells me that he found your lifeboat model, too, which I flung overboard.”
“So he did and here it is,” said Ray, holding up the metal vessel33.
“I’m mighty glad, Ray, fer I repented34 throwin’ t’ thing away more than once lately,” said the swordfisherman.
[240]
This made Ray fairly tremble with happiness, for he had been hoping that his uncle would not catch sight of the model for fear it would bring back his old animosity. But it had quite the opposite effect. Vance Carroll picked the metal boat up and examined it. Then turning to Mr. Warner he demanded:
“What do you think of it, Mr. Engineer?”
“Think? Why I think it’s bully,” said Mr. Warner.
“An’ that’s what I been thinkin’ too. A lifeboat what won’t sink ner turn over could be a mighty handy thing. If we’d had one on board t’ Fish Hawk instead o’ dories, which we was afraid t’ trust, we could have left her long before she struck, and perhaps saved all o’ t’ crew.”
“By hookey, that’s right,” said Ray, whose eyes were sparkling now. Then he added, “This is going to be great, Uncle Vance, and Mr. Warner is going to help me patent it, and perhaps sell it for me so’s I can earn money enough to go to school.”
“Well, he needn’t if he don’t want to, fer I’m goin’ t’ send you to school on my own[241] money. I’ve got enough fer that, an’ besides I guess I owe it to you.”
“What!” exclaimed the incredulous Ray.
“Yes, ye can go t’ school’s long es ye want. I don’t set much store by schoolin’ usually, but I’ve been so blasted mean to ye that I figger I owe ye t’ right o’ lettin’ ye hev yer own way fer a while. Sure, go to school wherever you want an’ es long es ye want. I’ll foot t’ bill. Guess ye earned enough money fer me t’ make accounts square in the end.”
“Whoop-e-e, hear that, Jack!” cried Ray, scarcely able to control his emotions. “I’m to go to school anywhere I want and—”
“And, of course, you’ll come to Drueryville, and be our full-back next year,” added the delighted Jack.
“Will I? Well, you bet your boots I will!” shouted Ray, and just because they did not know of a better way to express their pleasure, the two excited lads shook hands again and again.
And while Jack and Ray were talking, Vance Carroll picked up the model lifeboat and, beckoning35 to Mr. Warner and Old Mitchell, left the room for the outer office. There the three remained[242] for a good two hours, discussing the feasibility of organizing a company to build metal lifeboats, for each one of the three men seemed eager to invest his money in Ray’s invention.
THE END
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precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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diligently
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| ad.industriously;carefully | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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kinsman
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| n.男亲属 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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ERECTED
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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unearthed
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| 出土的（考古） | |
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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corking
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| adj.很好的adv.非常地v.用瓶塞塞住( cork的现在分词 ) | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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periscope
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| n. 潜望镜 | |
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appendage
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| n.附加物 | |
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faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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