Brave and Bold

H >> Horatio Alger, Jr. >> Brave and Bold

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After leaving Robert to his fate, he kept on his way, rejoicing with a
wicked satisfaction that he had got rid of an enemy who had it in his
power to do him harm, for what Robert might suffer in his island prison,
he cared little. He took it for granted that he would never get away,
but would pass his life, be it longer or shorter, in dreary exile.
Though the crew did not know all, they knew that the captain had
heartlessly left Robert to his fate, and all were animated by a common
feeling of dislike to their commander, who never under any
circumstances would hare been popular. But there was no one among them
bold enough to come forward and charge Haley with his crime, even when
they reached Calcutta. The captain moved among them, and his orders were
obeyed, but not with alacrity. This satisfied him, for he cared nothing
for the attachment of those under his command.

One day in Calcutta he had a surprise.

He met Captain Rushton one day when out walking. It seemed like one
risen from the dead, for he supposed him lying at the bottom of the sea.
Could his eyes deceive him, or was this really the man whom he had so
grossly injured? Captain Rushton did not see Haley, for he was partly
turned away from him, and was busily conversing with a gentleman of his
acquaintance. Haley drew near, and heard Captain Rushton addressed as
Mr. Smith. He at once decided that, in spite of the wonderful
resemblance, it was not the man he supposed, and breathed more freely in
consequence. But he could not help looking back to wonder at the
surprising likeness.

"They are as near alike as if they were brothers," he said to himself.

He did not again catch sight of Captain Rushton while in Calcutta.

Before Robert arrived, Captain Haley had sailed for home. But he met
with storms, and his vessel received injuries that delayed her, so that
his ship only reached New York on the same day with the _Superior_,
bearing as passengers Robert and his father. Our hero lost no time in
calling upon his friend, Mr. Morgan, and actually reached the office an
hour before Haley, the _Superior_ having reached her pier a little in
advance of the other vessel.

When Robert walked into the office, Mr. Morgan, who was at his desk,
looked up, and recognized him at once.

"Welcome back, my young friend," he said, cordially, rising to meet him.
"I am glad to see you, but I didn't expect you quite so soon. How did
you happen to come in advance of the captain?"

"Then you have not heard what happened at sea?" said Robert.

"Yes," said the merchant. "I heard, much to my regret, of Captain Evans'
death. He was a worthy man, and I am truly sorry to lose him. What do
you think of his successor, Captain Haley? He has never before sailed
for me."

"After I have told my story, you can judge of him for yourself. I did
not return on your vessel, Mr. Morgan, but on the _Superior_, Captain
Smith."

"How is that?" asked the merchant, surprised.

"Because Captain Haley left me on an island in the Southern Ocean, bound
to a tree, and probably supposes that I am dead."

"Your story seems incredible, Robert. Give me a full account of all that
led to this action on the part of the captain."

My readers shall not be wearied with a repetition of details with which
they are already familiar. Robert related what had happened to him in a
straightforward manner, and Mr. Morgan never thought of doubting his
statements.

"This Haley must be a villain," he said. "You are, indeed, fortunate in
having escaped from the snare he laid for you,"

"I have been fortunate in another way also," said Robert. "I have
succeeded in the object of my voyage."

"You have not found your father?"

"I found him in Calcutta, and I have brought him home with me."

"You must have been born under a lucky star, Robert," said the merchant.
"Were your father's adventures as remarkable as yours?"

"It was the same man who nearly succeeded in accomplishing the ruin of
both--Captain Haley was my father's mate, and was he who, in revenge
for some fancied slight, set fire to the vessel in mid-ocean, and then
escaped."

Scarcely had this revelation been made, when a clerk entered, and
approaching Mr. Morgan, said, "Captain Haley would like to see you."

Mr. Morgan glanced at Robert significantly.

"I wish to know what explanation Mr. Haley has to give of your
disappearance. There is a closet. Go in, and close the door partially,
so that you may hear what passes without yourself being seen."

Robert was hardly established in his place of concealment when Haley
entered the office.

"Good-morning, Mr. Morgan," he said, deferentially, for he wished to
keep in his employer's good graces.

"Good-morning, sir," said the merchant, formally. "Captain Haley, I
believe?"

"Yes, sir I succeeded to the command of the _Argonaut_ upon the lamented
death of my friend, Captain Evans. His death happened on our passage
out. I proceeded at once to Calcutta, and after disposing of the cargo
sailed for home."

"Your voyage has been a long one."

"Yes, we have had stress of weather, which has delayed us materially. I
regret this, but did the best I could under the circumstances. I hope
to have discharged my duties in a manner satisfactory to you."

"I cannot, of course, blame you for delay, since the weather was quite
beyond your control," said the merchant, but his tone was marked by
coldness, for which Haley found it difficult to account. He was anxious
to remain in command of the _Argonaut_, but the want of cordiality
evinced by his employer made him doubtful of his success. He was not
timid, however, and resolved to broach the subject.

"I hope, Mr. Morgan," he said, "that you have sufficient confidence in
me to intrust me I with the command of the _Argonaut_ on her next
voyage?"

"He certainly is not lacking in audacity," thought Mr. Morgan. "We will
speak of that matter hereafter," he said. "Did my young friend, Robert
Rushton, return with you?"

Now was the critical moment. In spite of his audacity, Haley felt
embarrassed.

"No, sir," he replied.

"Indeed! I expected that you would bring him back."

"May I ask if the boy is a relative of yours?"

"No, he is not."

"So much the better."

"Why do you say that? I am particularly interested in him."

"Then, sir, my task becomes more painful and embarrassing."

"You speak in enigmas, Captain Haley."

"I hesitate to speak plainly. I know you will be pained by what I have
to tell you."

"Don't consider my feelings, Captain Haley, but say what you have to
say."

"Then I regret to say that the boy, Robert Rushton, is unworthy of your
friendship."

"This is a grievous charge. Of course, I expect you to substantiate it."

"I will do so. Shortly after the death of Captain Evans and my accession
to the command I found that this boy was trying to undermine my
influence with the men, from what motives I cannot guess. I remonstrated
with him mildly but firmly, but only received insolence in return.
Nevertheless I continued to treat him well on account of the interest
you felt in him. So things went on till we reached Calcutta. He left me
at that time, and to my surprise did not return to the ship. I was able
to account for his disappearance, however, when I missed one hundred and
fifty dollars, of which I have not the slightest doubt that he robbed
me. I should have taken measures to have him arrested, but since you
felt an interest in him I preferred to suffer the loss in silence. I
fear, Mr. Morgan, that you have been greatly deceived in him."

"I suspect that I have been deceived," said Mr. Morgan, gravely. "It is
only fair, however, Captain Haley, to hear both sides, and I will
therefore summon the boy himself to answer your charge. Robert!"

At the summons, to Captain Haley's equal surprise and dismay, Robert
stepped from the closet in which he had been concealed.

"What have you to say, Robert?" asked the merchant.

"Captain Haley knows very well the falsehood of what he says," said our
hero, calmly. "It was not at Calcutta I left the _Argonaut_, nor was it
of my own accord. Captain Haley, with his own hands, tied me to a tree
on a small island in the Southern Ocean, and there left me, as he
supposed, to a solitary death. But Heaven did not forsake me, and sent
first a brave sailor and afterward a ship to my assistance. The charge
that I stole money from him I shall not answer, for I know Mr. Morgan
will not believe it."

Captain Haley was not a fool, and he knew that it would be useless to
press the charge further. He rose from his seat; his face was dark with
anger and smarting under a sense of defeat.

"You have not done with me yet," he said to Robert, and without another
word left the office.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE CUP AND THE LIP.

Affairs in Millville had gone on much as usual. Mrs. Rushton had not yet
exhausted the supply of money left by Robert in the hands of his friend
the lawyer. Her expenses were small, and were eked out by her earnings;
for she continued to braid straw, and was able in this way to earn two
dollars a week. Indeed, she made it a point to be as economical as
possible, for she thought it likely Robert would spend all his money,
and return penniless. She had received no letter from him since the one
announcing his being about to sail for Calcutta, and this made her
naturally anxious. But Mr. Paine assured her that letters were likely to
be irregular, and there was no ground for alarm. So she waited with what
patience she could till Robert should return, hoping that by some
strange chance he might succeed in his quest, and bring his father back
with him.

Meanwhile, fortune had improved with Mr. Davis, the superintendent of
the factory. He had lost largely by speculation, but had blundered at
last into the purchase of a stock in which some interested parties had
effected a corner. It went up rapidly, and on the morning when we
introduce him again to the reader he was in high good spirits, having
just received intelligence from his broker that he had cleared seven
thousand dollars by selling at the top of the market.

"Another cup of coffee, Mrs. Davis," he said, passing his cup across the
table.

Seeing that his father appeared in good humor, Halbert ventured to
prefer a request, which, however, he had little hope of having granted.

"Have you seen Will Paine's pony?" he said, paving the way for the
request.

"Yes," said his father; "I saw him on it yesterday."

"It's a regular beauty--I wish I had one."

"How much did it cost?"

"Two hundred dollars."

"That is rather a high price."

"But it will increase in value every year. I wish you would buy me one,
father."

"I think I will," said the superintendent, helping himself to a fresh
slice of toast.

"Do you mean it?" asked Halbert, in the utmost astonishment.

"Certainly I do. I can afford you a pony as well as Mr. Paine can
afford to buy William one."

"Thank you!" said Halbert, his selfish nature more nearly affected by
gratitude than ever before. "You are very kind. When will you see about
it?"

"I am busy. You may go yourself and ask Mr. Paine where he got William's
pony, and if he knows of any other equally good."

"That I will," said Halbert, leaving the table in haste.

"Halbert, you have eaten scarcely anything," said his mother.

"I am not hungry," said the excited boy, seizing his hat, and dashing
off in the direction of Mr. Paine's office.

"By the way, Mrs. Davis," said the husband, "I think you mentioned last
week that the parlor needed a new carpet."

"So it does. The old one is looking very shabby."

"How much will a new one cost?"

"I can get a nice Brussels for a hundred dollars."

"Well, you may order one."

It was the wife's turn to be astonished, for on broaching the subject
the week previous, her husband had given her a lecture on extravagance,
and absolutely refused to consider her request. This was before the
tidings of his good fortune. She was not slow to accept the present
concession, and assumed an unusually affectionate manner, in the excess
of her delight.

Meanwhile, Halbert, in opening the front door, came in collision with a
boy taller and stouter than himself, brown and sunburned. But, changed
as he was, he was not slow in recognizing his old enemy, Robert Rushton.

"What, are you back again?" he said, ungraciously.

"So it appears. Is your father at home?"

"Yes; but he is at breakfast. I don't think you can see him."

"I'll make the attempt, at any rate," said Robert.

"Where have you been all this time?" asked Halbert, more from curiosity
than interest.

"I went to Calcutta."

"Common sailor, I suppose," said Halbert, contemptuously.

"No, I was a passenger."

"Where did you get your money to pay the passage?"

"I'm sorry that I can't stop to gratify your curiosity just at present,
but I have important business with your father."

"You're getting mighty important," sneered Halbert.

"Am I?"

"I wouldn't advise you to put on so many airs, just because you've been
to Calcutta."

"I never thought of putting on any. I see you haven't changed much since
I went away. You have the same agreeable, gentlemanly manners."

"Do you mean to say that I am not a gentleman?" blustered Halbert.

"Not at all. You may be one, but you don't show it."

"I have a great mind to put you out of the yard."

Robert glanced at Halbert's figure, slight compared with his own, and
laughed.

"I think you would find it a difficult undertaking," he said.

Halbert privately came to the same conclusion, and decided to war only
with words.

"I have got something better to do than to stand here listening to your
impudence. I won't soil my fingers by touching you."

"That's a sensible conclusion. Good-morning."

Halbert did not deign to respond, but walked off, holding his nose very
high in the air. Then, as he thought of the pony, he quickened his pace,
and bent his steps to Mr. Paine's office.

"A young man to see you, Mr. Davis," said Bridget, entering the
breakfast-room.

"Who is it?"

"I think it's young Robert Rushton, but he's much grown entirely."

"That boy home again!" exclaimed the superintendent, in displeased
surprise. "Well, you may ask him into the next room."

"Good-morning, Mr. Davis," said Robert, as the superintendent entered.

"Good-morning. When did you get home?" was the cold reply.

"Last evening."

"Where have you been?"

"To Calcutta."

"On a fool's errand."

"I felt it my duty to search for my father."

"I could have told you beforehand you would not succeed. Did you go as a
sailor?"

"No."

"Where did you raise money to pay your expenses?"

"I found friends who helped me."

"It is a poor policy for a boy to live on charity."

"I never intend to do it," said Robert, firmly. "But I would rather do
it than live on money that did not belong to me."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" said the superintendent, suspiciously.

"It was a general remark," said Robert.

"May I ask what is your motive in calling upon me?" asked Mr. Davis. "I
suppose you have some object."

"I have, and I think you can guess it."

"I am not good at guessing," said Davis, haughtily.

"Then I will not put you to that trouble. You remember, before I sailed
for Calcutta, I called here and asked you to restore the sum of five
thousand dollars deposited with you by my father?"

"I remember it, and at the time I stigmatized the claim as a fraudulent
one. No such sum was ever deposited with me by your father."

"How can you say that, when my father expressly stated it in the letter,
written by him, from the boat in which he was drifting about on the
ocean?"

"I have no proof that the letter was genuine, and even if it were, I
deny the claim. I am not responsible for money I never received."

"I understand you then refuse to pay the money?"

"You would have understood it long ago, if you had not been uncommonly
thick-headed," sneered the superintendent. "Let this be the end of it.
When you present my note of acknowledgment for the amount, I will pay
it and not before."

"That is all I ask," said Robert.

"What?" demanded the superintendent.

"I mean that this assurance is all I want. The note shall be presented
to you in the course of the day."

"What do you mean?" asked Davis, startled.

"I mean this, Mr. Davis: that I found my father in Calcutta. He came
home with me, and, far from having perished at sea, is now alive and
well. He has with him your note for five thousand dollars, and will
present it in person."

"You are deceiving me!" exclaimed Davis, in consternation.

"You will soon learn whether I am deceiving you or not," said Robert. "I
will now bid you good-morning. My father will call upon you in the
course of the day."

He rose to go, leaving the superintendent thunderstruck at the
intelligence of Captain Rushton's return. The five thousand dollars,
with arrears of interest, would take the greater part of the money whose
sudden acquisition had so elated him. While he was considering the
situation, his wife entered.

"I think, Mr. Davis," she said, "I will go to New York to-day to buy
carpeting, if you can spare the money."

"Neither now nor at any other time," he roared, savagely; "the old
carpet must do."

"Why, then, did you tell me fifteen minutes since that I might buy one?
What do you mean by such trifling, Mr. Davis?" said his wife, her eyes
flashing.

"I mean what I say. I've changed my mind. I can't afford to buy a new
carpet."

There was a stormy scene between man and wife, which may be passed over
in silence. It ended with a fit of hysterics on the part of Mrs. Davis,
while her husband put on his hat and walked gloomily over to the
factory. Here he soon received a call from Halbert, who informed him,
with great elation, that Mr. Paine knew of a desirable pony which could
be had on the same terms as his son's.

"I've changed my mind," said his father. "A pony will cost too much
money."

All Halbert's entreaties were unavailing, and he finally left his
father's presence in a very unfilial frame of mind.

CHAPTER XXXV.

CONCLUSION.

The arrival of Captain Rushton, confidently supposed to be dead,
produced a great sensation in Millville, and many were the
congratulatory visits received at the little cottage. Mrs. Rushton was
doubly happy at the unexpected return of her husband and son, and felt
for the first time in her life perfectly happy. She cared little for
poverty or riches, as long as she had regained her chief treasures.

When Captain Rushton called upon the superintendent, the latter received
him with embarrassment, knowing that the captain was aware of his
intended dishonesty. He tried to evade immediate payment, but on this
point his creditor was peremptory. He had no further confidence in Mr.
Davis, and felt that the sooner he got his money back into his hands the
better. It was fortunate for him that the superintendent had been at
last successful in speculation, or restitution would have been
impossible. As is was, he received his money in full, nearly six
thousand dollars, which he at once invested in bank stock of reliable
city banks, yielding a good annual income. Only the day after the
payment of this sum, a committee of investigation appointed by the
directors, whose suspicions had been excited, visited the factory, and
subjected the superintendent's books to a thorough scrutiny. The result
showed that Mr. Davis, in whom hitherto perfect confidence had been
felt, had for years pursued a system of embezzlement, which he had
covered up by false entries in his books, and had appropriated to his
own use from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars belonging to the
corporation. While this investigation was pending, the superintendent
disappeared, leaving his wife and son unprovided for. His estate was
seized in part satisfaction of the amounts he had appropriated, and
Halbert's pride was brought low. The wealth and position upon which he
had based his aristocratic pretensions vanished, and in bitter
mortification he found himself reduced to poverty. He could no longer
flaunt his cane and promenade the streets in kid gloves, but was glad to
accept a position in the factory store, where he was compelled to dress
according to his work. In fact, he had exchanged positions with Robert,
who was now, owing to a circumstance which will at once be mentioned,
possessed of a considerable inheritance.

The old farmer, Paul Nichols, whom Robert tried to defend from his
unprincipled nephew, Ben Haley, died suddenly of heart disease.
Speculation was rife as to who would inherit the estate which he left
behind him. He had no near relation except Ben Haley, and so great was
the dislike he entertained toward him that no one anticipated that the
estate would go to him, unless through Paul's dying intestate. But
shortly after Haley's visit, his uncle made a will, which he deposited
in the hands of Lawyer Paine. On the day after the funeral, the latter
met Captain Rushton and Robert, and said:

"Will you come to my office this afternoon at three o'clock?"

"Certainly," said the captain.

"I suppose you don't want me, Mr. Paine?" said Robert.

"I do want you, particularly," said the lawyer.

Our hero wondered a little why his presence was required, but dismissed
the matter from his mind, until three o'clock found him in the lawyer's
office.

"Gentlemen," said the lawyer, "I am about to read the last will and
testament of our neighbor, Paul Nichols, recently deceased."

This preamble created surprise, for this was the first intimation that
such a will was in existence.

The document was brief, and the substance of it was contained in the
following paragraph:

"Having no near relatives, except Benjamin Haley, for whom I have
neither regard nor affection, and who, moreover, has recently stolen a
considerable sum of money from me, I leave all of which I may die
possessed, whether in land or money, to my brave young friend, Robert
Rushton, who courageously defended me from my said nephew, at his own
bodily risk, and I hope he may live long to enjoy the property I
bequeath him."

No one was more surprised than Robert at the unexpected inheritance. He
could hardly realize that he was now possessed of a considerable
property in his own right. It may be said here that, including the value
of the farm, and the gold concealed, his inheritance amounted to quite
ten thousand dollars. Paul had considerately supplied the lawyer with a
list of the hiding places where he had secreted his money on the
strictest injunctions of secrecy, and this made the task of finding it
quite easy.

Congratulations poured in upon our hero, who received them with modest
satisfaction.

"It is a good thing to have a rich son," said Captain Rushton,
humorously. "Robert, I hope you won't look down upon me on account of my
comparative poverty."

"Father," said Robert, "I wish you would take this money--I don't want
it."

"I shall do nothing of the kind, Robert. It is fairly and deservedly
yours, though I confess you may attribute it partly to good luck, for
virtue is not always so well rewarded in this world. I will take care of
it for you, and if you choose to pay your own expenses out of your
income, I shall allow you to do so, since you are now rich and
prosperous."

"You must take all the income, father. Then it will not be necessary for
you to go to sea again."

"I have already made up my mind to stay on land hereafter," said Captain
Rushton. "My cruise in an open boat without provisions has cured me of
my love for the sea. With the little money I have saved, and the help of
a rich son, I think I can afford to stay on shore."

The cottage was enlarged by the erection of another story, as well as by
the addition of a wing and the throwing out of two bay windows, and was
otherwise refitted and so metamorphosed by fresh paint and new
furniture, that it became one of the most attractive houses in
Millville. Captain Rushton, who knew something of agriculture, decided
to carry on Robert's farm himself, and found the employment both
pleasant and profitable.

"My only trouble," he used to say, jocosely, "is that I have a very
exacting landlord. Unless the rent were punctually paid, he would be
sure to resort to legal means to recover it."

When Ben Haley heard that his uncle's estate had been bequeathed to the
boy whom he had persecuted, and whom for that reason he hated, his rage
and disappointment were unbounded. If he had not been within two hours
of sailing in command of a ship bound to South America, he would at once
have gone down to Millville, and in his fury he might have done serious
injury to the boy who had superseded him. But he could not delay the day
of sailing, and so, much against his will, he was forced to forego his
vengeance until his return. But this was destined to be his last voyage.
While at Rio Janeiro he became engaged in a fracas with the keeper of a
low grogshop, when the latter, who was a desperate ruffian, snatched a
knife from his girdle, and drove it into the heart of the unhappy
captain, who fell back on the floor and expired without a groan. Thus
terminated a misguided and ill-spent life. I should have been glad to
report Ben Haley's reformation instead of his death, but for the sake of
Robert, whom he hated so intensely, I am relieved that thin source of
peril is closed.

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