Show t affat aff ap ua ty J TOR Y 0 LOY A ay la ans association CHAPTER XIV CONTINUED his ills way now led towards the river side regions and a cleansing wh tt ff of tar was to be detected in the stagnant autumn air men with the blue jersek and peaked cap of the boatman or the white duck of the dockers began to re place the corduroys and fustian of the laborers borers a shops with nautical inspru ments in the windows rope and paint sellers and slop shops with long rows rolas of oll oilskins skins dangling from hooks all the neighborhood of the A docks the admiral quickened his pace and straightened his figure as h s sur round became more nautical until at last peping p between two high dingy wharfs he caught a glimpse of the mud colored waters of the thames and of the bristle of toasts masts and funnels which rose from its broad bosom to the light lay a quiet street with many brass plates upon either side and wire hinds blinds in all the windows the ad miral w v albed slowly down it until the saint lawrence shipping company caught his eve he crossed the road pushed olen 01 en the door ayd and found him self in a low office with a long counter at one end and a great number of wooden sections of ships stuck upon boards and plastered all over the walls Is mr henry in ina 9 asked the admiral no sir answered an elderly man from a high seat in the corner he has not come into town to day I 1 can man age any business you may mar w sh seen to you don t happen to have a first or second officer s place vacant do youa the manager looked with a dubious eye at his singular applicant do you hold certificates he asked I 1 hold every nautical certificate there Is then you won t do for us why not nota tour your age sir I 1 give you my word that I 1 can see as well as ever and am as good a man in every way I 1 don t doubt it why should my age be a bar then well I 1 must put it plainly it if a man of your age holding certificates has not got past a second officer officers s berth there must be a black mark against him somewhere I 1 don t know what it Is arink or temper or want of judgment lilt but something there must be I 1 as assure ure you there Is nothing but I 1 find and myself stranded and so have to A turn to the old business again oh that a it said the manager with suspicion in his eye how long were you in your last billet fifty one years what yes sir one and fifty years in the same employ yes why you must have begun as a child I 1 was twelve when I 1 joined it must be a strangely managed business said the manager which al lows men to leave it who have served tor for fifty years and who are still as good as s ever whom did you serve the queen heaven bless her oh you were in the royal navy what rating did you holdt hold I 1 am admiral of the fleet the manager started and sprang down from hia his high stool my name Is admiral hay denver there Is my card and here are the records of my service I 1 don t you un der stand want to push another man rom his billet but it if you should chance to have a berth open I 1 should be very slad glad of it I 1 know the navigation from the cod banks right up to montreal a great deal better than I 1 know the streets of t london the astonished manager glanced over the blue papers which his vis tor had 14 1 4 handed him won t you take a chair admiral said he thank you but I 1 should be obliged it if you would drop my title now I 1 told you because you asked me but I 1 ve left 0 the quarter and am plain mr hay denver now may I 1 ask said the manager are brou o 0 the same denver who commanded at one time on the north american sta tiona I 1 did then it was you who got one of 0 oui our boats the comus off the rocks I 1 li i the bay of fundy the directors voted you three hundred guineas as salvage and you refused them it was an offer which should not have been made said the admiral sternly well it reflects credit upon you that you should think so it if mr henry were here I 1 in sure that he would arrange this matter tor for you at once As it Is I 1 shall rhall lay it before the directors to day and I 1 am sure that they will be proud to have you in our employment andi and hope in some more suitable position than that which you suggest I 1 am very much obliged to you sir said the admiral and started off again well pleased upon his homeward jour ney CHAPTER XV A STILL amone AMONG SHOALS EXT day brought the admiral a cheque for ta from mr mcadam 0 and a stamped agreement by which he made over his 4 pension papers to the speculative ip in it was not until he had signed and sent it off that the full s of all that he had done broke upon mm lain he had sacrificed everything ilia ills pension was gone he had noth ing save what be he could earn but the stout old heart never quailed he ile waited eagerly for a letter from the saint lawrence ShIp shipping Ving corn com pany and in the meanwhile he grave gave his landlord a quarter quarters s notice hundred pound a year houses would in future be a luxury which he could not aspire to I 1 A small lodging in some inexpensive part of london must be the substitute for his breezy norwood villa so be it then better that a that his name should be associated with failure and disgrace on that morning harold denver was to meet the creditors of the firm and to explain the situation to them it was a hateful task a degrading task but he set himself to do it with quiet resolution at home they waited in in tense anxiety to learn the result of the meeting it was late before he returned haggard and pale like a man who has done and suffered much what s this board in front of the house he asked we are going to try a little change of scene said the admiral this place is ne ther town or country but never mind that boy tell us what happened in the city god help me ne my wretched business Is driving you out of house and h home ome cried harold broken down by this fresh evidence of the effects of his tunes it is easier for me to meet my creditors than to see you two suffer ing so patiently tor for my sake tut tut cried the admiral there theres s no suffering in the matter mother would rather be near the thea that s the bottom of it isn t it mother you IOU come and sit down here between us ind and tell us all about it harold sat down with a loving hand in each of his it s not so bad as we thought said he and yet it Is bad enough I 1 have about ten days to find the money but I 1 don t know which way to turn tor for it pearson however lied as usual when he spoke of 13 the amount Is not quite 17 the admiral clapped his hands I 1 knew we should weather it after all hurrah my boy boyl hip hip hip hur rah harold gazed at him in surprise while the old seaman waved his arm above his head and bellowed out three sten torian cheers where am 1 I to 91 get seven thousand pounds from dad he asked never mind you spin your yarn well they were very good and very kind but of course they must have their money or their money moneys a worth passed a vote of sympathy tor for me and agreed to wait ten days be fore they took any proceedings three of them whose claim came to ts 13 told me that if I 1 would give them my personal ia I 1 0 U any pay interest at the rate of five per cent their amounts might stand over as long as I 1 wished that would be a charge of upon my income but with economy I 1 could meet it and it diminishes the debt by one half again the admiral burst out cheer ing there rein remains ains therefore about Es 3 which has to be found within ten days no man shall lose by roe me I 1 gave them my word in the room that it if I 1 worked my soul out ot of my body bo dy every one of them should be paid I 1 shall not spend a penny upon myself until it Is done but some of them can t wait tl TI ey are poor men themselves and must have their money they have issued a warrant tor for pearson pearsons s arrest but they think that he has got away to the states these men shall have their money said the admiral dad yes my boy you don t know the resources of the family one never does know until one tries what have you yourself nowa now I 1 have about a thousand pounds invested all right and I 1 have about as much more there s a good start now mother it Is your turn what Is that little bit of paper of yours mrs denver unfolded it and placed it upon harold s knee five thousand pounds he gasped ah ali but mother Is not the only rich one look at this and the admiral unfolded bis his cheque and placed it upon the other knee inh harold arold gazed from one to the other in bewilderment ten thousand pounds he cried good heavens where bald did these come from you will not worry any longer dear murmured his mother slipping her arm round him but his quick eye had caught the sign signature atuf e upon one of the checks doc doe tor walker he cried flushing this tills Is clara 9 doing oh dad we cannot take this money it would not be right nor honorable no boy I 1 am glad you think so it Is something however to have proved ones one s friend tor for a real good friend he Is it was he who brought it in though clara sent him but this other money will be enough to cover everything eve and it Is all my own your own where did you get it dad tut tut see what it Is to have a city man to deal with it Is my own and fairly earned and that Is enough dear old dad harold squeezed his gnarled hand and you mother you have I 1 eted the trouble from my heart I 1 feel another man you have saved my honor my good name everything I 1 can not owe yo i more for I 1 owe you everything already so while the autumn sunset shone muddily through the broad window these three sat together hand in hand with hearts which were too full to speak suddenly the soft thudding of tennis balls was heard and mrs west bacott bounded into view upon the lawn with brandished racket and short skirts fluttering in the breeze the sight came as a relief to their strained nerves and they burst all three into a hearty fit of laughter sfa sh is playing with her nephew said harold harom bt lt last artke walkers have not come out yet I 1 think that it would be well if you were to give me that cheque mother and I 1 were to return it in person certainly harold I 1 think it would be very nice he went in through the garden clara and the doctor were sitting together in the d ning room she sprang to her feet at the sight of him oh harold I 1 have been waiting for to you so impatiently she cried I 1 saw you pass the front windows halt half an hour ago I 1 would have come in it if I 1 dared do tell us what has happened I 1 have come in to thank you both how can I 1 repay you for your kind ness here is your cheque doctor I 1 have not needed it I 1 find that I 1 can lay my hands on enough to pay my creditors thank god said clara fervently the sum is less than I 1 thought and our resources considerably more we have been able to do it with ease with ease the doctors doctor s brow clouded and his manner grew cold I 1 think harold that you would do better to take this money of mine than to use that which seems to you to be gained with ease thank you sir it if I 1 borrowed from any one it would be from you but my father has this very sum five thousand pounds and as I 1 tell him I 1 owe him so much that I 1 have xa no C compunction abo about U t 0 owing wing him more no compunction surely there are some sacrifices which a son should not allow his par ants to make sacrifices what do you mean meana 9 Is it possible that you do not know how this money has been obtained 9 I 1 give you my word doctor walker that I 1 have no idea I 1 asked my father but he refused to tell me I 1 thought not said the doctor the gloom clearing from his brow I 1 was pure ure that you were not a man who to clear yourself from a little money diffly culty would sacrifice the happiness of your mother and the wealth of your father good gracious what do you mean it is only right that you should know that money represents therom the commutation of your father fathers s pension he has reduced himself to poverty and in tends to go to sea again to earn a living to sea again impossible it Is the truth charles has told ida he ile was with him in the city when he took his poor pension about fro tron deal dealer r to dealer trying to sell it he succeeded at last and hence the money I 1 he has sola sold his pension cried itar old with his hands to his tace face my dear old das dad has lias sold his pension he rushed from the room and burst wildly into the presence of his parents once more I 1 can not take it father he cried better bankruptcy than that oh if I 1 had only known your plan we must have back the pension oh mother mother tow bow could you think me capable of such selfishness T give me the check dad and I 1 will see this man to night for I 1 would sooner die like a dog in the ditch than to touch a penny of this money TO BB BE CONTINUED |