| Show f. f i I The Broken Cleat f NUMBER proved to be a a. a rather rusty-looking rusty two two-stor two story building from whose outside appearance one could never have told for what purpose it had been been originally intended I J concluded after a hasty glance at its general design design design de de- sign that the owner had built it for a residence at the same time catering to toa toa toa a a- a thought that he might some day change it into a commercial bl block k for fora a stairway ran from the very sidewalk up through the cent center r. r On either side of the entrance large square windows reaching from a couple of feet feet above the sidewalk to within a few feet of the ledge betokening the meeting of the first and second stories again betrayed this thought of a future change There were no doors in f front lI ut paths on either side sid of the house led to small doors situated near the rear F I could not help momentarily wondering wondering wonder wonder- ing what might be the name of the certainly certainly certainly peculiar individual l who had planned this place A hasty glance at either side of the building which by bythe bythe bythe the way stood quite alone no structure being within half a block made me more astonished than ever Dotting the length of each story were windows placed at not le less t than an a foot and a a. half haH apart They were round round- and inordinately inordinately inordinately inor inor- small too which made my wonder still greater Well I 1 mused this person must have wanted a great deal of air and not much light All these thoughts thought came in hasty profusion for I had come to this place on a visit and it would not have looked just right to scrutinize too closely my y hosts host's place of residence Pondering on what I ha had so h hastily noticed I approached th the foot of the stairs A placard placed near the entrance entrance entrance en en- trance attracted my attention and I stopped to re read d the e closely pr printed n ed notice At the top of the card w was s a rude drawing of a ships ship's prow with a sic sickly looking a mermaid trying to to hold her her head head proudly aloft The artist was evi evidently either not well practiced in his profession or had no sense of beauty for the mermaid was very much eyed cross and to crown her imperfections imperfections her hair had been tinted a light lightblue lightblue blue while a dirty yellow marked her eyes and a red dress seemingly much the worse for heavy weather hung in folds from her square ders I mentally subjected the perpetrator perpetrator perpetrator of this public agony to many kinds of torment but upon upon- second thought retracted everything reflecting ting that this was perhaps the same who had designed the building building and and I had concluded concluded con con- eluded that he was was vas capable of most any peculiar action n The words o on on the placard placa d were as follows Shipmates Ahoy Make no noise while in this here bark The captains captain's been under weather r for many moons and is liable to be that way for many more so be careful Rules of the Flying Girl 1 No noise while on board 2 2 Strict attention and obedience to ord orders rs 3 Sea Sea dogs dogs always welcome landlubbers landlubbers landlubbers land land- lubbers received on trial 4 Hail Hair x the watch s suitably at at atthe the the head of the ladder J J. Ballard Ca Capt t. t Mate and Crew That was all but it was quite enough to dumfound me I 1 did not know what to make of it At first I felt a tendency tendency tendency ten ten- dency to turn about and run with all my might in any direction just so I placed that ship behind me Surely 1 I thought the man is at least half-crazy half Who knows what he might do But upon second thought I came to o the conclusion that I was in no imminent danger since other people went there and came away vay alive So I decided to risk my life and board oar the the Flying F yi g Girl I mounted the ladder and and li Having ving scaled d tH the trie top stopp stopped d and shouted Hello I but not nor nota not a sound broke the intense quietude Then remembering remembering re re- mem bering the the directions below concerning concerning con concerning con con- hailing I r y rebuked myself for being so indiscreet and inattentive and in a loud voi voice e c called Out Ship ahoy I Almost instantly a adoor adoor adoor door to my right opened and a head encased encased encased en en- cased in a a appeared then thena a pair of large shoulders a strong vigorous body and lastly two short legs or rather one leg and a half for when this mass of weight an and strength began moving in my direction I knew by oy the extraordinary thumping of the left leg that it was a wooden one up mate he yelled in a atone atone atone tone quite uncalled for I imagined I knew what kind of a person I had todeal todeal to to- todeal deal with so hastily called up my scanty knowledge of sea-faring sea terms and addressed addressed addressed ad ad- dressed him accordingly Pulling an imaginary forelock and scraping one foot noisily upon th the floor I s said id iii I suppose suppose At your service he grun grunted t dIs d. d Is Tom Alrid aboard I asked Yes sir first bunk to left he answered and wen went t back to his his his' room slamming ng the door noisily after him 1 I knocked at Toms Tom's door a and c a sleepy voices voice answered Come in I entered and found my my friend sitting half- half dressed on the bed while he stared stupidly at me Presently he arose II Oh Oh is that you Jim Bless my my soul Pardon my my stupidly You see 1 I just got up heard up-heard heard you in the hall I guess and andI I was only half half-aw half awake ke when you knocked Take a chair old man and Ill I'll ll dress Well We'll have a nice talk together here in my den dex He bustled about washed combed his hair and was soon dressed While he was going t through rough these actions actions actions ac ac- I l' l took a look about the room room Here I again saw th the work of a seafaring seafaring seafaring sea sea- faring mind and hand Two small circular windows admitted not not- nota a great I. I deal of f light Pictures of ships sailors I mermaids and many other things pertaining per per- per per- tail ing to the the sea hung on the walls All ll o of these were really indicative of a gifted person none of the roughness of the mermaid below showing in them On a stand in the corner were about tw twenty nty books bools carel carelessly arranged from which I inferred that my friend had been employing his time well at his stud studies ies N Now ow J Jim said Tom we will have our talk talk talk-Oh Oh by the way did you have any trouble in getting up here No trouble I said laughing quietly and feeling my way Tom laughed heartily but suddenly and asked seriously seriously seriously seri seri seri- straightened up very Did you really have any r rI trouble fj rJ I assured him that nothing had happened happened happened hap hap- to disturb disturb me and added II You see I read those rules before coming up upon which he again laughed heartily Again becoming serious he looked out of the window into the untidy yard below then turning to tome tome tome me tapped his forehead significantly and pointed in the direction of f the door Our acquaintance has been heen short and nd I never have haye told you of him But you mi might ht as well kno know so Ill I'll tell you how it came about You see Jim hes he's well ha half de f-de- f I suppose It carne came about this way The old man has been on the sea nearly all his life My mother was his daughter daug the only child he lie had and he fairly adored her When my father came along courted her and at last asked her hand in marriage he disliked very much to lose his child but he said he had been a young man himself once so he made no no objections to the mar mar- Ind Indeed ed it seemed as though h he did not have to suffer the sorrow sorrow of a avery avery avery very long iong separation from froIn his daughter for my father too took such a liking g to him that he proposed a partnership in a few f p paying ying investments them to together together to- to get gether er up to my f fathers fathers' death five years ears ago a t Grandfather always had some interests interests interests inte inte- rests in a few vessels and made it p part rt r of his business to take two or three voyages each year wh when n he insisted upon upon up up- r on the company o of J my father and mother It was on on one of these voyages voyages voy voyages voy- voy ages when I was about five years ears old that my brother Leslie was born Gr Grandfather was fairly wild with joy and lavished unending attentions up upon n the youngster just as he always had done Upon me He used to be quite a hand at drawing although his mermaid down downstairs downstairs downstairs stairs sadly contradicts t the e fact Tom smiled sadly But Bu that was long ago Leslie gradually developed a great lik- lik and aptitude e for t the e art which caused grandfather to rave about the child innocently believing that the boy took after him and that he should do doal doall doall al all in his power to give the boy a chance to make an artist of himself f Time went on and the boy showed t increasing ever genius When he was sixteen Grandfather declared he should t attend an art rt school and so mother t immediately h ly packed up his things and Leslie d departed parted for New York where t he was to be met m t by friends fri But he hel l never reached that place The next day we received a telegram saying the t train tram had ad be been n wrecked and Leslie killed The news was was all that was needing to fa kill my mother for she was just rec recovering recovering re re- c covering vering from the grief of her husbands husband's x death She did not live long As for Grandfather from Irom the very minute that telegram was read to him he was a changed man He donned his sea- sea clothes long ago laid aside took up the theold theold old sea manners and sought a place where he might grieve unwatched which h place he found to b be he right here He h had d this building erected modeling it somewhat some some- what after a ship as you can cari seem see see seem seemingly intending to forget the past in new new surroundings savoring of old scenes He is gradually becoming more vague v gue and peculiar I can only see him in In- future a positive wreck of a go good good- I d-I hearted loving man Nothing can help him I have sought in vain He looked at the table through tear-be- tear dimmed eyes These are my only treasures treasures- treasures books In these I am ani trying to forget the past I expressed my sympathy as best I could and was preparing to go but he clasped my hand and begged me to stay awhile Dont hurry away Lets Let's talk of the game That reminds me I must put some cleats on those shoes or Ill I'll never be able to stand up today He picked up a pair of old shoes and sat down Taking a hammer and some some short nails he proceeded to nail some wooden cleats cleats' crosswise to the soles I watched him i in a half half attentive attentive manner but casually noticed that one cleat immediately immediately immediately im im- mediately over the center of the left shoe was larger than the others t you better cut that middle one down a little bit I asked I I believe it would help he said and reached for his knife He could not find it and asked me for mine I had left mine i in my my room Oh well Ill I'll knock this one off and make a new one He stuck the cleat a sharp blow with the hammer But it was of defective m material and broke right at its middle point pain t. t There Ive I've done it he said and was about to strike the remaining portion portion portion por por- tion from the shoe when I cried Dont Youre You're knifes knife's gone and you you cant can't make another Better let it go and arid nail the theother theother theother other piece back hack Youre right he said and after all it doesn't matter much So with a afew afew afew few well-directed well nails the broken cleat cleatas as as as seemingly as good as newN new Now N ow since it lacks only a half hour of the time time for practice lets let's go down to campus he said I readily consented an and f we ve we descended the stairs I took a backward glance at the mermaid and imagined she was looking at me but I could see only one eye and perhaps I was wrong after all While Tom rattled away as he did upon frequent occasions talking of foot-ball foot games gymnasium incidents instructors and students my my mind was not much intent on his remarks for I Iwas Iwas Iwas was was thinking of his grandfather the picture of his lif life life- as Tom had painted it coming before me in rem remarkable vividness I pitied him from my inmost heart and deplored the wr wreck ck of an Intense in intense intense In- In tense happiness and a healthy mind Meanwhile we were steadily approaching approach approach- hing h- h ing the campus and at last arrived there Tom went to the gymnasium g to to put on his foot ball suit and I went out by the grounds As usual at practice time a number of enthusiastic college o lege fellows were there who lounged ab about ut discussing the great game soon to come off the merits of th the v various rious players player and making predictions as s to the probable probable probable able score Among these men was one Laird Laird Jack Jack Laird a eyed dark-eyed haired black young fellow of twentythree twentythree twentythree twenty- twenty three or four whose sallow cheeks and small deep set cunning eyes had always al al always l- l ways made me judge him a person worthy of almost any any meanness I knew him to be a jealous revengeful fellow for I had heard of an example of his treachery and deceit the primary causes of which I never knew until later He and Tom were rivals in a way primarily over a girl of course both being much inclined to court the goodwill goodwill goodwill good good- will of Miss Lucy Penfield She per- per Tom and told Laird so but Laird was still determined and took the first chance offered him of getting even This he did in a trivial way by recounting to Miss Lucy an exaggerated story of at Toms Tom's crazy crazy garnd father II of whom the had happened to hear think thinking ing she would turn in in abhorrence abhorrence from from- Tom after she heard that that Bu But t his iol- iol lish l- l ish reckoning caused no injury whatever whatever whatever what what- ever for Lucy not only clung to Tom more closely than ever but dismissed the spiteful Laird from her acquaintance acquaintance- ship Th Then n again Tom and Laird Laird Laird-I I cannot summon up enough will good-will for him to say Jack Jack had had had been rivals in athletics and I give the latter credit with having slightly bested his adversary This Tom good accepted but Laird narrow-mindedly narrow became enraged seemingly seemingly seemingly seem seem- because he h had d had nad as he expressed expressed ex ex- pres pressed ed it such a thing to to compete w with h as Tom Alrid Arrid My friend refused t to pay any attention to his remarks until one day day on on the c campus mIus Laird aird boldly hailed Tom with some f familiarity mili rity or other and followed o lowed it up with a r rude rude rude- de observation concerning Miss Luc Lucy upon upon upon up up- up on which Tom promptly knocked knocke l him d down wn and repeated the action as soon as Laird could arise The result of all th these se encounters was the engendering in Lairds Laird's mind of a deep malignant hatred of Tom which he at all times remembered I Having decided to wait until practice ce should be through with I took a convenient convenient convenient con con- seat on the bleachers and settled d myself to study the new plays Hardly had I become absorbed in watching t the e players when Jack Laird came rambling along and nd took a seat by my si side le a |
