Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1920-09-10

At the end of an hour Harvey
wanted terribly to rest but also for
the first time in his life he was one
of a working gang Of men; and 80.
beginning to take pride in the thought.
he held On grimly Not till the last
fish was slowed below did man rest.
But when that moment camel Disko
and Old Salters rolled toward their
cabin hunks, Manuel and Long Jack
went forward. Tom Plat waited only
long enough to slide home the hatch.
| All hands were below and asleep,
except the two boys; they had to
stand watch; so by and by the moon
looked down on one slim boy In knick-
erbockers, which was Harvey, stag
gerlng around the cIuttered deck;
while behind him, waving knotted
rope, walked another boy, which was
Dan, yawning and nOdding between
taps he dealt the first boy to keep him
awake.
The "We're Here" was on salt
fishing trip which meant four months
away from home so there was time
for Harvey to learn many strange new
things If he cared to. After time,
as the pride in honest work well done
began to grip him, he cared. He
learned to fish from a dOry; to make
his way In safety around a heaving
vessels deck; to know what each rope
and sail aboard a vessel was for.
Disko allowed him, when the wind was
light, to steer the vessel from one
berth to another, and wonderful was
Harveys sense of power when he frsta
felt the vessel answer to his touch Of
the wheel. Almost did he come to
understand, as a fisherman under
stands, the never-absent dangers of
the banks the eternal fOgs, the tides
the gales, the wicked seas; and
learned, too, fishermens opinion of the
officers Of the great steamers who,
after cutting a vessel down, raise high
hands to heaven and swear with
nnanimity that the careless fisherman
had never-absolutely never-shown
so much as a single light.
He saw one day foul, draggled, IN
kempt vessel heaving up past the
Were Here" for all the world like a
blowsy, frOusy, bad old woman sheer
Ing at decent girl, saw her sail off
and into batch Of watery sunshine
Rnd-go under, taking all hands with
her! He saw, while his hair stood on
end, wilderness moving in the white
ness of the fog with a breath like the
breath of a grave; and then he heard |
a roaring, plunging and spouting that |
was his first iceberg. He saw the surf
break over Virgin Rocks; and the fish
strike in so thick on a shoal that scores |
of dorieS stood riding gunnel to gunnel |
while their crews battled for the catch. |
He saw gale break so sudden and |
fierce that everywhere on the sea were
men in dOries cutting riding lines and |
racing for their vessels, but some |
never making their vessels.
So he passed four busy, wonderful
months growing in body, mind and
soul with every hour that passed; and |
then came the great day when they left
the banks for home. Toll hardship |
and danger were now mostly behind |
them; there was left little to do but
stand watch and study the folding and
packing away of the morning mists,
the hurry of winds, across the open
spaces, the glare and blaze of the high
sun; to harken to the grinding of the
boOms against the masts, the creaking
of the sheets against the bits, the sail
filling to the roaring winds.
Now about the time the Were
Here" hundred Quintals of fish in
her hold, was laying her course for
Gloucester, Harvey's father was be-
ginning to wonder In his mahogany
offices in Los Angeles if it wasn't a
better game to drop the ceaseless
for more power and wealth.
What was the use of it all-with no
son to hand it to? He was still won
dering when one day an excited Sec
rotary brought him telegram.
It was from Harvey, safe in Glouces.
ter. Mr.. Cheyne laid his face down
on his desk, breathed heavily for
awhile; and then, heavlng orders
right and left, started that run of
which railroad men talked for many
a day. Three days and half it was
from coast to coast, with railroad spe-
cialists along the way dividing huge
bonuses; for 1t was the great Harvey
Cheyne who was racing East to see
his rescued boy, and the boys mother
was with him.
Not without fear did he meet that
boy. He had a memory of a pasty-
faced, bad-mannered lad. What he
met was boy with toughened figure
and keen, clear eye.
Railroads, lumber, mlnes-such
things did not interest young Harvey.
What his heart yearned for was to
some day manage his fathers newly
purchased sailing ships on the Pacific
Coast. The ships he got when he was
-ipe for them; and for Dan, son Of
Oisko TroOp-seeing that he could not
)tfer mOney-he got berth as mate
If one Of them, with the promise that
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