Billy, his summer awakening

Part First. — On the Ocean Chapter Page

I Billy’s School S

II Courage 25

III Mr. Van Lennep Makes Up his Mind . 41

IV What the Ocean Began 58

V The Ocean Shows What it Can Do . 73

VI An Exciting Adventure 101

Part Second. — In the Woods and Mountains VII The Sea Turns Over the Job . . . 119 VIII The Woods Take a Hand 140

IX What a Hay-mow is Good For . . . 156

X Wherein Scotty Gets Excited . . . 178

Part Third. — On the Lake XI Westward Ho! 201

XII A Little Boating 225

XIII More Boating — “ Susie ” Performs

FOR THE Company 248

XIV A Little Surprise 264

XV Back to New York 276

ILLUSTRATIONS

One by one, in went all the crew . . . ,

The mate sent a bucket-full of sea-water over him

The boat never ceased its onward sweep .

“ Don’ shoot ! ” cried Antoine to his comrades. “ Jus’ watch ! ”

Frontispiece »

« 194 .*^

Part First On The Ocean

BILLY:

HIS SUMMER AWAKENING

Chapter I Billyhs School

^^I SAY, Lizzie,’^ cried Jimmy Fairfax, the school bully, guess you We going to volunteer, arenT you, like a big athlete, just to save the day?’'

Leave me alone, Jimmy, can’t you? You know well enough I don’t know anything about baseball,” answered Lizzie,” who really was not a girl at all, but a stoop-shouldered, slender, nervous-looking boy not quite fifteen years old.

'^Mustn’t be too modest, Elizabeth — don’t stand in your own light. An’ above all, don’t get unladylike about it. Sure you ’re going to volunteer to save our despairin’ nine from defeat!” Then in a fierce whisper Jimmy added, ‘^Volunteer to join the squad, you dub, or I ’ll — ” Well, he did not say just what he would do, he just left that to Lizzie^s quick imagination. Lizzie, or, as some of the boys called him, Willie, knew only too well what Jimmy Fairfax was capable of doing. He would much rather face the ridicule of his schoolmates than the bullying of Fairfax. Besides, it would be perfectly safe to volunteer. Mr. Jordan, the coach, was not fool enough to accept such a green weakling even for a scrub.^^

All right, if you 're so anxious about it," said Willie, at last; ‘^but I 'm no good at baseball, and you know it."

But Fairfax did not care anything about his victim's ability. In fact, he cared very little about the nine, except that the games gave him opportunity to swagger about the grand-stand in conspicuous garments. But he really did enjoy making a spectacle of Willie, and, to tell the truth, he made a great success at this pleasant pastime. As soon as the boy agreed to try for the nine, Jimmy gave a shout of delight.

Whoop her up, fellows!" cried he. ^^The honor of Craddock Academy is in safe hands! Will we get beaten next Saturday? Are we afraid of little Murray Hall? Nix. Our little friend

Lizzie is going to help win the day. She going to volunteer this very morning!^’

At this a roar of laughter went up from the school-yard, where a body of boys was gathered, discussing the prospects for the last game of the season. Though the game was no joke, Willie^s volunteering certainly was, so they laughed at him, and cheered him mockingly, till for very shame he took refuge in the school-building. As for Jimmy, he was quite pleased with himself, for this ridicule was just what he wanted to bring about.

It is true, however, that there was no joking about the coming game. Craddock had had one of her most successful seasons, but it certainly looked as though defeat were coming to her in the very last game, for suddenly no less than six members of the nine were lost in rapid succession. Four were disqualified by the faculty because deficient in their lessons, and the other two had been taken ill. Now, Craddock^s nine had been first-class, but there were few substitutes, and they were not up to the mark, for Craddock being a small and very exclusive school, there were not many fellows to take part in athletics. This morning of which we have been speaking.

the trainer, in despair, had sent in an appeal to the school for volunteers to try for the team. It was a desperate chance, with the game only two days away, but a desperate chance had to be taken, and the trainer hoped against hope that there might be a hidden star or two among the boys.

No one thought of cancelling the game, and so, the honor of the school being at stake, several boys volunteered. But no such idea had entered Willie Van Lennep^s head. Baseball? Well, perhaps he had had a bat in his hands half a dozen times in his life. And then he was not a very nervy boy anyway, and hated to make an exhibition of himself. He really would have liked being an athlete, and secretly he had a great admiration for the big, strong fellows of the school teams ; but then he was not strong himself, and was quite short-winded. This latter failing was entirely his own fault, however, and he knew it. No, he was not a very promising candidate, and nothing could have induced him to give his name to the trainer but the very certain knowledge that Fairfax would give him a pounding before all the other fellows if he did not. He was terribly

BILLY’S SCHOOL afraid of Fairfax, — a big, heavy fellow of fifteen, who toadied to the older boys and bullied the smaller ones.

Mr. Jordan, the coach and trainer, could hardly help smiling when Willie came into the office and hesitatingly gave in his name. But he was so glad to see what appeared to be a new spirit in a boy who had always seemed sissyish that he told him to report on the field that afternoon, slapped him on the back, and said that he would be a man, some day, after all, if he kept on. At this Willie blushed furiously, for he knew only too well how much manliness had to do with his handing in his name. He was considerably alarmed, too, for he had had no idea that he would be accepted. He felt that he would make an awful exhibition of himself. He became very angry at the scrape Fairfax had gotten him into.

They teased him considerably that day, at school, and there was more ridicule when he appeared at the grounds, and presented himself to Mr. Jordan in the dressing-room. The trainer gave him a spare suit out of his stock, and soon Willie went out upon the field, feeling very ridiculous, and looking considerably more ridiculous than he felt. The baggy trousers made his thin legs look thinner than ever. Never before had he so envied the other fellows their superior running muscles.^’

For a while the remaining members of the nine, as well as the ten or more candidates, were kept busy throwing old balls back and forth, Willie managing to catch and even return the few he allowed to come in his direction. Then the greenies were sent to the bat in turn, to be tried-out by the regular pitcher. Several of the new boys acquitted themselves reasonably well, getting in a hit or two now and then, and finally came Willie’s turn. He felt what little courage he did possess sink into his shoes. But there was no backing-out now. When his name was called, therefore, he went forward and picked up the first bat he came across, and then took his position amid a hearty round of hand-clapping and laughter from his amused schoolmates, which so flustered him that his knees knocked together. When the pitcher began his gyrations Willie was almost petrified with fright. Then he saw the ball coming, apparently straight for his chest. He gave a quick, ungainly step to one side, mechanically bringing the bat around at the same time. There was a smart crack and the ball bounded just between Willie and the pitcher. Really a beautiful bunt!

Well, there was some surprise then, you may be sure! There were several dropping jaws and amazed whistles. Then the pitcher regained the ball, turned himself into a windmill, and again the ball came hurtling through the air. Again Willie^s heart almost stopped as he jumped to one side, and again, almost by accident, the ball happened to hit the bat. And once more it fell between the pitcher and catcher.

Mr. Jordan could hardly believe his eyes, any more than could the boys, and as for the pitcher, he was disgusted clean through. But the most amazed person there was Willie himself, who plucked up heart wonderfully, and began to act as though knocking bunts was his most common occupation. He cocked his hat more on the back of his head, and stood a minute with one skinny leg crossed over the other, leaning with a professional air on the bat, while the pitcher regained the ball again. Now this time the latter gentleman meant business. There had been enough fooling.

Lizzie, above all people! So he gritted his teeth and pitched an in’^ that made the air whistle. Again Willie stepped to one side, but this time, so encouraged was he, that he actually swung the bat as he stepped. There was a smart ^ ‘ smack, and the ball sailed over the pitcher, just out of reach, which so surprised the second baseman that he missed it too, and Willie, upon the shout of Run! Run!’’ managed to reach first before the guardian of that base got the ball!

After that, Willie rejoined his dumfounded companions, and, as he considered himself quite a sport,” you may be sure that his attitude lost nothing by his good fortune. He put on all kinds of airs, and made no end of criticisms of his successors at the bat.

The afternoon was soon over, and the boys went to their several homes, discussing the prospects for Satiurday’s game, now only a couple of days away. Things were not very hopeful. True it is that one or two other boys had shown up very well, the result of practice elsewhere, and there were a couple of others who would do at a pinch, but by far the most important topic of conversation was the blossoming-out of Willie, about the youngest boy there and considered the most hopeless, if there had been any hope for him at all.

Willie arrived home quite late that afternoon, and was admitted by the butler.

^^Your mother ^s been worried about you, Mr. William, said Dennis.

^^Mph!^^ said Willie, brushing by the man, ^m no baby to get worried about.’’ He flung his cap on the nearest chair, leaving Dennis to put it away.

wish you were mine,” thought that gentleman to himself. Faith, an’ ye ’d learn something good for ye, that ye would!” But Willie stamped noisily up-stairs, where his mother, a delicate, nervous little lady, made haste to meet him.

Where have you been. Will?” asked she, putting detaining hands on his shoulders; thought something must have happened.”

‘^Nothing happened, of course. I ’ve just been playing a little baseball.” Willie watched his mother narrowly to see how she ’d take this bit of news.

‘‘Baseball! Dearie me, you haven’t been playing baseball! , You mustn’t have such violent exercise. Remember, you are very delicate. You might injure yourself for life! Maybe I better send for Dr. Holden — ”

“Pshaw, I ’m all right. I hate that stuffy old doctor.’’ Then he brusquely turned away and bustled off to his own quarters, where, before long, he was buried in a comfortable chair, deep in the adventures of “Dick, the Mountain-Devil,” while a man began getting out his clothes for evening.

It is easy for you to see that Willie’s home was far from being a poor one. Indeed, his father was one of the wealthiest men in one of the wealthiest of cities. Willie, therefore, had lacked for nothing that money could buy, and had not done a single thing that some one else could be paid to do for him. It might be said, too, that only the boys called him “Willie,” for he loathed that name, and would have given anything to have been just plain “Bill ” with them, but that was something that not all his money could buy. At home, however, they were more considerate, and called him “William,” or “Will.”

Willie did very much as he pleased. The only one who ever opposed his will was his father, but

BILLY’S SCHOOL then he saw his father so rarely that it made little difference. Mr. Van Lennep, though such a wealthy man, was an early riser, and had departed for his office by the time Willie had allowed the man to come in and help him dress. The only time he really had a good look at his father was at dinner when there was no company, and there was quite a deal of company.

As for Mrs Van Lennep, well, she was inchned to let Willie have his way, for she thought it would break his spirit if he were made to do things against his will. From all this it is easy to understand that if Willie were decidedly spoiled, he might not be altogether to blame for it.

But do not think that Willie was not a bright boy, for he was, but he had become so insufferably lazy that he did not use his brains a bit more than he had to. He was quite capable of standing at the head of his class at school, but, instead, he was satisfied to just get along by the skin of his teeth, not doing the least work he could get out of doing, and I am afraid he found ‘^cribbing a good deal easier than working. Certain it is that he admired, after a fashion, the brilliant fellows who seemed to find their lessons so easy, but as for following their example, well, it was too much like work!

With such characteristics, it is easy to understand why he was thin and had no muscles to speak of, but because he had not a little vanity, and wanted to make some kind of impression upon the other fellows, he tried to be what he termed a ^ ^ sport, wore a little cap on the back of his head, swore now and then in a blase kind of way, and smoked cigarettes till he was short-winded as could be. With his hanging head, poor complexion, and stooped shoulders, he was not, as far as appearances went, a very attractive boy. But you cannot always tell from the exterior, and truth compels it to be known that there was a lot of good stuff in Willie that would make a fine man of him, some day, if it ever got a chance!

When Mr. Van Lennep came home, a little before dinner, he was met by his wife, who, in worried tones, told him that Willie had been playing baseball, and she was afraid that he might be injured for life.

Mr. Van Lennep^s jaw dropped in real surprise. “What!’^ cried he, ^^you don’t mean to say that our William has actually been playing ball with

BILLY’S SCHOOL the boys?^’ Then he laughed ironically. ‘^Don^t worry, Helen,’’ he said, '^he ’ll never hurt himself that way. Nothing so strenuous. Baseball? About as near as he comes to playing baseball is watching his team from the top of the grand-stand. I may be mistaken about Willie, for I ’ll confess I don’t see much of him, not as much as I ought by a good deal, but he does not impress me as a boy who would be likely to injure himself greatly playing baseball. I ’m afraid you mollycoddle him, Helen.”

Nothing more was said about it at Willie’s home, but Willie thought about it a good deal himself, for he knew in his heart that it had been only by the merest luck that he had made those three hits, and he felt quite sure of what would happen if he should be called into the coming game.

The next afternoon he was on hand for practice, and Mr. Jordan, thinking Willie quite expert at the bat, sent him into the field, where he made himself as inconspicuous as possible, and with great success avoided mistakes by carefully avoiding the ball whenever it seemed to start in his direction, all of which no one noticed. The result was that, after some hesitation, it is true, Mr. Jordan and the captain of the nine selected him, with five others of the candidates, to defend Craddock the next afternoon. It was a desperate choice, to be sure, but as Craddock was a very small academy, though very, very select,’’ the coach had to do the best he could with very little material.

You cannot imagine the vast and disgusted surprise of Mr. Jimmy Fairfax over Lizzie’s” unexpected success. If he had dreamed such a thing possible, he would have been the last to have urged his usual victim to be a candidate. And then the airs since affected by Willie made him more furious than ever. So, during the recess of the morning before the game, he went after Willie, and started to plague him according to custom, but, to his surprise, there was none of the usual laughter from the other boys. Instead of that, some called to him to let ‘^Lizzie” alone, for Lizzie was doing more than he was, an3rway, and had a little school spirit, which was something that some other fellows did n’t have. This made Jimmy more angry than ever, but, being a typical bully, he was also a coward, and so did not dare to go against his fellows openly. But he knew what he would do as soon as he had Willie alone. As for that gentleman, he had grace enough to blush over the matter, for he knew just how much ‘^school spirit’^ had been instrumental in making him a candidate for the team.

The fatal afternoon came, as afternoons have a habit of doing, and Willie trotted out with his nine, frightened half to death. He knew that he was there by accident, and had no business on the field, and would have given worlds to have been able to escape. But escape was impossible, so there was nothing for it but to stick it out and hope for the best. You know that the most cowardly animal will fight fiercely when trapped in a corner. Willie was trapped and pretty well cornered, and so gritted his teeth with the resolve to '^make good^^ somehow.

It was an amazing game, after all. Dangerous as were the Murray Hall boys, the Craddocks did wonderfully well, greenies and all. They never expected to win. That, of course, was quite out of the question. But their ambition was to hold Murray down to a very small score, and that, considering the terrible handicap of having half a dozen green and inexperienced fellows playing, would be well enough. And so you may be sure that when the eighth inning left the score 2 to 0 in favor of Murray there was not a word of complaint from the Craddock side of the grand-stand. And even Mr. Jordan was more than pleased, and considered such a score practically a victory for Craddock.

Poor Willie, I must confess, had not shone remarkably during the game. He had not gotten a hit. Every time he had gone to the bat he had been struck out in one, two, three order. He almost wept over it, especially when he recognized the raucous voice of Jimmy Fairfax howling above the others from the stand.

His fielding could have been called neither good nor bad, for the simple reason that there was no fielding at all, as far as he was concerned. Fortunately, few balls came in his direction, but when one did, it was generally some other fellow who finally got it, for, among other things, Willie now had stage-fright, and willingly would have jumped down into a pit, had one conveniently opened before him.

Time after time Mr. Jordan was on the point of withdrawing him, and putting in his place one of the few substitutes, but then he remembered how Willie had made three hits in succession during that famous practice, and so hoped against hope that the boy would repeat the performance.

The ninth inning began with Murray at the bat. There were several perilously narrow escapes, and the Craddocks felt chills running up and down their spines more than once. You can believe that there were sighs of relief from the team, and cheers from the stand, when the Murray Hall boys went running out upon the field at last, leaving the score unaltered.

The first Craddock man at the bat was little Ben Holland, the cheeriest and pluckiest youngster in the school. But it takes more than pluck to stop ^^ins^^ and “outs^^ coming at lightning speed. Ben made three hopeful swings through the air, and then, sorrowfully, walked slowly back to the bench.

'^Hard luck, Bennie,^^ said the others; “made a good stab at it anyway.’^

Meanwhile Tommy MacRay, long and lanky, had picked up the longest bat he could find. Tommy was as cool as the coolest clam. He could make more hits than any fellow on the nine, but they were such nice gentle ones that one almost hated to catch them. Well, the Murray Hall pitcher went through various gymnastics and sent Tommy a beautiful ^^in^^ which Tommy promptly hit, fair and square. The ball went easily and accurately into the very pitcher^s hands, and Tommy, with face a yard long, followed Ben back to the bench, while Harry Lomond, the stalwart captain of the nine, went to the bat.

It was ^^up to Harry, and Harry knew it. But no one was more worthy of the responsibility. The Craddocks actually held breath when they saw him poise his bat for the first ball. Instead of swinging, however, he stepped lightly to one side.

'^One ball!^^ shouted the umpire.

^‘Good eye, Harry yelled the Craddocks with one voice.

Again the ball came. There was a sharp ‘^smack,’^ the ball went sailing just over the head of the second-baseman, and just out of reach of a frantic fielder, and, when the boys came back to their senses, Harry, covered with dust, was clutching second-base with one hand. There was a roar of applause then, you may be sure. But it was nothing to the second roar that went up when

Fatty Janes knocked another into the back field, and reached first, fat and all, before the ball was recovered. Harry, to be sure, had lost no time getting to third.

Well, the boys did cheer! But then that cheer suddenly stopped like magic, and was followed by a groan of real despair, for the next man at the bat was none other than Willie — Willie, with his knees knocking together, and who would have given everything he owned, or expected to own, to have been in Kamtchatka, Borneo, or any other place on earth. White-lipped, and almost suffocating with fear, he managed to pick up a bat and take his place, while the groans from the stand grew louder and louder, until stilled by a wave from Mr. Jordan^s hand. But Jimmy Fairfax, gloating on the sight with real joy in his heart, cared little for Mr. Jordan’s hand. Don’t be frightened, Lizzie dear,” he called from his seat, a snicker going around at Willie’s expense as a result. This was the last straw. Suddenly poor Willie was filled with rage. His fear went like a flash, and he gritted his teeth in a fury because they all made fun of him and never let him alone. He had n’t a friend in the lot and he hated them all. He gripped the bat as though he would like to brain some one with it. Then he saw the ball coming. Quite mad with fury he gave a terrific half -blind swing at it. There was a great crack! followed by a cheer! The ball went sailing high and far, while Willie stood dumfounded, with a broken bat in his hands. There he stood like a dunce, while Harry and Fatty were making the dust fly.

^^Run! Run! Run, you dub!” yelled every Craddock there, and Willie, his senses coming to him, ran with all his might. Even then he might have made it. But his smoking on the sly counted just a little against him, his wind failed, and he reached the base just one second after the Murray man had caught the ball.

The less , said the better about what followed. There was a great confusion. Some, who really understood, patted Willie on the back, and said he ’d do better next time, while others, furious at Willie^s ^Tosing the game,” threatened him angrily, and not last, be sure, was Jimmy Fairfax. Therefore, dressing as quickly as possible, Willie slipped out and got home as quickly as possible, and, when there, hurried up to his room and almost buried himself in the pillows of his couch, from which no persuasions of his mother could cause him to move, so that she was certain he had been seriously injured by baseball, and was only prevented from sending for the doctor by Willie’s loudly expressed anger at the mention of such a thing.

wish you’d leave me alone!” cried he, to his mother, with just a suspicion of a sniffle.

Everybody nags me and I never have any fun! I ’m not sick! I ’m not hurt, I tell you! Go away. Mom, and leave me alone, oh, leave me alone!”

And so, worried, and hurt too, Mrs. Van Lennep went away and left Willie to himself, and he did not make his appearance till dinner time, when he came to the table, silent and gloomy, with rather red eyes.

'^What ’s the matter. Will?” asked his father; ‘‘you look as though you ’ve been through a sausage factory.”

“He’s been playing baseball, I know,” said Mrs. Van Lennep, “and I know it is not good for him.”

“Baseball!” exclaimed Mr. Van Lennep, surprised for a second time. ‘^Will, I never knew you liked baseball.’^

“Don’t like it — hate it/’ grumbled Willie sullenly.

“Hum, don’t quite imderstand. Your mother does n’t want you to play it, and you will play it, and yet you hate it. How do you make that out? ”

By way of answer Willie threw down his napkin and walked quickly from the room despite his father’s command to come back, and muttering something about being “left alone,” stamped up to his room.

“Upon my soul, Helen, William is getting to be a proposition. I guess I have not been watching his development as I should. I had better begin rather soon, I dare say, or he will be too much for us! If ever there was a spoiled boy, our William is one!”

Chapter II

There is more than one kind of courage. Some fellows are not at all afraid of a fight, and will take and give a good pounding without a murmur, yet in the face of ridicule they will back down shamefully. And then there are others who would almost faint at the idea of a fight, but whom no amount of ridicule could persuade to turn aside from what they wanted to do, or thought they should do. It is a lucky boy who has both kinds of courage. Harry Lomond, captain of the nine, had both kinds. You may be surprised to know it, but Willie had a good deal of the second kind. Jimmy Fairfax had nT a shred of either, which lack he disguised, however, with a great deal of bluster and bragging. It is surprising how many are deceived by a boy like Jim, and in Craddock even some of the larger fellows thought he was a good one to let alone. ‘‘Awful scrapper, Jimmy is,’^ they would say, one to another. “Did you hear what he did to that tough last week? Why, he says he just took him by the neck and — ’’ Yes, Jimmy was a terrible fighter, from his own account, and though no one had actually seen him engaged in one of his famous encounters, they all believed in them nevertheless. So you can see how it was that Willie, who was a thin, colorless boy, with little endurance, was very much afraid of the school bully, and yet Fairfax himself would not have dared return to school on the very next school-day, if he had made such an exhibition of himself as had Willie. He could n^t stand being made fun of, blusterer though he was, and yet Willie, who could go or not go much as he pleased, was at school the very next school morning, just as though nothing had happened. He hated being ridiculed, yet he hated more to show that he was afraid of it.

The boys received him in different manners. Some thought he had done remarkably well for such a poor skinny dub, while all that others could remember was that he lost the game by standing still like a dummy, when he should have made first base easily.

It was Mr. Jordan, however, who saved the day for Will. At the opening of the morning session, the trainer came before the school and talked to the boys concerning the past season, which, after all, had been a very creditable one for Craddock, the defeats being a very small minority of the games. But to the astonishment of all, Mr. Jordan praised the team which had just gone down to defeat.