the cruise of the jasper b.-第5章
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the doorway。 〃Understand me; Mr。 Goldberg; a schooner; sir! A
schooner!〃
And standing with a frown on his face until every vestige of the
smile had died from Mr。 Goldberg's lips; Cleggett repeated once
more: 〃A schooner; Mr。 Goldberg!〃
〃Yes; sirthere's no doubt of ita schooner; Mr。 Cleggett;〃
said Mr。 Goldberg; turning pale and backing away from the door。
The ordinary man inspects a house or a horse first and buys it;
or fails to buy it; afterward; but genius scorns conventions;
Cleggett was not an ordinary man; he often moved straight towards
his object by inspiration; great poets and great adventurers
share this faculty; Cleggett paid for the Jasper B。 first and
went back to inspect his purchase later。
The vessel lay about two miles from the center of Fairport。 He
could get within half a mile of it by trolley。 Nevertheless;
when he reached the Jasper B。 again after leaving Mr。 Goldberg it
was getting along towards dusk。
He first entered the cabin。 It was of a good size and divided
into several compartments。 But it was in a state of dilapidation
and littered with a jumble of odds and ends which looked like the
ruins of a barroom。 As he turned to ascend to the deck again;
after possibly five minutes; intending to take a look at the
forecastle next; he heard the sound of a motor。
Looking out of the cabin he saw a taxicab approaching the boat
from the direction of Fairport。 It was a large machine; but it
was overloaded with seven or eight men。 It stopped within twenty
yards of the vessel; and two men got out; one of them evidently a
person who imposed some sort of leadership on the rest of the
party。 This was a tall fellow; with a slouching gait and round
shoulders。 And yet; to judge from his movements; he was both
quick and powerful。 The other was a short; stout man with a
commonplace; broad red face and flaxen hair。 The two stood for a
moment in colloquy in the road that led from Fairport proper to
the bayside; passing near the Jasper B。; and Cleggett heard the
shorter of the two men say:
〃I'm sure I saw somebody aboard of her。〃
〃How long ago; Heinrich?〃 asked the tall man。
〃An hour or so;〃 said Heinrich。
〃It was old man Abernethy; he's harmless;〃 said the tall fellow。
〃He's the only person that's been aboard her in years。〃
〃There was someone else;〃 persisted Heinrich。 〃Someone who was
talking to Abernethy。〃
The tall man mumbled something about having been a fool not to
buy her before this; Cleggett did not catch all of the remark。
Then the tall fellow said:
〃We'll go aboard; Heinrich; and take a look around。〃
With that they advanced towards the vessel。 Cleggett stepped on
deck from the cabin companionway; and both men stopped short at
the sight of him; Heinrich obviously a trifle confused; but the
other one in no wise abashed。 He made no attempt; this tall
fellow; to give the situation a casual turn。 What he did was to
stand and stare at Cleggett; candidly; and with more than a touch
of insolence; as if trying to beat down Cleggett's gaze。
Cleggett; staring in his turn; perceived that the tall man;
ungainly as he was; affected a bizarre individualism in the
matter of dress。 His clothing cried out; rather than suggested;
that it was expensive。 His feet were cased in button shoes with
fancy tops; his waistcoat; cut in the extreme of style; revealed
that little strip of white which falsely advertises a second
waistcoat beneath; but in his case the strip was too broad。
There were diamonds on the fingers of both powerful hands。 But
the thing that grated particularly upon Cleggett was the
character of the man's scarfpin。 It was by far the largest
ornament of the sort that Cleggett had ever seen; he was near
enough to the fellow to make out that it had been carved from a
piece of solid ivory in the likeness of a skull。 In the eyeholes
of the skull two opals flamed with an evil levin。 The man
suggested to Cleggett; at first glance; a bartender who had come
into money; or a drayman who had been promoted to an important
office in a labor union and was spending the most of a
considerable salary on his person。 And yet his face; more
closely observed; somehow gave the lie to his clothes; for it was
not lacking in the signs of intelligence。 In spite of his taste;
or rather lack of taste; there was no hint of weakness in his
physiognomy。 His features were harsh; bold; predatory; a
slightly yellowish tinge about the temples and cheek bones;
suggestive of the ivory ornament; proclaimed a bilious
temperament。
Cleggett; both puzzled and nettled by the man's persistent gaze;
advanced towards him across the deck of the Jasper B。 and down
the gangplank; hand on hip; and called out sharply:
〃Well; my friend; you will know me the next time you see me!〃
The tall man turned without a word and walked back to the
taxicab; the occupants of which had watched this singular duel of
looks in silence。 In the act of getting into the machine he face
about again and said; with a lift of the lip that showed two
long; protruding canine teeth of an almost saffron hue:
〃I WILL know you again。〃
He spoke with a kind of cold hostility that gave his words all
the effect of a threat。 Cleggett felt the blood leap faster
through his veins; he tingled with a fierce; illogical desire to
strike the fellow on the mouth; his soul stirred with a
premonition of conflict; and the desire for it。 And yet; on the
surface of things at least; the man had been nothing more than
rude; as Cleggett watched the machine make off towards an
isolated road house on the bayside he wondered at the quick
intensity of his own antipathy。 Unconsciously he flexed his
wrist in his characteristic gesture。 Scarcely knowing that he
spoke; he murmured:
〃That man gets on my nerves。〃
That man was destined to do something more than get on Cleggett's
nerves before the adventures of the Jasper B。 were ended。
CHAPTER IV
A BAD MAN TO CROSS
The isolated road house on the bay was a nondescript; jumbled;
dilapidated…looking assemblage of structures; rather than one
house。 It was known simply as Morris's。 It stood a few hundred
yards west of the end of the canal which opened into the bay and
was about a quarter of a mile from the Jasper B。
The canal itself was broad; straight; low…banked; and about
three…quarters of a mile in length。 The town had thrown out a
few ranks of cottages in the direction of the canal。 But these
were all summer bungalows; occupied only from June until the
middle of September。 The solider and more permanent part of
Fairport was well withdrawn from the sandy; sedgy stretches that
bordered on tidewater。
At the north and inland terminus of the quiet strip of water in
which the Jasper B。 reposed was a collection of buildings
including bathhouses; a boathouse; and a sort of shed where 〃soft
drinks〃 and sea food were served during the bathing season。 This
place was known as Parker's Beach and was open only during the
summer。
Morris's was of quite a different character from Parker's Beach。
One could bathe at Morris's; but the beach near by was not
particularly good。 One could hire boats there and buy bait for a
fishing trip。 In one of its phases it made some pretensions to
being a summer hotel。 It had an extensive barroom。 There was a
dancing floor; none too smooth。 There were long verandahs on
three sides。 That on the south side was built on piles' people
ate and drank there in the summer; beneath it the water swished
and gurgled when the tide was in。
The townspeople of Fairport; or the more respectable ones; kept
away from Morris's; summer and winter。 Summer transients;
inhabitants of the bungalows during the bathing season;
patronized the place。 But most of the patronage at all seasons
seemed to consist of automobile parties from the city; peo