“Gerald B. Saxton.
“P. S.—Give my love to Gerald. Tell him to write me immediately what day he starts. Tell him to be a good boy, and not let the whales have any excuse to eat him on the way.”
“There!” exclaimed Mr. Marcy, as he handed Gerald this business-like letter from any father summoning his son on such a journey. “That’s your father all over! Not a word to spare. Disposes of you and every body else just as if you were a package of goods to be forwarded by express.”
“Yes,” returned Gerald, with a queer tone in his voice, “that is papa to the life. But he never took me quite so much by surprise. Of course, I’ve wanted to go up. I was dreadfully disappointed when he said I couldn’t. But it’s too bad to have to break up here and leave before the rest of you do.” He glanced at Philip, who sat in a surprise not particularly pleasant looking over the letter Gerald had handed him.
“Well, I think myself you will face the hardship better if I let Philip go along to take charge of you,” said Mr. Marcy, quizzically. “How does that idea strike you?”
“O, Mr. Marcy!” exclaimed Gerald, with a look of intense pleasure; “do you really mean that?”
“I surely do,” returned the proprietor of the Ossokosee. “I thought of it the moment I read your father’s letter. I haven’t at hand just now any servant that I could spare, or, in fact, be willing to commit you to, and I have no time to write to find out if friends can arrange to look after you on the steamer. Philip needs a change. Last year,” he continued, turning to Touchtone, “you had no rest at all, from Mrs. Ingraham and me.” He smiled as he spoke. “So I made up my mind last night that the nicest thing I can do for both of you, and for that harum-scarum father of yours, Gerald, will be to pack you off in Philip’s care. What do you say to it, Philip?”
“I’d rather do it than any thing else in the world,” replied Touchtone, “if you can spare me.”
“O, this rush may end any day now. Then I shall close the hotel at once. Sit down here again—and be sober. To-day is Saturday. Your father wants you to set out, Gerald, as soon as you can. I will write him to-day, with you, and say that you and Philip will leave here for New York next Tuesday to catch the Wednesday’s steamer. You will get to New York on Tuesday night, and you can either go to the Windsor to spend it, and the morning of the following day (the Old Province usually sails at one in the afternoon), or else you can adopt another plan.”