You all know the story, but of course as he told it much of the interest attaching to his doings evaporated because he would not say I did this or I did that, a modesty which he shared with many far less estimable men. But he did tell them all he could put into words about his lovely island home, his origin, the pursuits of the islanders and their happiness under the simple gospel of love. He told this with a manly simple eloquence which captivated his hearers and made even the most cynical and case-hardened of them feel that here was an idyllic state of things which was unknown to their cheap and feverish philosophies wrongly so called. And when at last he finished, so great was the interest that many questions were put to him by the elder men and women, all of which he answered with ease or owned that he didn’t know. How long this would have gone on only those who know the insatiable avidity of Americans in acquiring information upon some new topic could imagine, but happily for C. B. there suddenly appeared on the scene a Japanese waiter with the news that the captain was awake. And immediately C. B. slipped away.
Thenceforward this quiet unassuming child of nature was the idol of the ship. “Guess it’s a complete rest-cure to be near him,” was the verdict of one sallow owner of about a million dollars, who was fascinated by C. B. to such an extent that he forswore poker, and courted every chance to get a few words with a man whom he felt had the true secret of happiness. “Now,” said this keen business man, “ef this chap was advertising himself or startin’ a new religion, I’d be on to him in once, bigger ’n a elevator. But he ain’t, ’s far ’s he knows he’s the most ornery cuss there is around. ’N ’s far ’s I know he’s about the newest breed o’ man there is, an’ I’d like t’ get the recipe for a few more like him.”
But the girls gave C. B. the most trouble. It was hard to convince them that he was not the descendant of some dusky island potentate. That he was but the offspring of a common English seaman and some nameless Kanaka woman two or three generations back seemed impossible for them to believe, for they were never tired of descanting upon the stately grace of his form and the perfect unstudied beauty of his language. Secretly too they were all piqued by the fact that he paid none of them any special attention, was only gravely polite in a perfectly general sense. To the men though who sought him out and talked with him he was extremely open and genial, telling them frankly that he felt honoured by their condescension, until one day the captain, hearing him speak like this took him to task about it.
“Christmas,” he said, “they’s such a thing as bein’ too humble, makin’ yerself too cheap. You’ve no call to be so humble to these men. I ain’t got nothing to say against any of ’em, but I should say they ain’t one of ’em that’s fit to shine the boots of a good man like you are. Why, they don’t talk of nothin’ else, mornin’ noon or night, ’cept they’re talkin’ t’ you, but dollars and cents, how to pile ’em up as fast as they kin no matter by what method. Money’s their God, Christmas, and his worship means some practices that you’d shudder at. No, keep yer head up, my friend, you’ll never git too big fer your boots I’m sure, for I declare you’re the equal of any and the superior of most men in this world.” And the excited man sank back in his chair exhausted, while C. B. gently reproved him for thus exerting himself, and as soon as he was rested again told him quaintly how bashful he felt before the girls, especially Miss Stewart, who continually sought his company.
“How should I behave to them?” he inquired, at which the Captain laughed and replied—
“Ah, there I can’t give ye no advice, except to be mighty careful not to fall in love with one of ’em. I guess you wouldn’t want no lessons in humility if once you did that. For companionable as all these folks seem to be and eager to make a fuss of ye, if once you lifted your eyes to one of their women folk so as to desire her for a wife, they wouldn’t have words enough t’ cuss ye in, an’ they’re pretty glib as a rule.”
“Well, captain,” said C. B., “there’ll be no occasion. I am not at all likely to fall in love, as you call it, until I get back to Norfolk Island again, and certainly not while I have the happy privilege of taking care of you, God bless you.”