CLANCY LAYS DOWN THE LAW
Clancy started on the run and I after him. “We’ll go to his boarding-house first, Joe, and if he’s not there, to Minnie Arkell’s.”
He wasn’t in his boarding-house, and we hurried out. On the sidewalk we almost ran into little Johnnie Duncan.
“Oh, Captain Clancy––or you, Joe Buckley––won’t you tell me about the race? Grandpa was too busy to tell me, but went down the wharf with a lot of people to show them the Johnnie Duncan. They all left the office and told me to mind it. And my cousin Alice came in with Joe’s cousin Nell. And I saw Captain Blake with some people and ran after him and I just caught up with him and they went off and left me. And then a little while ago he came back by himself and ran toward the dock and didn’t even see me. And Captain Blake used to be so good to me!” Poor Johnnie was all but crying.
“Toward the dock? That’s good,” breathed Clancy. “Stay here, Johnnie, and we’ll tell you 272 about the race when we get back,” and led the way to Mr. Duncan’s office.
We found the skipper in the outer office, standing beside the bookkeeper’s desk and looking out of the window next the slip. Hearing us coming he turned and then we saw that he held in his hands an open box with a string of beautiful pearls. Noticing us gaze at the pearls in surprise, he said, “Mr. Duncan gave me these for winning the race. And I took them, thinking that somebody or other might like them.”
“And don’t she?” asked Clancy––it seemed to slip out of Tommie without his knowing it.
“I guess not,” said Maurice. Only then did it flash on me what it all might mean.
“Did you try?” asked Clancy.
“Try! Yes, and was made a fool of. Oh, what’s the use––what in hell’s the use?” He stood silent a moment. “I guess not,” he said then––looked out the window again, and hove the whole string out of the open window and into the slip.