“It’s agreed that we keep the lad here until next fall, if it so be permission is given by the Department,” Keeper Downey said at length, summing up the result of the arguments, “and if the rules of the Service won’t allow his staying, we’ll look around for a boarding-place as near to the station as may be; but I reckon there ain’t much need of figgerin’ on that, because the United States Government can’t make any kick about giving shelter to a little shaver like Benny, especially when it don’t cost a cent.”
“Suppose you start the letter now?” Joe Cushing suggested. “If it goes in with your report I allow it’ll have greater weight, seein’ that the whole story will be fresh in the minds of the officials.”
The remainder of the crew believed Joe’s suggestion was timely, and Keeper Downey did not need much urging to set him about the task immediately.
After referring the Superintendent to the official report of the wreck, Downey gave briefly the story Benny had told concerning himself, making the request that the boy be allowed to remain at the station during such time as the crew were willing to provide for his wants, and concluding with the following statement:
“It won’t take a cent out of the government, for we, as a crew, have agreed to pay his bills till he can manage affairs for himself, and the little he costs will be more than balanced by what labor he can perform. He appears to be a willing lad, and there’s many an odd job he can do when we have a long spell of hard work. It will be a good trade for us, whichever way you look at the matter, and surely the people of this big country won’t begrudge the giving of a shelter to a boy who has been in such hard luck, especially when there’ll be absolutely no outlay on his account.”
“If that don’t fix things, then the Life-Saving Service is run under different rules and regulations than I’ve always reckoned on,” Joe Cushing said in a tone of satisfaction. “I allow we can count on having Benny and Fluff with us so long as we pay their bills, and I’m going to make first-class surf men out of them both, or know the reason why.”
[CHAPTER IV.]
ON PATROL.
When Benny and Fluff came down-stairs next morning after the meeting of the “board of guardians,” all the crew were in the mess-room, and Keeper Downey greeted the lad right cheerily as he said:
“It stands to reason, Benny, that you have been troubled more or less about what’s to become of you, seein’ ’s you’ve got no relatives that you know about, an’ no friends, except it may be them as are before you, this side of India. You must have something to eat, and enough clothin’ to keep the frost out, to say nothing of providin’ a home for the dog.”