But the world had used him rather badly, judging from his own talk. He had worked hard all his life, and now, when he was an old man, he had not enough to live upon without severe toil. I suppose this was what made him cross. He thought people pitied him, and he did not want to be pitied, because he was very proud.
Uncle Ben had not always been a common sailor while at sea. He had been the first mate of a ship—which is next to the captain—the two last voyages he had made. He had wanted to be a captain, but the owners, for some reason or other, would not trust him.
This made him gloomy and sad. He was disappointed, and this helped to make him cross. People used to vex and bother him, too, because he was so crusty, and this only made him worse. His wife was a very good woman, and all the neighbors liked her very much. They had no children.
The happy party were seated only a little way from the house of Uncle Ben; but the two boys thought they were as near as they wanted to be, for the old man seemed to hate children.
If he did, it was only because they gave him so much trouble. They knew he was cross, and they liked to plague him. On purpose to bother him, they used to steal his apples, even when they had enough of them. They would get into his lot, or his garden, only to see him run after them.
This was very naughty of them, for I have no doubt, if they had been kind to him, he would have been kind to them.
“I wish I had a drink of water,” said Flora Lee, as she glanced at the house of Uncle Ben. “I’m almost choked.”
“We can get some at the spring,” said Frank.
“Yes, but the spring is clear out at the other end of the pasture,” added Charley.
“Why can’t we get some water at Uncle Ben’s?” asked Flora.