“I’m not going to touch a cent of it,” Mrs. Silburn declared. “I don’t need it, but you do. I want you to buy a cheap overcoat with that money; you can’t be going about in winter without an overcoat.”
“I don’t need one,” Kit protested. “I tried on my old one up in my room this morning, and it fits first rate. It’s plenty good enough till I get in with the ‘Four Hundred’ in New York, and none of the Vanderbilts or Astors have invited me to dinner so far. But I don’t need an overcoat at all unless we go to some cold country next voyage.”
“And where do you expect to go next time?” Vieve interrupted.
“There’s no telling,” Kit answered; “it just depends upon who charters the ship. We might go to China, or to Australia, or Bombay, or most any seaport in the world. Maybe it will be back to Sisal, for all I know. Even the Captain did not know, when I left.”
Kit had his own way about the money in the end, and made his mother accept the three dollars.
“I’d be a nice head of a family if I couldn’t leave you any money!” he argued. “You know I have no expenses like other fellows; and if I should need money at any time I could draw against my wages. The sailors nearly all do that; indeed, they have generally spent their pay for the voyage before they start, so they have to work to pay the bill.”
He was acting very much like the head of the family when he looked over the old house one morning and announced that he thought it could be made very comfortable for them as soon as he had more money.
“I like the arrangement of it,” he said; “this sitting-room in front with the kitchen behind it is very handy. Then the parlor across the hall and your bedroom behind that is very handy, too. When father comes back, Vieve can take the other room upstairs.”
“Oh, it’s a shame to let you work so hard just to make us comfortable!” Vieve exclaimed. “Other boys have such good times with their skating and swimming and football and such things. I’m going to work myself just as soon as I get a chance.”
“I hope you will,” Kit laughed. “Go to school and work there just as hard as you can. If mother hadn’t made me go to school and attend to my lessons, I’d be just an ordinary cabin boy now. I mean,” he explained, blushing a little at the way he had put it, “I shouldn’t be able to copy manifests for the Captain, or do a supercargo’s work for him on shore. We don’t see at the time how much good study does us, but I tell you we see it afterward, Vieve. And skating and football and such things! Pshaw, don’t you think I got enough of them when I was at home? When a fellow gets to my age” (and he drew himself up a little taller, which made Vieve smile), “he has other things to think of. I want to push myself ahead, Vieve, and earn enough to take care of you both. And swimming, did you say? Who do you think has a better chance for swimming than a sailor when his ship is in port? Oh, you needn’t sympathize with me, my child. I’d rather go off and see foreign countries than play football.”