A District Messenger Boy and a Necktie Party | Page 6

by "I say," or "look here."
"Bartholomew West," was the prompt reply, as the boy looked around
much as if he expected they had heard of him, and would recognize the
name. at once. Not seeing the flush of joy he had expected would
lighten up the faces of his acquaintances when they knew who he was,
he walked on ahead, much as if he were angry, until they arrived at the
end of the street at the water's edge.
Bartholomew pointed to a beautiful little yacht that was riding at
anchor a short distance from the shore, and said, in a tone of triumph:
"That's the boat!"
Joe and Ned stood looking at her with such undisguised admiration that
Bartholomew seemed willing to forgive their ignorance in not knowing
him, and at once entered into a detailed account of what the yacht had
done in the way of sailing.
"Do you s'pose you could manage her?" asked Joe. "You see I don't
know anything about boats, an' of course this little shaver here don't."
"Manage her? Why, I could sail a whole ship all alone if I wanted to,"
was the confident reply. "Now you fellers be ready just as soon as it's
light to-morrow mornin', an' we'll start."

"Then you'll have to come back alone," and Joe began to fear that they
were accepting too much from this new acquaintance, who must belong
to some important family in the city since he was the owner of such a
beautiful craft.
"Well, I hain't sure but I shall stay in New York after I get there, an' if I
do I'll give you fellows lots of sails in the boat. You see I'm-"
Bartholomew had assumed a confidential tone, much as if he were
about to impart some important secret; but evidently concluded not to,
since he stopped suddenly, and looked as if he had already betrayed too
much.
" Why can't we go now? " asked Ned, who was growing more and more
homesick each moment.
"We can't start until to-morrow morning," said Bartholomew, decidedly,
"'cause we couldn't get the boat till then. You see some of the men will
be aboard of her pretty soon now."
" Couldn't get the boat? " repeated Joe, in surprise. "Why can't you
have her whenever you want her, if she's yours?"
" W ell- well - you see some other fellers are going to have her to-
day," said the. boy, in confusion.
"If she was my boat I wouldn't lend her to anybody," .said Ned, gazing
at the beautiful yacht.
"I have to sometimes.," said Bartholomew; "but we can get her
to-morrow mornin' if we're down here early enough."
It never occurred to Joe that his new acquaintance intended to steal the
yacht; he had no idea but that the boy owned her, although it did seem a
little queer that he did not offer to take them on board then. "But what'll
we do all dayan' to-night?" he asked, finally. "We hain't got but ninety
cents, an' -"
"Ninety cents!" exclaimed the yacht-owner. "Have you fellers got
ninety cents?" Joe explained how it happened that they had that amount,
and Master West was so delighted that he acted very much as if he
wanted to embrace them. "You stay right with me," he said, as he took
each by the arm in an affectionate manner, walking with them directly
away from the water. I'll show you where you can sleep, an' nobody
won't ever find you. Now come. up with me, so's we can get what we
want."
"What we want?"

"Why, yes, if we're goin' to sail from here to New York we've got to
have some things to eat; so we'll go up an' get some candy, an' some
peanuts, an' crackers, an' a lot of things."
Joe was not just certain whether or no it was wise for him to spend his
money, although it did seem as if it was his duty to do so since
Bartholomew was going to take them home.
He did as the owner of the yacht proposed, spending half of his money
in the purchase of such dainties as Master West fancied, and then, in
order to see if they had been cheated, as Bartholomew proposed, they
sat down on a doorstep to test the goods.
I t seemed to Joe as if Master West ate a much larger proportion of the
articles he had purchased than was strictly necessary in order to learn
whether they were as they had been represented, since more than half
the stock had been consumed before the question was decided. Of
course Ned and Joe ate some of the dainties; but they only tasted of
them, while Bartholomew had a regular feast, and only stopped