Haste and Waste | Page 5

his passage home on the "Missisque.
"Captain John feels bad about the loss of his sail," said Mr. Randall, as
the sloop's boat pulled off from the shore.
"Yes, he does; but it was his own fault," replied Lawry. "He paid too
much attention to his dinner at the time."
"That's true; he was very fond of the green-apple pies."
"Well, they were good," added the young pilot.
"I'm sorry he lost his sail."

"It wasn't worth much, though it was a bad time to lose it."
"He lost his temper, too. I wanted to land on the other side, but the
captain was so cross I didn't like to ask him when we were so close to
this shore. Your father is the ferryman, I believe."
"Yes, sir."
"Will you ask him to take me over?"
"He's going right over in the large boat, for there's a team waiting for
him," replied Lawry, pointing to a horse and wagon, the owner of
which had sounded the horn just as the passengers from the boat
landed.
"Ask him to be as quick as possible, for I'm in a hurry," added the bank
director.
"Won't you come into the house, sir?"
"No, I will sit down under this tree."
Lawry went into the house, where the family were at dinner, the meal
having been delayed by the absence of the ferryman on the other side of
the lake. The youth was greeted coldly by his father, and very warmly
by his mother.
"I'm glad you've got home, Lawry, for Mr. Sherwood has been after
you three times," said Mrs. Wilford, when the young pilot had been
duly welcomed by all the family.
"What does he want?" asked Lawry.
"His little steamboat is at Port Henry, and he wants you to go up and
pilot her down."
"The Woodville?"
"Yes, that's her name, I believe."

"Well, I'm all ready to go."
"Sit down and eat your dinner.
"I've been to dinner."
"Mr. Sherwood wanted you to go up in the Sherman; but it is too late
for her, and he may go in the night boat."
"I'm ready when he is. Father, there is a gentleman outside who wants
to go over the lake; and there is a team waiting in the road," continued
Lawry.
"They must wait till I've done my dinner," replied the ferryman. "Who
is the gentleman?"
"Mr. Randall; he is a director in a bank, and has six thousand dollars
with him."
"I suppose so; every man but me has six thousand dollars in his pocket.
Where's he going to?"
"To Shoreham, and he wants to get there by five o'clock, if he can."
"What's he traveling with so much money for?"
"I don't know. It is in his coat pocket, and it would have gone
overboard if it hadn't been for me."
The ferryman finished his dinner in moody silence. He seemed to be
thinking of the subject always uppermost in his mind, his thoughts
stimulated, no doubt, by the fact that his expected passenger carried a
large sum of money on his person.
"Mr. Randall is in a hurry, father," interposed Lawry, when the
ferryman had sat a good half-hour after his son's arrival.
"He must wait till I get ready. He's got money, and I haven't; but I'm
just as good as he is. I don't know why I'm poor when so many men are

rich. But I'm going to be rich, somehow or other," said he, with more
earnestness than he usually exhibited. "I'm too honest for my own good.
I'm going to do as other men do; and I shall wake up rich some
morning, as they do. Then I sha'n't have to go when folks blow the horn.
They'll be willing to wait for me then."
"Don't keep the gentleman waiting, father," added Mrs. Wilford.
"I'm going to be rich, somehow or other," continued the ferryman, still
pursuing the exciting line of thought he had before taken up. "I'm going
to be rich, by hook or by crook."
"This making haste to get rich ruins men sometimes, husband; and
haste makes waste then."
"If I can only get rich, I'll risk being ruined," said John Wilford, as he
rose from the table and put on his hat.
He looked more moody and discontented than usual. Instead of
hastening to do the work which was waiting for him, he stood before
the window, looking out into the garden. Mrs. Wilford told him the
gentleman would be impatient, and he finally left the house and walked
down to the ferry-boat.
"I wonder what your father is thinking about," said Mrs. Wilford, as the
door closed behind him.
"I don't know," replied Lawry; "he don't seem to be thinking that
people won't wait forever for him. I guess