He began to pace the deck mechanically, falling in with the other early
risers who were out for a breath of morning air, striving to adjust
himself to this new state of affairs. But even though the solid reality
of his surroundings soon brought him back more nearly to a normal state
of mind, he felt an ever-present expectancy of some new shock, some new
and abrupt transition that might yet bring him back to his
starting-point. But this obsession gradually left him, as the brisk sea
breeze brought him to a proper perspective and braced him to face the
full consequences of his long, restless night's orgy.
No man is so systematic, none is so well ordered in his affairs, that
he can cut out a slice of his life at a moment's notice without
suffering many kinds of loss and inconvenience. Although Anthony was a
youth of few responsibilities, he awoke suddenly to the fact that there
were a thousand things that needed doing, a thousand people who needed
to know his whereabouts, a thousand things that were bound to go wrong.
For instance, there was his brand-new French car, standing with motor
blanketed beside the Forty-fifth Street curb.
What had happened to it, and to the urchin he had left in charge of it?
He owed a thousand dollars on its purchase, which he had promised to
pay yesterday. Then, too, he had neglected his house account at the
University Club, and it was long overdue. That remittance from his
father had come just in the nick of time. Suddenly he recalled placing
the check in his bill-case, and he searched himself diligently, but
found nothing. That reminded him that he had won a bet or two on the
football game and the money needed collecting. There was the shooting
trip to Cape Cod as well. He was due there to-day for a week-end among
the geese and brant. What would Benny Glover think when he failed to
show up or even telegraph? Benny's sister was coming down from Boston
with some friends and--oh, it was simply imperative that he get some
word ashore.
He let his eyes rove over the ship in desperation, then a happy thought
came to him.
"The wireless!" he said aloud. "Bonehead! Why didn't you think of that
long ago?" A glance at the rigging showed him that the Santa Cruz was
equipped with a plant, and a moment later he was hammering at the
operator's door.
"I want to send a message right away!" he cried, excitedly; but the
"wireless" shook his head with a smile.
"I'm sorry, but--"
"It's important; awfully important. I'll pay you anything!" Kirk rammed
a hand mechanically into his empty pocket.
"We're installing a new system," said the operator. "The old apparatus
wasn't satisfactory and it's being changed throughout."
"Then you-you can't send a message--possibly?"
"Nothing doing until the next trip."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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