The Black Forge Mills : $b or, Up the King's highway — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Black Forge Mills : $b or, Up the King's highway
John Stuart Mill · en
When Ray reached the boat, he first examined the grain, to see that it
was fully protected from the storm; then he crawled into the little
cabin of the boat and lay down. It was not his intention to go to
sleep, but it was late and he was tired, and soon a drowsiness crept
over him, and in spite of every effort on his part to throw it off,
he succumbed to it. He must have slept long and soundly, for it was
broad daylight when he awoke. Provoked at himself for going to sleep at
all, he crawled out of the cuddy, and began to make preparations for
dropping down the bay. He thought, however, of his missing coat, and
took a few minutes to look over the lumber for it, but without finding
a trace of it. He now threw off the hindward fastening to his boat, and
then stepped along to the bow to undo the fastening there, when he was
attracted by a crowd up at the corner of Main and Bank Streets, and ran
up there to see what the trouble was. He now learned of the burglary,
and it was while he stood there that the bit of cloth was found
clinging to the opening in the partition. Ray, with others, looked at
it, then he turned abruptly, and hurrying from the store went down to
the boat, cast off his painter, and started for Long Point Farm.
He did not arrive there until Mr. Woodhull had completed the morning
chores, and that gentleman at once noticed that he seemed to be
troubled and perplexed about something; but when he told of the loss of
his coat, and that he had overslept himself, Mr. Woodhull thought these
things fully accounted for his singular behavior. He felt sure of it
when Ray said: "I never before had to have you do my work for me, and I
shall take care that such a thing does not happen again."
"Oh," said Mr. Woodhull, laughingly, "I am extremely glad you have
failed to be on time once; you are usually so punctual it is refreshing
to find that you, like the rest of us, are sometimes obliged to yield
to circumstances." And then the matter dropped.
All the forenoon Ray, while he kept busily at work, seemed to be
unusually thoughtful and pre-occupied. It was not until they were at
dinner that he spoke of the robbery, and then he only briefly explained
that he had been attracted by the crowd around the store before he
left the village, and going up to the building he had learned of the
event. He answered all of the questions that were asked him concerning
the affair frankly enough, but Mr. Woodhull thought, once or twice, he
seemed about to speak of some additional circumstance, and then checked
himself.
In the afternoon, however, he seemed like his old self, and after
supper he romped and played with the children until bedtime. He then
got his Bible and other helps, and sat down with the rest of the
family, as he always did, to study the Sunday-school lesson for the
next day. They were busily engaged over the lesson when a wagon drove
hurriedly into the yard, and a moment later a loud knock was heard at
the door.