The Head of the Family Read online

  Produced by David Widger

  SAILORS' KNOTS

  By W.W. Jacobs

  1909

  THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY

  Mr. Letts had left his ship by mutual arrangement, and the whole of thecrew had mustered to see him off and to express their sense of relief athis departure. After some years spent in long voyages, he had fancied atrip on a coaster as a change, and, the schooner Curlew having no use fora ship's carpenter, had shipped as cook. He had done his best, and theunpleasant epithets that followed him along the quay at Dunchurch as hefollowed in the wake of his sea-chest were the result. Master and matenodded in grim appreciation of the crew's efforts.

  "After some years spent in long voyages"]

  He put his chest up at a seamen's lodging-house, and, by no meansperturbed at this sudden change in his fortunes, sat on a seatoverlooking the sea, with a cigarette between his lips, forming plans forhis future. His eyes closed, and he opened them with a start to findthat a middle-aged woman of pleasant but careworn appearance had takenthe other end of the bench.

  "Fine day," said Mr. Letts, lighting another cigarette.

  The woman assented and sat looking over the sea.

  "Ever done any cooking?" asked Mr. Letts, presently.

  "Plenty," was the surprised reply. "Why?"

  "I just wanted to ask you how long you would boil a bit o' beef," saidMr. Letts. "Only from curiosity; I should never ship as cook again."

  He narrated his experience of the last few days, and, finding thelistener sympathetic, talked at some length about himself and hisvoyages; also of his plans for the future.

  "I lost my son at sea," said the woman, with a sigh. "You favor himrather."

  Mr. Letts's face softened. "Sorry," he said. "Sorry you lost him, Imean."

  "At least, I suppose he would have been like you," said the other; "butit's nine years ago now. He was just sixteen."

  Mr. Letts--after a calculation--nodded. "Just my age," he said. "I wastwenty-five last March."

  "Sailed for Melbourne," said the woman. "My only boy."

  Mr. Letts cleared his throat, sympathetically.

  "His father died a week after he sailed," continued the other, "and threemonths afterwards my boy's ship went down. Two years ago, like a fool, Imarried again. I don't know why I'm talking to you like this. I supposeit is because you remind me of him."

  "You talk away as much as you like," said Mr. Letts, kindly. "I've gotnothing to do."

  He lit another cigarette, and, sitting in an attitude of attention,listened to a recital of domestic trouble that made him congratulatehimself upon remaining single.

  "Since I married Mr. Green I can't call my soul my own," said the victimof matrimony as she rose to depart. "If my poor boy had lived thingswould have been different. His father left the house and furniture tohim, and that's all my second married me for, I'm sure. That and the bito' money that was left to me. He's selling some of my boy's furniture atthis very moment. That's why I came out; I couldn't bear it."

  "P'r'aps he'll turn up after all," said Mr. Letts. "Never say die."

  Mrs. Green shook her head.

  "I s'pose," said Mr. Letts, regarding her--"I s'pose you don't letlodgings for a night or two?" Mrs. Green shook her head again.

  "It don't matter," said the young man. "Only I would sooner stay withyou than at a lodging-house. I've taken a fancy to you. I say, it wouldbe a lark if you did, and I went there and your husband thought I wasyour son, wouldn't it?"

  Mrs. Green caught her breath, and sitting down again took his arm in hertrembling fingers.

  "Suppose," she said, unsteadily--"suppose you came round and pretended tobe my son--pretended to be my son, and stood up for me?"

  Mr. Letts stared at her in amazement, and then began to laugh.

  "Nobody would know," continued the other, quickly. "We only came to thisplace just before he sailed, and his sister was only ten at the time.She wouldn't remember."

  Mr. Letts said he couldn't think of it, and sat staring, with an air ofgreat determination, at the sea. Arguments and entreaties left himunmoved, and he was just about to express his sorrow for her troubles andleave, when she gave a sudden start and put her arm through his.

  "Here comes your sister!" she exclaimed.

  Mr. Letts started in his turn.

  "She has seen me holding your arm," continued Mrs. Green, in a tensewhisper. "It's the only way I can explain it. Mind, your name is JackFoster and hers is Betty."

  Mr. Letts gazed at her in consternation, and then, raising his eyes,regarded with much approval the girl who was approaching. It seemedimpossible that she could be Mrs. Green's daughter, and in the excitementof the moment he nearly said so.

  "Betty," said Mrs. Green, in a voice to which nervousness had impartedalmost the correct note--"Betty, this is your brother Jack!"

  Mr. Letts rose sheepishly, and then to his great amazement a pair ofstrong young arms were flung round his neck, and a pair of warm lips--after but slight trouble--found his. Then and there Mr. Letts's mind wasmade up.

  "Then and there Mr. Letts's mind was made up.]

  "Oh, Jack!" said Miss Foster, and began to cry softly.

  "Oh, Jack!" said Mrs. Green, and, moved by thoughts, perhaps, of whatmight have been, began to cry too.

  "There, there!" said Mr. Letts.

  He drew Miss Foster to the seat, and, sitting between them, sat with anarm round each. There was nothing in sight but a sail or two in the fardistance, and he allowed Miss Foster's head to lie upon his shoulderundisturbed. An only child, and an orphan, he felt for the first timethe blessing of a sister's love.

  "Why didn't you come home before?" murmured the girl.

  Mr. Letts started and squinted reproachfully at the top of her hat. Thenhe turned and looked at Mrs. Green in search of the required information."He was shipwrecked," said Mrs. Green.

  "I was shipwrecked," repeated Mr. Letts, nodding.

  "And had brain-fever after it through being in the water so long, andlost his memory," continued Mrs. Green.

  "It's wonderful what water will do--salt water," said Mr. Letts, inconfirmation.

  Miss Foster sighed, and, raising the hand which was round her waist, benther head and kissed it. Mr. Letts colored, and squeezed herconvulsively.

  Assisted by Mrs. Green he became reminiscent, and, in a low voice,narrated such incidents of his career as had escaped the assaults of thebrain-fever. That his head was not permanently injured was proved by theperfect manner in which he remembered incidents of his childhood narratedby his newly found mother and sister. He even volunteered one or twohimself which had happened when the latter was a year or two old.

  "And now," said Mrs. Green, in a somewhat trembling voice, "we must goand tell your step-father."

  Mr. Letts responded, but without briskness, and, with such moral supportas an arm of each could afford, walked slowly back. Arrived at a road ofsubstantial cottages at the back of the town, Mrs. Green gasped, and,coming to a standstill, nodded at a van that stood half-way up the road.

  "There it is," she exclaimed.

  "What?" demanded Mr. Letts.

  "The furniture I told you about," said Mrs. Green. "The furniture thatyour poor father thought such a lot of, because it used to belong to hisgrandfather. He's selling it to Simpson, though I begged and prayed himnot to."

  Mr. Letts encouraged himself with a deep cough. "My furniture?" hedemanded.

  Mrs. Green took courage. "Yes," she said, hope-fully; "your father leftit to you."

  Mr. Letts, carrying his head very erect, took a firmer grip of their armsand gazed steadily at a disagreeable-looking man who was eying them insome astonishment from the doorway. W
ith arms still linked they foundthe narrow gateway somewhat difficult, but they negotiated it by aturning movement, and, standing in the front garden, waited while Mrs.Green tried to find her voice.

  "A disagreeable-looking man was eying them in someastonishment from the doorway."]

  "Jack," she said at last, "this is your stepfather."

  Mr. Letts, in some difficulty as to the etiquette on such occasions,released his right arm and extended his hand.

  "Good-evening, stepfather," he said, cheerfully.

  Mr. Green drew back a little