Chapter 2
chapter two of bob the castaway or the wreck of the eagle by frank v webster this librivox recording is in the public domain recording by nigel boydell chapter two another prank drap that boy cried mr hodge i'll make him suffer for this i'll have him arrested for malicious mischief and i'll sue his father i'll see if i can't put a stop to sech nonsense he did not waste time in words however but hastened to shut the spigot of the molasses barrel to stop the wasteful flow however two gallons or more had run all over the floor making a sticky pool meanwhile bob had crawled out from under the stoop and had crossed the street to join ted did you see anything he asked did i asked ted well i should say i did it was great how do you think of it did i do anything asked bob innocently i thought bill hodge stubbed his toe and fell probably he slipped in some molasses did you pull the spigot open me no i didn't but maybe the string did
i guess i've got to hurry home with this lard mum wants to make some pies bob got home much sooner than his mother expected he would he gave her the lard and then went out under the apple tree where he had left the paper snappers he's back quick mused mrs henderson i don't see how he had time to do any mischief perhaps he didn't play any tricks on anyone this time for bob selden went through the village but what he did so however mrs henderson was mistaken as we know during this time mr hodge was busy wiping as much of the molasses off the floor as he could with old cloths and pieces of newspaper while he was doing this a customer came in and inquired what's the matter molasses barrel spring a leak bill leak no it was that pesky bob henderson wait till i get hold of him i'll make him smart and i'm going to sue his father what did he do why bill you walk lame what's the matter got room it is it's all on account of bob what did he do
he came here for some lard and when i was down the ladder getting it he tied a string to the molasses barrel spigot and stretched it across the doorway what the spigot no the string you know what i mean then he went out on the stoop and yelled like sin i thought somebody was killed and i run out i tripped over the string and it pulled the spigot open i barked my shins and when i looked in the store after seeing nobody was hurt the molasses was running all over oh wait till i get hold of that pesky boy i suppose if you hadn't been so curious to see who was killed it wouldn't have happened observed adir and curious ain't i got a right to run and see who's killed in front of my store i suppose so but there wasn't anybody killed only you came near being that's so i'll bring action against bob henderson's father for damages for personal injury that's what i'll do then there's the wasted molasses
that boy plays too many tricks observed mr melec as he took the brown sugar he had come in to purchase and walked out altogether too many tricks still he added with a smile i would like to have seen bill stumble and watched his face when he'd seen that molasses run into waste the storekeeper lost no time in putting his plan into action but as he was a cautious man and did not want to waste money hiring a lawyer to bring suit if he could collect damages without doing so he decided to call on mr henderson himself a short time after mr hodge had succeeded in cleaning up as much of the molasses as possible his wife came in to relieve him of tending the store as was her custom she had had an early supper and was to remain in the place until mr hodge had also satisfied his appetite by this arrangement there was no need of hiring a clerk they lived in some rooms over the store your supper's ready william she said i guess supper'll have to wait to-night why because i'm going to see if i can't collect damages from enos enderson for what his son did what's that mr hodge explained and his wife agreed with him that it would be wise first to try what a personal demand would do it was about six o'clock when mr hodge reached the henderson home mr henderson stopped work at five and he was at supper when the storekeeper entered
bob knew the object of the visit and making an excuse that he wanted to see one of his boy chums was about to leave the table my business is with him too said mr hodge in rather surly tones with bob asked mr henderson and his heart sank he realized that his son must have been up to some prank in which the storekeeper was involved for mr hodge was not a person to pay friendly calls yes i've come to see if he'll settle my claim for damages without a lawsuit a lawsuit inquired mr henderson now becoming quite alarmed while bob's mother grew pale bob himself not a little frightened at the result of his joke sank down in a chair i want damages for personal injuries as well as for five gallons of molasses that run to waste it couldn't have been more than three gallons interrupted bob molasses runs awful slow and the spigot wasn't open more than three minutes it runs faster in hot weather observed the storekeeper what is it all about asked mr henderson then mr hodge explained dwelling on the pain he had suffered as a result of the fall from the string that tripped him and on the loss of the molasses
i want ten dollars damage he concluded a dollar for the molasses and the rest for personal injuries i'm afraid i cannot afford to pay so much said mr henderson who while he made good wages was trying to save up enough to pay for his home then i'll sue you i would not like you to do that but i cannot afford to pay ten dollars at least not now i have some interest to meet this week well maybe i might take a little less said mr hodge as he saw a prospect of bob's father coming to a settlement i'll make it eight dollars and you can pay me in instalments i suppose that will be fair admitted mr henderson he spoke very quietly but he was much exercised over what had happened can you pay me anything now asked mr hodge eagerly rubbing his shins which to tell the truth were only slightly bruised and did not hurt him in the least now i could give you two dollars but first i want to ask bob if he was responsible for this to his sorrow mr henderson did not have much doubt of it oh i guess he won't deny it said the storekeeper did you do this bob inquired his father i-i guess so but i didn't mean anything bob was not so happy over his prank as he had been at first
mr henderson said nothing he took two dollars from his wallet a wallet that did not have too much money in it and handed the bills to the storekeeper who eagerly pocketed them when can you give me some more he asked next week i'm sorry mr hoyge that my son did this so am i but i suppose boys will be boys mr hoyge seemed in a better mood the truth was he had not expected to receive any money and as he was a sort of miser it made him feel better to think he was going to get damages without having to pay a lawyer in reality not more than fifty cents worth of molasses had run to waste when the storekeeper had left mr henderson further questioned bob getting all the particulars of the trick i'm sorry dad said bob when he had finished his recital that is what you say every time my son you said it after you frightened mrs henderson's cow and they had to have the veterinarian for the animal but that did not pay his bill i had to settle for it
i know dad i'll not do it again and that's another thing you always say bob now this is getting serious you must mend your ways this will be quite a heavy expense to me i was going to spend that two dollars on a new pair of shoes and now i will have to wait i'm sorry dad but that doesn't give me my shoes mr henderson spoke gravely and bob felt quite badly over what he had done for he loved his father and mother very much and would not intentionally pain them the trouble was he was like many other boys thoughtless he did not count the consequences when indulging in pranks a little later after giving his son quite a severe lecture and obtaining his promise to be better in the future mr henderson prepared to go to bed bob also retired to his room for he felt in no mood to go out with the village boys that night i'm sure i don't know what to do with bob said mrs henderson to her husband when she was locking up the house
i'm afraid he'll get into serious trouble i hope not i think i must punish him severely the next time he plays any tricks he's too big to whip i know it i must think of some other method bob fell asleep resolving to mend his ways or at least to play in the future only harmless tricks to which no one would object but in the morning his good resolutions had lost some of their power like many others made during the night that day in school bob snapped several of the paper crackers and in consequence was kept in however his mother was visiting a neighbor and when he came home late that afternoon she did not see him that evening ted nepers called for bob they were chums of long standing let's take a walk suggested ted oh that's no fun what'll we do then bob thought a few seconds i'll tell you he said we'll put a tic-tac on mrs mooney's window she lives all alone and she'll think it's a ghost rapping good come on have you got some string sure
so you see how poorly bob remembered his promise of the night before and with what thoughtlessness he again started to indulge in a prank a prank which might throw a nervous woman into hysterics yet in this bob was just like thousands of other boys he didn't mean anything the trouble was he did not think so the two boys their heads full of the project of making a tic-tac stole quietly through the village streets towards the cottage of the widow mooney chapter two
