CHAPTER V.

ROMANCE AND REALITY.

The squall was very brief in its duration, lasting hardly a minute; but it was immediately followed by torrents of rain. Tommy Toppleton was a strong swimmer, and having but a short distance to make, he soon reached the spot where Minnie was vainly struggling. She was nearly exhausted by the violence of her useless efforts, when Tommy grasped her in his arms, and lifted her head above the water. Half a minute later, the Belle came to his assistance, and Tom Walton drew the sufferer into the boat.

Mr. Nicholas Van Wolter was disgusted, and highly indignant that Tommy Toppleton should venture to perform the noble part which he had assigned to himself. All his brilliant prospects were imperilled, for not only had Nick lost the prestige of saving the fair being himself, but another had won it. The admiration, gratitude, and love which the rescue was to secure for him, had been wrested from him by the venturesome Tommy. His Sunday clothes had been wet for nothing, and he was even willing to believe that he had come nearer being drowned himself than any other member of the party.

The gallant Tommy was hastily assisted into the Belle, and Tom Walton headed her towards the wreck of the Raven, where Waddie and Nick were relieved from their uncomfortable situation. Minnie was in the little cuddy forward, with Grace Toppleton, who had retired to its friendly shelter before the squall came on. Strange as it may seem, these young ladies were hardly acquainted with each other, for the relations between their respective families had prevented them from meeting, except by accident. Once, since Tommy and Waddie had buried the hatchet, their sisters had been together for a few moments, and for the first time in their lives had spoken to each other. But Grace was all kindness and attention, and did all that the circumstances would admit for the comfort of Minnie.

“How is Minnie?” demanded Waddie, anxiously, as soon as he was helped into the boat.

“She is doing very well, I think,” replied Tommy. “She was not in the water more than a couple of minutes, and her clothing buoyed her up so that she did not go down at all.”

“You are a noble fellow, Tommy. You saved her life, and I shall always be grateful to you,” added Waddie, grasping the hand of the hero.

“There wasn’t any need of jumping overboard--not a bit,” interposed Tom Walton, with his good-natured grin.

“I don’t know that there was any need of it, but it seemed to me just as though something ought to be done at once,” replied Tommy. “Our sails were down, and I was afraid she would sink before we could get to her in the boat.”

“You did just what you thought was right, Tommy,” added Tom Walton. “You were just as noble as George Washington himself; but, if you had taken the other oar, and helped me work the boat, we could have reached Miss Wimpleton just as quick, if not a little quicker, than you could swim to her.”

The skipper of the Belle was a very practical young man. Perhaps his education had been neglected, for he had never read a romance in his life, and was utterly unable to appreciate the sublime heights to which Nick soared.

“If there was no need of jumping overboard, I am sorry I did it,” said Tommy, laughing. “I did not suppose you could move the boat without hoisting the mainsail, and my idea was, that the young lady would drown before the Belle could be started. But Miss Wimpleton is safe, and we need not trouble ourselves any more about the matter.”

“You did first rate, Tommy,” replied Tom Walton; “but I hate to see a fellow risk his life when there isn’t any need of it. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“By the great horn spoon, Tommy, you did the biggest thing a fellow ever did,” said Waddie, with great enthusiasm.

“That’s so,” added Tom Walton. “He risked his life. I think just as much of the act as any of you, I want you to understand; but there wasn’t any need of it.”

“I did what I thought was best,” repeated Tommy. “We won’t say anything more about it now. What shall we do?”

“We will run over to Grass Springs, and the girls can dry themselves at the hotel,” suggested Waddie.

“Good! Run for Grass Springs, Tom,” said Tommy Toppleton.

“All right,” answered the skipper, as he hoisted his mainsail; and in a few moments the Belle was headed towards the place indicated.

The rain continued to pour down in torrents, and Tom Walton, who had not been overboard, was just as wet as those who had been. Grace, in the cabin, was the only dry one of the party. But the boys had been so often ducked that they did not heed it. Under the gentle ministrations of Grace, Minnie recovered from the terror of the accident, and regained her self-possession.

“Your brother is a noble fellow,” said she. “I am sure I should have sunk in another instant, if he had not come to my assistance.”

“I am very glad Tommy was able to help you,” replied Grace.

“I want to see him, and thank him for what he did,” added Minnie.

“I will call him.”

Tommy came at the summons, dripping like an eel just from his native element.

“Miss Wimpleton wishes to see you,” said Grace, as he crawled into the cabin.

“I do, Mr. Toppleton. I must thank you for saving my life. I shall remember you with gratitude as long as I live.”

“O, not at all, Miss Wimpleton. I only did what I thought was right, and I hope you won’t feel under any obligations to me,” replied Tommy, lightly.

“But I do feel under very great obligations to you, for I value my life very highly. I should certainly have been drowned if you had not come when you did.”

“Tom Walton says there was not the least need of my jumping overboard,” laughed the hero of the hour.

“I don’t care what Tom Walton says; I shall always feel that I owe my life to you.”

“O, no! Not quite so bad as that. Tom would have saved you in half a minute more, if I hadn’t.”

“You need not try to disparage what you have done; and if Tom Walton or anybody else does so, I shall hate him as long as I live.”

“Nick Van Wolter says he was just going to swim to you when he saw me close beside you; so you could not have drowned.”

“Well, I am so thankful I owe my life to you, instead of Nick!” exclaimed Minnie, with a candor which did not pause to consider the possible consequences of such an admission.

“I am very much obliged to you for your good opinion, Miss Wimpleton. I’m sure you don’t inherit the family rancor.”

“Indeed, I do not! I used to hate all the Toppletons; but Waddie says you are a splendid fellow, though he did not find it out till since he made up with you.”

“I am very much obliged to him,” answered Tommy. “I know I used to be a pretty hard boy; but I have been trying to do better, and I am sure your good opinion will be a great encouragement to me.”

“I don’t know that my good opinion will do you much good; but I shall always think of you as a noble fellow, who risked his own life to save mine.”

“I can only try to merit your esteem and regard,” replied Tommy, as he gazed with an unwonted interest at the fair face and graceful form of Minnie.

“I don’t think I shall ever dare to get into a boat again,” added she, with something like a shudder. “At least, I shall not unless I know you are near, Mr. Toppleton.”

“I don’t exactly understand how the Raven was upset. Waddie is one of the best skippers on the lake,” replied Tommy.

“He has a lame arm, you know.”

“That boat went over very easy.”

“I certainly will never get into that boat again. Where are we going now?”

“Over to the hotel at Grass Springs. You can dry yourself there, and then we will have some dinner,” answered Tommy, as he left the cabin.

“Your brother is a real nice young man,” said Minnie, as the subject of her remark disappeared.

“I think so myself, though he was not always so. Now he is kind and obliging to me, and to all the family. He would do anything for us, and never speaks a rude word, or does an ugly thing.”

“It’s just so with Waddie. Isn’t it strange what a change has come over both of them?”

“Very strange, indeed; but what a blessed change it is! A year ago, Tommy would not even let me go in a boat with him, though I am very fond of sailing.”

“It was just so with Waddie. Now he invites me very often, though he has had the Raven only a few days. I hope he will have a safer boat. Do you know how my brother happened to become such a good boy?” inquired Minnie, suddenly raising her head and gazing earnestly at her companion, as though a new idea had flashed upon her mind. “I’ll tell you. It was Captain Wolf Penniman that did it. Pooh! you needn’t blush, Miss Toppleton.”

“I was not aware that I did blush,” added Grace, with some confusion.

“They say he is very fond of you.”

“He is a very good friend of mine.”

“I knew it,” said Minnie, archly. “What does your father say about it?”

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“About what?”

“About Wolf, of course.”

“He thinks very highly of him, and is grateful to him for his kindness to Tommy when he was sick.”

“But what does he say about you and Wolf?”

“About Wolf and me! Why, nothing, of course,” replied Grace, evidently astonished at the remark.

“How dull you are!” laughed Minnie. “Everybody says Wolf is in love with you, and that you are not indifferent towards him.”

“Why, I never thought of any such thing!” exclaimed Grace. “We are very good friends--that’s all.”

“Well, I suppose that’s enough.”

“Wolf was always very kind and very polite to me, and I think he is a very good and a very smart young man. I never had any other thought in regard to him.”

“How people do talk!”

“Why, I’m only sixteen years old!”

“Sweet sixteen!”

“I don’t think boys and girls of our age ought to meddle with such matters.”

“Don’t you?”

“Indeed I don’t!”

“Does Wolf think so?”

“I don’t know; but I’m certain that he never spoke of such things to me.”

“Perhaps he will one of these days, when the time comes.”

It was plain that Minnie had devoted more attention to a certain class of subjects than Grace had; but then she was nearly a year older. It was a question with her whether Major Toppleton would permit the young steamboat captain to entangle the affections of his daughter; for he could hardly permit her to become the wife of a common mechanic’s son, even though he was the commander of a lake steamer. But, however different the views of the two young ladies in regard to these trying subjects, they were rapidly becoming the most devoted friends.

When the Belle reached the shore at Grass Springs, Tommy had made up his mind that Minnie was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen, and he wondered that he had not discovered the fact before, for he had occasionally met her since the healing of the rupture between himself and her brother. Tommy was not quite eighteen, but he was progressive in his ideas.