The Argosy — page 161: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BUNKEL MYSTERY. 353 Montoban a great many times. I know how far it is from the bottom to the top wherever you put me on this pond,’”’ replied Andy, rather exaggerating his knowledge and going considerably beyond the literal truth, though he was really the most competent pilot on the lake. ‘Then you are just the fellow for me!’ exclaimed Captain Boscook, looking at his passenger almost for the first time. ‘‘I thought you might know something about the lake or I should not have dared to stop for you.’’ ‘‘ I have been sailing on Lake Montoban for the last two years, and I guess I ought to know something about it.’’ “At any rate, I guess you know more about it than I do,’’ added the captain, with evident relief, ‘‘ Where are you bound ?’’ asked Andy, though he had no doubt the boat was going to Montoban, as she was headed in that direction. ‘“ What did you say your name was?’’ asked the captain, with a sudden stroke of energy, as though something had come to his mind. ‘‘ Lamb—Andrew Lamb ; but everybody calls me Andy.”’ “Lamb! That’s it! Then you are the son of the engineer of the Onongo Mill?’’ continued the captain. '' My father was the engineer of the Onongo, but he is now at work for the Montoban.”’ : ‘“ Singerlay’s son spoke to me about you, and said you could run the Lily if his father would let him buy her. I’m glad to see you, for I reckon I’m in a bad scrape,’’ said Captain Boscook very anxiously. What sort of a scrape are you in?’ inquired Andy, as he deposited the heavy traveling bag under the seat behind the wheel. ‘‘T shouldn’t think you would ask that question,’’ said the captain, with a glance at the passenger, apparently to see if he was not making game of him, : ‘I don’t know that I should be expected to know in what scrape you might happen to be,’’ replied Andy, as he looked. at the bag to make sure that it had not dropped through the bottom of the steamer into the deep water of the lake. ‘“Can’t you see for yourself? ’’ demanded Captain Boscook. ‘I really don’t see anything that looks like a scrape, and I think I can see all there is to be seen on board,’’ answered Andy, looking all about him to ascertain if any part of the boat was stove or Missing ; but he could dis- cover nothing. ‘‘ Don’t you see the lake? ’’ asked the captain impatiently, as though he thought his new companion must be very stupid. ‘“ Of course I see it; and I think it is a remarkably fine sheet of water,’’ said Andy, laughing in spite of himself. ‘‘I have never been on Lake Modogo, and it may be finer than Montoban, for aught I know.”’ ‘“ I guess you are trying to make fun of me,’’ added the owner. ‘‘ Not at all, Captain Boscook !’’ protested Andy. ‘““T guess you never went on a steamer any,’’ answered the captain. ‘‘That’s a bad guess, sir; my father used to be the engineer of a steamer on the Hudson. I used to go with him a good deal, and I have steered the (k) Eomicbooks (<)