Frederick William Wallace

“ The Cobtown men came in on a special train, and a husky crowd they were—hard-muscled young fellows who played a rough, slashing game when science failed to give them victory.
“They're a dirty crowd, Stream,” said an Anchorville man to Billy as they climbed into their clothes at the rink. “Most of them are mechanics from the Cobtown Engine Works and they rough it up in the second half. Our fellows are lighter than they are, most of us being bank-clerks and store-keepers, so we'll look to you at cover-point to help us out.” ”

“ I betted on you—you being a college man and a good hockey player.”
The second half of a hockey game is usually the fastest and most exciting. The men have gotten into their stride by then and the deciding goals are won or lost. Stream noted with satisfaction that the ice was softer and that his dull skates cut in better. He took his place with an air of grim determination and stood, a strapping, handsome figure of a man, strong and agile.
The puck was faced off and a Cobtown man got it and came down the rink like a streak of lightning. ”

“ Shoot!” roared the Anchorville spectators.
He glanced at the direction of the goal, stiffened up on his stick for the drive to goal, and then ignominiously slipped and fell down on the ice amid the angry howls of the home crowd. The half-time bell rang, and Billy went to the dressing-room with shouts of “Take Stream to the morgue—he's a dead one!” ringing in his ears. One thing alone served to alleviate his chagrin—the ice was getting softer.
In the dressing-room, Clancy hunted around for a new pair of skates, but failed to find any. ”

“ Setting the reefed mainsail was a terrible job. The great piece of canvas was frozen solid on the sixty-foot boom, and the men pounded it clear, tied the wire-like reef-points, and, after knocking the ice off the halyards, hauled the sail up with lurid oaths.
“There, —— ye,” they growled. “Drive the barge for whatever port yer eddicated skipper kin fetch!”
“Now, get busy with those ice-mallets and keep pounding!” bawled Billy, taking no notice of the remarks. ”

“ Just as the conclave adjourned, Billy jumped up on the platform and addressed the crowd.
“Boys,” he said, “I want a gang for the Jennie Anthony. She's been overhauled and reballasted and is now a fit and able vessel for Winter fishing. I'm a green skipper, I know, but I'll learn, and I'm willing to learn. Anybody that will take a chance, let him come down to Johnny Morrison's pool-room tonight and sign up. Thank you, gentlemen!”
“Anybody that goes with that young fool is crazy!” roared a voice which Billy recognized as his father's. “He's no good an' never will be any good. ”

“ He understands conditions up west. He's scientific in his methods. Look how he fixed up the old Jennie Anthony! By shifting her ballast he made a new vessel out of her. He's a smart sailorman and can lick his weight in wildcats. The fishermen all love him. He's a good sport.”
The old man grunted.
“You're getting old, captain. You should be knocking off now and taking it easy. Who's to take your place when you go? Nobody but Billy. You might as well be sensible and live happily with your family for the rest of your life. Billy's a good lad. He licked Hemsley and chased him out of the place. ”

“ Ten thousand dollars were as hard to get as ten million.
A trip to Toronto on the money-raising errand took nearly all his money, and when he returned to Montreal after an unsuccessful visit, he had to crave the hospitality of an old college chum and sell his watch in order to procure enough money to take him to Boston. He did not feel like wiring his uncle for funds, and once in Boston he felt sure that he would get a lift over to Nova Scotia upon a coaster or a fisherman. ”

“ Billy took up his position as cover-point when the whistle blew and the referee faced the puck off. The ice was hard, and from the outset the game was fast—too fast for Billy, who lacked practise.
With dull skates on the hard ice, Stream made a poor showing during the first half of the game. Several times the Cobtown men got past him and the Anchorville goal was bombarded with shots which only the skilful goal-tender saved. Once, with the puck at his feet, he fell down on the ice, and a smart Cobtown forward got it and shot a clean goal from the wings. ”

“ The fact of his linking up with Ben Anthony embittered the harsh old man. When the latter heard that his son was going to skipper the Jennie Anthony he laughed grimly and issued an edict, orally of course, that any man who shipped on the schooner would never get a “sight” on the Stream Company's vessels again. This was an error of judgment on Captain Stream's part. Fishermen are singularly independent and refuse to be coerced or restrained from following their inclinations.
Billy Stream found it hard work getting men. ”

“ What does that feller know about sailin' a vessel or ketchin' fish? Take my advice an' keep away from him, boys. Ef he don't drown ye, that crazy cook of his'll pizen ye!”
There was a general laugh at Captain Stream's indictment of his son, but Billy jumped on the platform again, flaming.
“Any man that thinks I'll double-cross him, poison him or drown him, I'll knock the stuffing out of him,” he bawled defiantly. “I'll fight any man in the crowd and if I lick him he'll ship with me. ”

“ Not on your life! I've been keeping my eyes open and learning, and I'm confident of my ability to skipper the Jennie Anthony. With ordinary luck, I'll catch fish, too.”
“Even supposin' ye can sail an' navigate her,” demurred his unde, “that won't alter the fact that she ain't a Winter fishin' vessel. She's too cranky for heavy weather, an' ye'll never git a gang to sail in her.”
“That schooner can be made seaworthy, uncle,” replied Billy decisively. “I've been watching her. She's badly ballasted, and if you'll agree, I'll draw off her lines and reballast her properly. ”

“ They've a good wharf and handle fish quickly. Their gasoline schooner is faster than ours, and they've got all the best fishermen along the shore selling to them. They've secured the best sales agency in central Canada for distributing their goods, and they've got the railroads and express company lined up to give their stuff preferred treatment and quick despatch.
“I hear they've just contracted for thirty carloads of Excelsior Finnan-Haddies to be delivered to a western dealer. They put up a fine fish and in nice style. Ben Anthony always could smoke a haddie better'n any one I knew. ”

“ Both men packed and smoked fish for market, and when any of the inland dealers came down to Anchorville, William Stream would show them over his fine plant and draw odious comparisons between it and the establishment of Ben Anthony's at Port Anthony.
“Ye've seen our modern sanitary plant,” Stream would say; “now ef you want to look over a wrack of a place go to Port Anthony an' see whar' them Excelsior Brand fish are put up. A dirtier, lousier hole ye never saw, sir. It's fair failin' to pieces an' sh'd be condemned. I wouldn't eat a fish put up by Ben Anthony for fear I'd be poisoned.” ”

“ Clancy was the town's sporting promoter and owned the local skating-rink.
“Looky-here, Billy,” he said. “You play hockey, don't ye? Yes? Well, I've a proposition. Anchorville has always bin licked by the Cobtown boys. Now, ef you'll play for us on Saturday and help lick that Cobtown crowd, ye'll have all the boys with ye. Fishermen are good sports and they'll ship with ye, I'm sure, ef ye help win that game.” ”

“ Don't hog the puck and play lone-hand games. Pass every time you're tackled, and let your forward men keep in a line across the rink ready to take a pass. Remember that—combination's the thing.”
The Cobtown men in black-and-yellow jerseys and stockings were already on the ice and shooting the puck around. When the red-and-white arrayed Anchorville boys appeared, a great cheer greeted them.
“Now, then, Billy Stream!” shouted a man. “The Jennie gits a gang ef you play the game!” ”

“ He got some of the men together and hoisted sail on the schooner for the fifty-mile run to Bayport. Two days later, the Jennie shot into port again with her fish still aboard.
“Not a buyer over there would look at our fish,” said Billy bitterly. “They've all been fixed by the Stream Fish Company. I couldn't give them away. The old man seems determined to put you and me out of business, but we'll best him. I'll get the gang together to split and salt them and then we'll have a talk.” ”

“ Spectators shouted in horror; a policeman made a rush, but while he hesitated in fright Stream leaped in front of the car, grabbed a bar with his left hand, and, as it drove down on top of the prostrate man, he reached down and grasped the old gentleman by the coat-collar and held him in a grip of iron. ”

“ Dealers, however, are human and understand the libels of rivals, which understanding allowed Ben Anthony to keep a certain amount of trade from the Stream Fish Company—a trade he would not have kept were the dealers to take the trouble to visit Port Anthony.
“So the old man cut up rough an' hoofed ye?” reiterated Ben Anthony again. “An' ye trimmed Jack Hemsley an' hove him inter th' gurry-scow? Ha! ha! I kin imagine it. Ho! ho! Well, well, boy, I'd give ye a place for that alone. Now, what d'ye want to do—go in the office an' keep th' books?”
“No, uncle,” replied Billy. ”

“ Now, what d'ye plan to do?”
“I can't do much,” answered Billy. “There's no use in us attempting to put finnan-haddies on the market unless we can keep up a steady supply and we haven't got the money to do that.”
“I've got eight thousand dollars.”
“Not enough to do business with, uncle. There's buildings to be erected, men to be employed, boxes to buy, and cash must be paid the fishermen for their fish. Eight thousand dollars won't go very far.” ”

“ The ingenious Clancy had billed the whole county about the event and, being a skilful press-agent, did not fail to advertise the fact that a college-bred fishing-skipper was going to play a star game in order to get a crew. As a result, fishermen from all up and down the coast came into Anchorville to see the game, and at 7 p.m. the rink was crowded. ”

“ Billy came in from Port Anthony on the morning of December twenty-fourth. He had his skates and old college hockey gear with him, but somehow or other he did not feel at all enthusiastic about Clancy's proposition. The idea of getting a fishing crew by prowess at hockey was so absurd that he thought little of it. ”

“ In addition they owned a pick-up gasoline schooner which plied between the fishing villages on the bay buying fresh fish, and the company also bought the fares of the motor-boat fishermen running out of Anchorville. The fish handled by them was shipped to market fresh and in a cured state; the mainstay of the business being the marketing of the famous “Morning-Glory Brand of Finnan-Haddies and Fillets, Kippered Herring and Bloaters.” To market their products, the company had sales agencies throughout the country. ”

“ How d'ye git him, Jack?”
“He was runnin' fish to Ben Anthony after his old man kicked him out fer lickin' me. The old man an' him don't pull, ye see? I owe Ben Anthony one fer gittin' me pinched one time an' I owed this college cub one fer lickin' me, so I jest went over to Port Anthony one night in a dory an' hove a handful o' lighted waste inter Ben Anthony's dried-fish house——”
“Sh!” cautioned the other man, who was evidently more sober. “Be careful how ye talk. That's a jail job.” ”

“ A pretty fool I'd be to pay five cents for fish that I kin buy for half the price.”
“Yes, but you can't get it now.”
“Can't I?” snapped the other. “Don't you worry. I've got all I want. My vessels have jest run in to Cobtown harbor with fifty thousand among them, an' I'm having it shipped up by rail now. Ef you want to sell your trip to me, I'll take it at a cent and a half.”
“Why, Dad, that's a cent less than the last market price.” ”

“ You keep out of the office and look after the smoking and the outside work. Buy a small gasoline schooner and use her for buying fish down the bay ports; have a good outfitting store and keep gasoline and gear. ”

“ Fix your wharves up; build a good fish-house on it and erect a first-class smoke-house with concrete floors and sides. The other buildings should be well built and nicely painted so as to look good to anybody taking the notion to visit the plant. Let's get out nice boxes; pack the fish in parchment paper and place a little booklet in each box giving hints on how to cook finnan-haddie. Build a new office ”

“ We had only time to git inter th' boat afore she settled.”
“Did ye see her go under?” inquired Ben.
“She was awash to her rails when we left her. A vessel with a dead-weight cargo o' coal in her an' her bows shore off don't take long to sink. She must ha' gone down like a stone thirty seconds after we shoved off.”
Hemsley was also questioned.
“He couldn't ha' bin in th' cabin,” he said, “or else he slept mighty sound. I shouted down to him but got no reply. He might ha' bin for'ard when she was struck. Anyways, he's gone, poor chap. A fine feller, your son, Cap'en Stream. ”

“ When the designs were finished to his satisfaction, he got men to work unloading the schooner's ballast, and personally supervised its replacing. Uncle Ben, as an interested looker-on, felt impressed with the careful manner in which his nephew restowed the ballast in a cigar-shaped form along the keelson fore and aft.
“Now, uncle,” said Billy when the ballasting was finished, “we'll alter her sail plan a little. ”