



Produced by Annie R. McGuire








[Illustration: HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE]

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VOL. II.--NO. 97. PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. PRICE FOUR
CENTS.

Tuesday, September 6, 1881. Copyright, 1881, by HARPER & BROTHERS. $1.50
per Year, in Advance.

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[Illustration: THE SMALL PASSENGER WITH THE LARGE VALISE.]

[Begun in No. 92 of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE, August 2]

TIM AND TIP;

OR, THE ADVENTURES OF A BOY AND A DOG

BY JAMES OTIS.

CHAPTER VI.

TIM MAKES AN ACQUAINTANCE.


When Tim left old Mose's kitchen it was nearly time for the steamer to
start on her regular trip, and the passengers were coming on board
quite fast. The bustle and excitement which always attend the sailing of
steamers, even though the trip be a short one, were all so new and
strange to Tim that he forgot his own troubles in watching the scene
around him. He saw Mr. Rankin near the kitchen, and was told by him that
he could remain on deck until the Captain should ring his bell, when he
would let him know of it.

Therefore Tim had an opportunity to take in all the details of the
interesting scene. The deck hands were scurrying to and fro, wheeling in
freight or baggage on funny little trucks with very small wheels and
very long handles; passengers were running around excitedly, as if they
thought they ought to attend to matters which did not concern them;
newsboys were crying the latest editions of the papers; old women were
trying to sell fruit that did not look very fresh, and everything
appeared to be in the greatest confusion.

While Tim was leaning on the after-rail of the main-deck, his attention
was attracted by a very small boy, who was trying to get himself and a
large valise on board at the same time. The valise was several sizes too
large for the boy, and some one of the four corners would persist in
hitting against his legs each time he stepped, and then, swinging
around, would almost throw him off his feet.

Twice the boy started to go on board, and each time the valise grew
unruly, frightening him from continuing the attempt lest he should be
thrown into the water. Then he stood still and gazed longingly at the
plank upon which he did not dare to venture.

It was a comical sight, and Tim laughed at it until he saw the boy was
really in distress, when he started to aid him.

"Let me help you carry your valise," he said to the small passenger, as
he darted across the narrow plank, and took hold of one side of the
offending baggage. "Two can lug it better'n one."

The boy looked up as if surprised that a stranger should offer to help
him, and then gave up one-half the burden to this welcome aid. This time
the journey was made successfully; and as the valise was deposited on
the steamer's deck, the little passenger gave a deep sigh of relief.

"So much done!" he said, in a satisfied way, as he took off his hat and
wiped his forehead with a handkerchief that did not look much larger
than a postage stamp. "Where are you goin'?" he then asked, turning to
Tim.

"Why, I ain't goin' anywhere," replied the Captain's boy, not fully
understanding the other's question.

"Oh!"--and the boy's face grew troubled--"I thought maybe you was goin'
in the boat."

"So I am," answered Tim, now understanding the question. "I work here."

"Now that's nice;" and the little fellow sat down on his valise
contentedly.

"You may think so; but if you knew Captain Pratt, you'd talk different."

"Why?"

"Perhaps you'll find out if you come on this boat much; but I guess I'd
better not tell you."

The boy was silent for a moment, as if he was trying to understand what
Tim meant, and then he said, abruptly: "Look here, I live down on
Minchen's Island, an' I come up here to see my aunt. I'm goin' home on
this boat, an' I want you to show me where I can get a ticket. If you
will, I'll show you lots of things I've got in this valise."

"I don't know where it is myself, 'cause I ain't been on the boat only
two days; but if you'll wait here, I'll go an' ask the cook."

The boy nodded his head as if to say that he would wait any reasonable
length of time, and Tim started off to gain the desired information of
old Mose.

In a few moments he returned, and taking his new acquaintance by the
hand, would have led him to the clerk's office at once, had not the
small boy pulled back in evident alarm.

"We've got to take the valise with us, 'cause somebody might steal it,
an' there's two bundles of torpedoes, a whole bunch of fire-crackers,
an' a heap of little sky-rockets in it."

Tim understood at once, and with a serious look on his face, as he
thought of the great risk he came near running, took hold of one of the
handles of the valise, the boy grasped the other, and the two marched up
to the clerk's office. There, after some little discussion, the ticket
was purchased, and the two retired to a more secluded spot for
conversation.

"What's your name?" the boy asked of Tim. "Mine's Bobby Tucker."

Tim gave the desired information, and then asked in turn, "How long have
you been up here?"

"'Most a whole week, an' I've had lots of fun. I had five dollars an'
twenty cents that I earned all myself, an' I've got'most half a dollar
left. Let's go out on the wharf an' buy something."

There was no chance that Tim would object to any such brilliant idea,
and the valise was left with old Mose for safe-keeping. Once on the
wharf, both they and the apple women were very busy for five minutes,
during which time they--or rather Bobby--bought fruit and candies enough
to make both of them as contented as a boy could hope to be.

Luckily for Tim he got on the steamer again just as one of the waiters
came to tell him that the Captain had rung for him, and he lost no time
in making his way to the wheel-house. He had the good fortune to get
there as quickly as Captain Pratt thought he ought to have done, and
then got his employer's coat from his state-room as he was ordered.

After that he went back to his newly made friend, who was awaiting his
return with considerable impatience, for he did not feel exactly certain
that his valise with its precious contents was perfectly safe.

Tim took him to the cook-room, and while there showed him "one of the
finest dogs in the country," which he led back to his old quarters, so
that he would be out of the way at dinner-time.

At first Bobby was not inclined to look upon Tip either as a beautiful
or a valuable animal; but Tim sounded his pet's praises so loudly that
Bobby could hardly prevent himself from being convinced, even though the
appearances were so decidedly against his companion's words.

Among other stories which Tim related as showing that Tip was one of the
most intelligent of his species was the incident of his finding the cow
so suddenly for Sam Simpson, which pleased Bobby greatly, and he said,
in a wise tone both of praise and blame,

"He looks like a good dog, an' he acts like a good dog, but 'pears to me
his legs is kinder short if you wanted to make him run after a bear."

"I never tried to make him do that, 'cause we don't have bears up where
I come from. Are there any where you live?"

"Well, I never saw any, an' father says there ain't any; but I've heard
'em in the woods, an' I know they was bears 'cause they made such an
awful noise. You come down to the island and see me, an' bring the dog
with you, an' we'll kill some."

Tim was perfectly sure that Tip was able to kill any number of bears,
and he told his companion so, adding that he hardly thought he could get
away from the steamer long enough to make any kind of a visit; but Bobby
felt sure it could be arranged somehow.

While they had been talking about Tip, the boat had started, but, among
the freight as they were, they did not know it until the pitching of
the steamer as she left the harbor told that some change had been and
was being made in their position.

Running hastily out to the rail, where they expected to see the wharf
with its bustling crowd of hucksters and passengers, they saw to their
astonishment the green rolling billows of the ocean. To Bobby, who lived
on an island, the sea was no new sight, and his astonishment was only
occasioned by the fact that the steamer had left the dock; but to Tim,
who had never seen a body of water larger than the river in Selman, the
scene was one that filled him with the greatest wonder.

He remained by the rail, only able to look over the top of it by
standing on his toes, gazing on the sea, until Bobby asked, impatiently,
"What's the matter? ain't sick, are yer?"

Until that question was asked, Tim had not thought of such a thing as
being seasick; but the moment Bobby spoke, it seemed as if the entire
appearance of the water changed. Instead of looking grand and beautiful,
it began to have a sidelong motion, and to rise up and down in an
uncomfortable way.

"No, I ain't sick," he said to Bobby, "but I feel kinder queer."

"That's it! that's it!" cried Bobby, eagerly; "that's the way folks
begin when they're goin' to be awful sick."

Tim looked up in despair. Each succeeding motion of the boat made him
feel worse, and that was speedily giving place to a very uncomfortable
sensation in the region of his stomach.

"What shall I do?" he asked, in a piteous whisper.

"Go to bed, an' you'll be all right in the mornin'. Where's your berth?"

Tim made a motion toward the forecastle, but did not trust himself to
speak. His stomach was already in too queer a condition to permit of
words.

"I'll go down with you, an' see that you're all right," said Bobby,
sagely. "I'm used to goin' fishin' with father, and I won't be sick."

Tim was about to follow his friend's suggestion, when the horrible
thought occurred to him of what the result might be in case Captain
Pratt knew of his being in bed in the daytime, and he went to ask advice
of old Mose.

The old cook's advice was the same as that given by Bobby, and was
followed at once, because it came from a semi-official source, and in a
few moments afterward Tim was groaning in his berth, while Bobby sat by
his side, and tried to persuade him to partake of some of the candy he
had bought just before leaving port.

Tim refused the offering, and for the first time in his life looked upon
candy as the stickiest kind of a fraud. He felt as though the kindest
thing any one could do would be to throw him overboard in the