Heswayed,brokeintoafitofcoughing,andsankbackuponthesofa,tremblingalloverandstillmutteringthathewasready。
Therewasahushedsilenceforamomentortwo,andthenastormofhallelujahsandshouts。Mr。Perleystartedanotherhymn,anditwassungwithtremendousenthusiasm。
Justbehindthenervousyoungmanwiththecelluloidcollarsatastoutindividualwithabaldhead。ThiswasAbijahThompson,knownbytheirreverentas”Barking”Thompson,anicknamebestowedbecauseofhispeculiarhabitofgraduallypuffingup,likeafrog,underreligiousexcitement,andthenburstingforthinaninarticulateshout,disconcertingtotheuninitiated。DuringBaxter’sspeechandthesingingofthehymnhisexpansiveredcheekshadbeendistendedlikeballoons,andhisbreathcameshorterandshorter。Mr。Perleyhadarisenandwasholdinguphishandforsilence,whenwithoneterrific”Boo!””Barking”
Thompson’sspiritualexaltationexplodeddirectlyintheearofthenervousstranger。
TheyoungmanshotoutofhischairasifMr。Thompsonhadfiredadynamitechargebeneathhim。”Oh,theDevil!”heshrieked,andthensubsided,blushingtothebackofhisneck。
Somehowthisinterruptiontookthespiritoutofthemeeting。
GigglesfromLutherandtheyoungerelementinterferedwiththesolemnityofMr。Perley’sclosingremarks,andnooneelsewasbraveenoughto”testify”underthecircumstances。Theysangagain,andthemeetingbrokeup。Thenervousyoungmanwasthefirstonetoleave。
CaptainErigothisfriendoutoftheclutchesofthe”Come-Outers”
asquicklyaspossible,andpilotedhimdowntheroadtowardhishome。JohnBaxterwassilentandabsent-minded,andmostoftheCaptain’scheerfulremarksconcerningOrhamaffairsingeneralwentunanswered。Astheyturnedinatthegatetheeldermansaid:”Eri,doyoubelievethatman’slawoughttobeallowedtointerferewithGod’slaw?””Well,John,inmostcasesit’smyjedgmentthatitpaystosteerprettyclosetobothof’em。””S’poseGodcalledyoutobreakman’slawandkeepHis;whatwouldyoudo?””Guessthefustthingwouldbetomakesure’twastheAlmightythatwascallin’。Idon’twanttosaynothin’tohurtyourfeelin’s,butIshouldadvisethefellerthatthoughtthathehadthatkindofacallto’bewareofimitations,’asthesoapfolksadvertise。””Eri,I’vegotacall。””Now,JohnBaxter,youlisten。Youandmehavebeensailin’
together,asyoumightsay,forfortyoddyears。Iain’tareligiousman’cordin’toyourwayofthinkin’,butI’vegenerallyfoundthattheLordrunsthingsmostaswellasusfolkscouldrun’em。Whenthere’saleakatoneendoftheschooneritdon’tpaytoboreaholeattheotherendtoletthewaterout。Don’tyouworrynomoreaboutWebSaundersandthatbilliardsaloon。Thes’lectmen’llattendtothemaforeverylong。Whydon’tyougouptoBostonforacoupleofweeks?’Twilldoyougood。””Doyouthinkso,Eri?Well,maybe’twould——maybe’twould。
SometimesIfeelasifmyheadwaskindofwearin’out。I’llthinkaboutit。””Betternotthinkanymore;bettergorightahead。””Well,I’llsee。Good-night。””Good-night,John。””Perez,”saidCaptainEri,nextday,”seemstomesomekindsofreligionislikewhisky,mightybadforaweakhead。Iwishsomebody’dinventagoldcureforCome-Outers。”
CHAPTERIV
APICTURESENTANDACABLETESTED
SomethingoverafortnightwentbyandthethreecaptainshadreceivednoanswersfromtheadvertisementintheNuptialChime。
Thesuspenseaffectedeachoftheminadifferentmanner。CaptainJerrywasnervousandapprehensive。Hesaidnothing,andaskednoquestions,butitwasnoticeablethathewasthefirsttogreetthecarrierofthe”mailbox”whenthatindividualcamedowntheroad,and,asthedayspassedandnothingmoreimportantthantheCapeCodItemandapatent-medicinecircularcametohand,alookthatasuspiciouspersonmighthavedeemedexpressiveofhopebegantoappearinhisface。
CaptainPerez,onthecontrary,grewmoreandmoredisgustedwiththedelay。Hespentagooddealoftimewonderingwhytherewerenoreplies,andheevenwentsofarastosuggestwritingtotheeditoroftheChime。HewasdisposedtolaytheblameuponCaptainEri’sadvertisement,andhintedthatthelatterwasnot”catchy”
enough。
CaptainEri,aloneofthetrio,gotanyamusementoutofthesituation。HepretendedtoseeinCaptainJerryanimpatientbridegroomandadministeredcomfortinlargedosesbysuggestingthat,inallprobability,therehadbeensomanyrepliesthatithadbeenfoundnecessarytocharterafreight-cartobringthemdown。”Cheerup,Jerry!”hesaid。”It’stoughonyou,Iknow,butthinkofallthempoorsufferin’femalesthat’ssettin’upnightsandworryin’forfeartheywon’tbepickedout。Why,say,whenyoumakeyourch’iceyou’llhavetolettherestknowrightoff;
’twouldbecrueltytoanimalsnotto。Yououghttoput’emoutoftheirmiseryquick’spossible。”
CaptainJerry’slaughwasalmostdismal。
ThefirstbatchofanswersfromtheChimecamebyaneveningmail。
CaptainErihappenedtobeatthepost-officethatnightandbroughtthemhomehimself。Theyfilledthreeofhispocketstooverflowing,andhedumpedthembyhandfulsonthediningtable,underthenoseofthepallidJerry。”WhatdidItellyou,Jerry?”hecrowed。”Iknewtheywasontheway。Whathaveyougottosayaboutmyadvertisementnow,Perez?”
Thereweretwenty-sixlettersaltogether。Itwassurprisinghowmanywomenwerewilling,evenanxious,toallythemselveswith”anex-seafaringmanofsteadyhabbits。”Butmostoftheapplicantswereofunsatisfactorytypes。AsCaptainPerezexpressedit,”There’stoomanyofthemeverlastin’’blondes’andthings。”
Therewasonenote,however,thatevenCaptainEriwasdisposedtoconsiderseriously。ItwaspostmarkedNantucket,waswrittenonhalfasheetofblue-linedpaper,andreadasfollows:”MR。SKIPPER:”Sir:Isawyouradvertisementsinthepaperandthinkperhapsyoumightsuitme。Pleaseanswerthesequestionsbyreturnmail。Whatisyourreligiousbelief?Doyoudrinkliquor?Areyouaprofaneman?Ifyouwantto,youmightsendmeyourrealnameandaphotograph。IfIthinkyouwillsuitmaybewemightsignarticles。
Yourstruly,”MARTHAB。SNOW。”NANTUCKET,MASS。””WhatIlikeaboutthatistheshipshapewaysheputsit,”
commentedCaptainPerez。”Shedon’tsaythatshe’jestadorestheocean。’””She’smightyhandyabouttakin’holdandbossin’things;thereain’tnodoubtofthat,”saidCaptainEri。”Noticeit’susthat’sgottosuither,notherus。Ikindoflikethat’signin’
articles,’too。Youbetshe’sbeenbroughtupinaseagoin’
family。””IusedtoknowaJubalSnowthathailedfromNantucket,”suggestedPerez;”maybeshe’ssomeofhisfolks。”
’Tain’tlikely,”sniffedCaptainJerry。”There’smoreSnowsinNantucketthanyoucanshakeastickat。Youcan’theavearockwithouthittin’one。””Ib’lieveshe’sjestthekindwewant,”saidCaptainPerezwithconviction。”Whatdoyousay,Jerry?”askedCaptainEri。”You’regoin’tobetheluckyman,youknow。””Oh,Idon’tknow。What’stheuseofhurryin’?More’nlikelythenextlotofletters’llhavesomethin’betteryit。””Now,that’sjestlikeyou,JerryBurgess!”exclaimedPerezdisgustedly。”Wanttoputoffandputoffandputoff。Andthehousegittin’morelikethefo’castleonacattleboateveryday。””Idon’tb’lievemyselfyou’ddomuchbetter,Jerry,”saidCaptainEriseriously。”Ilikethatlettersomehow。Seemstomeit’sworthatry。””Oh,allright!Haveityourownway。Ofcourse,_I_ain’tgotnothin’tosay。I’monlythedivilishfoolthat’sgottogitmarriedandkeepboarders;that’sall_I_am!””Becareful!Sheaskedifyouwasaprofaneman。””Aw,shutup!Youfellersareenoughtomakeaministerswear。
_I_don’tcarewhatyoudo。Goaheadandwritetoherifyouwantto,onlyIgiveyoufairwarnin’,Iain’tgoin’tohaveherifshedon’tsuit。Iain’tgoin’tomarrynoscarecrow。”
Betweenthem,andwithmuchdiplomacy,theysoothedtheindignantcandidateformatrimonyuntilheagreedtosignhisnametoalettertotheNantucketlady。ThenCaptainPerezsaid:”But,Isay,Jerry;shewantsyourpicture。Haveyougotonetosendher?””I’vegotthatdaguerreotypeIhadtookwhenIwasmarriedafore。”
Herummageditoutofhischestanddisplayeditratherproudly。
Itshowedhimasashort,sandy-hairedyouth,whosesunburnedfacebeamedfromthedepthsofanenormouschoker,andwhoseheadwascrownedwithatall,flat-brimmedsilkhatofaforgottenstyle。”Is’posethatmightdo,”saidCap’nPerezhesitatingly。”Do!’TwillHAVEtodo,seein’it’sallhe’sgot,”saidCaptainEri。”Goodland!”hechuckled;”lookatthathat!Say,Jerry,she’llthinkyoudoneyourseafarin’inNoah’sark。”
ButCaptainJerrywasoblivioustosarcasmjustthen。Hewasgazingatthedaguerreotypeinasentimentalsortofway,blowingthedustfromtheglass,andtiltingitupanddownsoastobringittothemosteffectivelight。”Iswan!”hemused,”Idon’tknowwhenI’velookedatthatafore。
IrememberwhenIboughtthathat,jestaswell。Tookcareofitandbrushedit——my!my!Idon’tknowbutit’ssomewheresaroundnow。IthoughtIwasjestabouttheticketthen,and——andIwa’n’tBADlookin’,that’safact!”
Thislastwithaburstofenthusiasm。”Ho,ho!Perez,”roaredCaptainEri;”Jerry’sfallin’inlovewithhisownpicture。Awfulthingforonesoyoung,ain’tit?””Iain’tsuchaturriblesightolder’nyoube,EriHedge,”
sputteredtheprospectivebridegroomwithrighteousindignation。
Thenheaddedinarathercrestfallentone,”ButIamaheapolder’nIwaswhenIhadthatdaguerreotypetook。Seehere;ifIsendthatNantucketwomanthispicturewon’tshenoticethedifferencewhensheseesme?””Whatifshedoes?”brokeinCaptainPerez。”Youcantellherhow’twas。Talkherover。Afellerthat’sbeenmarried,likeyou,oughttobeabletotalkANYwomanover。”
CaptainJerrydidn’tappearsanguineconcerninghisabilityto”talkherover,”buthisfellow-conspiratorsmadelightofhisfeebleobjections,andthedaguerreotype,carefullywrapped,wasmailedthenextmorning,accompaniedbyabriefbiographicalsketchoftheoriginalandhisavowedadherencetotheBaptistcreedandtheGoodTemplar’sabstinence。”Ihopeshe’llhurryupandanswer,”saidtheimpatientCaptainPerez。”Iwanttogetthisthingsettledonewayoranother。
Don’tyou,Jerry?””Yes,”wasthehesitatingreply。”Onewayoranother。”
CaptainErihadseenJohnBaxterseveraltimessincetheeveningofthe”Come-Outers’”meeting。Theoldmanwascalmerapparently,andwasdisposedtotakethebilliard-saloonmatterlessseriously,particularlyasitwasreportedthatthetownselectmenweretoholdaspecialmeetingtoconsiderthequestionofallowingMr。
Saunderstocontinueinbusiness。Thelast-namedgentlemanhadgivenwhathewaspleasedtocalla”blow-out”tohisregularpatronsincelebrationofthegrantingofthelicense,and”Squealer”Wixonandoneortwomorespentadrearydayandnightinthetownlock-upinconsequence。BaxtertoldtheCaptainthathehadnotyetmadeuphismindconcerningtheproposedBostontrip,buthethought”more’nlikely”heshouldgo。
CaptainEriwasobligedtobecontentwiththisassurance,buthedeterminedtokeepaclosewatchonhisfriendjustthesame。
HehadmetRalphHazeltineonceortwicesincethelatter’sarrivalinOrham,and,inresponsetoquestionsastohowhewasgettingonatthestation,thenewelectricianinvariablyresponded,”First-
rate。”Gossip,however,inthepersonofMissBusteed,reportedthattheoperatorsweredoingtheirbesttokeepMr。Hazeltine’slotfrombeingaltogetherabedofroses,andthereweredarkhintsofsomethingmoretocome。
OnthemorningfollowingthereceiptoftheletterfromtheNantucketlady,CaptainEriwasbusyathisfishshanty,puttinghislinesinorderandsewingapatchonthemainsailofhiscatboat。Thesenecessaryrepairshadpreventedhistakingtheusualtriptothefishinggrounds。Lookingupfromhiswork,hesaw,throughtheopendoor,RalphHazeltinejuststeppingoutofthecable-stationskiff。Hetuckedhissailneedleintothecanvasandhailedtheyoungmanwithashouted”Good-morning!””Howdoyoudo,Cap’nHedge?”saidHazeltine,walkingtowardtheshanty。”Goodweather,isn’tit?””Tip-top。Long’sthewindstayswesterlyandthereain’tnoSunday-schoolpicnicson,wedon’tsquabblewiththeweatherfolks。
Theonlythingthat’llfetchasquallwithawesterlywindisaSunday-schoolpicnic。That’lldoit,sureasdeath。Busyoveracross?””Prettybusyjustnow。Thecableparteddaybeforeyesterday,andI’vebeengettingthingsreadyfortherepairship。Shewasduethismorning,andwe’relikelytohearfromheratanytime。””Youdon’tsay!Cablebroke,hey?Nowit’saqueerthing,butI’veneverbeeninsidethatstationsince’twasbuilt。Toohandy,Iguess。I’vegotasecondcousinupinCharlestown,livedthereallhislife,andhe’sneverbeenupinBunkerHillmonumentyit。
FusttimeIlandedinBostonIdugforthatmonument,andIcantellyouhowmanystepsthereisinittothisday。IfthatcablestationwasfiftymileoffI’dhavebeenthroughittwoweeksafteritstartedup,butbein’jestoverthere,Iain’teverdoneit。
Queer,ain’tit?””Perhapsyou’dliketogooverwithme。I’mgoinguptothepost-
office,andwhenIcomebackIshouldbegladofyourcompany。””Well,now,that’skindofyou。Ical’lateIwill。Youmightsingoutasyougopast。I’vegotaha’f-hourjobonthissailandthenit’smywatchbelow。”
ThecablestationatOrhamisalowwhitewashedbuildingwithmanywindows。Thevegetationaboutitislimitedexclusivelyto”beachgrass”andanoccasionalwild-plumbush。Thenearestbuildingwhichmaybereachedwithoutaboatisthelife-savingstation,twomilesbelow。Theouterbeachchangesitsshapeeverywinter。Thegalesteargreatholesinitssides,andthen,asifinrecompense,throwupnewshoalsandbuildnewpromontories。Fromthecable-
stationdoorwayinfairweathermaybecountedthesailsofoveronehundredvesselsgoingandcomingbetweenBostonandNewYork。
Theycomeandgo,and,alas!sometimesstopbytheway。Thenthelife-savingcrewsarebusyandtheBostonnewspapersreportanotherwreck。Allupanddowntheouterbeacharethesun-whitenedbonesofschoonersandships;andallaboutthem,andpartiallycoveringthem,issand,sand,sand,aswhiteandmuchcoarserthangranulatedsugar。
Hazeltine’spost-officetripandothererrandshadtakenmuchmoretimethanheanticipated,andmorethantwohourshadgonebybeforehecalledforCaptainEri。DuringtherowtothebeachtheelectricianexplainedtotheCaptaintheprocessesbywhichabreakinthecableislocatedandrepaired。”Yousee,”hesaid,”assoonasthelinebreakswesetaboutfindingwhereitisbroken。TodothisweuseaninstrumentcalledtheWheatstonebridge。InthiscasethebreakisaboutsixhundredmilesfromtheAmericanshore。Thenextthingistogetatthecompany’srepairship。Shelies,usually,atHalifaxwhensheisn’tbusy,andthatiswhereshewasthistime。Wewiredherandsheleftforthespotimmediately。Itwasuptometogetreadythetestingapparatus——wegenerallysetupspecialinstrumentsfortesting。Judgingbythedistance,theshipshouldhavebeenoverthebreakearlythismorning。Shewillgrappleforthebrokencableends,andassoonasshecatchesourendshe’llsendusamessage。It’ssimpleenough。””Liketakin’wormwoodtea——easyenoughifyou’vebeenbroughtupthatway。IthinkI’dmakemoremoneycatchin’codfish,myself,”
commentedtheCaptaindryly。
Ralphlaughed。”Well,itreallyisaverysimplematter,”hesaid。”Theonlythingwehavetobesureofisthatourendofthelineisreadybythetimetheshipreachesthebreak。Iftheweatherisbadtheshipcan’twork,andso,whenshedoeswork,sheworksquick。Ihadmyinstrumentsinconditionyesterday,sowe’reallrightthistime。”
Theylandedatthelittlewharfandploddedthroughtheheavysand。”Dismal-lookingplace,isn’tit?”saidHazeltine,asheopenedthebackdoorofthestation。”Well,Idon’tknow;ithasitsgoodp’ints,”repliedhiscompanion。”Yourneighbors’hensdon’tscratchupyourgarden,foronething。Whatdoyoudoinhere?””Thisistheroomwherewereceiveandsend。Thisisthereceiver。”
Thecaptainnoticedwithinteresttherecorder,withitstwobrasssupportsandthelittleglasstube,halffilledwithink,that,whenthecablewasworking,wrotethemessagesuponthepapertapetravelingbeneathit。”Prettynighasfinickyasawatch,ain’tit?”heobserved。”Fullyasdelicateinitsway。Doyouseethislittlescrewonthecenterpiece?Turnthatalittle,onewayortheother,andtheoperatorontheothersidemightsenduntildoomsday,wewouldn’tknowit。I’llshowyouthelivingroomsandthelaboratorynow。”
Justthenthedoorattheotherendoftheroomopened,andaman,whomCaptainErirecognizedasoneoftheoperators,camein。HestartedwhenhesawHazeltineandturnedtogooutagain。Ralphspoketohim:”Peters,”hesaid,”whereisMr。Langley?””Don’tknow,”answeredthefellowgruffly。”Waitaminute。TellmewhereMr。Langleyis。””Idon’tknowwhereheis。Hewentovertothevillageawhileago。””Wherearetherestofthemen?””Don’tknow。”
Theimpudenceandthinlyveiledhostilityintheman’stonewereunmistakable。Hazeltinehesitated,seemedabouttospeak,andthensilentlyledthewaytothehall。”I’llshowyouthelaboratorylateron,”hesaid。”We’llgouptothetestingroomnow。”Thenheadded,apparentlyasmuchtohimselfastohisvisitor,”ItoldthosefellowsthatIwouldn’tbebackuntilnoon。”
Therewasadooratthetopofthestairs。Ralphopenedthisquietly。Astheypassedthrough,CaptainErinoticedthatPetershadfollowedthemintothehallandstoodthere,lookingup。
Theupperhallhadastrawmattingonthefloor。Therewasanotherdoorattheendofthepassage,andthiswasajar。Towardittheelectricianwalkedrapidly。Fromtheroombehindthedoorcameashoutoflaughter;thensomeonesaid:”Bettergiveitanotherturn,hadn’tI,tomakesure?Iftwoturnsfixesitsowedon’thearforacoupleofhours,anotheroneoughttoshutitupforaweek。That’sarithmetic,ain’tit?”
ThelaughthatfollowedthiswascutshortbyHazeltine’sthrowingthedoorwideopen。
CaptainEri,closeattheelectrician’sheels,sawalongroom,emptysaveforafewchairsandatableinthecenter。Uponthistablestoodthetestinginstruments,exactlylikethoseinthereceivingroomdownstairs。Threemenloungedinthechairs,andstandingbesidethetable,withhisfingersupontheregulatingscrewatthecenterpieceoftherecorder,wasanother,abigfellow,witharound,smooth-shavenface。
ThemeninthechairssprangtotheirfeetasHazeltinecamein。
Thefaceoftheindividualbythetableturnedwhiteandhisfingersfellfromtheregulatingscrew,asthoughthelatterwereredhot。TheCaptainrecognizedthemen;theyweredayoperatorswhomhehadmetinthevillagemanytimes。Incidentally,theywereavowedfriendsoftheformerelectrician,Parker。ThenameofthetalleronewasMcLoughlin。
Noonespoke。Ralphstrodequicklytothetable,pushedMcLoughlintoonesideandstoopedovertheinstruments。Whenhestraightenedup,CaptainErinoticedthathisfacealsowaswhite,butevidentlynotfromfear。Heturnedsharplyandlookedatthefouroperators,whoweredoingtheirbesttoappearateaseandnotsucceeding。
Theelectricianlookedthemover,onebyone。Thenhegaveashortlaugh。”Youdamnedsneaks!”hesaid,andturnedagaintothetestingapparatus。
Hebeganslowlytoturntheregulatingscrewontherecorder。Hehadgivenitbutafewrevolutionswhenthepointofthelittleglasssiphon,thathadbeentracingastraightblacklineontheslidingtape,movedupanddownincurvingzigzags。Hazeltineturnedtotheoperator。”Palmer,”hesaidcurtly,”answerthatcall。”
Themanaddressedseatedhimselfatthetable,turnedaswitch,andclickedoffamessage。Afteramomentthelineonthemovingtapezigzaggedagain。Ralphglancedatthezigzagsandbithislip。”Apologizetothem,”hesaidtoPalmer。”Tellthemweregretexceedinglythattheshipshouldhavebeenkeptwaiting。Tellthemourrecorderwasoutofadjustment。”
Theoperatorcabledthemessage。Thethreemenattheendoftheroomglancedateachother;thisevidentlywasnotwhattheyexpected。
StepssoundedonthestairsandPetershurriedlyentered。”Theoldman’scomin’,”hesaid。
Mr。Langley,thesuperintendentofthestation,hadbeeninthecompany’semployforyears。HehadbeeninchargeoftheCapeCodstationsinceitwasbuilt,andhelikedthejob。Heknewcablework,too,fromAtoZ,and,thoughhewasastrictdisciplinarian,wouldforgiveaman’sgettingdrunkoccasionally,soonerthancondonecarelessness。Hewaseccentric,buteventhosewhodidnotlikehimacknowledgedthathewas”square。”
Hecameintotheroom,tossedacigarstumpoutofthewindow,andnoddedtoCaptainEri。”Howareyou,CaptainHedge?”hesaid。Then,steppingtothetable,hepickedupthetape。”Everythingallright,Mr。Hazeltine?”heasked。”Hello!Whatdoesthismean?Theysaytheyhavebeencallingfortwohourswithoutgettingananswer。Howdoyouexplainthat?”
Itwasveryquietintheroomwhentheelectriciananswered。”Therecorderherewasoutofadjustment,sir,”hesaidsimply。”Outofadjustment!Ithoughtyoutoldmeeverythingwasinperfectorderbeforeyouleftthismorning。””Ithoughtso,sir,butIfindthescrewwastooloose。Thatwouldaccountforthecallnotreachingus。””Tooloose!Humph!”ThesuperintendentlookedsteadfastlyatHazeltine,thenattheoperators,andthenattheelectricianoncemore。”Mr。Hazeltine,”hesaidatlength,”Iwillhearwhatexplanationsyoumayhavetomakeinmyofficelateron。Iwillattendtothetestingmyself。Thatwilldo。”
CaptainErisilentlyfollowedhisyoungfriendtothebackdoorofthestation。Hazeltinehadseenfittomakenocommentonthescenejustdescribed,andthecaptaindidnotfeellikeofferingany。Theywerestandingonthestepswhenthebigoperator,McLoughlin,cameoutofthebuildingbehindthem。”Well,”hesaidgrufflytotheelectrician。”ShallIquitnoworwaituntilSaturday?””What?””ShallIgitoutnoworwaittillSaturdaynight?Isupposeyou’llhavemefired。”
ThenHazeltine’spent-uprageboiledover。”IfyoumeanthatI’lltellMr。Langleyofyourcowardlytrickandhaveyoudischarged——No!Idon’tpaymydebtsthatway。ButI’lltellyouthis,——youandyoursneakingfriends。Ifyoutryanothergamelikethat,——yes,orifyousomuchasspeaktome,otherthanonbusinesswhileI’mhere,IWILLfireyou——outofthewindow。
Clearout!””Mr。Hazeltine,”saidCaptainEriafewmomentslater,”Ihopeyoudon’tmindmysayin’thatIlikeyoufust-rate。MeandPerezandJerryain’tthebiggestbugsintown,butweliketohaveourfriendscomeandseeus。Iwishyou’ddropinonce’nawhile。””Icertainlywill,”saidtheyoungman,andthetwoshookhands。
ThatvigoroushandshakewasenoughofitselftoconvinceRalphHazeltinethathehadmade,atanyrate,onefriendinOrham。
Andwemayaswelladdherethathehadmadetwo。ForthateveningJackMcLoughlinsaidtohisfellowconspirators:”Hesaidhe’dfiremeoutofthewindow,——ME,mindyou!And,bythunder!Ibelievehe’dhaveDONEittoo。Boys,thereain’tanymore’con’gamesplayedonthatkidwhileI’maround——ParkerornoParker。He’swhite,that’swhatHEis!”
CHAPTERV
THEWOMANFROMNANTUCKET
Conversationamongthecaptainswas,forthenexttwodays,confinedtotwotopics,speculationastohowsoontheymightexpectareplyfromtheNantucketfemaleandwhetherornotMr。
LangleywoulddischargeHazeltine。OnthelatterpointCaptainEriwasdecided。”Hewon’tbebounced,”saidtheCaptain;”nowyoujustputthatdowninyourlog。Langleyain’tafool,andhecanputtwoandtwotogetheraswellasthenextfeller。IfIthoughttherewasanyneedofit,I’djustdrophimahintmyself,butthereain’t,soI
shan’tputmyoarin。ButIwishyoutwocouldhaveheardthatyoungstertalktothatMcLoughlincritter;’twouldhavedoneyougood。Thatboy’sallright。”
CaptainJerrywasalonewhentheexpectedlettercame。Heglancedatthepostmark,sawthatitwasNantucket,andstuckthenotebehindtheclock。Hedidhisbesttoforgetit,buthelookedsoguiltywhenCaptainPerezreturnedatsuppertimethatthatindividualsuspectedsomething,madehisfriendconfess,and,alittlelaterwhenCaptainEricamein,theenvelope,bearingmanythumb-prints,wasproppedupagainstthesugarbowlinthemiddleofthetable。”Wedidn’topenit,Eri,”saidPerezproudly。”Wedidwantto,butwethoughtallhandsoughttobeondeckwhenanythingasimportantasthiswasgoin’tobedone。””He’sbeenholdin’ituptothelightforthelastha’fhour,”
sneeredCaptainJerry。”Anybody’dthinkithadamilliondollarsinit。Fortheland’ssake,openit,Eri,’forehehasafit!”
CaptainEripickeduptheletter,lookeditoververydeliberately,andthentoreofftheendoftheenvelope。Theinclosurewasanothersheetofnotepaperlikethefirstepistle。TheCaptaintookouthisspectacles,wipedthem,andreadthefollowingaloud:”CAPTAINJEREMIAHBURGESS。”Sir:Ilikeyourlookswellenough,thoughitdon’tpaytoputtoomuchdependenceinlooks,asnobodyknowsbetterthanme。Besides,Ijudgethatpicturewastookquiteaspellago。Anyway,youlookhonest,andIamwillingtoriskmoneyenoughtocarrymetoOrhamandback,thoughthedearlandknowsIain’tgotnonetothrowaway。
Ifwedon’tagreetosignarticles,Isupposelikelyyouwillbewillingtostandhalfthefare。Thatain’tanymorethanright,thewayIlookatit。IshallcometoOrhamontheafternoontrain,Thursday。Meetmeatthedepot。”Yourstruly,”MARTHAB。SNOW。”P。S——IshouldhavelikeditbetterifyouwasaMethodist,butwecan’thaveeverythingjustaswewantitinthisworld。”
Nobodyspokeforamomentafterthereadingofthisintenselypracticalnote。CaptainEriwhistledsoftly,scratchedhishead,andthenreadtheletteroveragaintohimself。AtlengthCaptainPerezbrokethespell。”Jerusalem!”heexclaimed。”Shedon’tlosenotime,doesshe?””She’sprettyprompt,that’safact,”assentedCaptainEri。
CaptainJerryburstforthinindignation:”IsTHATallyou’vegottosay?”heinquiredwithsarcasm,”aftergittin’meintoascrapelikethis?Wellnow,Itellyouonething,I——””Don’tgoonyourbeamends,Jerry,”interruptedCaptainEri。”Thereain’tnoharmdoneyit。””Ain’tnoharmdone?Whyhowyoutalk,EriHedge!Here’sawomanthatIain’tneverseen,andmightbeahundredyearsold,forallIknow,comin’downhereto-morrownighttomarrymebymainforce,asyoumightsay,andyousethereandtalkabout——””Now,holdon,holdon,Jerry!Sheain’tgoin’tomarryyouunlessyouwantherto,’tain’tlikely。MoreIthinkofit,themoreI
likethewoman’swayofdoin’things。She’sgotsense,there’snodoubtofthat。Youcan’tsellHERacatinabag。She’scomin’
downheretoseeyouandtalkthethingover,andIgloryinherspunk。””Wantsmetopayherfare!Iseemyselfdoin’it!I’vegotwaysenoughtospendmymoneywithoutpayingfaresforNantucketfolks。””Ifyouandshesignarticles,asshecallsit,you’llhavetopaymorethanfares,”saidCaptainPerez,inamatter-of-facttone。”I
thinksameasEridoes;she’sasmartwoman。We’llhavetomeetheratthedepot,ofcourse。””Well_I_won’t!Cheekything!LetherfindoutwhereIam!I
cal’lateshe’llhavetodosomehuntin’。””Now,seehere,Jerry,”saidCaptainEri,”youwasjestasanxioustohaveoneofusgetmarriedasanybodyelse。Youhaven’tgottomarrythewomanunlessyouwantto,butyouhavegottohelpusseethethingthrough。Iwishmyselfthatwehadn’tbeenquitesopeskyanxioustogiveherthelatitudeandlongitude,andhadtooksomesortofanobservationourselves;butwedidn’t,andnowwe’vegottotreatherdecent。You’llbeatthatdepotalongwithPerezandme。”
WhenCaptainErispokeinthattonehistwocroniesusuallyobeyedorders。EventherebelliousJerry,whohadaprofoundrespectforhisyoungerfriend,gaveinaftersomegrumbling。
Theysatupuntillate,speculatingconcerningtheprobableageandappearanceoftheexpectedvisitor。CaptainPerezannouncedthathedidn’tknowwhyitwas,buthehadanotionthatshewasaboutfortyandslim。CaptainJerry,whowasinaframeofmindwhereagreementwithanyonewasoutofthequestion,gaveitashisopinionthatshewasthirtyoddandratherplump。CaptainErididn’thazardaguess,butsuggestedthattheywaitandsee。
ButevenCaptainEri’scalmnesswasmoreorlessassumed,forhedidnotgofishingthenextmorning,butstayedaboutthehouse,whittlingatthemodelofaclippershipandtormentingCaptainJerry。Themodelwasonethathehadbeenatworkuponatoddtimeseversincehegaveupsea-going。IthadneverbeencompletedfortheverygoodreasonthatwhenonepartwasfinishedtheCaptaintoreanotherparttopieces,andbeganoveragain。Itwasasortofbarometerofhisfeelings,andwhenhiscompanionssawhimtakedowntheclipperandgotowork,theyknewhewaseitherthinkingdeeplyuponaperplexingproblemorwastroubledinhismind。
CaptainPerezsangagooddeal,principallyconfininghismusicaleffortstoaballadwithachorusof,”Stormalong,John;
John,stormalong;
Ain’tIgladmyday’swork’sdone!”
Also,heglancedathiswatcheveryfewminutesandthenwenttoconsultthechronometertomakesureofthetime。
CaptainJerrywentuptotheschoolhouseandgaveitsvacantroomsathoroughsweepingfornoparticularreasonexcepttobedoingsomething。Hisappetitewaspoor,andheactuallyforgottofeedLorenzo,ahithertounheard-ofslight,andonethatbroughtdownuponhimalonglecturefromCaptainEri,whovowedthatlossofmemorywasasuresignoflovesickness。
Theystartedfortherailwaystationimmediatelyaftersupper。AstheypassedJohnBaxter’shousetheynoticedalightinanupperchamber,andwonderediftheoldmanwasill。CaptainEriwouldhavestoppedtofindout,butCaptainPerezinsistedthatitcouldbedonejustaswellwhentheycameback,andexpressedafearthattheymightmissthetrain。CaptainJerryhadn’tspokensincetheylefthome,andwalkedgloomilyaheadwithhishandsinhispockets。
Mr。”Web”Saunders,fatandinhispink-stripedshirtsleeves,satuponthestepsofhissaloonastheywentby。Hewishedthemanunctuousgood-evening。TheoilysmoothnessofMr。Saunders’voicecannotbedescribedwithplainpenandink;itgurgledwithsweetness,likemolassespouredfromajug。Thiswasnotaspecialtoneputonfortheoccasion;nooneexcepthiswifeeverheardhimspeakotherwise。
Theresponsefromthethreecaptainswasnotenthusiastic,butMr。
Saunderscontinuedtotalkoftheweather,thefishing,andthecranberrycropuntilacustomercameandgavethemachancetogetaway。”Slick!slick!slick!”commentedCaptainEri,astheyhurriedalong。”Blessedifhedon’tprettynighpurr。Ilikeacatfust-
rate,butI’malwayssuspiciousofacat-man。Youknowhe’sgotclaws,butyoucan’ttellwherehe’sgoin’touse’em。Whenafellerlikethatcomesslidin’aroundandrubbin’hisheadagainstmyshin,Ialwaysfeellikekeepin’t’otherfootreadyforakick。
You’reprettysartintoneeditonetimeoranother。”
Thetrainwasnearlyanhourlatethisevening,owingtoahotbox,andthe”ex-seafaringman”andhistwofriendspeeredanxiouslyoutatitfromaroundthecornerofthestation。Theonecoachstoppeddirectlyunderthelights,andtheycouldseethepassengersastheycamedownthesteps。Twoorthreegotout,buttheseweremen。ThencameanapparitionthatcausedCaptainJerrytogaspandclutchatPerezforsupport。
Downthestepsofthecarcameatall,coal-blacknegress,andinherhandwasacanvasextensioncase,onthesideofwhichwasblazonedintwo-inchlettersthefatefulname,”M。B。Snow,Nantucket。”
CaptainErigazedatthisastoundingspectacleforafullthirtyseconds。Thenhewokeup。”Godfreydomino!”heejaculated。”BLACK!BLACK!Run!Runforyourlives,’foresheseesus!”
Thisorderwassuperfluous。CaptainJerrywasalreadyhalf-waytothefence,andgoingataratewhichbidfairtoestablisharecordforhisage。Theothersfellintohiswake,andtheprocessionmovedacrosscountrylikeasteeplechase。
Theyclimbedoverstonewallsandsplashedintomeadows。Theytookeveryshortcutbetweenthestationandtheirhome。Astheycameinsightofthelatter,CaptainPerez’breathgaveoutalmostentirely。”Heaveto!”hegasped。”Heaveto,orI’llfounder。Iwouldn’trunanotherstepforallthedarkiesintheWestIndies。”
CaptainEripaused,butitwasonlyafterastrugglethatCaptainJerrywaspersuadedtohalt。”Ishan’tdoit,Eri!”hevowedwildly。”Ishan’tdoit!Thereain’tnouseaskin’me;Iwon’tmarrythatblackwoman!Iwon’t,bythunder!””There!there!Jerry!”saidCaptainErisoothingly。”Nobodywantsyouto。Thereain’tnodangernow。Shedidn’tseeus。””Ain’tnodanger!Thereyougoagain,EriHedge!She’llaskwhereIliveandcomerightdowninthedepotwagon。Oh!Lordy!Lordy!”
Thefranticsacrificewasabouttoboundawayagain,whenCaptainEricaughthimbythearm。”I’lltellyouwhat,”hesaid,”we’llscootforEldredge’sshantyandhidetheretillshegitstiredandgoesaway。P’rapsshewon’tcome,anyhow。”
Thedesertedfishshanty,propertyoftheheirsofthelateNathanielEldredge,wassituatedinahollowclosetothehouse。
Inafewmomentsthethreewereinside,withasawhorseagainstthedoor。ThenCaptainEripantinglysatdownonanoverturnedbucketandlaugheduntilthetearscameintohiseyes。”That’sit,laff!”almostsobbedCaptainJerry。”Setthereandtee-heelikeaBedlamite。It’swhatyoumightexpect。Waittilltherestofthetownfindsoutaboutthis;they’lldothelaffin’
then,andyouwon’tfeelsofunny。We’llneverhearthelastofitinthisworld。Ifthatdarkycomesdownhere,I’ll——I’lldrownher;Iwill——””Idon’tblameJerry,”saidPerezindignantly。”Idon’tseemuchtolaffat。Oh,mysoulandbodythereshecomesnow。”
Theyheardtherattleofaheavycarriage,and,crowdingtogetheratthecobwebbedwindow,sawtheblackshapeofthe”depotwagon”
rockpast。Theywaited,breathless,untiltheysawitgobackagainuptheroad。”Didyoulockthedining-roomdoor,Perez?”askedCaptainEri。”CourseIdidn’t。WhyshouldI?”
Itwasarathersenselessquestion。NobodylocksdoorsinOrhamexceptatbedtime。”Humph!”gruntedCaptainEri。”She’llseethelightinthediningroom,andgoinsideandwait,more’nlikely。Well,there’snothin’forustodobuttostayhereforawhile,andthen,ifsheain’tgone,oneofus’llhavetogoupandtellhershewon’tsuitandpayherfarehome,that’sall。IthinkJerryoughttobetheone,”headdedmischievously。”Hebein’thebridegroom,asyoumightsay。””Me!”almostshoutedthefranticCaptainJerry。”Yougotograss!
Youfellersgotmeintothisscrape,andnowlet’sseeyougitmeoutofit。Idon’tstironestep。”
Theysatthereindarkness,thesilenceunbroken,saveforanoccasionalchucklefromtheprovokingEri。Perez,however,wasmeditating,andobserved,afterawhile:”Snow!That’saqueernameforadarky,ain’tit?””ThatcoloredmanupatBarry’splacewasnamedWhite,”saidCaptainJerry,”andhewasblackasyourhat。Namesdon’tcount。””Theysaycoloredfolksmakegoodcooks,Jerry,”slylyremarkedEri。”Maybeyou’dbetterthinkitover。”
Theunluckyvictimofchancedidnotdeignananswer,andtheminutescreptslowlyby。Afteralongwhiletheyheardsomeonewhistling。Perezwenttothewindowtotakeanobservation。”It’saman,”hesaiddisappointedly。”He’sbeentoourhouse,too。Myland!Ihopehedidn’tgoin。It’sthatfellerHazeltine;that’swho’tis。””Isit?”exclaimedErieagerly。”That’sso!so’tis。Let’sgivehimahail。”
Beforehecouldbestoppedhehadpulledthesaw-horsefromthedoor,hadopenedthelatteralittleway,and,withhisfaceattheopening,waswhistlingshrilly。
Theelectricianlookedupanddownthedarkroadinapuzzledsortofway,butevidentlycouldnotmakeuphismindfromwhatquarterthewhistlescame。”Mr。Hazeltine!”hailedtheCaptain,inwhatmightbecalledawhisperedyellorashoutedwhisper。”Mr。Hazeltine!Here,onyourleebow。Intheshanty。”
Theword”shanty”wastheonlypartofthespeechthatbroughtlighttoRalph’smind,butthatwassufficient;hecamedownthehill,lefttheroad,andplungedthroughtheblackberryvinestothedoor。”Whoisit?”heasked。”Why,hello,Captain!Whatonearth——”
CaptainErisignaledhimtosilence,andthen,catchinghisarm,pulledhimintotheshantyandshutthedoor。CaptainJerryhastenedtosetthesaw-horseinplaceagain。”Mr。Hazeltine,”saidCaptainEri,”letmemakeyouacquaintedwithCap’nPerezandCap’nJerry,shipmatesofmine。You’veheardmespeakof’em。”
Ralph,inthedarkness,shooktwobighandsandheardwhisperedvoicesexpressthemselvesasgladtoknowhim。”Yousee,”continuedEriinasomewhatembarrassedfashion,”we’resortoflayin’to,asyermightsay,waitin’togitourbearin’s。
Weain’toutofourheads;Itellyouthat,’causeIknowthat’swhatitlookslike。”
ThebewilderedHazeltinelaughedandsaidhewasgladtohearit。
Totellthetruth,hehadbeguntothinkthatsomethingorotherhadsuddenlydrivenhisnearestneighborscrazy。”I——I——Idon’tknowhowtoexplainittoyou,”theCaptainstumbledon。”Factis,IguessIwon’tjestyit,ifyoudon’tmind。Itdoessoundsopeskyridic’lous,althoughitain’t,whenyouunderstandit。Whatwewanttoknowis,haveyoubeentoourhouseandisthereanybodythere?””Why,yes,I’vebeenthere。Irowedoveranddroppedinforaminute,asyousuggestedtheotherday。Thehousekeeper——Isupposeitwasthehousekeeper——thatopenedthedoor,saidyouwereout,andI——”
Hewasinterruptedbyahopelessgroan。”Iknewit!”wailedCaptainJerry。”Iknewit!Andyousaidtherewa’n’tnodanger,Eri!””Hushup,Jerry,aminute,fortheloveofgoodness!Whatwasshedoin’,Mr。Hazeltine,thiswomanyouthoughtwasthehousekeeper?
Didshelookasifshewasgettin’readytogoout?Didshehaveherbunniton?””No。Sheseemedtobeverymuchathome。That’swhyIthought——”
ButagainCaptainJerrybrokein,”Well,bymighty!”heejaculated。”That’snice,now,ain’tit!SHEgoin’away!Youbetsheain’t!
She’sgoin’tostaythereandwait,ifit’sforever。She’sgottoogoodathing。Jestaslike’snot,M’lissyBusteed,orsomeothergabmachinelikeher,’llbethenextonetocall,andiftheyseethatgreatblackcritter!Oh!mysoul!””Black!”saidRalphamazedly。”Why,thewomanatyourhouseisn’tblack。She’saswhiteasIam,andnotbad-lookingforawomanofherage。””WHAT?”Thiswasthetrioinchorus。ThenCaptainErisaid:”Mr。Hazeltine,now,honestandtrue,isthatafact?””Ofcourseit’safact。”
TheCaptainwipedhisforehead。”Mr。Hazeltine,”hesaid,”ifanybodyhadtoldmeafortn’tagothatIwasoneofthethreebiggestfoolsinOrham,I’dhaveprob’lyraredupsome。As’tisnow,Ical’lateI’dthankhimforlettin’meoffsoeasy。You’llhavetoexcuseusto-night,I’mafraid。We’reinaridic’lousscrapethatwe’vegottogitoutofallalone。I’lltellyou’boutitsomeday。Jestnowwishyou’dkeepthiskindofquiettoobligeme。”
Hazeltinesawthatthiswasmeantasagentlehintforhisimmediatedeparture,andalthoughhehadafairshareofcuriosity,felttherewasnothingelsetodo。Hepromisedsecrecy,promisedfaithfullytocallagainlaterintheweek,andthen,thesawhorsehavingbeenremovedbyCaptainPerez,——CaptainJerrywasapparentlysufferingfromasortofdazedparalysis,——hewentaway。Assoonashehadgone,CaptainEribegantolaydownthelaw。”Nowthen,”hesaid,”there’sbeensomesortofamistake;that’splainenough。More’nlikely,thedarkytookthewrongsatchelwhenshegotuptocomeoutofthecar。ThatwomanatthehouseistherealMarthySnowallright,andwe’vegottogorightupthereandseeher。Comeon!”
ButCaptainJerrymutiniedoutright。Hedeclaredthatthesightofthatdarkyhadsickenedhimofmarryingforever,andthathewouldnotseethecandidatefromNantucket,noranyothercandidate。Nopersuasioncouldbudgehim。Hesimplywouldnotstirfromthatshantyuntilthehousehadbeenclearedoffemalevisitors。”Goandseeheryourself,ifyou’resosetonit,”hedeclared。”I
shan’t!””Allright,”saidCaptainEricalmly。”Iwill。I’lltellheryou’rebashful,butjestdyin’tobemarried,andthatshecanhaveyouifsheonlywaitslongenough。”
Withthisheturnedonhisheelandwalkedout。”Holdon,Eri!”shoutedthefranticJerry。”Don’tyoudoit!
Don’tyoutellherthat!Landoflove,Perez,doyous’posehewill?””Idon’tknow,”wastheanswerinadisgustedtone。”Youhadn’toughttohavebeensopig-headed,Jerry。”
CaptainEri,withsetteethanddeterminationwrittenonhisface,walkedstraighttothedining-roomdoor。Drawingalongbreath,heopeneditandsteppedinside。Awoman,whohadbeensittinginCaptainPerez’rocker,roseasheentered。
ThewomanlookedattheCaptainandtheCaptainlookedather。Shewasofmiddleage,inclinedtostoutness,withapairofkeeneyesbehindbrass-rimmedspectacles,andwasdressedinablack”alpaca”
gownthatwasfadedalittleinplacesandhadbeenneatlymendedinothers。Shespokefirst。”You’renotCap’nBurgess?”shesaid。”No,ma’am,”saidtheCaptainuneasily。”MynameisHedge。I’masortofmessmateofhis。You’reMissSnow?””Mrs。Snow。I’mawidow。”
Theyshookhands。Mrs。Snowcalmlyexpectant;theCaptainverynervousandnotknowinghowtobegin。”IfeelasifIknewyou,Cap’nHedge,”saidthewidow,astheCaptainslidintohisownrocker。”TheboyonthedepotwagontoldmealotaboutyouandCap’nRyderandCap’nBurgess。””Did,hey?”TheCaptaininwardlyvowedvengeanceonhischum’sgrandnephew。”Hopehegaveusacleanbill。””Well,hedidn’tsaynothin’againstyou,ifthat’swhatyoumean。
Ifhehad,Idon’tthinkitwouldhavemademuchdiff’rence。I’velivedlongenoughtowanttofindoutthingsformyself,andnottakefolks’say-so。”
Theladyseemingtoexpectsomesortofanswertothisstatement,CaptainEriexpressedhisopinionthattheplanoffindingoutthingsforone’sselfwasagood”idee。”Then,afteranotherfidgetysilence,heobservedthatitwasafineevening。Therebeingnodisputeonthispoint,heendeavoredtothinkofsomethingelsetosay。Mrs。Snow,however,savedhimthetrouble。”Cap’nHedge,”shesaid,”asI’mhereonwhatyoumightcallabus’nesserrand,andasI’vebeenwaitin’prettynightwohoursalready,p’rapswe’dbettertalkaboutsomethin’besidesfineevenin’s。I’vegottobelookin’upahotelorboardin’houseorsomewherestostayto-night,andIcan’twaitmuchlonger。Ijedgeyougotmyletterandwasexpectin’me。Now,ifitain’taskin’
toomuch,I’dliketoknowwhereCap’nBurgessis,andwhyhewa’n’tatthedepottomeetme。”
Thiswasaleadingquestion,andtheCaptainwasmoreembarrassedthanever。However,hefeltthatsomethinghadtobedoneandthatitwaswisesttogetitoverwithassoonaspossible。”Well,ma’am,”hesaid,”we——wegotyourletterallright,and,totellyouthetruth,wewasatthedepot——PerezandmeandJerry。””YouWAS!Well,then,forthelandofgoodness,whydidn’tyouletmeknowit?SuchatimeasIhadtryin’tofindoutwhereyoulivedandall!”
TheCaptainsawbutoneplausibleexplanation,andthatwastheplaintruth。Slowlyhetoldthestoryofthecoloredwomanandtheextensioncase。Thewidowlaugheduntilherspectaclesfelloff。”Well,there!”sheexclaimed。”Ifthatdon’tbeatall!Idon’tblameCap’nBurgessamite。Poorthing!IguessI’dhaverun,too,ifI’dhaveseenthatdarky。Shewassettin’rightinthenextseattome,andshehadashut-overbagconsid’rablelikemine,andwhenshegotuptogitout,shetookminebymistake。I
wasagooddealputoutaboutit,andIexpectItalkedtoherlikeaDutchunclewhenIcaughtupwithher。Dear!dear!WhereisCap’nBurgess?””He’sshutupinafishshantydowntheroad,andhe’ssoupsotthatIdunno’she’llstirfromtheretonight。Jerryain’tprejudiced,butthatdarkywastoomuchforhim。”
Andthentheybothlaughed,thewidowbecauseoftheludicrousnatureoftheaffairandtheCaptainbecauseofthereliefthatthelady’sacceptanceofitaffordedhismind。
Mrs。Snowwasthefirsttobecomegrave。”Cap’nHedge,”shesaid,”there’soneortwothingsImustsayrighthere。Inthefirstplace,Iain’tinthehabitofanswerin’advertisementsfromfolksthatwantstogitmarried;Iain’tsohardupforamanasallthatcomesto。Nextthing,Ididn’tcomedownherewithmymindmadeuptomarryCap’nBurgess,notbynomeans。Iwantedtoseehimandtalkwithhim,andtellhimjestallabouthowthingswaswithmeandfindoutabouthimandthen——why,ifeverythingwasshipshape,Imight,p’raps,thinkabout——””Jestso,ma’am,jestso,”brokeinhercompanion。”That’saboutthewaywefelt。Yousee,there’sprob’lyalongstoryonbothsides,andifyou’llexcusemeI’llgodowntotheshantyandseeifIcan’tgitJerryuphere。It’llbeajob,I’m’fraid,but——””No,youshan’teither。I’lltellyouwhatwe’lldo。It’sawfullatenowandImustbegittin’uptothetavern。S’pose,if’tain’ttoomuchtrouble,youwalkuptherewithmeandI’llstaythereto-nightandto-morrerI’llcomedownhere,andwe’llallhaveacommon-sensetalk。P’rapsbythattimeyourfriend’llhavethedarkywomansomeoffhismind,too。”
NeedlesstosayCaptainEriagreedtothisplanwithalacrity。Thewidowcarefullytiedonablack,old-fashionedbonnet,pickedupafat,wooden-handledumbrellaandtheextensioncase,andsaidthatshewasready。
Theywalkeduptheroadtogether,theCaptaincarryingtheextensioncase。Theytalked,butnotofmatrimonialprospects。
Mrs。Snowknewalmostasmuchabouttheseaandthegoingsandcomingsthereonasdidherescort,andtheconversationwassaltyintheextreme。ItdevelopedthattheNantucketladyhadadistantrelativewhowasinthelife-savingserviceatCuttyhunkstation,andastheCaptainkneweverystationmanfortwentymilesupanddownthecoast,wrecksandmaritimedisastersofallkindswerediscussedindetail。
AttheTraveler’sRestMrs。SnowwasintroducedbytheunblushingEriasacousinfromProvincetown,and,aftersomecontroversyconcerningthepriceofboardandlodging,shewasshownuptoherroom。CaptainEriwalkedhome,absorbedinmeditation。Whateverhisthoughtsweretheywerenotdisagreeable,forhesmiledandshookhisheadmorethanonce,asifwithsatisfaction。AshepassedJohnBaxter’shousehenoticedthatthelightintheupperwindowwasstillburning。
CaptainPerezwashalfasleepwhenEriopenedthedooroftheshanty。CaptainJerry,however,wasverymuchawakeanddemandedtobetoldthingsrightaway。Hisfriendbrieflyexplainedthesituation。”Idon’tcareifshestaysheretilldoomsday,”emphaticallydeclaredthedisgruntledone,”Ishan’tmarryher。What’sshelike,anyhow?”
HewassurprisedattheenthusiasmofCaptainEri’sanswer。”She’samightygoodwoman;that’swhatIthinksheis,andshe’dmakeafust-classwifeforanyman。Ihopeyou’llsayso,too,whenyouseeher。Thereain’tnothin’hity-tityabouther,butshe’sgotmorecommon-sensethananywomanIeversaw。Butthere!
Ishan’ttalkanotherbitaboutherto-night。Comeonhomeandturnin。”
Andgohomeandturnintheydid,butnotwithoutprotestationfromthepairwhohadyettomeetthewomanfromNantucket。
CHAPTERVI
THESCHOOLHOUSEBELLRINGS”Allhandsondeck!Turnoutthere!Turnout!”
CaptainErigruntedandrolledoverinhisbed;foramomentortwohefanciedhimselfbackinthefo’castleoftheSeaMist,thebarkinwhichhehadmadehisfirstvoyage。Then,ashegrewwiderawake,heheard,somewhereinthedistance,abellringingfuriously。”Turnout,allhands!Turnout!”
CaptainErisatup。Thatvoicewasnopartofadream。ItbelongedtoCaptainJerry,andthetoneofitmeantbusiness。Thebellcontinuedtoring。”Aye,aye,Jerry!What’sthematter?”heshouted。”Fire!There’sabigfireupinthevillage。Lookoutofthewindow,andyoucansee。They’reringingtheschoolhousebell;
don’tyouhearit?”
TheCaptain,wideawakeenoughbythistime,jumpedoutofbed,carryingtheblanketswithhim,andrantothewindow。Openingit,hethrustouthishead。Thewindhadchangedtotheeastward,andathickfoghadcomeinwithit。Thehousewassurroundedbyawet,blackwall,butofftothewestaredglowshonethroughit,nowbrighterandnowfainter。Theschoolhousebellwasturningsomersaultsinitsexcitement。
Onlyonce,sinceCaptainJerryhadbeenjanitor,hadtheschoolhousebellbeenrungexceptintheperformanceofitsregularduties。ThatoncewasonanightbeforetheFourthofJuly,whensomemischievousyoungstersclimbedinatawindowandproclaimedtosleepingOrhamthatYoungAmericawascelebratingtheanniversaryofitsbirth。Sincethen,onnightsbeforetheFourth,CaptainJerryhadsleptintheschoolhouse,armedwithahorsewhipandanancientnavyrevolver。Therevolverwasstrictlyforshow,andthehorsewhipforuse,butneitherwascalledintoservice,forevenifsomedare-devilspiritsdidventurenearthebuilding,theCaptain’ssnores,asheslumberedbythefrontdoor,weredangersignalsthatcouldnotbedisregarded。
ButtherewasnoflavoroftheFourthinthebell’snotethisnight。Whoevertheringermightbe,hewasringingasthoughitwashisonlyhopeforlife,andthebellswungbackandforthwithoutapause。TheredglowinthefogbrightenedagainastheCaptaingazedatit。
CaptainJerrycametumblingupthestairs,breathlessandhalfdressed。”Wheredoyoumakeitouttobe?”hepanted。”Somewhere’snighthepost-office。Looks’sifitmightbeWeeks’sstore。Where’sPerez?”
CaptainErihadlightedalampandwaspullingonhisboots,ashespoke。”HereIbe!”shoutedthemissingmemberofthetriofromthediningroombelow。”I’mallready。Hurryup,Eri!”
CaptainErijumpedintohistrousers,slippedintoafadedpea-
jacketandclattereddownstairs,followedbythewildlyexcitedJerry。”Goodland,Perez!”hecried,ashecameintothediningroom,”I
thoughtyousaidyouwasallready!”
CaptainPerezpausedinthevainattempttomakeCaptainJerry’shatcoverhisowncraniumandrepliedindignantly,”Well,Iam,ain’tI?””SeemstomeI’dputsomethin’onmyfeetbesidesthemsocks,ifI
wasyou。Youmightcatchcold。”
Perezglanceddownathisblue-yarnextremitiesinblankastonishment。”Well,now,”heexclaimed,”ifIhain’tforgotmyboots!””Well,git’emon,andbequick。There’syourhat。GiveJerryhis。”
TheexcitedPerezvanishedthroughthedoorofhischamber,andCaptainEriglancedatthechronometer;thetimewasaquarteraftertwo。
Theyhurriedoutofthedoorandthroughtheyard。Thewind,ashasbeensaid,wasfromtheeast,buttherewaslittleofitand,exceptfortheclangingofthebell,thenightwasverystill。Thefogwasheavyandwet,andthetreesandbushesdrippedasiffromashower。Therewasthesaltsmellofthemarshesintheair,andthehissingandsplashingofthesurfontheouterbeachwereplainlytobeheard。Alsotherewastheclickingsoundofoarsinrow-locks。”Somebodyiscomin’overfromthestation,”gaspedCaptainJerry。”Don’trunso,Eri。It’stoodark。I’veprettynighbrokemyneckalready。”
Theypassedthelilypond,wherethefrogshadlongsinceadjournedtheirconcertandgonetobed,dodgedthroughtheyardofthetightlyshutteredsummerhotel,andcameoutatthecorneroftheroad,havingsavedsomedistancebythe”short-cut。””Thatain’tWeeks’sstore,”declaredCaptainPerez,whowasinthelead。”It’sWebSaunders’splace;that’swhatitis。”
CaptainEripausedandlookedovertotheleftinthedirectionoftheBaxterhomestead。Thelightinthewindowwasstillburning。
Theyturnedintothe”mainroad”atadogtrotandbecamepartofacrowdofoddlydressedpeople,allrunninginthesamedirection。”Web’splace,ain’tit?”askedEriofSethWingate,whowaslumberingalongwithawoodenbucketinonehandandthepitcherofhiswife’sbestwashstandsetintheother。”Yes,”breathlesslyansweredMr。Wingate,”andit’sagoner,theytellme。Everyman’sgottodohispartifthey’regoingtosaveit。Iallerssaidweoughttohaveafiredepartmentinthistown。”
ConsideringthatSethhad,forthepasteightyears,persistentlyopposedintown-meetinganyattempttopurchaseahandengine,thiswasarathersurprisingspeech,butnoonepaidanyattentiontoitthen。