Keziah Coffin

st for him to follow, a "sort of chart of the main channel," she called it, "

or ashore. They 'most all go to the Regular church and the parish committee is steered by 'em. The poor relations are mainly widows and such, whose husbands died or were lost at sea. Most of them are Regulars. The town folks are those that stay ashore and keep store or

st from her hand a

m I supposed to recognize t

ver an aristocrat. Be thankful for advice and always SO glad to see 'em. With the poor relations you can ease up on the gush and maybe condescend some. Town folks expect condescension and superiority; give it to 'em. When it come

to the kitchen with the dinner dishes. The ministe

professor at college and the fellows used to say his bump of h

ed the cups

hile and my brother was a shoemaker and on the upper fringe of the town-folk class. My

ising me to treat a rich man

erfectly SAFE course, one that'll keep deep water unde

y tore the "chart"

said. "I shall be

in eyed h

blindfold, are

, I

disappeared a

dy for you," she said. "Br

hesitated on

"would YOU have called only

er head, sm

sks. But I didn't know but you might be a safe s

out the

eacher. I hope you will. But I'd enough sight rather you was a good man than the very greatest. No reason why you can't be both. There was a preacher over in Galilee once, so you told us yesterday, who was just good. 'Twa'n't till years afterwards that the crowd came to realize that he was g

umet spread out like a map. The main road was north and south, winding and twisting its rutted, sandy way. Along it were clustered the principal houses and shops, shaded by silver-leaf poplars, a few elms, and some willows and spruces. Each tree bent slightly away from the northeast, the direction from wh

agged fringes of beach plum and bayberry bushes, the deep blue of the wide Atlantic. The lighthouse was a white dot and the fish shanties a blotch of brown. Along the inner edge of the blu

r to the "cupoler," for he was distinctly "fleshy." "See? The beacon's up. Pac

n of the stubby pointing finger, Ellery saw a little schooner, with her sails lowered, lying, slightly on her side, in a shallow pool near a long ridge of piled st

Keeps packet tavern, Eben does. That's it, that old-fashioned, gambrel-roofed house on the

t. So that was where the Hammonds lived. And where the girl lived who was certain he was a "conceited snippet." Whatever

et?" he asked, to

ill Doane's daughter over t

sailor

spat in supr

truck at the same time mine went to sea. Both of us took after our fathers, I guess. Anyhow, my wife says that when I die 'twill be of salt wat

ngels can d

e riggin's rotten and the main topmast ain't sound, by a good deal. The old man's put off havin' her overhauled for two reasons, one that repairs cost money, and t'other that puttin'

ed four more households that afternoon. The last call was at Mrs. Thankful Payne's, and while there, listening to the wonderful "poem," he saw Miss Van Horne pass the window, as has already been told. He came home to a Cape Cod supper of scalloped clams, hot biscu

rmal call. The captain was majestic in high hat, fur-collared cape, tailed coat, and carrying a gold-headed cane. Miss Annabel wore her

I trust you're being made comfortable. The parish c

that he was very c

pastor, was a sweet old gentleman, but he was old-fashioned and his tastes were queer, espec

piece was rather funny; but no

pa and me that, although so many of our people have been abroad, they have such strange ideas of art. D

ged to admit that he

seems almost as if everybody was as familiar with Yurrup

rent n

t was when I was in the fruit-carryin

ected Annabel. "And

ds. I sailed to Cronstadt for some years re

ect to church and parish affairs. They spoke of the sewing ci

ng on the same night as ours. They have theirs on Thursday nights and it's as good as a play to hear t

e to go Captain

onage, Mr. Ellery? If so, it shall be done immeji

Captain Daniels,"

hey didn't live together very long and weren't happy, I guess. I don't know whose fault it was, nobody knows much of anything about it, for that's the one thing she won't talk about. Anyhow, the Coffin man was lost to sea, and after a

d. He was an orphan and had boarded for years. Incidentally, he had

d. "Hum-ha! Keziah, c

enovation of the parsonage had so far progressed that she could no

ect you to look out for Mr. Ellery in every r

said Mrs. Co

too, Mr. Ellery. Please consider our house at your d

iety is very scarce in Trumet, for me especially. We can read t

rowned by the click of the gate.

han't trouble the parish committee. Be

needle moved very briskly for a mome

re are some things I do like about this new place of mine. Because-

heard a good deal concerning the Come-Outers. He learned that Captain Eben Hammond had preached

ir 'em up! Don't be afraid to answer em from the pulpit

and all he stood for so profoundly. He wished he might hear their side of the case and judge it for himself. It may as well be ackn

y arrived. A flat calm in the forenoon, the wind changed about three o'clock and, beginning with a sharp and sudden

o seafaring men when speaking of the weather. "We'll get a hard, driving rain afore mo

ning. "Sakes alive! you won't be able to see the way to the gate. It's as dark as a nigger's pocket and thicker than young on

said he had been in the house

he housekeeper's advice. "You'll need

dows were but vague, yellow blotches. The umbrella was useful in the same way that a blind man's cane is useful, in feeling the wa

the lantern. "If 'tain't Mr. Ellery.

a stately figure appeared and jo

id. "Ain't you lost, out i

one w

cy. Goin' cal

N

ome-Outers goin' to holler their lungs loose at prayer meetin'. He, he! You ain

and a bit confused. He sa

te thing to say to a parson? That about his turnin' Come-Outer? He did

nk he's kind of stuck-up, if you want to know, and if he is, he'll get took down in a hurry. Come along, don't stand there with your mou

o the right, into the way called locally "Hammond's Turn-off." A short distance down the "Turn-off" stood a small, brown-shingled building, its windows alight. Opposite its door, on the other side of the road, grew a sp

bay shore and the packet wharf. It drew near, and he saw that it was carried by an old man with long white hair and chin beard, who walked with a slight limp. Beside him was a thin woman wearing a black poke bonnet and a shawl. In the rear of the pair came

Undoubtedly, the old man with the limp was her guardian, Captain Eben Hamm

within the building. It wailed and quavered and groaned. Then, with a suddenness t

answer when the

med sinne

et stepped out from the shadow of the hornbeam. Without a pause he strod

rch had entered the Come-Outer chapel