Keziah Coffin

tain Nat Hammond. Trumet, always hungry for a sensation, would have thoroughly enjoyed arguing and quarreling over the

loated over it, of course, and Captain Elkanah brought it up at the meeting of the parish committee, but there Captain Zeb Mayo championed the young man's course and proclaimed that, fur's he was concerned, he was for Mr. Ellery more'n ever. "A young greenhorn with the s

timony" given on the following Thursday night, and Captain Eben divided his own discourse between thankfulness for his son's safe return and glorification at the discomfiture of the

lf that the secret had been kept. Ellery did not again mention it to her, nor she to him. A fortnight later he preached his great serm

eting was accompanied by unusual circumstances, which

half of flats, bare and sandy, or carpeted with seaweed. Between these flats are the channels

the dark squares on a checkerboard, while the deep water beyond the outer bar was steely gray and angry. When the sun shone and the wind blew clear from the northwest the whole expanse flashed into

arose at five, tucked a borrowed pair of fisherman's boots beneath his arm, and, without saying anything to his housekeeper, walked down the lawn behind the parsonage, climbed the rail fence, and "cut across lots" to the pine grove on the bluff. There he remove

dropped it in a shallow channel, but he splashed to the rescue and laughed aloud as he fished it out. It was not much wetter than it had been that night of the rain, when he tried to lend hi

vidual on its high seat, was moving out from behind the

hat rolled over and slid in ripples along its edge. Ellery wandered up and down, picking up shells and sea clams, and peering through the nets of the nea

himself too well to mind. The flats were all his that morning. Only the cart and its driver were in sight and they were half a mile off.

t, however, was so deep that the water splashed in at the top of one of his boots. He did notice that, because though he was not weari

t. This was provoking. Now he realized that he had waited too long. The tide had been flowing for almost an hour; it had flowed fast

saw, to his dismay, that here was the deepest spot yet, a hole, scoured out by a current like a mill race. Turning, he saw, cre

led about his hips, and beyond, as he could see, it seemed to grow deeper and deeper. The current was surprisingly strong; he found

the flat beyond the next channel, the cart he had seen leave the shore by the packet wharf, and, later, on th

here. Stay where you are. I'll be al

plunged into the next channel, surged through it, and em

etter get aboard, hadn't you? There's kind

ess. The driver leaned down and extended a hand. T

ged to you. I guess you saved me

d be against Trumet principles to take a bath any other time. All taut, are you? Good en

o be alike, picked up his feet and pounded them down again.

guess likely we'll be out of soundin's if we tackle that sink hole

ed his comp

you, Captain Hammond, I rather guess you could navigate alm

turned in

unny. I was tryin' to locate you, but I ain't been

, I

soul that ever trod sand in this village that I couldn't name on sight, and give the port they h

ody knows the man that b

d sniffed

craft was steered by guess and by godfrey, 'twas that old hooker of Zach's t'other night. Well-Humph! here's another piec

rned into the channel. The horse was wading above its knees; soon the

that bucket amidships. They'll think I've repented and have decided to turn 'em loose again. They don't know how long I've been co

, finding wading more difficul

enough," remarked Hammond. "A

ister l

" he

January; you needn't try for a record voyage. Walkin's more in your line than playin' steamb

nown better than to wait out there so lo

let myself in for a scrape like this! But it was so mighty fine off there on the bar I couldn't bear to leave it. I always said that

know what might have h

ay be a chance for salvage, you know. Here's the last channel an

ed over the stretch of yet uncovered flats and soon mounte

he said, "you haven

en times when I'D just as soon cruise witho

y name i

T? Oh, ho

. The minister's feelings were a bit

t's just because I was wonderin' what you'd look like if I should meet you and now-

ed, but not

itted, "I ima

e. As much as that, anyhow. Wonder what he'd say if he

e been much better to have

s jolly face

not even a Regular minister. He's a pretty square-built old craft, even t

s? Why, I

please father. But when it comes right down to a confession of faith, I'm

had jumped to the

I met you. Not alone because you helped me out of a bad

hin' at all. Do

about you that I was sure you must be worth knowing. I hope

don't find fault with you for

fact that I am what I am, I'd

down a big

are. Yes, indeed, I mean it. You see, you've got a friend that's a friend of mine,

e shall meet again and often.

out of the drink some day; you never can

he turned the corner of the nearest

you might give my regards to-to-er-th

nister reached home. Keziah, also, was waiting

at the back door. "Where in the world have

e sat down on the step to remove the borrowed boots. A small

ould you get in up to your waist if

I waited too long and

n that tide. If you'd told me you was go

It was my own fault, as usual. I'm n

sure either. Was the

I might have got into serious tr

orning's adventure. The housekeepe

e channel you planned to swim the one at the

es

y place at half tide. And they were good swimmers.

ptain Hammond didn't tell me so. I mu

reminds me that biscuits ought to be et when they're first made, not after they've been dried up on the back of the stove forever and e

you, Mrs. Coffin," said the min

e housekeeper's re