The Veiled Lady

pendrecht. Marny was painting a Dutch lugger with a brown-madder hull and an emerald-green stern, up on the ways for repairs. Pudfut had the children of the Captain posed against a

udfut broke out with: "Got to sit on Joppy some way or we'll be talked to death,"

ked Stebbins, picking up his mah

came a

him to

bins rarely expressed an opinion; any utte

l you," continued Stebbins, draggin

swered Marny. "He's as skinny as a coal-mine

"but he doesn't think so. He's as big a fool ov

bout it," sputtered Malone fro

my room two or three times every night going over his symptoms. When his foot's asleep he th

ary!" said Marn

t he dug me out of bed and wanted me to count his pulse-tho

night so it will be dry enough for him in the morning-she told me so yesterday. Now he's run

rum-nuisance," said Pudfut,

on him about his health, then he'll kick back and in pur

ight-best lad I know. Let him talk; doesn't hurt anybody and keeps e

ly-without lifting their lazy bodies from the warm, dry grass-so close that one slouch hat instead of two might have covered

by chimminy, 'L

t me have a crac

before go an

rny, remimber; he

l tell Poodfut u

for the day; had crossed the ferry and had found Joplin wandering around th

cristan on a bench in front of the main entrance-started back in surpri

y yellow about the gills. Worked too h

nd as a nut. Little bilious, m

suddenly. Maybe it's your epigastric nerve; maybe it's your liver and

now too

ye look done up. What's happen

ife," protested Joplin. "N

e all on their way back to the inn-

ins, o

, Jo

. Heart's been acting queer all morning and my epigastric ner

n's face, hesitated, and said wit

one time than another. You've

I look

o-yellow as a gourd-not always, just now a

Was my pulse all right when

t wobbled like that. He, of course, went off suddenly; some said it was apoplexy; some said it was his h

ts and Schonholz slapped his thigh and said with a smothered laugh that it was "sphlendeed!" and Malone and Pudfut agreed, and then the

o the little shelf, gathered up five empty mugs and disappeared down the cellar steps. This done the coterie drew their chairs to one of Tine's hand-scrubbed tables and sat down, all but Jo

lowed with results more astounding to the peace of the coteri

st. Nod anuder mark he say vill he gif me. Eef I could sell somedings-but dat ees ver

ive, Schonholz?

izzen

of a place

es

for?" continued Jopl

but blenty

both highly celebrated. Lord Ellenboro spent a month there and came back looking like anot

" asked

n't k

ace mentioned until Schonholz had

e a slice of Tine's toast, but he made no reply. All the

y," remarked Pudfut in an under

" asked Joplin, ignoring t

you come by Fizzenbad in a day

't affo

th the remark that he thought he would go

n was out of hearing. "Hasn't said 'epigastric nerve,' 'gram' or 'p

usions indulged in as to the cause of his departure. He had had his supplies cut off, was flat broke and as helpless as a plant without water. They had all, at one time or another, passed through a similar crisis and knew exactly what it meant. A purse, of

nce a leetle, den maybe I come back

he Old Gate, every man answered to his name except Joplin-he had eit

," cried Marny-"we'll go ahead.

en slept in, nor had anything on the washstand been used. Stepping in softly for some explanation of the unusual occurrence-no such thing had ever happened in her experience, not unless she had been notified in advance-her eye rested on a letter addre

me, T

d, her eyes on

serious. Then he beckoned to Marny and read t

Ste

m. Tell Schonholz I'll join him there and go on with him to Fizzenbad. So