I Saw Three Ships and Other Winter Tale

e) an incident worth record occurred in the ba

Quay. A pair of fish-scales faces the entrance, and the jolly pilchards themselves hang

wall and most of the ceiling with her shadow, beat out between her thick ankles in the shape of a fan. She was a widow, with a huge, pale face and a figure nearly as broad as it was long; and no man thwarted her. Weaknesses she had none, except an inability to darn

notables of the two parishes. They were listening just now, and though the mug of eggy-hot passed from hand to hand as steadil

ale four-poster hung wi' yaller on purpose to suit his

the other in deep shadow, "he feels it, I b'lieve. Such a whack o' dome as he'd a-bought, and a weather-glass wherei

rimonial outfit, as you mi

' likewise a lookin'-g

ired Calvin Oke, drawing a

s, he says nothi

sht s

e so good as to frisk up th

he hearthstone, and began to pour the eggy-hot from one

some chap," she said, w

andsome does," sq

ged man, Uncle, I' call

ssy col

d Prudy, looking round on the company, "else I'd

rd drew their pipes o

n kettles in plenty to drum en out o' this naybourhood to the Rogue

ne k

ooted out o' the parish. Mind you, I've no grudge agen the man. I liked his dare-dev

daviddy man, in the pause that followed, "but

e men fired

," said Calvin Oke

lias Sweetland. "An' I, An'

head, and 'twill be time enough to talk o' shal-lals when the weddin'-day's fixed. Now I've a bett

, O k

ly, s

crowder! Sorely we shall

wixt man an' man, 'Look 'ee here,' I'll say, 'I've a lawful son. You've a-took his name, an' you've a-stepped into his shoes, an' therefore I've a ri

towards the tongs. Prudy, anticipating his necessity, caught them up, dived them into the

age. The door was pushed open, and a tall man, in dr

n they had be

" He shook the water out of his hat over the sanded flo

d the hot brand to and fro under Old Zeb's nose, stinging his eyes

shed, all of you

aid Prudy, "'twas a case of 'talk of

re speaking goo

your ears

ot

the left ear onl

Prudy!" implo

as you walked in, that he'd read you the Riot Act afore you was ma

so, Mr.

nd the experience of standing between two fires was new to him. He looked from the s

the pore chap is drippin' wet. Sich a tiresome v'yage, too, as it must ha' been from Plymouth, i'

settle. Producing a large crimson handkerch

, is the sweatiness that comes

nswer," put in the stra

for there's lashins o' room-the answer, as far as that goes, is what I make to you, sayin'- that if you wasn' so

at

t of onpleasantness have a-blown over, doin' ekal credit to both parties this New Year's-eve, after the native British

r at all. 'Far as I could see you've done naught but fi

le-an'-cornerdest bit of a chap's mind as iver

imed, "all you know 'pon

key kicked en. "Taint the stummick that I do vally,' he

ting," repeate

nt was for drummin' you out o' the country. 'Shockin' behayviour!' 'Aw, very shockin' indeed!' was the words I heerd flyin' about, an' 'Who'll

bial, crowder, I can duly vow, an' to th

ore chap done, to be treated so bad?' I says. Says I

was the

ho with one accord began to look extremely fo

true?"

who had not been asked, but was fluttered with delight

hall pass my days in this neighbourhood, and I wish to clear up all possible misconceptions at the start. In the first place, I am going to marry Miss Ruby Tresidd

hat o' Young Zeb, m

hy

ur life to'

two questions. Ask him in the first

it or no," grunted Elias Sweetland. "And what the

know what a

went on, returning to Prudy, "ask young Zebedee Minards, if he wants my

, produced a couple of pistols. The butts were rich with brass-w

ut to give you an exhibition. How many tall candlesticks have

e pa

er two pairs and set th

hy

I tel

an!" said Prudy, and went o

uffed uneasily at their pipes, not one of which was alight, and avoided

them in a row on the mantelshelf. Now above this shelf the chimney-piece was panelled to the height of some two and a half

s down, if you value them

d round i

ing to

panel, an' my best

them

and unpinne

tand a

her side of the room, and

under the line of fire, "your head is not the least in the way. And

his eye on the deadly weapon now being lifted behind his back. Nevertheless he did not disobey, but sat s

a

ise broke on their ears one of the candles went out quietly. The candlestick did not st

d at the same time on the white faces that stared on him behind the thick curls of smoke. Stepping back to his former positio

, and a second bullet buri

me from Uncle Issy, who, being a trifle asthmatical with age, felt some inconvenience from the smoke in his throat. By the time the last shot was fired the company could hardly

s full of men and women, agog for a tragedy. The door burst open. Through the dense atmo

e. I have merely been pointing an argument th

r like a limp sack, slowly recovering from his em

rdly need to be warned against interfering with me again. The first man th

pocket, pulled out two crown p

t, leaving them in the firelight. The crowd in the passage fell back to right a

ves, and the six holes in Prudy's p