his nature and character i went up the field following the smooth little path to the side door as for using the front door that was a matter of great ceremony the long grass grew close against the high stone step and a bush leaned oyer it top heavy with the weight of a vine that had managed to take what the might call a half about the door came to the side door to me he was knitting a blue without looking on and was warmly dressed for the season in a thick blue flannel shirt with white buttons a faded waistcoat and trousers patched at the knees these along were not his fishing clothes there was something delightful in the grasp of his hand warm and clean as if it never touched anything but the comfortable instead of cold sea water and slippery fish what ace the painted for down in the field i hastened to ask and he came out a step or two along the path to see and looked at the as if his attention were to them for the time � folks laughed at me when i first bought this place an come here to he explained they said t wa n t no kind of a field privilege at all no place to raise anything all fuu o stones i was aware twas good land an i worked some on it � odd times when i didn t have else on hand � till i cleared them loose stones all out you never see a prettier piece than tis now now did ye well as for them painted marks them s my i struck on to some heavy rocks that didn t show none but a d be liable to ground on em an so i an em same s yon see they don t trouble me no more n if they wa n t there you haven t been to sea for nothing i said laughing of the pointed one trade helps another said with an amiable smile come right in an set down come in an rest ye he exclaimed and led the way into his comfortable kitchen the sunshine poured in at the two farther windows and a cat was np sound asleep on the table that stood between them there was a new looking light of a pattern on the floor and a large for a household of only one person stood on the bright i to say that somebody must be a good that s me acknowledged the old man with frankness there ain t nobody here but me i try to keep things looking right same s poor dear left em you set down here in this then you can look off an see the water none on em thought i was goin to get along alone no way but i wa n t goin to have my house turned down an all changed about no not to please i was the only one knew just how she liked to have things set poor dear an i said i was goin to make shift and i haye made shift i d rather tough it out alone and he sighed as if to sigh were his familiar consolation along shore we were both silent for a minute the old man looked out of the window as if he had forgotten i was there you must miss her much i said at last m i do miss her he answered and sighed again folks all that time would ease me but i can t find it does no i miss her just the same every day how long is it since she died i asked eight year now come the first of october it don t seem near so long i ve got a sister that comes and stops long o me a little spell spring an fall an odd times if i send after her i ain t near so good a hand to as i be to knit and she s very quick to set to rights she s a married woman with a family her son s folks lives at home an i can t make no great claim on her time but it makes me a kind o good excuse when i do send to help her a little she ain t none too well off poor dear always liked her and we used to contrive our ways together t is full as easy to be alone i set here an think it all over an think considerable when the weather s bad to go outside i get so some days it as if poor dear might step right back country of tee pointed into i keep a as if she might step in to one yes ma am i keep a off an o my that s just how it seems i can t over of her no way nor no how yes ma am that s just how it seems i did not say anything and he did not i so sometimes i have to lay by an go out door she was a sweet pretty long s she lived the old man added mournfully there s that little chair o her n i set an notice it an think how strange t is a like her should be gone an tiiat chair be here right in its old place i wish i had known her mrs told me about your wife one day i said you d have liked to come and see her all the folks did said poor she d been so pleased to hear every ing and see somebody new that took such an int rest she had a kind o gift to make it pleasant for folks i guess likely told yon she was a pretty woman especially in her young days late years too she lier looks 