The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22
RAINBOW HUED FIREW00D.
CdI,N CEPHAS'S SPECULATION ~
CARE ANN WkECkSJUEF.

Fortune In Sight-But Cap'n EphhS 10
After Him Trying to Trustee Him-rwo
Old Gloucester tronies at Cross Purposes.
While the main theme has 70 do with the com
mcrcial side Of a transaction in summer driftwood
for winter fires, there Ia an added human interest
in the fact that the novelty Of the business has
parted the two thickcst cronies that ever sailed
out of Gloucester and worked like racers 10 come
back high line and first Al least, one OF the
cronics is parted and the other is sailing after
him just as fast as the wind will allow utterly
refusing TO be parted.
Somewhere in this harbor Of New York is the
schooner Matte Sears, Cephas Crowninshicld
master. of and from Gloucester with u cargo OF
frewood. That much is set down in the records
Of the port. 1t is therefore violation Of con
fdence TO make that statement But there are
reasons why 1t is hoped that no one will further
reveal the present whereabouts Of the Matte
Sears In the first place il would do no good
The cargo of frewood is all sold out, bespoke
long in advance, You couldn't get so much as a
single chip, and it's very expensive wood indeed
anyway. and you can get just as much heat from
the kind you buy at the corner grocery. Then
there is another reason why IL wouldn't he fair
TO disclose the resting place Of the Matte Sears
Her shippers best friend is running him down
with might and main, and II he catches him he
will trustee him and II you've the least drop Of
Gloucester blood in your veins you know what
that means
Even now the pursuit Is hot The records Of
the port show the arrival Of the schooner T. O.
Lusk, Ephraim Holcomb master. OF and from
Gloucester, light That schooner is cruising
along every shore the tide allows in the expeCta-
ton OF finding the Matte Scars. When the two
schooners meet Capt. Ephraim is going To trustee
Capt Ccphas to prevent him from wasting his
Ih1fa 4 a.
uusteed. for he knows that If he's only let alone
he is going TO increase his substance Therefore
please say nothing if you should run across the
Matte Sears. Youll have no difficulty in rccog-
nizing her as soon as you see her. First there
is the name in large white letters Then if she
has nest of dories on the main hatch that's the
Matte Sears. Then II she's got the wreck Of the
New Bedford whaler Bcluga aboard you can be
sure Of her II she has crew Of wood choppers
and an equipment Of awbucks that will make
IL doubly sure. The last doubt you may have
will vanish II you see a grzzled and anxious face
furuvely scanning you from the after companion
way prepared to vanish silently II your appear
ance is at all suspicious for that's Capt Cephas
and he's keeping his weather eye lifting TO avoid
being trusted before he has the chance TO work
out his great scheme for fortune
Such as is the Matte Sears SO is the E. O. Lusk
- -, 80. h' 'i'ie ish GU MUCH
as single knots difference in the twenty four
hours between them. AS she cruises now about
the harbor on her search she differs from the Mat
tie Sears only in sitting higher. for she has como
in ballast having had 20 leave all Of a sudden
she has the same nest OF dories, but her crew are
nov "oouchoppefs OUT bankers, every one OF
them. From her cabin companionway a grizzled
and anxious face peers furtivey for that is Cant
,I". .p . asaiiis' ms own oet'er knowl-
80 go, '-' "'a''' 'sieep ana mus trustee
-
"' h'ou " '>e"pufEport on inc
banks ana bahquereau, at Nantucket South
these two Thew h.g,r =. Lor,, ,'-. ,.',''A
-, nc uDi' ''o'os '"s'uer'
there's not a trick Of cod fishing In which on.
can rive the other noin,s A, H.. ,.,, ,,,
,ha,. h.i, a,L ~. -, no po'S where
theY D"i' ana where they sell their fare they are
known rs Skipper Crunshell and Skipper Hok'm
but that is the ns,rsst a,,r,,ao, ,' ,i'o- tD H.
o"' wa, ~ 'le nearest approach 10 their formal
names they have ever been known 10 answer to-
To Gloucester and all Cape Ann they are known
as Ccphas and Ephas. In all The wears Of their
trouble between Cephns and Ephas The neares,
"pr,o"," " " "'n, ~, o' op''iioh was "hcn II
came 10 naming Ephass schooner when both
vessels were new. 1t is Bank custom to name
the fishing schoopers ,f,.r IA, n,,n,o,, al, -
Wv l,"e 7e'"oh''' o4"f VIC women VINO nave
10 endure the gloucester agony OF waiting for
the return of the fleet with vessel gone 10 th,.
ho,,,p, Rut rnh.s ma. ,hs,i,, o., -,
On'i --p""' was oo''iia" ana "an'eu
something better As name, something boastful
and fine sounding There was a Harvard mo-
fesso, on Cana An, ,bo, s...o. 49,, ts, r.,
~ '''' '''''' anu ''on Nun
hphHS Go' the name he sought E,O. Lusk the
ancient god Of the winds
.,1b.ra amt ,.r.r ho, on, ,u. -, A.,
in''0 ON "''e, ocii any 'oihS OF the name
OF Lusk at Glawster said Cephas ant appears
to ME faint pa wing propcr respec' TO Mis- Hok'u
.,Tvr,s .,s,. o,,,,,c,h e., E,,ha, -, ~
was '''s 'i'.us' !. t"i ''iaS w name AL register
the scunner alter his wife samc's done. but he
was alias n SNt man An him an, me wa = bro,,,.bt
NO strict rnitarians and il don't seem iust rivht
TO 20 naming Your boat after A hraihcn gnd
Seems like breakin' the Commandment ,Somt
having other gods an what with The wcatbct
an the ice an the drafted liners on The BanL.
YOU don't want to take no scch chances ''''"'
Between old friends in the cod fishery such IA
difference of opinion is enough 10 nrGviJc tha
theme for winter arguments Tor all tho rsst ~
theiryeS But il was moi this which led In ,he NO
ent difficulty To understand that one must 90
back 10 the summer boa rider AT Zane Ann at
year there were a few chilly nights befnrr IN. Iinn
storm set in and a little Are on The oren hcnrrh
was pleasant thing in the evening Ib,v hmrm
driftwood on Cape Ann and there IL enn;rh az
that melancholy fuel But il was a dcliyht IN
the summer boa rider Never befnre h al h., ,cnn