The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-04-24
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ED M
Z
A Story Of Seacoast
People.

"A Story Of Seacoast 8
|so People. q
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Ed Niallett had been the LATEST man
On the beach ever since he had attain
ed his majority though Zed Mallett
his half cousin once removed, ran him
Ia close race With Zed the trouble
was a lack Of brain power. for Zed
would work He was at it necessarily,
early and late, week in and week out,
get he never was beyond what the
beach called poverty That meant that
there were never enough cornmeal and
pumpkin in his cabin at one time to
feed TO fuIlness all of the hungry there
and that always Zed was a dependent
upon Captain Scott. On the other
hand. Ed was smart None could pray
US he could, none could tell SO many
different things about the doings in
sea. sky and earth as he, indeed none
dared try. for Captain Scott had said
that one prophet IN the settlement was
enough at one time He could preach,
too. could Ed. and whenever he did so
the congregation went home quiet and
subdued. presumably much edited.
And Ed would amble across the fields.
seeking out gaps in the fences rather
than climb to his own house under the
rows of silver poplars that stood half
way between the cove and the salt
mill. There be would find his wife en-
gagged in brushing and cutting one or
two Of her numerous progeny while the
viands that were to make his midday
meal sizzled on the stove.
Ed was never known to do anything
besides these things but read his Bible
in the best room, where the sea fans.
shells and tiny ship models made
gaudy the 5whiteWashed walls. There,
in carpet slippers and white canvas
clothes winter or summer, with the
huge tome open on his knees, he could
be found any day between ssunup and
sundown.'
There Captain Scott found him on
the winters day that the bark Break q
Day went ashore and routed him out.
The captain strobe into the room cry,
ing; III
Ed Mallet, git out O. here, or I'll
kick ye out. What ave i been feedin
We an that there Wifeo o. your for all
these years: They's a wreck on the
bar. an we're a-goin over with mel"
Ed obeyed without a dissenting ges-
ture, the legend says. AT all events
the beachers who heard the dialogue
for the first time learned how Ed had
managed to live 1t was a revelation
that wrought sad havoc among them.
but with a .wrack on the bar" there.
was no time to parley. 1T will do no
harm to add. however. that Ed had
represented to the beachers that be
had married money. |" And this brings
us to the few incidents Of Eds mar
|riage that were generally known on
the beach. They are these:
Z One day IL years before the wreck Of
the Break O. Day Ed sailed away in
Captain Jim's batteau. the Elsie. Ann,
| for the Isle of Wight bay with a load of
shpllpd corn that he said he was going
to trade off for generals on the main
Land He was to be hack in two days
time. but he did not come. II was six
days before he returned. and when the
sails Of the battpau We're sighted from
Captain Scots wharf the w tchers OBJ
served that there we're two forms in
the stern sheets instead of one
married. . cackled young Jimmy Nal
llett No one gainsalE him. preferring
TO wait for facts in SO important a mat
| Ter before ypnturing an opinion.
| When the Datteal rounded up to the
wharf. Ed helped a woman out.
| My wife. Cap; II linn he said.
| Captain Scott gave the woman q
searching look from head to foot and
then slowly extended his hand. Cap
tain Scott would have given ma jesty
itself the same treatment. The woman
had depth Of expression in her eyes
that proclaimed her not Of beach blood
and was not abashed. She let her
shapely hand clasp the horny fist OF
the old sea dog for just an instant, and
in that instant she won him. though
the,. he betrayed it by neither sign mol
act.
TEs woman was not of the beach
8surely as every line and contour of he1
/ figure showed. She was olive skinned
with black hair. and it lay in luxuriou'
glossy coils over half of her head. Sh'
was bosomed like goddess and had /
freedom and supple length Of limb tina
shamed the narrow chested, i'll shapet
beach women Of starved blood and con
i glomerate lineage.
Captain Jim looked from her to TIN
lank. shamhling form of Ed and regis
tered a tremendous oath. Then III
laughed strangely and stumped off i
1 the house.
When Ed took his bride and his bun
dies off to his home, Captain Jim sa
on the top Of a sand dune and watches
the pair through the eyepiece Of his bil
1 marine glass.