Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-12-05
CHAPTER VIII.

III l. OF Captain Perez's sleeping
jfs--;Ss;S1 - apartment.
..g-N "Cap'n Hedge" said Mrs
Snow-"Cap'n Hedge. I'm sorry tt
wake you UP, but it's most 10 o'clock
and
what? Ten O'clock! Godfrey scis
sors! OF all the lazy-I'l! be out in O
jifry! Perez. turn out there! Turn
out. tell you"
Captain Fri had fallen asleep in tho
rocker where lie had seated himself up
on his return from the fruitless search
for the coat. He had had no intention
of sleeping, but he was tired after his
strenuous work ut the fire and had
dropped of in the midst Of his worry
He sprang to his feet and tried to sep
arate dreams from realities.
Land of love, Perez" he calculated
"Here you and me have been sleepin
ha'f the forenoon. We'd ought to be
ashamed of ourselves. Let's git dress
ed quicker'n chain lightnin'."
Dressed" Queried Perez, sitting uT
in bed. II should think you was dress
ed now, boots and all. What are you
talkin' 'bout?"
| The captain glanced down at his
clothes and seemed as much surprised
as his friend. He managed to pull
himself together, however, and STAN
| mered:
Dressed? Oh, I'm dressed, OF
course! It's you I'm tryin' to git some
life into"
"Well, why didn't you call feller
stead Of gittin' up and dressin' all by
yourself. l never see such critter
Where's my socks?"
To avoid further perplexing questions
Captain Fri went into the dining room.
The table was set, really set, with a
clean cloth and dishes that shone.
The knives and forks were arranged
by the plates, not piled in a heap for
each man to help himself. The cap
tain gasped.
"Well, I swan to man. he said
"Has Jerry had fit, or what's struck
him? l ain't seen him do anything like
this for I don't know when."
"Oh, Cap'n Burgess didn't fix the ta'
bic, il that's what you mean" said the
new nurse. "Cap'n Baxter seemed to
be sleepin' or in stupor like, and the
doctor when he come said might
leave him long enough to run down
stairs for few minutes, so'-
"The doctor? Has the doctor been
here this mornin'?"
"Yes; he come bout an hour ago.
Now, II you wouldn't mind goin' up
and stayin' with Cap'n Baxter for a
few minutes while I finish gettin'
breakfast. I've been up and down SO
many times in the last ha'f hour don't
knows I'm sartin whether I'm on my
head or my heels"
The captain went upstairs in a dazed
state. AS he passed through what had
been his room he vaguely noticed that
the bureau top was clean and that
most Of the rubbish that had ornament.
ed 1t had disappeared.
The sick man lay just as he had left
him, his white face as colorless as
the clean plllowcase against which 1t
rested. Captain Fri remembered that
the pillowcases In the spare room had
looked a little yellow the night be-
fore, possibly owing to the fact that
as the room had not been occupied for
months they had not been changed.
He reasoned that the improvement was
another one Of the reforms instituted
by the lady from Nantucket.
He sat down in the rocker by the
bed and thought, with shiver, Of the
missing coat There were nine chances
out Of ten that whoever found 1t would
recognize it as belonging to the old
Come Outer" The contents of the
pocket would be almost certain to re.
veal the secret II the coat itself did not.
1t remained to be seen who the finder
was and what he would do. Mean
while there was no use worrying. Hav-
ing come to this conclusion, the cap
tain, with customary philosophy, re-
solved to think of something else.
Mrs. Snow entered and announced
that breakfast was ready and that he
must 20 down ut once and eat 1t while
it was hot. She, having breakfasted
some time before, would stay with the
.,i;cnt until the meal was over. Cap.
iiu Fri at first fatty declined to listen
10 any such arrangement, but the calm
insistence of the Nantucket visitor pre-.
vailed, as usual. The captain realized
that the capacity for "bossin' things
that he had discerned In the letter, was
even more apparent in the lady herself
One thing he did insist upon, how
ever, and this was that Mrs. Snow
should turn In" as soon as breakfast
was over. One of the three would take
the watch in the sickroom while the
other two washed the dishes.
Captain Fri found his friends seated
at the table and feasting on hot bis
cults, eggs and clear, appctizing cof'
fee. They greeted him jOyously.
"Hey, Eriw hailed Captain Perez
"Ain't this gay? Look ut them eggs
Billed Jest to T. Amt much like Jer'
rvs ha'f raw kind"
"Humph! You needn't say nothln'
Perez" observed Captain Jerry, his
mouth full of biscuit. "When you was
cook you alters billed 'em so hard
they'd dent the barn II you'd fired EN-
at it. HOw's John, Eri?"
Captain Fri gave his and the doctors
| opinion of his friends condition and
then said: "Now, we've got to have
some kind Of settlement OH this mar
ryin' question. Last night when was
up In the room there 1t come acros'
me all of sudden that from what Ia
seen of this Nantucket woman shed
he lest the sort Of nurse that John
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