The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-30


and fateful results The captain had
called on Miss Prissy and her sister
the morning of his arrival in Orhanl
and, as was bis custom. had brought
each Of them present-exactIy alike.
of course. He had promised to dine at
the Allen house the following Sunday.
But it happened that Peleg Myrica
wanted to make one of his infrequent
visits to the mainland that week, and
he seized the opportunity TO hail the
catboat containing Bradley and Cap
tain Ezra as il passed his quahaug
| dory and beg for a passage up
Mr.. Peleg Myrick was hermit He
| lived alone in little two room shanty
on the beach about half mile from
Setuckit Point. He owned a concer
tina that squeaked and walled and a
Mexican dog-gift OF wrecked skip
per-that shivered all the time and
1owled when the concertina was play
/ ed Peleg was certain that the howl
ing was an attempt at singing and
/ boosted that SkeeZicks-that was the
| dogs name-had an lear for music
/ Jest like human"
/ Among his other accomplishments
! Mr. Myrick numbered that of weather
| prophet. He boosted that he could
"smell a storm further N a cat can
smell fish," IT was odd, but he really
/ did seem able to foretell or guess what
| the weather would be along the Or
| ham coast. and the longshoremen
swore by his prophecies.
He was a great talker when he had
any one to talk to and was a gossip
whose news items were usually about
three months old. Captain Ezra ap
preciated odd characters, and he well
coined the chance to get a little fun
out Of Peleg.
"Well Peleg," said the captain az
the catboat stood about on the first
leg of the homeward stretch. what's
the news down the beach? Any of the
sand fieas got married lately:"
Don't ask me for no news. Cap'n
Ezv replied Mr.. Myrick. You're the
Teller to have news. You amt mar
ried yit. be you?"
mo; not yet I'm waitin' to see
which girl you pick out; then I'll see
what's left"
"Well, amt fooiin' I thought you
might be married by now. Last time
1 was up to the village-long in June,
'twas-I see MISSY Busted, and she
said twas common talk that you was
courtin' one of the old maids"
Captain Titcomb scowled and looked
uneasily at his passenger.
''She did. hey?" he grunted.
Eyes. l told her l didn't take no
stock in that 'Cap'n EZ,' I says, has
been courtin' too many times sence 1
can remember 1 says. One time
twas Mary Emma Cahoon. mother |
time twas Seth Wingate's sisters gal, |
then agin twas -
.'Ail right! All rightr' broke in the
captain. CHANGING hurriedly at Bradley. /
Never mind that. How's the qua
haugin' nowadays? Gittin' a fair /
price,:
pretty fair replied Peleg. Then, !
with the persistency of the born Cos
sip, not to be so easily diverted from /
his subject he went on: Il told MISSY /
that but she said there want scarcely /
a doubt that you meant business this
time. Said you fetched presents every /
time you come home. Said the only /
doubt in folks minds was whether
twas Prissy or Tempy you was after.
Said she was sure you was after one
on 'em, cause she as much as asked
em one time when she was at their
house, and they didn't deny it,
Mr. Myrick talked steadily on this
and other subjects all the way to the
wharf, but Captain Ezra was silent
and thoughtful. He shook hands with
Bradley at the gate of the Travellers
Rest and said goodby in an absent
minded way.
Il s'pose you'll be round to dinner
Sunday Cap'n Ez?' said the boy
Hey? Sunday? Well, 1 don't know
1t might be that shall be called back
to the schooner sooner than l expect
Can't tell"
Sure enough. the next day the Sis
tiers received note from their ex-
pected guest saying that he was obliged
to leave at once for Portland and could
not. therefore, be with them on Sun
day. The ladies We're disappointed,
but thought nothing more of the mat
ter at the time. 1t was nearly six
months before the captain visited Or
ham again, and during this visit he
did not come near the big house. He
waylaid Bradley. however, asked him
all about himself, how he was getting
on at school and the like. but when
tue poN dSkcu IL ne, INC CdpIdlu,
wasn't comm round to see the folks
pretty SOON the answer was vague
and unsatisfactory.
why. II don't knows I'll have
time" was the reply. I'm pretty busy,
and Give 'em my regards, will you,
Brad? I've got to be runnin' on now
So long
1t was the same during the mex
shore leave the following Novem-
Der. Captain Titcomb saw Bradley
several times. gave him a six bladed
jackknife and took him for drive
over to the big cranberry swamp OWL
ed by the Ostable company. but he did
not call on the old maids
Three more years of school and va
cations, with chores" and sailing and
cranberry picking. followed. Bradley
was sixteen. His voice, having passed
through the squeaky changing pc
riod. now gave evidence of becoming
what Miss Tempy called beautiful