Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1906-06-25

lo4 o-~ Va CHe HedNy carTyaN
sank two inches or more in the coarse
sand as they turned.
The little brown life saving station
was huddled between two sand hills |
There were a small stable and n hen |
house and yard just behind it. Can
tain Luther Davis, rawboned and |
brown faced, waved a welcome to |
them from the side door.
"Spied you comm, Fri" he said in a
curlously mild voice, that sounded odd
coming from such deep chest. "Tm
mighty glad to see you too. Jump
down and come right in. Pashy II be
out in a minute. Here she is now"
Miss Patience Davis was as plump
as her brother was tall She impressed
one as a comfortable sort of person.
Captain Fri did the honors and every
one shook hands. Then they went into
the living room Of the station.
What particularly struck Mrs. Snow
was the neatness of everything. The
brass on the pump in the sink shone
like fire as the sunlight from the win
dow struck it. The floor was white
the walls, and on these, arranged in
orderly piles, were canned goods of ali
descriptions. The table was covered
with a figured oilcloth.
Two or three men, members of the
| crew, were seated in the wooden
! chairs along the wall, but rose as the
| party came in. Captain Davis intro
duced them one after the other. Per-
! haps the most striking characteristic of
these men was the quiet, almost bash
full way in which they spoke. They
| seemed like big boys as much as any
thing, and yet the oldest was nearly
| fifty.
Ever been in life saving station
afore?' asked Captain Fri
Elsie had not Ralph had, and SO had
Mrs. Snow, but not for years.
"This is where we keep the boat and
the rest OF. the gear said Captain Da-
Wis, opening a door and leading the
way into a large, low studded room.
"Them's the spare oars on the wall.
The reg lar ones are in the boat"
The boat itself was on its carriage in
the middle of the room. Along the walls
on hooks hung the mems suits of oil
skins and their sou,westers. The cap
tain pointed out one thing after an
other-the cork jackets, and life pre-
servers, the gun for shooting the life
line across a stranded vessel, the life
car hanging from the roof ana the
"Dreeches buoy"
| Il l., cit int
that thing" said the Nantucket lady
!. decidedly, referring to the buoy. 81
don't know but I'd bout as liefs be
!, |. drownded as make sech a show of my
self"
TOOK off bigger woman than you
one tirhe,v said Captain Davis. "Wife
of Portland skipper, she was, and he
was on his fust wage in brand new
schooner jest off the stocks. Struck on
the Hogs Back off here and then drift,
ed close in and struck again. We got
'em all, the woman fust. That was the
only time we've used the buoy senct
I've been at the station. Most Of the
! wrecks are too fur off shore, and We
: have to git out the boat"
He took them upstairs to the mems
sleeping rooms and then up to the littl
cupola on the roof.
+ With the telescope in the cupola the,
D could see for miles uftand down tn
beach and out to sea. An ocean tu
}, bound toward Boston was passing, an
e Elsie, looking through the glass, say
n the cook, come out of the gallery, emf
it ty a pan over the side and go bac
# again.
90 LET me look through that minute,
said Captain Fri when the rest had ha
y their turn. He swung the glass aroun
lie until it pointed toward their HON
, away up the shore.
Perez" he called anxiously, 100
here quickw q.
| Captain Perez hastily put his eye
| the glass, and his friend went on:
| You see our .house?,, he said. eye:
| Well, you see the dinin' room door
! Notice that chair by the side of it?''
4 Yes, what of it,"
s. We'll, that's the rocker that Elsi
i made the velvet cushion for. l wal
d you to look at the upper southeast CO
III ner of that cushion and see if thel
III amt cats hair there. Lorenzo's pc
IN sessed to sleep in that chair, and
al "Oh, you git outw Indignantly e,
81 claimed Captain Perez, straightenin
81 up.
u "Well, it was a pretty importal
thing, and l wanted to make sure.
left that chair out there, and 1 kne
what I'd catch if any cats hairs got {
that cushion while 1 was gone. Ain
that so, Mrs. SNOWY
The houSekeeper expressed her OPT
ion that Captain Fri was a lease
whatever that may be.
Ihey had clam chowder for dinner
be- New England clam chowder, mac
ife with milk and crackers and CLAIMS Wi
wv, shells as white as snow. They we
Tas what the New Yorker calls "soft shell
lrd clans, for Fulton market chowder
a "quahaug soup" to the native of Il