Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-28
CHAPTER xIx-Continued.

he spoke.
We'll" he says. with kind of sigh
that settles it. And yet by George. I'm
glad. Yes. sir; it's as 1t should be and
I'm thoroughly glad of it
couldn't think of nothing to comfort
him, poor Teller. But I squeezed his hand
hard. l guess he knew what l thought
Of him and his self-sacrifice.
And yet. couple of hours later, when
/ told Eureka, she didn't seem to think
SO much of it.
"Humph." says she "Self-sacrificing s
all right. but you look here
She took me by the arm and led me to
the woodshed window. Down by the cove
on the beach was Van Brunt and Mar
garet Talford. walking up and down to-
gether. They was both laughing and
acting perfectly contented.
Eureka gave me a nudge and a Wink
II told you l had my ideas about him.
says she.
The Fresh Air girls went back to East
witch that afternoon. When they had
gone Van turns TO me.
And now, skipper. says he. Slapplng
his hands, together brisk. now then for
packing up. and back. back to little Old
New York oh. Uncle John! isn't it nice
on Broadway? or words to that erect
They was all going together: the
Heavenly Twins and Lord James and
the Fresh Air girls and all their tribe
Redny's sickness and the worry that it
brought had made Agnes and Miss Tai
ford anxious for the city. where doctors
was plenty and green apples scarce. And
the Twins was pining for what Van
called 1.-The intoxicating degeneracy OF an
effete (whatever that isl civilization
We packed up. That is to say. me and
Eureka packed up. while the Heavenlies
superintended and enjoyed themselves.
Scudder's face. when he heard that his
private gold mines was going to leave.
was a sight to see. But. after a couple OF
lengthy interviews with the Twins. he
seemed to feel batter.
II shall miss EN- terrible he says to
me- But this worlds valley of dry
bones. anyhow. amt it. Pratt?'
Valley of dry bones and fleeing to
the ark of safety" was his pet words
when he testified in prayer meeting.
Il guess So" l says. Still l wouldn't
kick if had your knack of getting dou-
BILE price per pound for the bones. You've
managed to fertilize with EN- pretty well,
Nate.
He fetched sigh. They're such nice
obliging fellers.'' he says And such
good hands at business. Never no beat
ing down nor iockeying for trade.
always feel perfectly safe in dealing with
EN-
callated that statement want exag-
gerated. Most likely a shark feels the
same way about dealing with school Of
porgies.
Nate had agreed to take back the hens
and the pig as an accommodation. He
was to pay three dollars for the hog and
the fowls was hove into the scales for
good measure. There was lease of the
island, too. that had 10 be Cancelled.
Them simple minded Tea Leaders had. in
the first fever of naturalness, signed
lease on Horsefoot bar to run till No
vember. Now that their pulse was nor.
NAL again they wanted to break that
painful and expensive than breaking
Hartleys arm had been. But Nate let
'em break. though I thought he'd break
them afore he got through.
Him and Eureka and me had a good
many talks about the Twins when we
was alone together. The last of these
talks We had on the afternoon of the day
afore the grand final emigration. Lord
James was over on an errand and he was
in the kitchen with us. Eureka begun
the talk.
II amt quite made up my mind whether
they're really crazy or not she says.
referring to the Heavenles. "They don't
act much more loony than some of the
earls and such i'm books And yet they
must be some out of their minds or they
wouldn't do such fool things. Once they
was all for living poor and natural. Now
they're all the other way. Switching
round like that is a sure sign of weak
ness in the top stories,
Most city folks act to me some crazy"
says-I. And perhaps these two. being
the toniest kind. is crazier than others.
Maybe the higher up you go the loonier
they get. l read in a paper once about
how some rich big bug give swell din
ner to a pet monkey. The Twins are
solomons alongside of him. And. any,
how. they're mighty nice young fellers.
Money may have got to their heads. but
their hearts is in the right place
faint question of hearts,. says
Scudder. Way l tigger it out the Al
mighty sends 'em down here on purpose.
We poor folk alongshore don't have much
chance to earn an honest living, and so
the Lord takes pity on us and makes men
like these two get cracked and banker to
live in the sand and spend money. You
put your trust in the Higher Power. He
evens matters up in the long run
His lordship broke in then. and my,
but he was top-lofty and scornful.
Crazy yourselves! he shifts. MY
'eavens. I've done some travelling in my
time. with Lord 'Enry and the rest: I've
been all over. And never in my life ave
i seen such a Gawd-forsaken country as
this. or such Il blooming lot of ignorant
'ayseeds as is ere. Wy. you don't know
'Ow to live at all and yet you're proud of
it. You 'aven't no convenences. and YOU
eat with your knives and you've no man
ners. Lord clip YOU. | say. Your all
crazy together. and don know OW to act
in good society. Mr. Van Brunt and Mr..
'.Artley is gentlemen. and what you call
their craziness is nothing but the eccen-
ircities of gentlemen. And if you think
they're eccentric! Wy compared to some
I've worked for like Lord 'Enry-'
Twas high time to stop him. But
they're so crazy loose with their money"
says l.
He was hotter than ever. do you sup
pose" he asks. sarcastic that a real
gentleman as time to aggle over few
dirty pennies?
Nobody said any more for a spell. Then
Eureka said. like she'd been thinking:
II carlate,'' says She that it's all in
the way you've been raised. Maybe I'd
act just as queer and looney if l went to
the city: that is. If / hadn't posted my
self up by my reading. I'll lend you the
Comforters with False, But Fair, in
EN- Mr.. Pratt. some time.
Next day we all met at the Eastwich
depot. Agnes Page and Miss Talford and
the Fresh Air tribe. including Redny. who
was clipper and gay. because he was go
ing back to New York. The Heavenly
Twins was there. So was ME and Eureka
to see 'em off.
We spent fifteen minutes more in
saying good-byeS. l felt real bad, and so
did everybody else l guess. Hartley and
Agnes couldn't say enough to me about
my sailing through that gale for 'em in
the Dora Bassett. The poor old sloop
wharf Baker had been looking out for
her, and l was going over that afternoon
myself.
Agnes said she and Hartley would sure
ly come back next summer. | must write
and so would they. Eureka'S brothers