Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-08
CHAPTER V1-Contiuued.

CHAPTER vI-Continued.
About o'clock we started thought
first I'd go up to Eastwich village and
telegraph to Hartley. Then thought I'd
better not: no use to scare him till 1 had
to. Nate had heard about the pig chase
and Hartleys doing over there and he
pestered the life out Of me with questions
about that.
Queer that boy should turn out to be
his brother. want it," he says
Whose brother?" says I. leaning out
over the yawl's side and watching for
signs of the Dora Bassett.
why, Hartley's.' says he.
"Brother!' says I. "'Twan't his
brother. No relation to him.,
Il heard different he says. Il heard
twas his brother. name of Oscar Dennis.
And that woman from the school was his
brothers wife. Some says she amt liv-
ing with her husband and some say
Hartley's right name Is Dennis. and that
she's his wife and he was down here
hiding from her. Seems when that boy
first dove into the crowd twas because
he'd seen Hartley. They say that when
that woman and this Hartley met. she
sings out. My God. my husband" That's
what some says she said, and others
says
"She wouldn't swear If he was her hus-
band four times over: she amt that kind.
And she amt his wife nor his sister nor
his sister-in-law nor his grandmother's
cats aunt neither. She's no relation to
him and neithers the boy. Who's been
giving you all this rigmarole?"
1t seems he'd heard it from Teller that
lived next door to EbeneZer. and the fell
Ter had heard it from somebody else that
had got it from somebody else. and SO on.
/
out 1t had started from Hartleys telling
me that the boy was a brother outcast."
Some idiot with poor ears and worse
brains had thought he said "brother Os-
sprouted from that. Shows YOU what
good soil there is for planting lies down
our way. If lies was fetching 10 cents
a barrel the whole neghborhood would
have been rich years ago.
All the time me and Nate was pow
wowing this way the yawl was sailing up
the bay. towing my skiff behind her.
There was nice fair wind and a
smooth sea. and twas SO clear after the
rain that we could see the hills across
the bay. But no sign could we see of the
Dora Bassett nor her passengers. I was
getting more worried every minute.
We cruised along till we got abreast
of the point from where the Old Home
pier was in sight But the sloop want
at the pier. No use going any farther, so
We come about and begun to beat back
again the way we'd come. Scudder was
worried, too. but his worriment had
caught him in the pocketbook: proves
how disease will always get hold of
feller's tenderest place.
Look here. SOL says he; do you CAL
late Hartley ii want to stay to my house
If his chum's drowned?'
II don't know" l says, impatient mo,
1 guess not
well. now, he agreed to take it for a
month and there's five days to run yet.
Amt he liable for them days." he says.
I was feeling just mean enough to want
somebody else to feel that way. so ! an
swers:
well. you can't hold lunatic. cord
ing to law. And you and Hubby Ann
have agreed that he's crazy"
He thumped the boats rail- Crazy
or not says he. II can't afford to lose
them days. I shan't give him back none
of his money" Then he thought a min
ute and begun to see speck Of comfort.
Maybe the shock of t'other feller's
drowning III make him sick. he says.
Then he'll have to stay longer than the
month";
Trust Nate Scudder to see a silver Nm
ing to any cloud-and then rip out the
lining and put it in his pocket.
BY this time we was beating in to-
ward where the Neck road comes down
to the beach. And there on the shore
was Teller hailing us. And when we
got close in 1t turned out to be Hartley
himself.
He was glad enough to see me, but
when he found that Van and Lord James
had turned up missing he was in a state.
He'd been kind of scared when we didn't
come back during the night, and had
walked down to the beach in the morn
ing to see il he could sight us.
We headed off shore again. Nate
watched Hartley pretty close. and / sup
pose when he seen that the Twin didn't
show any symptoms OF getting sick, he
begun to worry again. He got out
piece of pencil and an old envelope and
commenced to figure.
MIR Hartley" says he, after awhile:
''about them lady friends of yours over
to Eastwich. Do you cal'late they're go
ing to like where they are? Seems to me
a place that's easy to run away from
as that amt the best place for boys
school. If they was on an island now.
| the scholars couldn't run off. I know
nice island they could have cheap. Fact
is. own it-that is. Hubby owns it; it's
in her name That's it over there
Hartley didn't answer. 1 looked where
Nate was pointing.
Oh, says I. .'Horsefoot bar. That's
healthy place for a school. Might do
for reform school. maybe. If you wa mt
particular how the reforming was DONE.
HorsefOOt bar Is little island about
| five miles from the Old Home House. a
! mile and half from the mainland and
two foot from the jumping-of place. BY
the help of Providence. decent weather. a
| horse. two whips and a boat you can
| make it from Wellmouth depot In three
hours And when you have made It,
| you can set in the sand and hang on to
| your hat and listen to the lonesomeness.
| I'd forgot that Scudder owned It. When
| him and / had sailed up that morning
we'd passed it on the outside; now we
was between it and the beach
ITS d nice dry place." says Nate,
! arguing, land You might live there for
ever and nobody could run away"
"Humph. says l. thinking of some
thing I'd seen in newspaper: Hills
| got all them recommendations
| Hartley was looking at the bar now.
All to once he grabbed me by the arm
and pointed.
up over the point there? There behind
| / looked, and looked once more. From
| HorsefoOt bar that was out of sight
from the rest of the bay. AS l say. 1
looked. Then 1 gave the tiller shove
that brought the boom across with a Stat
| 1t took Mates hat with it and cracked
him on the bald spot like humping a
hat and i drove the yawl for Horsefoot
| bar. I'd spied the Dora Bassett's mast
over the sandspt.
| In jiffy we see her plain. She was
| lying on her side in little cove. just as
the tide had left her Her canvas was
down in a heap, partly on deck and
partly overheard. but she didn't seem to
be hurt none. l beached the yawl just
alongside of her, dropped the sail.
chucked over the anchor and jumped