The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-06-17
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CHAPTER Ky

unwistingly. began TO experience the diff
culties of the task he had undertaken.
To begin upon, he attracted considerable
attention in the quiet little country town.
Rydland had nothing to do with ships
and the shipping interest; it was purely
agricultural market town; and thorough
Jack tar such as Phillimore was a sight
II rarely witnessed. The Inhabitants, like
most towns of its class. had plenty of
spare time on their hands except on mar
ket day. The consequence was that Ryd-
land came pretty generally to its shop
doors TO look at the handsome sailor who
was loafng about its streets inquiring for
Mr.. Krabbe-. The women especially were
enthusiastic about the handsome seaman
and invented facts and anecdotes about
Mr.. Krabbe with the most audacious eff
frontery for the qualification of talking
to him. That evening Jack comforted
himself with the reflection that he had
done a rattlin, good days work. He
had ascertained that old Mr.. Krabbe had
been clerk In Pegrams office for some
thing like fveand- thirty years. Every
body In Rydland knew him, quiet, pleas
ant, kindly old gentleman; a man of mid
die age when he first came to Ryd.and,
but a very old man now Mr. Pegram
took a cottage for him outside the town.
and pensioned him of, and he lived there
now. with a nurse to take care of him.
On one point had he failed, and that
was in seeing Mr.. Krabbe. He had been
out to the cottage, seen the nurse, but he
had not succeeded in seeing Mr.. Krabbe.
The nurse was very civil, and would have
apparently made no difficulty about his
seeing her patient, only that he was
asleep. He slept, she said. a great deal.
Disturbing him made him very irritable.
and it seemed pity to do so when it was
very doubtful whether he would recognize
his visitor when he saw him. OF course,
as Jack said, in his case that could not
be expected. He was a distant coEnec-
ton whom, in all probability, Mr.. Krabbe
had never seen; still he should like to
see the old man. The nurse told him if
he called about noon the next day, the
probability is that he would find Mr.
Krabbe awake, and that he could then
see him.
Excessively well satisfied with his days
work, and the manner in which he had
played his part. Jack laid out his plans
for the next day. He conceived that he
bad nothing much to do now beyond see
ing Mr.. Krabbe; but, as the train did not
go till the afternoon, Jack determined
further to call upon lawyer Pegram, and
see what he could make out of him
Ten O'Clock the next day saw Jack in
Mr.. Pegram's Offices, and respectfully in
curing of the clerks if he could see that
gentleman A few minutes more, and the
clerk. requesting him ITO step this way"
ushered him into the presence Of the
Pegrams, father and son.
We'll, my man, you want to see ne
what is it? That is my son and partner,
Mr.. Robert Pegram," he continued, seeing
Jacks eye wander towards that gentle
man; you can speak out before him just
as you would speak to me- Now what
is itT
well, your honor" he replied, at amt
much Of hand at yarn, but, you see.
my father, he married a niece of old Mr..
Krabbe's; and 50, as / was cruising in
these parts, | thought I'd Just have a
look at the old gentleman, cause my moth
er she thought a deal of him, she did !:
and as l hear he lived with you a many
years, 1 thought, may be, your honor
would tell me something about him if |
called"
very good" rejoined Old Pegram. II
shall be happy to supply you with all the
information you require about Mr..
Krabbe but, in the first place, let us
know who you are exactly"
Jack Fluter. boatswain's mate on
board Her Majesty's ship Casiope."
Neither old Pegram nor his son had
the slightest previous knowledge of the
name Casiope, and yet they both felt in
tuitively that a common sailor would not
have 50 pronounced the name of a shin.
"And the name of your captain is
-Y
Fletcher. your honor: and real smart
officer he is. III he is hardish on the
skulkers, he is a good skipper to the
chaps as does their duty They were tell
ing me in the town, sir, that my great
honor's command"
"Mr Kraobe was over thirty wears
in our Office, and when he broke down
last year we pensioned him off as an old
and valued servant We found a nice
little cottage for him about three-quar-
tiers of a mile from the town, and got a
practiced nurse down from London to
take care of him. You must know he
has broken down both mentally and bod.
lily; however, you will be glad to hear
that he is well taken care OF, and every
thing that can be done for a man in his
position il, We trust, done for him."
YES, l am told everywhere that your
honor has been very kind to the poor old
gentleman. / went out to his cottage yes
terday to see him, but he was asleep, the
nurse said and she did not like to dis
turb him. 1 was thinking if your honor
saw no harm in it. I'd just run out and
try and have a look at him to-day,
Harm" rejoined Pegram, as he once
more eyed the sailor keenly through his
spectacles: ''of course not His old
friends, relatives, or indeed anybody else,
are quite welcome to see Mr.. Krabbe
whenever they think fit. As / have no
doubt his nurse told you, ne sleeps a
great deal, is very irritable, and apt at
times to be very much put out by seeing
those who are virtually strangers to him,
that is, old acqraintances he can no long
rr recoIlect; Of course. if, as is very like
". your presence annoys him you will cut
your visit short"
Jack Phillimore, after leaving Pegram
( Sons Office, continued to lounge about
RydIand, gossiping with rybody he
eame across, and still under the allusion
mat he was admirably personating the
British seaman, and considerably increas-
ing his stock of information as regarded
Did Krabbe. Then he proceeded to the
cottage. Passing through the garden. he
tapped lightly at the door, which, after
yome slight delay, was opened by the
pane woman whom he had seen ON the
preceding day. She welcomed him with
= smile and said
"Of course you have come out again
to see the old man: il you will just step
into the parlor and sit down he will be in
in few minutes l am afraid you won't
make much Of him, for he Is very queer
and crotchety this morning; but then he
Is always that, more or less, and when
It is an amiable day with him it Is gen.
orally because he Is rather drowsy. If
Won will take A chair" she continued