Barbour County index., 1909-01-27
CHAPTER VIII.-continued.

CHAPTER VIII.-Continued.
did you need the extra bucket?" 1
asks.
why, no, I believe not" says Hart
ley. you see I dug for a while and
then went to look for better places,
and James did the digging. We found
holes enough, but they didn't seem to
be the right kind. Worms, did you call
those things? Sea serpents, you
meant, 1 guess. never saw such
creatures. And there was one place
where there were millions Of holes,
but chockful of crabs"
''Um-hum;" says 1. "Fiddlers. You
must have gone plumb up into the
march bank to run into them"
"They was 'orrid things" says Lord
James, rolling his eyes. "And they
'ad claws and swarmed over my feet.
give you my word 1 was that"
"Thatn do, James," says Hartley.
well, 1 was successful at last, skip
per. Struck place where clans were
actually in layers just under the sand.
We turned 'em over with the hoes like
winking. pointed 'em out and James
picked 'em up. Just look at those
buckets, will you?"
looked at 'em. There was three
buckets chock, trimming full.
Good land of love!" says 1. Them
amt ,clams-they're quahaugs."
"There're clans in New York." he
says.
Maybe so," says I. 1--WE call 'em
quahaugs here. And there's no qua
haugs in this part of the bay unless
they've been bedded. Was there any
marks around 'em?"
There was lot of sticks stuck up
around" he says, "but we knocked
those out of the way"
"You did?,says 1. did you leave
any of the-what you call clams?"
"You bet we didn't" says he. 1--WE
took the last one. Had too much
trouble finding 'em to leave any,"
"Humph!" says 1. That's nice.
You've cleaned out somebody's private
quahaug bed. Them quahaugs was all
brought over by somebody and planted
where you found 'em. The sticks was
to mark the place."
you don't mean it?" he says.
"Yes, do" says l. Il cal1ate we'll
hear from them quahaugs afore long"
And sure enough we did, but that
comes later.
On the way up to the house 1 turns
to his lordship, who was limping bare
foot over the beachgrass stubbles, and
says 1:
"Ain't claiming fun?" says.
My word!" says he, but it expressed
his feelings all right.
All the afternoon the clam hunters
kept getting lamer and lamer and sorer
and sorer. Their sun-burnt legs and
arms was hurting, 'em scandalous.
Hartley Topped into piazza chair and
stayed there, and Lord James crept
around with his limbs spread out like
windmill sails. And every time he'd
bump into chair or anything you
could hear him whoop to glory.
Van Brunt got home about supper
time. Scudder rowed him over. had
the Quahaug chowder made and he ate
enough for all hands. Hartley was
feeling too used up to relish it much
and his lordship didn't eat nothing.
let him OFF on the dish washing and he
went of to the tail end of the veranda
and went to sleep in chair.
After supper Van told about his trip
to Eastwich. Agnes and the Talford
girl was well, he said, and they and
their Fresh Air tribe was coming tc
the island next day for picnic.
by the way, skipper" says Van;
"Scudder says he brought some pres
ents for US last night after We went tc
bed. Where are they?"
Thunderationi I'd forgot all about
them presents" I'd felt like an un
dertaker when laid 'em away in thai
drawer, amid now felt like a grave
robber as dug 'em up again. 1 spread
'em out on the table, coffin plates ii
the middle and wreath on one end anG
What Is Home Without Mother" Oh
t'other.
You'd ought to have heard then
Heavenlies Taught Mates presents
certainly made a hit. Van he jus
Lit