The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-02


 hustled out with the dishes
 That's good, but I thought I smeHed mince pie this morning. hinted the captain.
 "'Twasn't any of my making. Lucy's been making pie all the morning. I smelled lem, too. She had too much clove in 'em." Maria had served her own flaky pastry and now sat down.
 Good Lord, how do you know there was too much clove in her pies?" The captain stared at his wife.
 'T sme1led that too! But would have known anyway, for Lucy Drake always was partial to cloves. That's why she's so dried up. Cloves are dry ing to the blood" Fl
 sIts too bad she can't get Orville Beers to eat more of them. He's grow ing latter every day" The captain passed his plate for a second helping of pie wouldn't hurt him if he dried up some-and blowed away after ward"
 i.Why, Capt&n Barnabasw I gasped, astonished at the bitterness of his tone.
 ''Why, captain, I say, too," chimed in Maria coldly. T don't wonder Miss Telham is surprised to hear such senti- ments from man of your years, who was supposed to have left all wild talk and ways in the deep seas! And you a deacon in the church tooT
 "Hum" beloved the captain oni- nously. "Jest because man leaves the deep seas and gets married and settles down, so to speak, is it any req son he can't call his soul his own? Can't he criticise fellow being if he's so minded?"
 "He can," sniffed Maria, "but it ain't Christian-hke so to do."
 "Then," declared the captain, filling his beloved pipe and leading the way to the front, piazza then, if I don't act Christian-like, I'm neathen be- cause I can't bear the sight of Lucy Drake's husbandr'
 Maria's lips snapped together oni- nously. Her dark eyes flashed dan gerously. From previous symptoms I had observed in this newly married couple L knew that Maria was jealous.
 Her next door neighbor was Lucy Drake, who had married Orville Beers on the same day that Captain Fish had led Maria to the altar. Indeed, there was still some feeling in the matter of the weddings, for it seemed that Lucy was to. be Maria's bridesmaid and Or vile was to be the best man, but they, had slipped away to the church half hour before the time set for the cap .tain's wedding, and, taking advantage of the assembled guests and the deco rated church, they had been married by the bewildered minister and were ont in the vestry ready to greet Maria and her prospective husband when they arrived.
 The Beerses had come to live in Lucy's cottage, next door to Maria's, and Or vile was gaining a livelihood in the same manner as Captain Fish-he t'fol- lowed the bay" as they, called it--that is, he fished and clammed and dredged for oysters, set eel pots and lobster pots and by peddIing his fnny spells here and there was enabled to set bountiful table as well as to cut into Captain Fish's particular line of trade.
 ''It's too bad you didn't show pref erence for Lucy before you was mar ried,'' murmured Maria in a tone in tended for the captains ear alone, but I heard it.
 ''It ain't Lucy that bothers me; it's OrvilIe," explained the captain hastily, Whats he cuttin' into my business for, eh?" 3
 as'Why inaeed?" I echoed, and Maria sat down on the top step and took some knitting from her apron pocket.
 "Why don't he stick to his farm over to the Wells? I don't raise potaters and run competition to him!' argued the captain angrily.
 .fOf course not!' soothed.
 t"He can't raise potatoes in April, ,", put in Maria. <.
 s'HeT can plant 'ern, Maria, and you know it." retorted the captain. ''Why ain't he doin' it instead of goin' fish in and eatin' mince pies?"
 "Orville don't eat them pies, Barna- bas,". said Maria mildly. Y /
 "Who does,. then? Seems as if I. smell mince pies there every day, an' I.know I've seen him a-eatin' 'em down, the bay"
 Lucy told me about it. She's put ting 'em away in cold storage against next winter She read something about it and she says it's a great success
 +Cold storage" hooted the captain. Where's the cold storage plant, eh?'
 rF'You know there was an old ice house on the Drake place, Barnabas? Mebbe it was while you was at sea that Lucy's pa was in the ice business. We'll, Orville's tinkered it up and made M tight, and when Willow pond was froze over he had the icehouse filed to the brim. Orville always was a good business man.' -
 "And where was 1 all this timer" asked Captain Barnabas with be wildered glance at me.
 n'You2 Why, you was down, to New York testifying in that salvage case. There was. a schooner broke from her mooring and sunk out here in a blow last winter Captain saw it happen. While he was away there came heavy, cold wave Ice was twelve inches thick on Willow pond. so Orville stored ice while the. freeze lasted instid of,