Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-10-31

we shook last, hey? I'm glad you're
pretty nigh out of the sick bay-and
the doctor says you are"
Captain" began Ellery. Hammond
interrupted him.
Hold ont" he said. Delay right
there. If you and are to cruise in
the same family-and that's what ]
hear is likely to happen-I cal'late
We'll heave overheard the capns and
Misters. My names Nathaniel
Nat for short
"All right. And mine is John.
Captain-Nat, / mean-how can !
ever thank you?"
THANK me? What do you want to
thank me for? / only handed over
somethin' that wasn't mine in the first
place and belonged to you all along
] didn't know it, that was the only
trouble"
But your promise to your father
feel"
You needn't. I'm dom the right
thing and know 1t. And don't pity
me, neither. made up my mind
not to marry Grace unless, of course
she was set on it-months ago. I'm
tickled to death to- know she's goin'
to have as good man as you are
She'll tell you SO. Grace! Hello!
she's gone"
Yes. told her wanted to- tall
with you alone, for few minutes.
Nat, Grace tells me that Aunt Keziah
was the one who"
s'She was. She met me at the Co
hasset Narrows depot. was settin'
In the car. lookin' out of the window
at the sand and sniffin' the Cape air,
somebody tapped me on the shoulder.
u looked up and twas her. was sur.
prised enough to see her. tell you
Way up there at the Narrows! j
couldn't have said word, anyway,
and she never gave me chance
Nat she says, don't talk now. Come
with me, quick afore the train starts
I've come here on purpose to meet
you. l must talk with you: it's I'm.
portant. You can go to Trumet on
the next train. tonight. But now !
must talk with you. must. Won't
you please come, Nat?'
We'll, went. The engine bell was
beginnin' to ring and we had to move
lively, / tell you. swung her off the
step just as the car begun to move
So into the waitin' room we went and
come to anchor on the settee. And
then, John. we had our talk. Seems
she left Trumet Wednesday afternoon
Got the livery stable man to drive her
as fur as Bayport, hired another team
there and come on to Sandwich. Stay.
ed overnight there and took the morn.
in train which got to Cohasset Mar
rows just ahead Of the one 1 wac
comm on. She'd been SO fraid Of be
In late, she said. She must see me
afore I got to Trumet.
well. she saw me and told me the
whole yarn about you and Grace. She
tried to break 1t to me gently, SO i
wouldn't feel too bad. She knew II
would be shock to me, she said. II
was a shock, in way, but as for
feelin' bad, didn't. l think the world
|of Grace. I'd do anything she wanted
me to do; but most the way down on
the train-yes, and long afore that
I'd been dreadin' my comm home on
one account. / dreaded tellin' her
that. unless she was real set on it.
she'd better not marry me-
NAT. l want to tell you something
Something that only one other per.
son knows. Grace doesn't know 1t
yet. Neither does Aunt Keziah-the
whole of it. And If she knew / told
you even part I'm afraid she would.
as she would say, skin me alive
But owe her-and you-more than
I could repay If lived thousand
years. So I'm going to tell and take
the consequences"
Nat, when-that morning after
your father died and after you and
Grace had agreed toto"
ITO do somethin' neither Of us
wanted to do? Yes. know. Go
ahead"
THAT morning Aunt Keziah came
home to the parsonage and broke the
news to me. She did 1t as only she
could do such thing, kindly and pity
ingly and made a fool OF myself. I
expect; refused to believe her. be-
hayed disgracefully. and at last, when
I had to believe 1t. threatened to run
away and leave my work and Trumet
forever, like coward. She made me
stay"
did. hey?"
Yes. She showed me 1t was my
duty to face the music. When I
whimpered about my troubles she
told me her own story. Then l
learned what trouble was and what
pluck was. too. She told me about
her marriage and-excuse me for
speaking Of what isn't my business;
yet it is mine. In a way-she told me
about YOU"
Captain Hammond did not answer.
His good-natured face clouded and he
shifted in his chair.
"She told me of you, Nat, all about
you-and herself. And she told me
something else, which explains why