Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1912-11-29

SSulaT lflpS, except
"ueh snow or slush rendered the
roads impossible, but passengers were
very Few Twice there were wrecks
one OF a fishing schooner. the crew Of
which We're fortunate enough to es-
cape by taking to the dories. and an
olhef, British bark, which struck on
me tarilest bar and was beaten tn
pieces by the great waves. while the
loWhspeople stood helplessIv watching
from the shore. for launching a baaf
in that surf was impossible. Mr. Pep
per made no more calls at the parson-
ase, and when the minister met him.
at church or elsewhere. seemed anx-
lous 10 avoid an interview.
We'll, Abishai," asked Ellery. on
one Of these occasions. how are You
getting on at home? Has your sister
locked you up again?"
No, sir. she amt" replied Kvaa.
LaViny. she's sort of dfIrent lately.
She amt nigh 500 down on a fell
Ter as she used to be. I can get cut
once in a while by myself nowadays.
when she wants to write a letter or
somethin'. Writes one about every
once in week. I don't know who
they're to, nuther She's talkin' of
goin up 10 Sandwich pretty soon."
She is? Alone?"
SO she says
TO leave you here? Why! well, I'm
surprised"
"Godfreys mighty! so be L But she
says she b1ieves she needs a change
and there's church conference up
there, you know, and she figgers that
she amt been to conference she don't
know when. I spose you'll 90, won't
you Mr. Ellery?s
Probably"
LaTnia got herself elected a dele
gate and went. in company with Cap
tain Elkanah. Mrs. Mayo, and others,
to the conference. She was a faithful
attendant at the meetings and seemed
TO be having a very good time. She
introduced the minister to one Caleb
Pratt. a resident of Sandwich, whom
she said she had known ever since
she was girl
Mr.. Pratt's a cousin of Thankful
Payne over to home" volunteered La
vinia. you know Thankful, Mr.. Ell
lery."
l.. ,onfided to her pastor that
- ~lade the best shoes in 0s-
abb He could fit any kind of
Il S clared, and the minister
- him sometime She added
IA money in the bank.
spring once more; then summer.
And now people were again speaking
of Captain Nat Hammond. His ship
was overdue, long overdue. Even In
those days, when there were no cables
and the telegraph was still something
of a novelty, word of his arrival should
have reached Trumet months before
this. But it had not come, and did not.
Before the summer was over, the wise
heads of the retired shippers were
shaking obviously. Something had
happened to the Sea Mist. something
serious.
AS the weeks and months went by
without news of the missing vessel,
this belief became almost a certainty
At the Come-Outer chapel, where Eze-
kiel Bassett now presided, prayers
were offered for the son of their for
mer header.
One afternoon Keziah came into FL
lery's study, where he was laborlng
with his next Sunday sermon, and sat
down in the rockingham. She had
been out and still wore her bonnet and
shawl
John" she said, q ask your par
don for disturhin' you. ] wanted to
ask if you knew Mrs. Prince was
sick?"
NO. Is she? I'm awfully sorry
serious, I hope?'
mo. l guess not. Only she's got a
cold and is kind of under the weather.
thought pr'aps you'd ike to run up
and see her. She thinks the world
and all of you. cause you was so good
when she was distressed about her
son. Poor old thingi she's had
hard time of il. Just heard that she
was ailin' from Didama Rogers Dl-
DANA said she was all but dyin', so i
knew she prob1y had a little cold or
somethin'. If she was really very bad,
nj would have had her buried by this
time SOS TO be sure her news was
ahead of anybody else's. | amt been
nm there. but / met her totber morn
in"
'Didama?"
NO: Mrs. Prince. Shed come down
to see Grace"
"Oh."
yes. The old lady's been awful
kind and sympathizin' since-sinee
his new trouble. 1t reminds her OF
he loss Of her own boy. | presume
ikely and so she feels for Grace.
John. what do they say around town
him?"
"Captain Hammond? Why. II you
mean that they've all given up hope
/ should hardly say that Captain
,favo and Captain Daniels were speak
me- Of it in my hearing the other day
md they agreed that there was stiil
a chance"
a pretty slim one, though, they
caTlated, didn't they?
We'll, they were-were counnui. OF
course. There was the possibility that
he had been wrecked somewhere and
hadn't been picked up. They cited
several such cases. The South Pa-
,i6e is full of islands where vessels
seldom touch, and he and his crew
NAV be on one Of these.
John" she answered. with a sign
sometimes ! think YOU'D better get
another housekeeper.
What? Are you going to leave
me? You?"
"oh. 'twouldn't be because i wanted
IA But IL seems almost as II there
As.d ~ fate hauPiu' over me