The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-02-15
CHAPTER XIII.
In Which the Sea Mist Sails.


In Which the Sea Mist Sails.
They buried Captain Eben in the
little Come-Outer cemetery at the rear
of the chapel. The Come-Outers were
there, all of them, and some members
of the Regular society, Captain Zeb
Mayo. Dr. Parker, Keziah Coffin, Mrs.
Higgins and Ike. The little company
! filed out of the cemetery, and Captain
Eben Hammond was but a memory in
| Trumet.
Keziah fingered to speak word
with Grace. The girl, looking very
white and worn, leaned on the arm of
Captain Nat, whose big body acted as
a buffer between her and oversympa-
thetic Come-Outers. Mrs. Coffin silent
ly held out both hands and Grace took
them eagerly.
"Auntie," she whispered, tell me:
Did letter. Did he"
Yes, il came. | gave II to him."
"Did-did he tell you? Do you
know"
Yes, know. deary."
Did he's he"
Hes well, deary. He'll be all
right. I'll look out for him."
You will, won't you? You won't
him do anything"
Not a thing Don't worry. We've
had long talk and he's going to
stay right here and go on with his
work And nobody else1l ever know,
Oracle"
20 Aunt Keziah! IL / could be one
half as patient and brave and sweet
as you are"
SSH! here comes Nat. Be kind
to him. He's sufferin', too; maybe
more'n you imagine. Here she is,
Nat. Take her back home and be
good to her"
81 tell you" broke in the voice Of
Captain Zeb Mayo, "Keziah, I've been
waitin' for you. Get in my shay and
I'll drive you back to the parsonage"
Mrs. Coffin accepted the invitation
and a seat In the cha<se beside Cap
tain Zeb. The captain spoke Of the
dead Come-Outer and of his respect
for him in spite Of the difference in
creed. He also spoke of the Rev. John
Ellery and of the affection he had
come to feel for the young man.
I'm glad to hear you say so. OF
course Cap'n Elkanah is boss Of the
parish committee and"
| What? No, he amt nuther. He's
head of it, but his vote counts just one
and no more. What makes you say
that?"
ooh, nuthin'. Only thought maybe,
long as Elkanah was feelin' that Mr..
Ellery want orthodox enough, he
might be goin' to make a change.
didn't mean to stir you up, Zebedee
But from things Cap'n Daniels has
said ! gathered that he was runnin
the committee. And, as I'm a friend
of Mr.. Ellery, it"
Friend! Well, som /, amt 1? II
you ever hear of Daniels tryin' any
tricks against the minister, you send
for me, that's all. I'll show him. Boss
Humph!"
The willy Keziah alighted at the par
|
had sown seed in fertile ground. She
was quite aware of Captain Zeb's jeal
ousy of the great Daniels. And the
time might come when her parsor
needed an influential friend on The
committee and In the Regular society
The news of the engagement be
tween Captain Nat Hammond anC
Grace Van Horne, told by DR.. Parker
to one or two of his patients, spread
through Trumet like measles through
a family of small children. Annabe
Daniels and her father had not expect
ed it. They were, however, greatl!
pleased. In their discussion, which
lasted far into the night, Captain Elk
anah expressed the opinion that tn,
unexpected denouement was the result
of his interview with Eben.
81 think, pa" she said, that it's on
duty, yours and mine, to treat him jus
as we always have. He doesn't know
that we know, and we will keep tn,
secret. And, as Christians, we shoul,
forget and forgive"
Ryan Pepper was another whom N.
news Of the engagement surprise,
greatly. When Lavinia told him of Il
at the dinner table, he dropped tn
knife he was holding and the greas
section OF fishball balanced upon II
. Remembering what he had seen in tn
grove he could not understand; bu
he also remembered, even more vivid
ly, what Keziah Coffin had promise
to do II he ever breathed a word. An
, he vowed again that that word shout
} not be breathed.
! Keziah was the life of the gloom
; parsonage. Without her the ministe
would have broken down. He Gale
her Aunt Keziah" at her request an
!. she continued TO call him John" Thi
| was in private. of course; in publ
he was "Mr. Ellery" and she MIR
r Coffin"
In his walks about town he sa'
|. nothing Of Grace. She and Mrs. Pount
: berry and Captain Nat were still q
, the old home and no one save then
. selves knew what their plans migt
! be. Yet oddly enough, Ellery was tn
first outsider to learn these plans an
Il