Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-01-15

uine humor and splendid
character drawing.
CHAPTER !.
"A Person Named Elisha Warren"
~ STABLE!" screamed the brake.
man, opening the car door and
yelling his loudest, so as to be
heard above the rattle Of the train and
the shriek of the wind. "Ostable"
The brakeman's cap was soaked
through, his hair was plastered down
on his forehead, and in the yellow light
from the car lamps his wet nose glis
tened US If vanished. The windows
streamed as each succeeding gust flung
its miniature freshlet against them.
The passengers in the car did not
seem greatly interested In the brake
mans announcement. The red-faced
person in the seat nearest the real
slept soundly, as he had done for the
last hour and half. He had boarded
the train at Brockton and after re
questing the conductor not to 'lemme
git by Bayport, BILL" at first favored
his fellow travellers with q song and
then sank into slumber.
Mr.. Atwood Graves, Junior partner
in the New York firm Of Sylvester
Kuhn & Graves, lawyers, stirred un
easily on the lumpy plush cushion
looked at his watch, then at the time
table in his hand, noted that the train
was now seventy-two minutes late and
for at least the fifteenth time mental
ly cursed the railway company, the
whole of Cape Cod from Sandwich tt
Provincetown and the fates which haC
brought him there.
The train slowed down In jerky
hiccupy sort Of way and crept on TIL
the car in which Mr.. Graves was seat
ed was abreast the lighted windows oi
small station, where 1t stopped. Peer
ing through the water-streaked pane
at the end Of his seat, the lawyer saw
dim silhouettes Of uncertain outline
moving about. They moved with pro
voking slowness.
Then, behind the door which the
brakeman, after announcing the sta
ton, had closed again, sounded big
laugh. The heartiness Of 1t grated or
Mr.. Graves nerves. What idiot could
laugh on such a night as this aboard 9
train over an hour late2
The laugh was repeated. Then the
door was flung briskly open, and @
man entered the car. He was a big
man, broad shouldered, inclined te
stoutness, wearing a cloth cap with 9
visor and heavy ulster, the collar Of
which was turned up. Through the
gap between the open ends Of the col
lar bristled short grayish beard. The
face above the beard and below the
visor was sunburned, with little wrin
kles about the eyes and curving lines
from the nostrils to the corners OF the
mouth. The upper lip was shaved, and
the eyebrows were heavy and grayish
black. Cap, face and ulster were drip
ping with water.
"Well, I tell you, Ezra" he called
over his shoulder, IF It's too deep to
wade maybe I can swim. Fat floats
they tell me, and Abbie says I'm get
tin feshier every day. So long,"
He closed the door and, smiling
broadly, swung down the aisle.
"Hello, cap'nl" cried one passenger
"What's the south shore doin' over
mere in this flood?"
"What's the matter, cap'nT demand
ed another. "Broke loose from your
moorin's. have you? Did you ever see
such q night in your life"
The man In the ulster shook hands
with each of his questioners, removing
a pair of wet, heavy leather gloves as
he did so.
Don't knows I ever did, Dan," he
answered. Couldn't see much Of this
one but its color, and that's black.
come over this mornin' to attend to
some business at the courthouse
deeds to some cranberry bog property
I lust bought-and Judge Baxter made
me 90 home with him to dinner. Stayed
at his house all the afternoon, and
then his man, Ezra Hallett, undertook
to drive me up here to the depot. Talk
about blind pilotin'! Whewl The
Judges horse was new one, not used
to the roads; Ezra's near-sighted, and
couldn't use my glasses count Of the
rain. Let alone that, twas darker'r
the fore hold Of Noah's ark. Ho, no
Sometimes we was in the ruts, and
sometimes we was In the bushes.
told Ez we'd ought to have fetched
along n dipsy lead, then maybe we
=. our bearin's by soundin's
Couldn't see 'em If we did get 'em,'
says he. No. says I, but we could
taste 'em. Man that's driven through
as much Ostable mud as you have
ought to know the taste Of every road
In town."
swell. you caught the train any.
how" observed Dan.
"Yup II we'd been crippled as well
as blind we could have done that
He seated himself just in front Of the
pair and glanced across the aisle at Mr.
Graves. to find the latter looking In
tently at him.
"Pretty tough night" he remarked
nodding.
''Yes," replied the lawyer briefly. He
did not encourage conversation with
casual acquaintances. The latest ar
rival had caught his attention because
there was something familiar about
him. He must have seen him before.
Conversation across the aisle wal
brisk, and It's subjects were many and
varied. Mr.. Graves. became aware
more or less against his WILL that tht
person called "cap'n" was, Il not Z
leader IN politics end local Affairs, etil