Evening star., 1922-01-01

West Harlepool. he saw the house
quite as it had appeared in Aurillas
picture with the nameboard of
wrecked ship over the woodshed, the
Penninah Sparrow.
nOWN the road was a one-room
= shop with the sign "Gaius Bearse,
Genl Merchandise. Clam Forks.
Windmills and Souvenirs Out on
the porch poked a smallish man. Buff
fun ambled toward him and saw that
the man was very old.
Good morning. This Cap'n Bearse?'
inquired Buffum.
Il be-"
"Uh. uh, Say-uh. Cap'n. can you
tell me who's living in the Rivers
mansion now?"
The which mansion?"
Rivers. The house across there"
Huh, That's the kendrick house"
But it was built by Rivers"
NO. 'twa'n't. That house was built
and there's been a kendrick living in
it ever since. Owned now by William
Dean Kendrick He's in the wool bus
mess, in Boston. but his folks comes
down every summer. ought to know.
The Hendricks are kin of mine
"B-but where did the Riverses
live?"
"The Riverses? Oh. them. Come
from the west, don't ye? Spend the
summer here"
NO. What makes you think / come
from the west?"
Rivers went out there. Bradley
Rivers. He the one you're think Of"
Yes"
Friend of yours"
NO. Just happened to hear about
him."
We'll. I'll tell you. There never was
any Rivers family"
WHAT"
The father of this here Bradley
Rivers called himself Zenas Rivers.
But land, Zenas' right name WINS
Fernao Ribeiro. He was nothing but
a Portygee deckhand. Fernao. on
Zenas, became a wrecker. He was a
good hand in dory. but when he
was drinking he was a caution for
snakes He came straight from the
Cape Verde Islands"
Il understand Bradley Rivers an
cestors were bowling aristocrats.
and came over on the Mayfiower."
Maybe SO, maybe so. Aristocrats
at drinking Jamaica rum. l guess.
But they didn't come on no Mayf1ower
-Zcnas Rivers came over on the brig
Jennie B. Smith,
Il understand Zenas owned this
this Kendrick house."
Him? Why, boy, if Zenas or Brad
either ever set foot across the thresh-
old of that house, it was to fill the
woodbox, or maybe sell Holsters"
"B-but-what kind Of looking man
was Zenas?"
"Thick set, dark-complected fellow
real Portygee."
Didn't have a Roman nose?'
Him? Huh! Had a nose like her
ring"
But Bradley had a Roman nose.
Where'd he get it?'
From his nav. She was Yankee
but her folks want much account.
So she married Zenas. Brad Rivers
always an awful liar. He come back
here about even-eight years ago, and
he boasted he was the richest man
in Kansas, or maybe twas Milwau-
kee."
"Did he buy picture Of the Ken
drick mansion while he was here?"
believe he did. He got one OF
these artists to paint picture of the
Kepdrick house. And he bought
couple of things OF me-a horsehair
sofy, and a picture Of old Cap'n Gould
that May Gould left here"
.pid-did this Capt. Gould in the
portrait have a Roman nose? And
side-whiskers? Stern-lookingg
"Thats him. What's Brad been tell
ing you. boy?
nothing" sighed Bufrum. 'Then
Rivers was just a plain dub? Like
lme%
"Plain? Brad Rivers? Well, Zenas
sent Brad to school to Taunton for
a year or so, but just the same. we
always allowed he was SO ordinary
that there want a dog belonging to
a Kendick on q Bearse or a Doane
that would bite him. Ask any OF the
old codgers in town."
IT win, but-thanks."