Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-17

~ mother en I had S good ire reason to be.
lieve that she had died and received
Christian burial half century be-
- fore first set foot in Haddock Har-
Dor, Neither were the dreams Of my dreaming;
no my connection with her was always remote
and impersonal Nevertheless, came to know
through her all the horror and the fascination
of perturbed spirit.
For those who may not know the harbor, let
me explain that it bites into the northern
stretch of Maine coast. Summer reSorters are
still in the minority, and peace and beauty serve
as perpetual handmaidens to those few exhaust
ed nerve-racked city folk who have found
refuge there. was there only few days when
the immortal essence Of Gram Perkins con-
fronted me. Perkins is a prevailing name at
the harbor Perkins peddles fish on Tuesdays
and Fridays A Perkins keeps the village store,
in whose windows are displayed those amazing
knickknacks somebody or other creates out OF
sweet grass, beads, birch bark and sealing wax
Perkins is framed daily in the general dellv-
cry window Of the post office, and his brother
drives the one village jitney.
It was Cal Perkins of tender years who indi-
rectly introduced me to the mysterious dreamer
of the dreams. Cal took me on my first scaling
of the BURBERRY lodges. Standing like Balboa
on the Peak of Darien he swept hand nlano
and said: "Somewhars, over thar, lives yep
Perkins. Hain't never laid eyes on him myseII,
tell of them four dreams he's had Of Grand
mother Perkins. woan't sleep ag'in fur
month eff you do" tradition at the harbor as
the Three Hairs of Grandfather KnowitaP are
in Eastern Europe-only with difference. Ma
tives in the Balkans pass on their story Tor the
asking; whereas in Haddock Harbor they evade
all questions leading to Gram Perkins, while
their tongues travel to their cheeks.
ONE day Cal took me to the cemetery and
showed me the Perkins monument. It was
a splendid affair in two shades Of marble with
a wrought-iron fence and gateway. and all
about it were the headstones marking the
graves of the separate members OF the family.
I read the inscription on Gram Perkins stone:
Sara Amanda Perkins
Beloved wife of Benjamin Perkins,
Sea Captain
1791-1S63
Nav she rest in perfect peacei
wall. she didn't" Cal hurled the words at
me as he catapulted through the gate shaking
all over like the aspen back of the lot. caught
a final mumbling: Never aim to stop nigh her.
Pa says might git to dreamin', too"
Here was distinctly unpleasant food for
thought. Already she had firm grip on my
waking hours and there was no relish to the
idea of her haunting my sleeping ones. The
manner in which she possessed the town was
astounding. She lurked wherever one went
popping out with the most casual remark when
one was buying a pound of butter or pint of
clans And yet for all the daily illusions and
innuendoes, one never got at the heart OF the
matter; one never rightly understood why Gram
Perkins was and yet was not five feet below the
sod. AS for the dreamer of the dreams, one
never found him clothed in anything more
solid than words
questioned Peddlng Perkins Friday
when he came to house with the markings
of a chowder. "Ten me- began, where does
zeb Perkins live and what relation is he to
your"
He paused in his weighing The scales hung
from rafter in his cart and worked somewhat
mysteriously. He might have been weighing
out the exact amount of relationship he cared
to claim Fur as 1 can make out he's sort of a
third cousin"
Did he ever tell you about those dreams?"
mo, ma'am!" He fixed me with forewarn-
ing eye whats more, he hain't never goin'
to- 1 seen Scrip Perkins-time he told him.
Scairt! Never seen Teller so shook up in his
life Didn't take off his clothes and lay good
abed fur week. No, ma'am!'
/ questioned the post Office Perkins one day:
"Do you happen to know what zeb Perkins
dreamed about his grandmother"
Dreamed! Gosh, what didn't he dream9
Think of anything sensible woman, dead and
buried SO years, stands liable to do and you
wouldn't have the half of it." He finished
swapping his teeth together to signify that he
had gone as far with those dreams as he In
tended to go-for the present, anyway.
A few days later took the matter to the
village store I even bought chain and ear
rings of sealing wax to make my going seem less