Year: 1871

things could do. 1t there had been


gaming table on the island, l do believ


Though never went near anything Of tn


kind in my lfe) I should have gon'


toit


drew out my watch 10 see what th'


hour was, and the thought of pawning j


struck me. But Nantucket does not pos


sess /" loan Office" 1 made careful in


quiry, but nothing CT the sort was known


However, went to a watchmaker's anC


laid my modest but serviceable silver time


piece before him. He quietly declined Il


consider the question.


"Does thee know" he said Che was 6


Quaker) "thst l have in that chist more'1


dozen of the best London chronometerI


and can't sell one of them for what it'i


worth? l should like to help thee, espe


cially as thee wants to be honest and not


put off bad money, but do not see my


way clear to do So


"But," said l, a. am not going to leave


the watch long. shall send for it In q


week, perhaps in less time"


$50 thee says, and no doubt thee thinks
so, but thee will be off the island, and
then how can get at thee?"


"Yes, but you can tell whether that


watch is worth more than twice twenty
dollars or not" Ut cost sixty.) "Ifit is
can't you see that it is my interest to re
deem it?"


"Well, thee knows best about that, but
it wouldn't be worth that to me, for
might not sell it under year, and thee'n
be off the island, where can't get al
thee"


This was the key to the whole matter
The ideas of the old gentleman were of a
date when the whaling business WAS good
and when his sailor customers were in the
habit of disappearing at "Turkeywonner,' u
"Hilo,"" Sidney" and other Pacific ports
and also of reappearing after many days to
claim long-forg0tten deposits. Time being
commodity of which there was super
abundance in Nantucket, the market was
not brisk. Time was not money.


went home to dinner. There is that
comfort in hotel, that the Vdeuus UiatOT
can feed equally well with King Cresus
until the landlord says, go" At the
table took my accustomed seat, opposite
Miss Minnie p. We had made &C
quaintance but fortnight before, through
her brother Fred, whom / had rescued
from watery grave; / mean, pulled
into the boat from which he had tumbled
overheard on blue-fshing excursion. She
was somewhat older than I, and that did
not interfere with our rapidly getting &C.
quainted.


She expressed great pleasure at finding
me still on the island, and that we should
be fellow-trsvelers the next day. ain fact,
Mr.. Woodbridge, l think, if I may take
so great liberty, will put myself under
your care, and let Fred stay another week. !"
l acquiesced, though sorely doubtful
whether I should have the pleasure. How
ever, thought l, she will hand NE her
purse to get the tickets and things, and
then can pay for two, and return it when
l get to Boston. blushed as l thought
it, but l would have given much for the
privilege of waiting on Miss P, noted
Boston beauty; and, moreover, 1 was
madly in love with her, of course,
though very much in doubt whether
it would be prudent to tell her
so. Then she went on:
have never been to the South Shore in all
the three weeks stay have made" My
impulse was, of course, to invite her to
drive thither with me; but that bill in my
pocket She went on in the most aggrav-
ating way, "After yesterdays blow, they
say the surf will be splendid, the finest
this season" / was on the point of pro-
posing that we should Sodlk there, when
she said, would it be too great favor, if
you are not otherwise engaged, for you to
drive me out thereS Fred has gone shark
fishing, but he promised to order buggy
before he left''


OF course 1 joyfullv accepted, and in
wardly blushed as l thought what might
not turn up. If, after ell, should find
favor in the eyes of the daughter of mil
lionaire, ali would be we'll; and if not, let
me have what comfort l can. Tney let
thefellows that are to be hanged call for
what they like for their last breakfast, l
believed So 1 thought; and when Miss
P went up to put on her things, l
went to the front of the Ocean House to
await the team. 1t came, but the stable
help in charge seemed to have something
on his mind. He looked uneasy, and then
said, as I approached to look at the horse
and inspect the harness, "Who shall this
be put down to? Mr.. P was over
this morning and paid his bill, and said he
was going off the island tomorrow, and
didn't say nothing about his sisters
having any team. She sent over about an
hour ago, an the boss says he s'poses it s
all right, but wimmen Is forgetful, and l
mustn't let them go without knowing who
was to have it." l gave my name; but my
dealings having been with the other
stable, it made less impression than it
should have done "Perhaps," said he,
you wouldn't mind settling now in ad-
vance; n fact, it g charged to me anyhow; /;
and for the afternoon It'll be three dol
lars. And then you can stay at the Shore
S long s you like"


saw Miss P at the top of the stairs,
and felt must act quickly. "Can you
change this?" said l, taking out the
twenty. "No, I see you can't. Very
well, don't keep the lady waiting, but
they II pay you at the Office" And, be-
fore he had time to accept the situation, 1
had put Miss P into the buggy and
was driving away.


1t is not exciting to drive in Nantucket
unless over the trotting- course. The roads
are a tIifle sandy and are deeply rutted, so
that your horse travels in a groove, and
your wheels do the same. Dexter himself
could hardly run away, and you are as fast
tied to the track as if in city street-car.


But once out on the broad, breezy
downs, and it is very enjoyable. The air
IS fragrant with the warm and aromatic
smell of the bayberry-bushes and the
breath of the pine trees, the
tsllest Of which tower full seven feet in
air. Behind is the clean quiet town, and
before ag1ark blue line on which here and
there glitters the sunshine, while a white
fash of surf springs up ever and anon
above the low sand-drifts on which grow
the sparse tufts of beach-grsss.


Nobody can long feel blue on those
plains of Nantucket; beside that, had
project which was to put me all right.


So l chatted with Miss Minnie, and
never had enjoyed myself so much. 1t
might have been fancy, but 1 thought she
was a little distrdit. Could it be that |
had made an impression2 If so all will
be well, thought 1 and then 1 wished the
Shore thirty miles of, instead of three.
AS it was, we reached the end of our
lrive before 1 felt quite certain enough to
commit myself. 1t would be awkward to
De refused and have to drive her home
afterward.


A solitary stroll on the beach might -
1ut it was not solitary. There was some
1ne there. a man, wretch with long
handled white umbrella, like huge mush-
com, stuck up in the sand, and under it he
was sitting, sketching.


A little way from where my horse
vas to be tied was his horse and bug
". Somehow, he seemed to expect
Miss p, for he rose up and came to