"Jerry has... excuse the expression... clam fritters!" "I'm not eating them alone!" "Come on." "Lorenzo." "Here, kitty." "Yeah!" "There you go!" "They got to be the worst clam fritters I ever ate." "is that so?" "Even Lorenzo thinks so." "Ain't no worse than that goose you cooked last week." "Even my stomach still gets upset just thinking about it." "Well, I promised John Bartlett l'd take his cranberry barrels up to him, so... you two can match coins to see who's going to wash the dishes." "I won't do them." "Blessed if I'd do the darn things if Teddy Roosevelt himself asked me to." "Where's my hat?" "I can't find anything in this mess." "I suppose you fellers think I'm going to do them all the time." "Well, if you think that, you're mistook. I ain't!" "Aw, this... this just don't work." "It don't work." "What don't work?" "This plan of ours." "I thought not going to sea, settling down with you sailors, living on the cheap was going to be the ticket." "It was going to be fine." "But it ain't." "I mean, I don't mind doing my share of the work." "You know, swabbing the deck, and..." "But, I mean, that's not the way it worked out." "I'm doing the work!" "I'm just so sick of this!" "I'm sick of living in a pigpen!" "Well, now, I'll tell you what." "This craft... needs a steward." "A steward." "Or a woman!" "A woman?" "Yeah." "I'm not kidding." "A woman." "We could use a housekeeper." "Nobody's talking about a housekeeper." "I'm talking about a woman." "This house needs a woman!" "It's simple." "One of us has to get married." " Married?" " Married." "And take the other two as boarders into his house." "Look, when a shipwrecked crew is starving, one of them has to be sacrificed for the good of the rest." "One of us has to get married for the good of the other two." "Well, that's pretty good, Perez." "So... you going to be the first offering?" "If it's my luck, yes." "But I had this idea maybe we'd match for it like we do for the dishes." "Well, I don't know." "I'll tell you what." "Why don't you just marry..." "Melissy Busteed." "She's awful sweet on you." "No, you don't." "She is the town gossip." "She's already buried two husbands, and I ain't looking to be the third." "Where you going to find this wife?" "Well, sir, I'm about to show you." "The Nuptial Chime, a journal of matrimony." "Chock-full of advertisements from women who wants husbands." "Well, seems to be a strong running for "vivacious brunettes,"" "and over here, "blondes of tender and romantic dispositions."" "So, Mr. Perez, which one of these types are you suffering for?" "Why don't you hush up?" "You really think that I would write anyone in there?" "What we have to do is make our own advertisement." "Say exactly what kind of woman we want and then sit back and wait for the answers." "Simple." "What do you think about this, Jerry?" "Well, seems like a good idea." "We got to do something, and that's the only sensible thing." "So you have to do it." "Yes, you do." "We agreed to stick together." "Two-to-one's a vote." "So you got to do it." "We'll match for it." "Come on, Zeb." "Ain't going to mutiny, are you?" "All right." "I'll stick with the ship." "Heads." "Heads." "Tails." "Well, there it is." "Well... don't feel bad..." "Jerry." "There it is." "It's Providence." "Me and Perez are bachelors." "We'd just be green hand." "You're an able seaman." "You already know what it is to manage a wife." "Dang it to hell." "I know what it is to be managed by a wife." "Hey!" "Here's Captain Zeb." "Well, Cap'n, how's she heading?" "Well, I'd say pretty much northeast by north." "Running fair, but watch out for some wind ahead." " l calculate you ain't heard the news, Zeb." " Yeah?" "Web Saunders has got his original package license." "Come on the noon mail." " ls that a fact?" " l seen it myself." "Web was showing it around." "We was wondering what kind of fit John Bartlett would have now." "He's been pretty nigh distracted ever since Web started his billiard room, calling it a haunt, a sin, and a whole lot more names." "And when he hears that Web's going to sell rum, why, that's going to set him off real good." " Morning." " Morning, Zeb." "Excuse me!" "Whoa, Daniel." "I'm afraid I'm mixed in my directions." "A gentleman at the train depot told me the way to the cable station." "But I've forgotten whether I turn to the left once I reached here or to the right." "How was you calculating to get there?" "I intended to walk." "Did you tell those fellas at the depot that you were going to try to walk?" " Certainly." " One thing they forgot to tell you is... the station's out on the outer beach." "There's about a half a mile of pretty wet water between here and there." " You don't mean it." " l do." "Unless, of course, there's been an almighty drought since I was at the house." "I tell you what." "I'll give you a ride down to the shore and find somebody to row you over." "Here." "Give me your flipper." "There you go." "Thank you." "Come on, Daniel." "My name is Hedge." "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hedge." "My name's Hazeltine." "Yeah." "You're the new engineer for the cable station." "All educated, I hear." "Whole town's been expecting you." "is that right?" "Who told you?" "Well, I can't say for sure, but Melissy Busteed got a hold of the information, and from there on, it's plain sailing." "You see, Chatham's not big enough to have its own newspaper." "Come on, boy." "So... the Almighty gave us Melissy, I guess, as a sort of a substitute." "You play pool, Mr. Hazeltine?" "Sure." "Sometimes." "Yeah." "Come on, Daniel." "Good boy." "John." "This is Mr. Hazeltine." "He's the new man at the cable station." "Mr. Hazeltine, this is my friend John Bartlett." " Captain John Bartlett." " Nice to meet you, sir." "So I brought those barrels up for you." "Thanks, Zeb." "I'll probably be up sometime tomorrow." "I want to talk to you about that... billiard room business." "God Almighty's got his eye on that place and on them that's running it." "Well, then, it's in good hands, and we won't have to worry, do we?" "Boy, am I glad to see you." "First of all, how do you spell "conscientious"?" "I don't." "What would you want to spell it for?" "We've writ about 400 of these advertisements, and ain't one of them fit to feed a pig." "Perez has got such fancy notions that only a circus bill would make him feel happy." "I don't see why we can't have something plain and simple like, "Woman needed to wash dishes and clean house for three men."" "Why wouldn't that be all right?" "That's really going to get you an answer from a woman in a hurry, isn't it?" ""Woman to wash dishes for three men"?" "You think that that's a bait to get you a wife?" "Come on!" "You got to do better than that." "You got to be..." "I don't know... soft-soap them, a little more high-toned, sir." "You got to make them think that you're a catch!" "I am a great catch, like you're talking about." "Pass me that pen." "Wife wanted by ex-seafaring man... of... steady habits." "Willing to work and keep house shipshape... and aboveboard." "No sea lawyers need apply." "Address..." " "Skipper."" " Good." "I liked that bit about sea lawyers." "It'll keep the loose-tongued ones away." "Well, Jerry." "Now all you have to do is pick yourself out a wife and tell us what you want for a wedding present." "A divorce." "Mighty sharp buggy, Web." "Good day to you, gentlemen." "Nice weather." "Good for picking them cranberries, I hear." "Slick." "Slick." "Now that he got that rum-selling license, he'll be purring just like a cat." "I'm all right with cats, but there's something about a cat man." " How do you do, Captain?" " Mrs. Small." "What a surprise to see you here." "I swear if you ain't been a stranger." "Ezekial, get up and give Captain Hedge your chair." "No, no." "Don't go to all that trouble, Mrs. Small." "I'll just sit over there on the sofa with Captain Bartlett." " Hey, John." " Hey, Zeb." "I didn't expect to see you here." "I'm glad, though." "Every God-fearing man in this town has need to be on his knees this day." "Have you heard about it?" "Captain John is talking about that rum-selling license" "Web Saunders has got." "Ain't it awful?" "How you doing, Melissy?" "Yes, of course." "Hello, Captain." "And how is Captain Perez?" "He's just dandy." "He always has a kind word for you." "Anyway, I says to Prissy Rend" ""There is going to be a judgment on this town, sure as you're a living woman," says I." "And she says, "You are right, Melissy." And then I says..." "We are blessed this day to have with us the Reverend Perley to lead us in the meeting." "Amen!" "Brothers and sisters, here we are, a-kneeling at the altar's foot." "And what's going on outside?" "Why, the devil's got his clutches in our midst." "The horn of the wicked is exalted." "They're selling rum... rum in this town!" "The people of Chatham have been slow-footed in the Lord's vineyard." "I tell you, brothers and sisters," "God has given us a task to perform." "And what have we done with it?" "We sat still and let the devil have his way." "And now the grip of Satan is tighter on the town than it ever was before." "Do you think that that hellhole down yonder is going to shut up because we talk about it at meeting?" "You think Web Saunders is going to quit selling rum because we say he ought to?" "Do you think God is going to walk up to that door and nail it up himself?" "No, sir!" "He don't work that way!" "We've talked and talked, and now it's time to do!" "Ain't there anybody here that feels a call?" "Ain't there axes to chop with and fire to burn?" "I tell you, brothers, we've waited long enough." "And I, old as I am, am ready." "Lord, here I am." "Here I..." "Play, sister." "...from temptation" "And show to us a sign" "That to every small..." "Okay, here we go." "Zeb, do you believe that man's law ought to be allowed to interfere with God's law?" "Well, in most cases, it's been my judgment that it pays to steer close to both of them." "Suppose God called you to break man's law and keep his." "What would you do?" "Well, I guess the first thing would be to make sure that it really was the Almighty that was calling." "Let me help you aboard, Captain." "Maybe there just ain't no interest in having a seafaring man of steady habits." "Jerry, it's just exactly like I told you." "27 letters in all." "Here's my favorite." "Well..." "Nifty writing." ""Mr. Skipper, sir," ""l saw your advertisement in the paper" ""and think perhaps you might suit me." ""Please answer these questions by return mail:" ""What is your religious belief?" ""Do you drink liquor?" ""Are you a profane man?" ""lf you want to," ""you might send me your real name and a photograph."" "Photograph?" "The only one I got is a cracked one from my first marriage." "It's turning yellow." "Will you please let the man finish?" "Thank you, Perez." ""lf l think you will suit, maybe we can sign articles."" ""Yours truly, Martha B. Snow," "Nantucket, Massachusetts."" "She sure don't mince words, do she?" "You know what I like about it most?" "The shipshape way she puts it." "You know what I like is that part about signing articles, like she was signing on to a voyage." "Seems to be exactly what we're looking for." "Well, I don't know." "What's the hurry?" "I mean, next batch of letters are liable to have one that's much better." "In the meantime, this house keeps looking like the fo'c'sle on a cattle boat." "You know, Jerry, I don't really see how you could do much better." "Go ahead, you know." "Do what you like." "I'm only a devilish fool that's got to take in boarders and get married." "That's all the hell I am." "Excuse me." "Be careful." "Right there it says," ""Are you profane?"" "You fellas are enough to make a preacher cuss." "Well, go ahead and write her, but I'm giving you fair warning." "I ain't going to have her if she don't suit." "I ain't going to marry a skeleton and crawl into bed with a bag of bones." "We did not open it." "We felt all hands should be on deck before we did anything that important." "Hurry up and open it before he messes his pants." "Oh, please!" "Thanks, Perez." ""Captain Jeremiah Burgess." ""Sir," ""l like your looks well enough," ""though it don't pay to put too much dependence on looks," ""as nobody knows better than me." ""Besides, I judge that picture you sent" ""was took quite a spell ago." ""Anyway, you look honest," ""and I am willing to risk money enough" ""to carry me to Chatham and back," ""though the dear land knows" ""l ain't got none to throw away." ""lf we don't agree to sign articles," ""l suppose likely you will be willing" ""to stand half the fare." ""That ain't any more than right, the way I look at it." ""l shall come to Chatham on the noon train Thursday." ""Meet me at the depot." "Yours truly, Martha B. Snow."" "And there's a postscript." ""l should've liked it better" ""if you was a Methodist," ""but we can't have everything just as we want it in this world."" "She sure don't waste no time, does she?" "She's pretty prompt, I'll sure say that for her." "is that all you've got to say after getting me in this scrape?" "Don't go on your beam-ends, Jerry." " There ain't no harm done yet." " Ain't no harm done?" "I don't know nothing about her." "She might be 100 years old, for all I know." "And she's coming down here on the forenoon to marry me by main force, and you expect me to marry a Methodist?" " Now, hold on!" " l'm a pilgrim!" "Hold on!" "Jerry, I like the way the woman's got it put together." "She's got sense." "You can't just sell her a cat in a bag." "A cat in a bag?" "Well, I don't know what you mean by that." "You had me doing all this at a flip of a coin, and then I'm going to have to pay her fare, too?" "If she comes down here and signs articles, like she says in here, we all are going to be paying a lot more than just fares." "And I agree with him." "This woman has a lot of sense." "And you, sir, will be going to the depot as well as he and I." "The three of us will go to the depot." "Why don't you go down there and you meet her, and you bring her here?" " l'll wait for her here." " No, Jerry." "Got to treat her decent." "You are going to the depot." "Here they come." "Godfrey domino!" "Heave to!" "Heave to!" "There's no danger." "What do you mean no danger?" "She knows where we live!" "We're going to scoot back to the shanty, and we'll stay there until she gets tired and goes home." "That's it." "Yeah." "Go on." "Laugh." "You set there tee-heeing like a Bedlamite." "That's what I'd expect of you." "Oh, my body and soul." "There she comes now." "She's heading up the hill!" " Did you lock the dining room, Perez?" " Why should I lock it?" "She'll go in there and sit and wait for us!" "Well, now, one of us has got to go up there and tell her she don't suit and pay her fare back home." "And I think Jerry ought to be the one, since... since he's the bridegroom." "Me?" "You fellas got me in this scrape." "Now let's see you get me out of it." "I ain't going to move a step unless it's out to sea." "It's a man." "He's been up to the house." "Hey." "Over here!" "Over here, on your lee bow!" "Mr. Hazeltine, just... just go on around to the back." " Here." " Captain." "Mr. Hazeltine, I'd like you to make the acquaintance of Captain Jerry here" " and Captain Perez." " Hello." " Pleased to meet you both." " My shipmates." "We're...sort of up to here." "We're waiting to get our bearings." "We're..." "We're not out of our heads." "I'm saying that because I know that's what it looks like." "Well, I'm glad to hear it." "What we want to know is... have you been up to our house, and was there anybody there?" "Yes, I've been there." "The housekeeper." "That is, I suppose it was the housekeeper that opened the door and said you were out and I should wait or come back." "I told you." "I knew it." "Didn't I tell you?" "Yeah." "Just hush up for one minute, Jerry." "Now, this woman that you say you thought was a housekeeper, what was she doing?" "She seemed very much at home." "That's why I thought she was the housekeeper." "There you go. I mean, she's going to stay there maybe forever." "I mean, she's got... she's got too good a thing going for her." " That's..." "Come on." " Too big a thing going..." "Hush!" "The thing is we're in kind of a ridiculous scrape here, one that we got to get out of alone." "I'll... I'll tell you about it sometime, but not now." "Well, I'll leave you to it, then." "Yeah." "Good day to you all." "All right." "Now that's it." "No more stalling!" "We got to go up there and see her." "And that's all!" "Now come on." "No!" "I'm telling you that all this running around, this hiding... it just sickened me on this whole subject." "And I'm just not..." "I'm not about to do nothing, have nothing to do." "I ain't going up there. lf there's any kind of talk of marriage or any other female up there." "All right. I'll go." "Good." "And I'll tell her you're bashful and you're dying to get married." "No!" "You ain't going to do that!" "He ain't going to do that, is he?" "I don't know." "But, uh, maybe you shouldn't have been so pig-headed." "You're not Captain Burgess." "No, ma'am." "My name is Hedge." "You're not Miss Snow?" "Mrs. Snow." "I'm a widow." "I feel as if I know you, Captain Hedge." "The boy in the depot wagon told me all about you and Captain Ryder and Captain Burgess." "Well, hey, I hope he gave us a clean bill." "Well, he didn't say nothing against you, if that's what you mean." "If he had, I don't think it would've made much difference." "I've lived long enough to want to find things out for myself, not take folks' say-so." "I judge you got my letter and was expecting me." "Now, if it ain't too much trouble, I'd like to know where Captain Burgess is and why he wasn't at the depot to meet me." "Well, the truth is, ma'am... we was at the depot." "You was?" "Thing is we thought you was somebody else." "No." "We thought somebody else was you, and, though, I'm sure she's a fine lady, she was..." "Well, there. lf that don't beat all." "I don't blame Captain Burgess a mite, poor thing." "I guess I'd have run, too, if I'd seen that woman." "I mean, she was sitting in the seat next to me, and..." "Well, she had a shut-over bag considerable like mine, and when she got up to get out, she took mine by mistake." "Oh, dear, dear." "Where is Captain Burgess?" "He's in a fish shack down the road, and as upset as he is, I'm not sure when he's ever going to break cover." "Rock of ages" "Cleft for me" "Let me hide" "Myself in thee" "Well, Captain Hedge, there are one or two things that I need to say right here." "In the first place, I ain't in the habit of answering advertisements from folks that wants to get married." "I ain't so hard up for a man as all that comes to." "And the next thing, I didn't come here with my mind made up to marry Captain Burgess, not by no means." "I'll tell you what. I... I'll go down to the shack, and I'll get Captain Burgess, and..." "No, you shan't, either." "I'll tell you what we'll do." "It's nearly supper already, and I need to be getting to the tavern." "I suppose if it's not too much trouble, you could walk me there." "And I'll stay there tonight, and tomorrow, I'll come down here, and we'll all have a commonsense talk." "That is the most sensible thing I have heard today." "Come on!" "Keep that water moving, will you?" "Big fire in the village!" "All hands on deck!" "Hey!" "Come on, you!" "Keep that water going there!" "And don't break the bottles!" " Keep it going!" " Get those bottles out of there!" "Keep that water moving, will you?" "How'd it start, Web?" " How'd it start?" " Yeah." "I know mighty well how it started." "But what I'm going to find out before this night is over is who started it, and they're going to pay!" "You hear me?" "Come on, you!" "Keep that water going there!" " Come on!" " Get the water on there!" ""He burnt all their houses wherein they dwell and all their goodly castles with fire."" "Oh, no." "That's not good." "It's all right, John." "Kerosene." "I'm going to get you out of this." "Well, don't worry, shipmate." "I'll fix it up." "Make sure they'll think you were running to help put out the fire." "Yeah." "They'll never know you set it." "Okay." "All right." "Here." "Oh, yeah." "We have a man upstairs in our house who may live and who may not live." "If he lives, he's going to be sick in our house for a long time." "What do we do?" "Who's going to take care of him?" "You got to get married now." "To the fat lady?" "Well, she'd be shade in the summer, warm in the winter." "We wouldn't have the money to feed her." "Well, you think he'll live?" "I can't say." "He's had a stroke of paralysis, and there seem to be other complications as well." "If he regains consciousness, I shall think he has a chance." "Not a very good one." "I don't think he'll die tonight." "But if he lives, he's going to need a good nurse, and I don't know of one in town." "Neither do we." "Watch that top step now." "Yeah." "There you are." "Dr. Palmer, I would like you to meet Mrs. Snow." " Mrs. Snow, this is Dr. Palmer." " Pleased to meet you." "Captain Perez," " this is Mrs. Marthy B. Snow..." " Ma'am." "...of Nantucket." "Pleasure is mine." "All mine." "Mrs. Snow is sort of a relative, so to speak, of Captain Jerry." "And... it turns out she has had considerable nursing skills, and she said she is willing to take care of John until he feels better." "Well, that's... that's wonderful." "That's wonderful." "Captain Bartlett's upstairs?" "Shall I go right up?" "Oh, yes, ma'am." "You have nursed before, I believe the captain said?" "Yes." "Five years with my husband." "He had slow consumption." "And before that, with my mother and my brother and sisters at one time or another." "I've known considerable sickness my whole life." "More of that than anything else, I guess." "Now, if you'll go up with me so as to tell me about the medicine and so on." "Oh, yes, ma'am." "This way." "Excuse me, Captain." "She has lost quite a bit of tonnage." "She's also... I don't know... prettied up a bit, wouldn't you say?" "You, uh, haven't told me something, have you?" "Jerry, it's safe now." "You can come on out and show yourself." "Wait a minute." "Didn't I tell you fellas that there was a slight case of misidentity at the station?" "It had something to do with a couple of valises." " l told you that." " Told us nothing." "No, I did." "Told us nothing." " Really?" " No." " l must be getting old." " She'll do." "If all your relatives are like that, Captain Burgess, well, I'd like to know them." "Anyway, he seems a little bit better now." "There should be no change for a while." "If there is, send for me, all right?" "I'll call in the morning." " Thank you, Doctor." " Good night, Captains." "Good night." "Good night, Captain Burgess." "Thank you, Doc." "Well, Jerry, don't you think it's about time you went up and introduced yourself to your future wife?" "She's busy up there." "I'm so tuckered out, if I have a little nap, I'll make a better presentation... is what I'm thinking." "Naps are out." "You go upstairs now." " Come on." " lt's time. lt's time." "Oh, no." "Come on, Jerry." "Mrs. Snow, I think you'd better sleep in my bedroom, long as you're here." "I'll just bunk downstairs along with my shipmates." "All right." "Perhaps you should introduce me to Captain Burgess." "I don't think we've ever met, if we are relations." "Oh, why, of course." "Excuse me, ma'am." "Jerry, this is Mrs. Snow." "I don't know what's gotten into me." " You're sure pert, ma'am." " Thank you." "Well, he seems to be doing better, so I think you all should go to bed, and we can talk tomorrow... I mean, today." "I forgot it's next door to daylight already." "Good night." "Jerry's correct, ma'am." "You sure are pretty." "Thank you." "Mrs. Snow." "What's the matter?" "Nothing worth gabbing about." "You just look awful upset." "You look awfully down." "Do you want to tell me what the matter is?" "I'm fine, really." "Well, if there's ever anything I can do, do you promise that you'll tell me?" "You're a sweet man." "Captain Perez." "It's..." "Mrs. Snow here is feeling awfully blue." "I just... I got an idea." "This weekend, in order to cheer her up, we ought to have some kind of an outing." "Go down and see Luther and the boys." "A picnic!" "We'll make it a picnic." "Jumping Jehoshaphat." "What's got into Jerry?" "He have an epiphany or something?" "Captain Burgess?" "He didn't tidy up and fix the table, if that's what you mean." "Captain Bartlett was... seemed to be sleeping or in a stupor-like, and the doctor, when he come, said that I could leave him for a few minutes and run downstairs." "A doctor?" "He's been here already this morning?" "Oh, yes." "He came an hour ago." "Now, if you wouldn't mind going up and staying with Captain Bartlett while I finish getting breakfast, and if you wouldn't mind going out to the barn and gathering a few eggs, that would be a help." "I've been up and down the stairs so many times in the last half hour, I don't know I'm certain whether I'm on my head or my heels." "She hugged me." "John, if you can hear me, I done what I can, but I can't for the love of Pete find that darn coat." "I just hope it's just some kid that found it and don't put it together with you." "Zeb, ain't this gay?" "Eggs boiled to a T." "Not like the ones Jerry made." "Why, you boil them so hard, if you threw them, you'd dent the barn." " She's good." " Yes." "How's he doing up there..." "John?" "About the same." "Listen we got to talk a little about the arrangements for this marriage question." "If Jerry here wasn't so pig-headed, he'd marry her right away." "Because the way I see it, there's going to be a long line of suitors as soon as word gets out, and I am going to be one of them." "Captain Perez, keep your eye on the business." "Well, you fellas forget I've been married twice before, and those women were very handsome, but the marriages weren't always so pretty." "So I'm just taking a little time, that's all." "This..." "This Mrs. Snow ain't nobody's fool." "We put out bait that any sensible person would say would get us nothing but sculpin, and by Almighty, we got ourselves a halibut." "You know what we can do?" "We can explain that Jerry ain't real comfortable with getting married..." "even talking about it... while Captain Bartlett is upstairs so sick in our house." "And if she's willing, we can put it off until he either dies or gets better, and we'll pay her to stay on as a nurse." "Pay her?" "You pay her or you marry her." "Mr. Hazeltine, I was wondering, could you come over to our place and keep an eye on Captain Bartlett while I attend to some chores?" "I'd be happy to." " Hello." " ls Captain Hedge in?" "No." "Captain Hedge is out just now." "Oh, dear." " l think I will come in and wait." " Yes, certainly." " Please do come in." " Thank you." "Won't you take a chair?" "Thank you." "Certainly a pleasant day." "Yes." "Are you Captain Zebulon Hedge?" "Yeah." "I'm so glad." "I received your telegraph. I hurried down on the first train." "I'm Elizabeth Preston," "Captain Bartlett's granddaughter." "You wrote me that he was ill, and I felt like I needed to be here as quickly as possible." " Elsie." " Elsie." "Yes." "Well, don't that beat all?" " Please, sit." "Sit down." " Thank you." "I'm so glad to see you." "I'm mighty glad to see you." "Please tell me about Grandfather." "How is he?" "Can I see him?" "Well, Miss Preston... your grandpa is pretty sick." "He's got a stroke of palsy or something." "He doesn't have much of a sense of what's going on around him." "He might not even recognize you." "Well, don't you worry now." "Doc says he's considerable better." " lsn't that right, Mr. Hazeltine?" " Yes, he did." "What on earth am I thinking?" "I'd like to make you known to Mr. Hazeltine here." " Pleased to meet you, ma'am." " He's sort of a neighbor of ours." "Actually, over there, across the bay." "And..." "Well, Mr. Hazeltine, if you will excuse us, I'll escort Elsie upstairs now." " lt's nice to meet you." " You, too." "A looker, ain't she?" "I swear." "If I wouldn't sooner have these beans than turkey." "Especially better than that burnt one you had for Christmas." "No, no. lt was Thanksgiving." "Well, it hung around till Christmas." "I want to thank you all." "You've been so good to my grandfather." "Well, Mrs. Snow told me all about it." "We done ship together." "He's our mate." "You've just been so kind, and I really appreciate it." "Hello, Mr. Hazeltine." "Hello, Captain." "I just stopped by your house to inquire on Captain Bartlett." "Mrs. Snow seems to have things quite in hand." "She seems as though trouble doesn't trouble her at all." "I judge she's seen enough of it, too." "It's queer how trouble acts in folks." "Sort of like hot weather." "It spoils milk, but it sweetens apples." "She's one of the sweetened kind." "Afternoon, Melissy." "Well, hello, Captain." "What a spectacular afternoon we're having." "Melissy, we're having kind of an outing day after tomorrow." "We'd love for you to join us." "Will Captain Perez be there?" "Why, yes, ma'am." "Asking you to come along was his idea." "Well." "Well, I'll be there." "You can count on me." "Come on, baby." "Whoa!" "Spied you coming, Zeb." "Jump right down and come right in." "This is where we keep the boat and the rest of the gear." "The spare oar is on the wall." "The regular ones are in the boat." "Captain, where's the famous "breeches buoy" l've always read about?" "Right up there." "I don't believe you'd get me into that thing." "I don't know, but I think I'd rather be drowned than to make a show of myself." "Only used it once since I've been at the station." "Most of the time, the wrecks are too far offshore, and we have to get the boat out." "Chowder's warming, Father." "Should be ready soon." "If y'all don't mind, I think I'll break out the picnic baskets." "Why don't you show Melissy here the lookout tower?" "I don't believe she's ever seen it." "Really?" "I don't want to go." "I believe I'd love to see it!" "Listen, go easy, Perez." "You and Melissy are like our insurance policy just in case Jerry gets cold feet." " You know what I mean?" " lf Jerry gets cold feet, I'm the one stepping into his shoes, immediately." "Captain Norris, you must've seen some plucky things in your day." "What's the bravest thing you've ever seen?" "Well, I've seen something done once that may not strike you as being anything out of the usual run, but has always seemed to me clear grit and nothing else." "So I says to Prissy Rend, says I, "That Captain Perez Ryder," ""he sure is a case." "70 years old and still so wild."" "Prissy says there's no woman alive who can tame a man once he hasn't been tamed already." "But I said, "No, Prissy. lf anyone can tame him, I can tame him." "I'm going to housebreak him just like I did my second husband." "It happened off the coast of Maine along in the '70s." "I was working as a sort of second mate on a lumber schooner." "We struck a rock that wasn't down on any chart." "Punched a hole in the schooner's side." "Did you abandon ship?" "Well, that was my thought." "But the skipper... he wasn't that kind." "He sized things up in a hurry, I tell you." "Half the crew was praying to the virgin, the other half swearing a blue streak." "But the skipper... he drove them to the pumps and set me over them with a revolver to keep them working." " And she said that..." " Now, Melissy, look." "I hate to interrupt you there in your story, but... I see where you're driving, and... I just don't want to give you no encouragement." "I mean, I like you but... not in the marrying way." "I don't mean to offend you." "It's just that I'm... I'm not ready to settle down yet." "I mean, I'm... still a seafaring man." "Out there, there's... still maybe voyages to take, and I..." "Captain, you make as much common sense as a duck in a henhouse." "Don't..." "Please don't cry." "I didn't mean..." "When they was done, we had to carry the first mate to the cabin." "But the skipper... he just sent the cook for a pail of boiling hot coffee, drunk the whole of it, put dry clothes over his flannels and stayed on deck and worked that schooner into Portland Harbor." "Who was he, Captain Norris?" "It was Captain Zeb." "That's right, ma'am." "Perez told you, I suppose." "No." "Nobody told me. I just guessed it." "I've seen a good many folks in my time, and I calculate that I've got so that I can tell what kind a man is after I've known him a little while." "Thank you." "He's been sleeping peaceful the last hour." "Dear Miss Preston, if you don't want the sheriff to come and haul your grandpa into state's prison, you better come and see me at the billiard hall right away." "Web Saunders." "Sure I can't help you with them dishes, Mrs. Snow?" "No." "Don't you fellas ever touch another dirty dish." "Ever since I caught you with a dust rag as a dishcloth, of all the silly things." "Don't fleck out with me." "When did you have a dust rag and a dishcloth?" "I don't know what... lt's a pity she won't let us help her." "There." "Well, hello." "You come to learn the trade?" "Captain Zeb, I want to have a talk with you." "A business talk." "I want you to help me get a position." "A position." "Well, I've been thinking a great deal lately, and now that Grandfather seems to be a little better and he doesn't need as much care, I want to do something to earn my living." "Earn your living?" "Why, child alive, you don't need to do that." "Your grandfather is not so poor that I can't give you a little change now and then that he wouldn't pay me back." "No, I don't want to use your money, or his." "I want to get the teaching job here at the grammar school." "Look here, Elsie." "I don't want you to think I'm curious about your private life, but are you sure there's not some other reason why you want to take this place?" "No, Captain Zeb." "It's just as I've told you." "I just don't know what you must think of me answering an advertisement for a husband that way." "I just... I'm ashamed of myself to think of it, I declare." "And in that kind of paper, too." "Well, I will say... I did wonder more than a few." "Well, I am surprised that you ain't asked me before." "My husband's name was Jubal Snow." "He was a good husband." "No better anywheres." "He and I had a good life together." "Our trouble was we didn't calculate that fair weather wouldn't last all the time." "Well, he took down sick, and he had to quit going to sea." "And we had a little house in Nantucket, and we settled on it." "Finally, we come to where we had to do something right away, and we talked the whole thing out, and we decided to mortgage the house." "The money we got from the mortgage, though, lasted until Jubal died." "They foreclosed the mortgage and gave me notice to move out." "So I packed my things and watered my flowers for the last time." "You know, I had a beautiful garden." "Fire." "Fire." "It's blazing." "It's burning." "The fire..." "John, don't talk so." "Where's the kerosene and the matches?" "Now, softly, softly..." "The shavings." "It's dark here in the corner." ""And all their goodly castles with fire."" "John, be still." "Be still." "Be still." "He had just such a turn last night." "Did he talk like he did just now?" "Just the same." "Saying the same things?" "Yes." "Then you knew." "That he set the billiard room afire?" "Yes." "I always rather suspicioned that he did, and, of course, last night just made me sure of it." "Did you think that I knew?" "Always thought that you did." "When I found him, he had his coat on, and it was... it was all burnt, and he had an empty kerosene bottle in his pocket." "I hid them both, and then I turned him around so it looked like he was running towards the saloon instead of from it." "I feel like I'm a firebug myself sometimes." "Captain Zeb, do you think I blame you for trying to keep your best friend out of trouble for being, well, out of his head?" "Land of mercy." "He ain't no more to be held responsible than a baby." "You did exactly what I would've done if I'd been in your place." "Mrs. Snow, you are just exactly the kind of woman that I wish I'd had for a sister." "Yes..." " Did it again, did you, Margaret?" " Hi." "Nice work." "I was just helping Martha here take some groceries home." "I was telling her how wonderful it was that we've got her to take care of us." "Well, with John Bartlett and all, it's..." "Were you, now?" "Captain Perez has been such a comfort to me today." "lnsisting on carrying the groceries and helping clean the house." "Some girl will be awfully lucky to land him one day." "Well, if he ever consents to marry." "A confirmed bachelor, he is." "Now, Melissa will marry him, but he won't have none of that." "That's not true." "I'd marry." "Melissa...just isn't my type." "Perez, can I have a word with you?" "Excuse me." "Now what?" "Stop two-timing Jerry." "Melissa's the one for you." "That's our backup." "She's a sure thing, not Mrs. Snow." "Why not?" "Well, don't take this personal or nothing, Perez, but when all you got is a hand line and a scrap of squid for fishing, you really can't be going after whales." "Hey, Sonny, is Miss Preston gone yet?" "No, she ain't." "She's up there." "Mr. Saunders is there, too." "Saunders?" "Web Saunders?" "I'm telling you right now, I ain't nobody's fool." "You're making $14 a week, and all you're paying me is 6!" "I want more, I tell you." "Sure smells good." "I hope you didn't spend all day." "Making that?" "Oh, no. I didn't spend even a second on it." "Melissy Busteed made it." "She brought the whole pot over this morning." "Really?" "She wanted you to have the first taste." " ls that true?" " Oh, yeah." "For me." "Miss Busteed." "What?" "Not only did I find that burnt coat and empty kerosene bottle on the hill, but I found his big, fancy, white hat." "Found that hat, did you?" "That's I done." "Where do you think I found it?" "In the back of my shed, right where the fire started." "And there was a pile of ashes there, too." "And there was kerosene on him." "What kind of fool do you think I am that I wouldn't know who started that fire?" "I knew the night she burned." "And when Doc Palmers said that Bartlett had took sick, I went right up the hill, and I started hunting." "And I found things." "And the things I found, I kept." "Do you, now?" "Dear, dear." "And when that girl come here, and starts swelling around and putting on the airs, I sees my chance." "So I tell her, "You better pay up, or I'm going to have your old granddad shoved into Barnstable jail."" "You lowlife, thieving rascal." "I'm giving you a chance you don't deserve." "You either pay back that money to that girl you stole it from, or I'm going to walk out that door, and when I'm come back, I will have the sheriff with me." "Go ahead." "Bring the sheriff up here, and I'll march him right down to your house, and I'll show him the man that set my house on fire." "That doesn't frighten me." "It doesn't?" "It doesn't." "Why not?" "He's gone someplace where you can't get him." "He just died just before I left the house." "He died?" "Died." "And your proof don't amount to a hill of beans." "Well..." "Well, now..." "Captain Hedge, I don't think we ought to be fighting like this." "Neither one of us really wants to see any trouble, so maybe there's a way that this thing could be worked out?" "You no-good scoundrel." "You give her that money back, or I'll break you in two myself." "John is gone." "He's gone to a better place." "He being gone is a great loss to us, a great loss for this town, but a great blessing for heaven." "We're going to miss his courage, his insight," "and the powerful example he was for... for all of us." "Let us pray." "So, Jer... now that John's in the ground, we got to talk about this marriage business." "Well, I don't see why she can't keep on being a housekeeper like she was." "Well, I do." "Jerry, you've got to ask her to marry you." "Now, why don't you stick to your own concerns and give me a bit of time?" "Jerry, you've had enough time." "I think a heap of Mrs. Snow." "She's a fine, pretty woman." "I'd be proud to have her as my wife." "But I just ain't the spunk yet to ask her." "The spunk?" "It don't take much spunk." "I need a month at least." " A month?" " Well, three weeks." "A week." "I give you one week." "Get..." "There's Melissy." "I think I'm going to go over and say some nice words to her." "Perez, I thought you weren't too keen on old Melissy." "I'll give you she's talkative." "She's talkative." "But after she brought the chowder the other day, I have a whole new appreciation for the woman." "Listen to that wind." "I think we're in for a northeaster." "How about a game of cards?" "I should like to stay, Captain, but how will I get back to the station if this storm grows any worse?" "I think it's getting worse." "I ought to be back at the station." "Well, yep, but you ain't." "So you're just going to have to put up in this here boarding house until morning at least." "First thing in the forenoon, I'll take you back to the station myself." "Maybe we'll stop in and see Luther and the boys on the way." "Nice day for ducks." "Luther, wake up!" "You got visitors." "What are you doing here?" "I come out here with the news." "I might ask you what you're doing here." "Well, I'm taking Mr. Hazeltine up to the cable station, and I thought I'd drop in and see the boys." "There's been a wreck." "A schooner's hung up on Hog's Back." "Luther and his crew went out there well over two hours ago." "And I'm getting worried." "I was on my way out to the point to see if I could see any sign of them." "Well, we're going with you." "Wind's letting up a little might." "We've had the worst of it, I guess." " There ain't so much..." " Good God!" "They need help!" "Godfrey mighty!" "Quick now!" "Quick now!" "Lively!" "There's Luther Norris." "He's all alone." "Yeah." " Looks like he's out cold!" " l got to go out there." "I'm going, Captain." "I'm younger than either of you, and I've got the best chance." "I mean it. I'm going." "All right, Mr. Hazeltine." "But we need the medicine chest." "You run back there as fast as the Lord Almighty will let you," " and you get it back here." " Yes, sir." "Don't give me that look, chummy." "That young fella's got a life to live." "You do not have to do this." "You think I'm too old." "I think you're going to die." "All right." "If I don't come back, you make sure Jerry marries that wonderful woman from Nantucket." "Don't let me down, Perez." "Lute, we're going to try land." "You hear me?" "What's the use?" "They're all gone!" "My whole crew!" "I might as well go with them." "Lute Norris, I never thought I'd see you playing crybaby." "That wily coot!" "The medicine chest was in the wagon the whole time." "Let me see that." "Brace up." "What are you, anyway?" "All right, Zeb. I'm with you." "But I ain't much good." "I got you now." "Just hang on." "Nice knot you tied there, Cappie." "He's a damn fool Bedlamite." "And to think that you might've been drowned." "I knew something was happening. I... I could just feel it somehow." "I couldn't think of anybody but you all the forenoon." "Mrs. Snow... you know," "when I was in the worst of it, all I could think about was you." "I mean, I thought about Luther and them poor souls, of course, but my mind was mainly on you." "I... I kept thinking that I might never see you again," "and... that's all that kept me going." "You know..." "Mrs. Snow, we've been so happy together since you've been here." "I was wondering if... maybe you could be happy with me, always, if... if we was... if we was married." "Now, think about it." "I'm not young. I'm not rich." "What am I?" "You willing to give it a try?" "Yes." "Yeah?" "Did you say yeah?" "Yes." "Oh, yes." "I plain forgot." "I'm two-timing Jerry." "Hey, Jerry." "Hey." "Zeb, I had you at half dead." "You don't look so bad for a half-dead man to me." "Well, I'm half alive." "Listen, Jerry... I have to talk to you about Mrs. Snow." "You just have to stop pestering me about this." "You gave me a week, and it ain't half over." "I mean, I've thought of a million things to ask her, but none of them seems to suit." "Just stop nagging me and let me be till my time's up." "I'm not nagging you, Jerry." "I came to tell you that you don't have to ask her." "I've been talking to her, and..." "Zebulon Hedge, I thought you were a friend of mine." "I give you my word I said I'd do it in a week, and at least it would seem to me that you could give me a chance to keep my word." "But no." "You and Perez... all you think about is yourselves." "You're so afraid you're going to lose your housekeeper." "She'll say no." "What'd she say?" "Well, she said yes to what I asked her." "So you see?" "She's known me for quite a spell." "Know what kind of man I be." "Of course she'd say yes." "What'd you do?" "You set the wedding, too, did you?" "Not yet." "You're making kind of a mistake here." "I didn't ask her for you." "I asked her for me." "She's going to marry me." "Look, it's hard to explain how it happened." "But in the time that Mrs. Snow has been here, I've really taken a liking to her, and today I found out she feels the same way about me." "It just come out." "Anyhow, we're going to be married." "Jerry, I can't tell you how... how small I feel about the way I've treated you here." "Zeb, I don't mind, but I can't say that I ain't hurt." "Because, well, it's just..." "Let me sit here for a while till I get used to the idea." "All I can do, Jerry, is say... I'm sorry." "Well, you done stole my wife." "Ain't you going to shake my hand?" "Sure." "We're still shipmates, right?" "Always." "Congratulations." "Thanks, partner." "Well, you got to dig deeper." "Come on." "Hurry up." "You're moving as slow as molasses." "I'm just learning." "Here's your bulb." "No chowder till you're done." "It's not fun yet." "You said marriage was going to be fun." "When's it going to be fun?" "Glad to see Elsie and Mr. Hazeltine sparking." "Her grandpa would be proud." "Looks like we're going to have a fair day tomorrow." "Maybe so." "But if it ain't, I know I've got a good pilot."